Will your period come? How can a pregnant woman understand that labor will begin soon?

Every girl, when she gets married, dreams of numerous offspring or at least one or two children. But now time passes, dreams of motherhood have long been realized, it seems like I don’t want to give birth anymore. And the woman begins to carefully monitor her menstrual cycle to avoid unwanted pregnancy. Or another situation. The couple have been living together for a long time, but there are no children. They go to the doctor, and he asks about the regularity of the menstrual cycle, when and how. But the woman didn’t even pay attention to him before, he walks and walks. And now she faces the question of how to find out or calculate the day when her next period will begin. Let us also take care of this issue, especially since regular cycle– this is the most accurate indicator of women's health.

Why is menstruation necessary?

Before dealing with menstrual calendar, let's get acquainted with the process itself and understand why we need this knowledge. So, menstruation is the name for bloody vaginal discharge that occurs every month if pregnancy has not occurred. And the menstrual cycle is the period of time from the first day of one period to the first day of the next. Ideally it lasts 28 days, but can vary from 25 to 36 days. This period is divided into three phases, and the central place is occupied by ovulation - the release of a mature egg from the follicle. This event usually occurs in the middle of the cycle on the 14-16th day from the start of menstruation. Exactly at given time the likelihood of getting pregnant is maximum. Therefore, every woman and girl should know how to determine the day when the next period begins and monitor the accuracy of their menstrual calendar.

There are several ways to calculate when your next period will start. The simplest of them will be counting by numbers. Add 28-35 days to the number of the first day of menstruation, and you get the exact date started next cycle. For example, the first day of menstruation fell on March 1st. Let's add 28-36 days and get the result March 29 - April 4. But this method good and accurate only if your periods run like a clock, without failures or errors. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. In case of violations hormonal levels, as well as in adolescence and before menopause, the cycle is confusing and inaccurate. How to understand and calculate when menstruation will begin in in this case? There is a way out of this situation, and not just one.

Ovulation will tell you

Ovulation, or rather the knowledge that it has occurred, will help you find out when your next period will begin. As mentioned above, this happens an important event approximately in the middle of the cycle. When the egg leaves the follicle, there is a sharp jump in the level of female sex hormones estrogen. And the body's reaction to hormonal surge is an instant increase basal temperature by 0.5-0.7 degrees. And this increase lasts until the very last day cycle or until the end of pregnancy, if it occurs. Every girl should be able to measure basal temperature, since there is nothing complicated here. Get yourself a separate thermometer and keep it on the nightstand near your bed or under your pillow. Shake it well every evening, and in the morning, immediately after waking up, insert it into your anus and hold for 7-10 minutes. Then look at the thermometer readings and write them down in a notebook specially kept for this purpose. The record should contain the date, the ordinal day of the cycle and your basal temperature readings. Before ovulation, these indicators remain at 36.4-36.6 degrees, and after the egg is released they become 37.1-37.5. Count 12-16 days from the day of ovulation according to the calendar. It is the number that you land on when counting that will indicate the day of your next period. See how simple it is.

Personal feelings

And one more additional factor– these are your own personal feelings. So-called premenstrual syndrome. For some, a week before the start of their period, their breasts become enlarged, their mood deteriorates, and their lower abdomen ache. And others feel drowsy, have a headache and don’t want to do anything. And a lot of other similar sensations. Observe your condition carefully, and it will definitely tell you how to more accurately find out and understand when your next period will begin. And if you have any doubt, do not be afraid to consult a doctor, because no one will take care of your health except you.

Most female representatives are upset by the onset of menstruation. And in this regard, how can you understand that your period will begin soon? To do this, it is necessary to calculate the occurrence critical days, accompanying signs can help with this. That's just severe pain may foreshadow serious problems with health. That's why it's worth a visit medical institution.

Determining the start date of menstruation

The reproductive cycle lasts 28 days. Exactly how many days are allotted for the duration of the entire period depends on individual characteristics body.

How to understand that your period will start soon? Critical days involve a special cyclicity, which is divided into phases. There are 4 of them in total:

From the first to the fifth day. When the level of progesterone in the blood decreases, the epithelium inside the uterus exfoliates. Thanks to him, separation occurs. In this case, a follicle appears, forming an egg.
From the fifth to the fourteenth day. During this period, the menstrual cycle is not observed. From cervical canal come out blood clots. The estrogen content exceeds the norm, due to which the follicle opens. At this moment the egg is in fallopian tube where it can be fertilized.
From 15 to 23 days. If conception does not occur, then the estrogen level decreases. The devastated follicle becomes like corpus luteum, responsible for the appearance of progesterone.
From 23 to 28 days. Progesterone required female for healthy pregnancy and subsequent childbirth.

