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Menstruation

Also called: Menses, Menstrual period, Period

Summary

Menstruation, or period, is normal vaginal bleeding that occurs as part of a woman's monthly cycle. Every month, your body prepares for pregnancy. If no pregnancy occurs, the uterus, or womb, sheds its lining. The menstrual blood is partly blood and partly tissue from inside the uterus. It passes out of the body through the vagina.

Periods usually start between age 11 and 14 and continue until menopause at about age 51. They usually last from three to five days. Besides bleeding from the vagina, you may have:

Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, is a group of symptoms that start before the period. It can include emotional and physical symptoms.

Consult your health care provider if you have big changes in your cycle. They may be signs of other problems that should be treated.

NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Start Here

  • About Menstruation From the National Institutes of Health (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
  • All about Menstruation (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
  • Menstrual Cycle (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
  • Menstrual Cycle: What's Normal, What's Not (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
  • What Are Menstrual Irregularities? From the National Institutes of Health (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

Treatments and Therapies

  • Black Cohosh From the National Institutes of Health (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
  • Chasteberry From the National Institutes of Health (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
  • What Are the Common Treatments for Menstrual Irregularities? From the National Institutes of Health (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
  • What Are the Treatments for Amenorrhea? From the National Institutes of Health (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

  • Adenomyosis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
  • Delaying Your Period with Birth Control Pills (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
  • Hormone Replacement Therapy: Can It Cause Vaginal Bleeding? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
  • Noncontraceptive Benefits of Birth Control Pills (American Society for Reproductive Medicine)
  • Period Problems: Fibroids, Endometriosis, and Other Issues From the National Institutes of Health (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
  • Toxic Shock Syndrome (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
  • What Are Bleeding Disorders in Women? (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Specifics

  • Amenorrhea From the National Institutes of Health (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
  • Female Athlete Triad (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
  • Heavy Menstrual Bleeding (Menorrhagia) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  • Menorrhagia (Heavy Menstrual Bleeding) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
  • Mittelschmerz (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
  • The Facts on Tampons -- and How to Use Them Safely (Food and Drug Administration)
  • What Causes Menstrual Irregularities? From the National Institutes of Health (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Amenorrhea From the National Institutes of Health (National Institutes of Health)
  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Menstruation Disturbances From the National Institutes of Health (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

  • Article: Women's attitudes about combined hormonal contraception (CHC) - induced menstrual bleeding...
  • Article: A mixed-methods study measuring the effectiveness of a menstrual health intervention...
  • Article: Association between insulin resistance and abnormal menstrual cycle in Chinese patients...
  • Menstruation -- see more articles

Reference Desk

  • Female Reproductive System (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
  • Menstrual Cycle (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

  • Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health Also in Spanish
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development From the National Institutes of Health Also in Spanish
  • Find an Ob-Gyn (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)

Children

  • All about Menstruation (For Children) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
  • Five Things Girls Want to Know about Periods (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
  • Getting Your Period (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
  • Menstrual Problems (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
  • Pads and Tampons (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
  • Talking to Your Child about Menstruation (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
  • When Will I Get My Period? (For Kids) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

  • Dr. Stacey Missmer on Painful Periods in Teens From the National Institutes of Health (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
  • Feeling Fresh (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
  • Female Athlete Triad (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
  • Irregular Periods (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
  • Menstrual Disorders in Teens (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
  • Period Products: Using Your First Tampon (Boston Children's Hospital) Also in Spanish
  • PMS, Cramps, and Irregular Periods (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
  • Problem Periods (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
  • Toxic Shock Syndrome (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
  • Your First Period (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
  • Your Menstrual Cycle (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)

Patient Handouts

The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health.

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