Cycle Length
A woman's menstrual cycle is, on average, 28 days long. It is perfectly normal for it to be a few days shorter, or several days longer. Some women's cycles are exactly the same length every month, some are a few days different each month, and some a wildly unpredictable. An unpredictable cycle may be the sign of an illness, like poly-cystic ovary syndrome.
The length of your cycle can be affected by stress or medication. Stress can make you ovulate later than usual and make your cycle longer. Stress can be as little as an exam or travel, or can be a huge mental or emotional trauma. The birth control pill regulates your cycle length to exactly 28 days every time.
Stages of the Cycle
The first day of menstruation is Day 1 of your cycle. Menstruation, which is the slow shedding of the blood-like lining of the uterus, can last 3-7 days. Some women have cramps before or during menstruation.
On about Day 14 of the cycle, a woman ovulates and one of her ovaries releases an egg cell. This cell travels down one of her fallopian tubes to the uterus. Ovulation signals a hormone shift (see the picture to the right for more about the hormone shift) and tells the uterus to get ready for a pregnancy, or to try again with another cycle. The uterus builds up a thick blood-like lining. If a woman does not get pregnant, this lining starts to drip away about 14 days after ovulation, which is counted as Day 1 of the next cycle.
PMS, or pre-menstrual syndrome, happens because of the shift in hormones after ovulation. This varies widely from woman to woman, and even from cycle to cycle, but can cause some or all of: mood swings, food cravings, depression, acne, migraines, upset stomach, and a whole bunch of other symptoms. They can get worse, or change, as a woman gets closer to menstruation.
When a cycle is not 28 days, menstruation still happens about 14 days after ovulation. If the cycle is less than 28 days, ovulation will happen before Day 14 of the cycle. If the cycle is longer than 28 days, ovulation will happen after Day 14.
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