Waiting for menstruation can make Ladies worry every month. The reason is that every woman has a different menstrual period. But this worry can certainly be avoided once you understand the menstrual period. For every woman who has entered puberty, it would be nice to record the menstrual calendar to avoid these worries.
Why do you have to record the menstrual calendar?
Of course, the term "menstrual cycle" is familiar to ladies. The menstrual cycle is a series of changes that a woman's body experiences every month due to the shedding of the uterine lining. Generally, the menstrual cycle occurs every 28 days. The normal menstrual cycle ranges from 21 to 40 days and lasts 2 to 7 days.
Keeping track of the menstrual calendar can help plan a pregnancy and detect whether the menstrual cycle is normal. When you recognize the signs of an abnormal menstrual cycle, you can prevent serious health problems from occurring.
What are the signs of an abnormal menstrual cycle?
Ladies, you can observe the following symptoms to determine whether your menstrual cycle is normal.
- Menstrual cycles occur in less than 21 days or more than 35 days
- Menstrual periods last more than seven days
- Menstrual cycles missed three times or more in a row
- Menstrual flow that is much heavier or lighter than normal
- Accompanied by pain, cramps, nausea, or vomiting during menstruation
- Experiencing bleeding or spotting outside of your cycle
What causes an irregular menstrual cycle?
Even though an abnormal menstrual cycle has a low risk of causing serious problems, it never hurts to be alert to recognize the causes of an irregular menstrual cycle. The following are factors that can cause an irregular menstrual cycle.
1. Too Stressful
When stress levels increase, the body will produce the hormone cortisol, which can suppress the activity of the hormone estrogen. This can lead to delays in the ovulation process and disrupt the menstrual cycle. You better manage stress in positive ways, ladies! For example, doing yoga, meditation, or writing a diary.
2. Drastic Weight Change
Hormonal activity can be disrupted when you do an improper diet and cause drastic changes in body weight. When the body weight increases drastically, the production of the hormone insulin will increase and disrupt the menstrual cycle. Conversely, when the body weight drops dramatically, the menstrual cycle can also be disrupted because the body has difficulty producing enough estrogen.
3. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
Hearing the term PCOS can cause great fear for most women. Yes, that's right, PCOS is characterized by the appearance of small cysts in the ovaries. When you have PCOS, menstruation can occur twice a month and even no menstruation in a month. Women with PCOS usually have signs of sex hormone levels (unbalanced estrogen and progesterone) accompanied by excessive androgen hormones. This is what interferes with the ovulation process so that the menstrual cycle becomes irregular.
How to record the menstrual calendar?
Some of these factors are the causes behind abnormal menstrual cycles, ladies. That is why keeping track of the menstrual calendar is essential for every woman who has entered puberty. No need for books and pens to record the menstrual calendar. You can get the Fitie application, which you can download from the Play Store or App Store. Fitie also connects you with all women in Indonesia exclusively to share tips on maintaining health. Let's join Fitie!