Menstrual cycle

Your menstrual cycle: the basis for new life

Learn everything about the duration and sequence of the female menstrual cycle here

A woman's menstrual cycle is one of the most complex hormonally controlled processes in our body. A multitude of body processes are involved in this fascinating cycle, which is the prerequisite for new life. Find out everything about the duration and course of your menstrual cycle in our guide!

Table of contents on the subject of the menstrual cycle

Your menstrual cycle - as individual as you are

Many women used to have a rather negative attitude towards their own menstrual cycle. The monthly bleeding disturbed them during sex and they felt restricted in their sporting activities. But at the latest when the first desire to have a child arose, they realized that their own menstrual cycle is something completely fascinating. It is the basis and the prerequisite for new life. Even if you don't want to have a baby yet, dealing with your personal menstrual cycle will help you to understand your body better and to find your natural balance again. The menstrual cycle and the sequence of the individual phases is always the same for every woman. However, the length can vary considerably, especially the interval between the onset of menstruation and the next ovulation varies greatly from woman to woman. Therefore, there are women with a very short cycle as well as women with a very long cycle. The duration and intensity of menstruation also varies from woman to woman.

Learn more about your body

In addition, your cycle can be influenced by numerous factors, especially stress or an unhealthy lifestyle. At the same time, your cycle can also give you information about your body. A regular cycle with a constant length is basically a good sign - provided you do not take hormones for contraception. This is because hormones lead to an artificially induced, regular cycle that has nothing to do with your natural cycle length. Also, the abortion bleeding during the break is caused by the discontinuation of hormones and does not correspond to your natural menstrual bleeding. If you have been taking the pill until now and are now stopping or have already stopped, your natural menstrual cycle will settle down again after a while. This can be shorter or longer than the artificially induced 28 days.

Day 1: Everything begins with menstruation

The first day of menstruation has been defined as the beginning of a new cycle. The simple reason for this is that menstruation is the only really clear and easily recognizable sign of your menstrual cycle. Surely you know some other signals of your body, which for example indicate that your period is about to start. But these signals are not clear enough to determine the first day of your cycle. In addition, the onset of menstrual bleeding gives you the certainty that fertilization has not taken place and that you cannot be pregnant. So if you want to find out how long and regular your cycle is, you can enter the start of your period as the first day of your cycle in a table, a calendar or an app.

The duration of your menstrual period could also be interesting for your evaluation. This varies greatly from woman to woman. Some women have bleeding for only 2-3 days, while others have bleeding over a period of 5 or 7 days. The course of menstruation is also very individual. For some, it starts right away, for others it is only spotting at first. The intensity of the pain during menstruation also varies greatly. Some women are lucky enough to feel nothing at all, while others squirm in bed with cramps. If you are one of the latter, here are some tips for you!

10 tips against period pain:

  •     Warmth through hot water bottle, grain pillow or a hot bath
  •     Abdominal massage with a mixture of almond and marjoram oil
  •     Magnesium - best from nuts and green smoothies
  •     Ensure vitamin B6 supply, e.g. with salmon, bananas or wholemeal bread
  •     Schuessler salts: No. 1, No. 2 and No. 17
  •     Globules: Causticum, Conium, Nux Vomica and Sulfur
  •     Acupuncture can help with regular complaints - just try it!
  •     Yoga exercises for proper breathing and relaxation
  •     Reduce stress and make sure to take sufficient rest breaks
  •     Fresh air, sun and lots of laughter - that's how the happiness hormones bubble up!

Observing the menstrual cycle: fascinating and revealing

By the way, it's not uncommon to suffer from blemished skin and dull hair at the end of your period, around day 6 or 7. At this time, estrogen levels are particularly low. To get a better feeling for your body or as information for your gynecologist, it can be useful to record the duration and intensity of your period. It is also worth noting any intermediate pains (e.g. a pulling or stinging sensation in the abdomen).

If you keep these records over a period of several months, you will get a good picture of how long or short your menstrual cycle is, how many days of menstruation you can expect, and if there are any other abnormalities. Please note that such a record is only an aid to help you learn more about your cycle. This method is in no way suitable for determining your fertile days! If you are looking for a reliable support to record your menstrual cycle and to determine your fertile days, our cycle computer Lady-Comp is exactly the right support for you.