If conception does not occur, women will soon find out when their periods will begin. A harbinger of this is the removal of dead cells from the uterine mucosa. At this moment, female representatives feel slight discomfort, which is expressed in certain symptoms. It is this phenomenon that warns of the onset of menstruation.

Symptoms and signs of the onset of menstruation

Finding out how soon your period will come is not so difficult; you need to know the basic characteristics of the body. Therefore, certain symptoms that should be presented to everyone will help to calculate the beginning of critical days.

The main precursors of the menstrual cycle:

The mammary glands slightly increase in volume. At the same time, the chest becomes slightly rougher, and pain may also be felt in this area. Minor discharge is observed, which subsequently transforms into a curd consistency. However, such phenomena are very difficult to recognize immediately.
When menstruation appears, acute or weak pain occurs, because the uterus will soon bring out the endometrium. Basically, this phenomenon accompanies the occurrence of painful sensations, which manifest themselves depending on the characteristics of the body. This is sometimes associated with hormonal imbalance systems. Thus, the best solution upon observation characteristic symptoms is qualified assistance from specialists.
Minor rashes may be observed on the outer layer of the epidermis. This symptom is attributed to hormonal problems before the onset of menstruation.
Before the first symptoms of menstruation appear, lower back pain occurs. Other processes observed before can also be considered a frequent occurrence.
When menstruation begins, it is released. This stage refers to the necessary reaction of the body. At a specific time interval, shortly before menstruation, the body is freed from excess. Basically, pain during critical days is associated with excessive load intestines. However, when defecating discomfort are fading away.

Premenstrual syndrome

Men refuse to believe that they have premenstrual syndrome. However, women claim that discomfort accompanies them throughout the entire period of menstruation. Medical workers adhere to different opinions about the presence of PMS, but women say that it is possible to detect the approach of menstruation thanks to them. Doctors dealing with premenstrual period, confirm his presence. In addition, they also identify a variety this state.

There are 3 main types of PMS, characterized by special symptoms:

Damaged nervous and psychological condition. This type is associated with an emotional breakdown, irritability, the appearance of depressive disorders, tearfulness, and undermining moral stability. When a woman gets her period a common symptom can be considered overwork and nervousness spreading to the environment. The alternating symptoms are normal phenomenon, which does not foreshadow any health problems.
Severe swelling. It spreads to the mammary glands, limbs of the arms and the abdominal area. Weakness is also observed, affecting further activities during the day.
This type is the most common. It is expressed mainly in dizziness and nausea. Female representatives also note a loss of strength, emotional stress. With the onset of menstruation, the tendency to depressive disorders and weakening of the body.

In addition to the characteristic symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, there are also reasons that contribute to this:

eating junk food;
vitamin deficiency;
increased level of prolactin in the body;
violations in endocrine system;
commitment to conflict situations;
weakening of hormonal levels;
bad heredity;
insufficient amounts of certain hormones.

If this syndrome prevents a person from doing something important matter or severe pain is felt, you must visit a medical facility. Only a doctor will explain the situation and the possibility of developing dangerous diseases.

Pain in the lower abdomen

A typical example of the onset of menstruation is severe pain in the lower abdomen shortly before the onset of discharge. Also at the same time painful sensations may radiate to the sternum. In some cases, such signs are difficult to bear.

To improve your well-being, you should reduce physiological activity before the cycle. In most cases, this recommendation helps prevent pain in the abdomen and chest.

Most main question, tormenting all pregnant women who are at an advanced stage: “How do you understand that labor is coming soon?”

By the end of pregnancy, you already know that a couple of weeks before giving birth, your belly drops and a small amount of weight loss occurs, and a few months before the significant event, you begin to experience “training contractions.” But how do you understand that there is very little left before labor begins - perhaps even just a couple of hours? Any to the expectant mother I want to be ready for this important moment. In this regard, we will name the main signs by which you can understand that childbirth is coming soon.

Signs of labor

Bloody discharge as a sign of labor

Shortly before giving birth (from a few hours to a couple of weeks), you may remember the already forgotten menstruation, finding a little reddish or brown spots. These are mucous secretions that indicate the activity of the cervix - its thinning, softening and expansion. In this way, the cervix prepares for upcoming birth.

