Dear Counselor, what is a menstrual cycle and what happens during the menstrual cycle?
Submitted by Counselor at SchoolNet on 14th April, 2009
The menstrual cycle is the process by which eggs are released from a woman’s ovary, ready to be fertilized by the sperm. The bleeding is only part of the menstrual cycle.
The menstrual cycle starts on the very first day of the bleeding. It continues up to the first day of the next period. The average length of the menstrual cycle is 28 days with some women having longer or shorter cycles.
In the first half of the cycle, levels of the “female hormone” (estrogen) start to rise and make the lining of the uterus (womb) grow and thicken. At the same time, some of the eggs start to ripen, though usually only one matures ready for fertilization.. Approximately 14 days from the start of the bleeding, one egg matures and is released from the follicle on the surface of the ovary and then into a fallopian tube. This is called ovulation.
After the egg has left the ovary it travels through the fallopian tube to the uterus. Hormone levels rise and help prepare the uterine lining for pregnancy.
If the egg is fertilized by a man’s sperm cell and attaches to the uterine wall, the woman becomes pregnant.
If the egg is not fertilized, it will break apart. If pregnancy does not occur, hormone levels drop, and the thickened lining of the uterus is shed off as a combination of blood, tissue and mucus. This is called menstruation or menstrual period. This starts the bleeding that comes from woman’s vagina. Periods can be light, moderate, or heavy, and the length of the period also varies. While most periods last from three to five days, anywhere from two to seven days is normal.