Egg maturation and preparation of the uterus

If you continue to study your cycle, you may ask yourself what happens after menstruation? Basically, the cycle starts all over again: In the so-called follicular phase or egg maturation phase, the mucous membrane of the uterus begins to build up again, controlled by various hormones. At the same time, a new egg matures in the ovaries.

When this rebuilding of the mucosa begins varies greatly from woman to woman and depends on the increase in luteinizing hormone (LH). For some women, only a few days pass between the last day of menstruation and the rebuilding of the uterine lining, for others several weeks lie in between. Especially for women who want to have children it is a bit annoying when the body has a rather long egg maturation phase, because this means that they have to wait longer before their awful days start again. Especially for such women or for women with a very irregular cycle Lady-Comp is a valuable support in family planning.

By the way, the follicular phase is characterized by a very special cocktail of hormones that makes your skin and hair glow and puts you in a good mood. If you know your cycle well, you can use these advantages of the first half of the cycle for yourself: Now is the right time for difficult tasks, professional challenges or events! You have the peak of this high phase approximately between your 10th and 12th cycle day. Just try it out! Note your mood during your cycle and then compare your recordings with the data you entered. You will be surprised how much your hormones influence you and your life.

Ovulation: The climax of the menstrual cycle.

Ovulation is the transition from the first to the second phase of the menstrual cycle and refers to the moment/day when the mature egg is released from the ovary into the fallopian tube. The timing of ovulation varies greatly from woman to woman due to the variable length of the first cycle phase. For the vast majority of women, ovulation takes place after the 14th day of the cycle - but of course this can also fluctuate at any time. In particular, great stress or prolonged lack of sleep can have a negative influence on ovulation and slow down the egg maturation phase or even lead to you not ovulating at all. For mothers who are breastfeeding, it can also take several months before they ovulate again.

If you feel that your cycle is very irregular or if you want to know whether you are already fertile again after a previous pregnancy, Lady-Comp can help you. If you use it regularly, it will signal you as soon as you ovulate again. Our proven cycle computer can also record cycle irregularities or the absence of ovulation for you.

The new Lady-Comp

Timing is what counts!

After ovulation, the egg is capable of fertilization for 12 to a maximum of 18 hours. Fertilization must take place not only within this period, but also in the upper third of the fallopian tube, so that the egg can develop far enough for implantation. If fertilization does not take place in time, the egg dies and dissolves. There are usually 10 to 16 days between ovulation and the start of your period. This period is relatively constant for all women. By the way, ovulation takes place completely randomly in one ovary or the other. Even women who have only one ovary can usually get pregnant without any problems. Only in rare cases two mature eggs are released into the fallopian tube. This is one of the ways twins, in this case fraternal twins, can occur.

The decision: Fertilization or not?

If you want to have a child, you certainly want to know when you are fertile. With this knowledge you can significantly increase your chances of a quick pregnancy. However, it is not true that you are fertile only on the day of your ovulation. The egg can only be fertilized for a maximum of 18 hours, but nature has ensured that you are still fertile on several days within a cycle. This is due to the male sperm cells, which can wait up to five days in your fallopian tubes for the egg. This gives you a period of about 6 days during which you can become pregnant through unprotected sexual intercourse. By the way, the number of fertile days is completely independent of the length of your cycle! Women with a very short cycle simply do not have to wait as long to try again.

Menstrual cycle: examples of fertile phases

For example, if you have a 30-day cycle and you ovulate on day 15, you will be fertile from day 10 to day 15 inclusive. After that you have to wait again for about 25 days until you have another chance to get pregnant. However, since your cycle is rarely really exactly the same, you should not rely on a simple calculation. Maybe you already use Lady-Comp to calculate your fertile phases. If you have now decided to have a child, you can simply continue to use Lady-Comp as a pregnancy planner. To do this, you continue to measure your morning basal body temperature as usual and record the data of your menstrual cycle with Lady-Comp. If you want to have a child, use the "red days" - and especially the day of your ovulation - for intimate togetherness. Lady-Comp takes care of all the calculations for you, as usual, and ensures that you can concentrate on the good things in life and your time together. You don't have to worry about missing valuable, fertile days: The accuracy of the calculation is very high.