But remember that bloody discharge later pregnancy can not only give you understand that childbirth is coming soon, but also be a consequence of having sex or gynecological examination. But if spotting did not appear as a result of these two processes, congratulations! Very soon you will become a mother!

Child behavior

Your baby will also help you understand that labor will begin soon. A few days before the expected due date, the baby seems to calm down. Of course, all tests and studies show that the fetus is developing absolutely normally. It’s just that by the end of pregnancy the baby has already grown enough, and he simply does not have enough space to actively move inside the abdomen. In addition, the child also needs to accumulate strength before the upcoming birth, because he will need to make a lot of effort to be born.

Mucus plug

The mucus plug closes the entrance to the uterus, being a natural barrier to infection and other unfavorable factors which may harm your baby. Removal of mucus plug - quite controversial sign imminent birth . For some it does not appear at all due to the paucity of mucous secretions, for others it goes away long before the onset labor activity, and for some - already with the arrival of labor pains. But ideally, the mucous plug comes off some time after the start. bloody discharge- a few hours before the onset of labor.

The mucus plug can literally come out “with a pop” - due to contractions of the cervix - or it can come out “portionally” in parts. But no matter how the mucus plug comes out specifically for you, in most cases this process gives you understand that childbirth is coming soon- and there are 1-3 days left before they start!

Lower back pain as a sign of approaching labor

Periodic pain in the lower back is also a clear sign that makes it clear that labor is imminent. As a rule, this kind of lower back pain appears a week or even a few days before childbirth and only periodically. But if you feel them constantly, it is quite possible that the fetus is located incorrectly in the uterus. You should immediately tell your doctor about all your doubts and inconveniences.

Digestive disorder

About a day before the onset of labor Particularly intense bowel movements occur. you may go to the toilet more than once and in larger volumes than usual. Nature provided this phenomenon so that nothing would interfere with you during the birth process. Surely, you already know that the vagina and rectum are separated by a thin septum - and if there is an accumulation of feces in the rectum, there will be less space in the vagina for your baby to pass through.

Literally a few hours before the onset of contractions, you can understand that childbirth is coming soon, and other features of your “behavior” digestive system. You may experience nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Your malaise is due to the release into the blood loading dose hormones that stimulate labor.

By the way, you can also confuse the first contractions with an upset stomach - after all, mild pain At the first contractions, they resemble abdominal pain with diarrhea.

Labor pains

Of course, in the most reliable way understand that childbirth is coming soon, are contractions. Some people confuse labor contractions with training contractions, which periodically appear during the third trimester of pregnancy. But training and birth contractions have one thing significant difference- they are periodic, repeating at approximately equal intervals and gradually intensify. Something like this: contraction 40 seconds - pause 20 minutes.

Women who are experiencing their first pregnancy are afraid of missing the onset of regular contractions. In fact, it is impossible to confuse contractions with anything - these sensations are so unique. If withdrawal has not yet begun amniotic fluid and contractions are infrequent, you can take a bath or shower. This way you can reduce it a little painful sensations. Direct the shower stream to the sacrum or lower back. It is better if someone close to you is next to you at this moment to help you with the procedure, and simply to support you psychologically. And if contractions are accompanied by the release of water or other vaginal discharge, you can be sure that labor has already begun!

Chills

A few hours before giving birth, or even at the beginning of labor, you may feel cold and chilly.

If you feel most of the signs listed above, do not worry and suddenly start getting ready for the maternity hospital. Of course, in this case, it is stupid to leave the city or go on a hike - but there is no need to rush around the apartment, frantically thinking about what to take to the maternity hospital urgently (unless, of course, your water has broken). Doctors even advise waiting out the contractions at home for a while - and waiting until their frequency becomes 5/45 (every 5 minutes for 45 seconds). And only after that you can happily pack up and go to the maternity hospital to give birth to your little one!

A menstrual calendar is something that every girl should definitely keep, regardless of whether she is sexually active or not. Depending on how regularly menstruation occurs, we can judge general condition health, not just the reproductive system. For example, irregular periods may be associated with problems in the endocrine system or too low body weight. Exact reason this phenomenon Only a doctor can determine.

Any girl can calculate her period calendar. Ideally, the cycle lasts no less than 25 and no more than 35 days, more often - 28-30. Other options require medical examination. Important point- the menstrual cycle is counted from the very first day of menstruation until the first day of the next one. So, when your doctor asks the question: “When was your last period?”, you need to name the first day last menstrual period. U healthy woman critical days come exactly after a certain period of time. Our online menstruation calendar will help you remember about the onset of the next critical days. You only need to correctly indicate the first day of your last menstrual bleeding and the length of your cycle.