Below you will find a quick overview of your menstruation. The order of the phases is always the same for every woman.

The menstrual cycle at a glance:

  •     Cycle begins with the first day of menstruation
  •     Menstruation for about 3 to 7 days (varying in length and intensity)
  •     Follicle/ovum maturation phase with development of the mucous membrane and maturation of the ovum (duration variable)
  •     Ovulation: ovum capable of fertilization for max. 18 hours
  •     If fertilized, the egg cell tries to implant, if it is not fertilized, it dies
  •     Luteal phase which lasts about 10-16 days, during this phase the uterus "waits" for the fertilized egg.
  •     If fertilization does not occur, the next menstrual period occurs and a new cycle begins.
  •     If the egg was successfully fertilized and was able to implant, you are pregnant!

Things to know about the duration of the menstrual cycle

Menstrual cycle duration also varies greatly due to the variable length of the first phase of the cycle. The average woman's menstrual cycle is 23 to 35 days long. However, if your cycle is shorter or longer, this is not a cause for concern or an obstacle to getting pregnant. There are also women with a 19 or 40 day cycle. Very short cycles are generally more of a problem when trying to conceive than long cycles. Very long cycles only have the disadvantage that you have to wait longer until the next fertile phase. As a comparison: With a 20-day cycle you only have to wait 15 days until the next fertile phase, but with a 40-day cycle it is 35 days.

Desire to have children: It does not work without ovulation

The only important thing when you want to have children is that you ovulate regularly and that your uterine lining builds up sufficiently. If you have a very short or irregular cycle, a simple ultrasound examination at your gynecologist can check whether these conditions are still met. In the vast majority of women there is nothing physically wrong with pregnancy and even if your hormone levels are not good, there are numerous ways to help you have the child you want. Often, however, there is just a lack of good timing when it doesn't work out so well with the desire for a baby.

The duration of your menstrual cycle does not say anything about when you are fertile. The decisive factor is always knowing the day of your ovulation a few days before you have it. For example, a woman with a 35-day cycle has, in purely mathematical terms, 29 days on which she is not fertile. Even if you had sex on each of these days, it would be of no use. Pregnancy can only occur on your fertile days. And to determine these easily, quickly and conveniently, you'd best use Lady-Comp!

Your cycle computer for all cases: Lady-Comp

Lady-Comp was developed for women who want to know when they are fertile in a simple and completely natural way. Because with this knowledge you have it in your own hands. Lady-Comp is simple, accurate and fast. All you have to do is measure your basal body temperature with the flexible measuring tip under your tongue in the morning before you get up. Simply lie still for a short time. The measurement only takes about 60 seconds. Lady-Comp does the rest for you! Thanks to a unique algorithm that has been proven over decades, Lady-Comp can calculate your fertile days with a very high degree of accuracy based only on your basal body temperature.

And the practical preview function makes it easy for you to plan extra time for two to make the most of your fertile days. At the same time, you learn a lot of interesting facts about your cycle and always know exactly when your next period will be. Lady-Comp is the ideal support for your family planning, even if you don't have time for calculations, analyses and temperature curves. Due to the high measuring accuracy and the reliable software, the device combines the advantages of natural family planning with time-saving technology. Of course, the use is completely free of side effects and hormones. Your body remains in its natural balance and your menstrual cycle is not affected!

Your menstrual cycle: sequence and duration always in view

Lady-Comp also ensures that you always have an overview of the sequence and duration of your menstrual cycle. You will quickly develop a feeling for when something is not right. A look at the recorded data will then tell you whether you are right with your feeling and whether, for example, your ovulation has been delayed or the duration of your menstrual cycle has changed.

Lady-Comp provides you with the necessary knowledge about your fertile days: fast, easy and accurate. You decide what to do with this knowledge. If you have decided to become pregnant, you simply let your love run free on your fertile days.

Whatever your life plan looks like: Lady-Comp supports you. Naturally, quickly and accurately!

The new Lady-Comp