For most women, the main role of the calendar is to keep track of possible attack pregnancy (noticing a delay in time). The menstrual calendar also allows you to calculate the days of ovulation - when pregnancy is most likely to occur during unprotected sexual intercourse. These days occur in the middle of the menstrual cycle. The beginning of the cycle and its end are considered “sterile.” However, there are many cases where women became pregnant even at “safe” times, and therefore only use as contraception calendar method not worth it. It is better to keep a record of dangerous and safe days for planning pregnancy, and not for protecting against it.

Another interesting option for using an online period calendar is planning the gender of a child. It is known that conception that occurs exactly in the middle of the cycle usually gives a boy, and 1-2 days before ovulation - a girl. It is believed that this statistics is due to better motility of sperm - carriers of the male chromosome. Future girls are not so nimble, but more resilient and patient, and can remain viable in the female genital tract for up to several days.

An online menstrual calendar will help expectant mothers calculate their due date. The average pregnancy duration for women is 280 lunar days. You can add 280 to the probable date of conception (the day of ovulation, as a rule) and thus find out the expected date of birth. An easier way is to use Naegele's formula - subtract 3 months from the first day of the last menstruation and add 7 days. However, this formula may give erroneous results for women with irregular, too long or, conversely, short menstrual cycles. At long cycle Ovulation occurs later, which means pregnancy lasts longer, so to speak. And with a short one, on the contrary, a woman can give birth a little earlier deadline. The date of birth of a child is influenced by many factors. Even at the date confirmed by several methods, not even half of the babies are born.

In a word, the menstrual calendar is a universal thing. And it is much more convenient to monitor your cycle online than to check off a paper version, which can be lost, torn, wet, or, in general, become unusable at any time, and all the data entered in it will be lost. Here the program will calculate everything for you and display the results on the monitor. What could be simpler?

Good luck with your calculations and women's health!

If pregnancy does not occur for any reason, the walls of the uterus reject the unused endometrium in order to begin to form a new nutritional layer for the potential future baby. The question of how to determine when menstruation will begin can worry girls and ladies all these decades. Although waiting for them to begin is perceived somewhat differently:

a young girl awaiting her first birth control;
woman expecting a possible pregnancy
a beauty who knows about problems with the regularity of menstruation
an experienced lady who is approaching the age of menopause

Signs of the onset of the first regulations

Every girl waits for this confirmation of puberty, which seems to her a sign of growing up. Do easier process simple observation of the changes occurring in the body will help.

Menarche (this is what doctors call menstruation) usually occurs at approximately the same age for several generations of family members. A girl can roughly guess the age of onset of regulation by asking questions to her mother and grandmother.

The maturation of the body is indicated by an increase in breast sensitivity; as soon as the breasts begin to grow, you can begin to wait for the start of menstruation. They usually begin a maximum of two years after the start of breast growth.

A sign of growing up is the beginning of hair growth armpit, on the pubis, sometimes on the arms and legs

The first sign of an imminent start of regulation is the appearance of white discharge, which can be seen on underwear about 6 months before the first period begins. Wherein copious discharge, characterized by sharp and unpleasant smell, may be an indicator of the presence vaginal infection, which requires mandatory consultation with a doctor.

How to determine the day of the onset of menstruation with a steady cycle

For an adult woman, knowledge of how to understand when menstruation will begin and when to expect it is constantly necessary. Timely detachment of the endometrium proves the health of the reproductive system. The onset of regulation or its absence makes it possible to assume or deny the fact of pregnancy. This information is important when preparing for a planned pregnancy. Sexual intercourse on the “right” days of the cycle, which are determined by the dates of menstruation, often becomes a successful start to bearing the expected son or daughter. Remember these not the most nice days It is also important for simple planning of your activities. In particular, accurate information about when to expect menstruation will be convenient for planning a vacation. It is difficult to find a beauty who is pleased to be on a week-long tour by the sea on the first day of her period, which will deprive her of the opportunity to enjoy the play of waves and distant swims for at least 5 days.

There are several reliable ways to assess your women's health.

Maintaining a calendar and calculating by numbers

If the calendar was not previously kept, you will need to add 28 days to the date when the last menstruation began. The resulting number will most likely be the day the next period begins. This method is most successful with regular adjustments that begin without temporary interruptions.

Basal temperature measurement

For almost all girls and women, an excellent sign of the onset of menstruation is an increase in basal temperature by 0.5-0.7 degrees. To perform this menstruation test, you must take your temperature at anus every morning 7-10 days. To obtain the most accurate data, shake off the thermometer in the evening before going to bed. It is better to put it on the bedside table or under the pillow. The temperature changes after the egg ovulates. It will change from 36.4-36.6 degrees to 37.1-37.5. From the date of change in basal temperature, you need to count 7-12 days to successfully determine the first day of the next menstruation. This method “does not work” only in the case of a general increase in body temperature. For example, because of a cold.

Calendar management

A successful solution to the problem of determining the expected onset of menstruation is a calendar, which gynecologists recommend that every woman keep for her entire life. In it you can mark the start dates of your periods and the number of days they last. This calendar will come in handy when visiting a gynecologist. It makes it easier to plan a pregnancy.

The ability to determine the imminent onset of menstruation by mood and well-being

Every woman’s body actively reacts to the imminent onset of regulation. Often they themselves can roughly guess the start date of their periods based on the changes that occur in their physical appearance and mood. About a week before your period starts, women may:

breast enlargement and sensitivity increase
headaches may begin
pulls in the lower abdomen

Sometimes information on how to find out when your period will start can be determined even from the outside. PMS (premenstrual syndrome) manifests itself clearly in many representatives of the fair sex: mood deteriorates, attention decreases, pain can intensify throughout the week before the start of regulation.

In what situations is information about the onset of menstruation especially important?

It is extremely important for every woman to be attentive to her health. Only clear information about the regularity of the cycle and its timely execution by the body helps to clearly understand how healthy you are. reproductive system, whether pregnancy can be expected and many other things.

Any irregularities in the regularity of the cycle should be the basis for mandatory consultation with a doctor. This may be an indicator that ovulation is due various reasons occurs untimely or does not occur at all. Irregular menstruation or a long pause will help you pay attention to this problem. Contacting a specialist is necessary when blood smears appear between procedures or immediately after their completion. Such a violation often becomes a reason for suspicion of diseases of the reproductive system. In some cases, the lack of ovulation becomes the basis for abandoning a strict diet. Menstruation disappears if adipose tissue occupies less than 18% of total body weight. Otherwise, the production of estrogens, which are responsible for women Health. Prolonged cycle failure can lead to infertility.

Cycle disruption also indicates approaching age of extinction reproductive function. Already several years before the onset of menopause, the number of anovulatory periods increases. By the age of 30, the number of such cycles without ovulation can be 2-3 per year. After forty, their number can normally increase to 6-8 times a year.

If a disturbance in the cyclicity of menstruation occurs, it is important to seek advice from your treating gynecologist. It will help develop a system for normalizing health.

If cyclicity is disrupted in older women, it is important to continue to use protection to prevent the onset of possible pregnancy. Lack of ovulation does not mean the inability to get pregnant. And against the background of cyclical disturbances, the fact of the onset of pregnancy may not be noticed for quite a long time. In some cases, before the onset of obvious fetal movement.

How to distinguish PMS from the beginning of pregnancy

Monitoring the start dates of menstruation is also important for women to be able to independently control both the state of reproductive function and the potential onset of pregnancy.

The signs of PMS are very similar to the signs of pregnancy. These days, the sensitivity of the mammary glands may also increase, they may swell and react negatively to touch. Pain that pulls at the very bottom of the abdomen and depression are also equally characteristic of both periods. Both during PMS and in the first days of bearing a baby, nausea often appears. This similarity is due to the fact that in both cases the level of the hormone progesterone increases significantly in women.

To eliminate doubts, you can measure your basal temperature. If it remains elevated 18 and more days, the fact of an imminent addition to the family can be considered almost one hundred percent. Conducting a pregnancy test helps confirm your assumptions or refute them. In its absence, it is useful to visit a gynecologist who will refer the woman for a blood test for hCG.

If there is a suspicion of possible start development of the embryo in the uterus, it is possible to maintain menstruation in the first weeks and sometimes even months of gestation. On average, 10-20% of women do not immediately block ovarian activity. Only a specialist is ready to make a final assessment of a woman’s health.

The timely onset of menstruation or the confirmed fact of their delay is always an ideal way to monitor the condition reproductive health. Any woman can exercise such control independently. Although even the most careful maintenance of the regulative calendar retains the need for a mandatory visit to the gynecologist at least once a year. If interruptions occur, the frequency of coming menstrual bleeding It is also important to seek advice from a specialist.