Did you know that the average person with a uterus has 450 menstrual cycles in their lifetime?
This means 450 chances for misinformation about menstrual cycles and periods.
There's a lot of misinformation floating around out there and if you have a menstrual cycle it's
important to understand how they actually work so you can make the best choices to stay healthy
and understand how pregnancy can occur. Even if you don't get periods it's important you understand as
someone you know and love is likely experiencing this very common and perfectly normal occurrence.
In this video we will talk about some common myths about the menstrual cycle and its relationship to
pregnancy.
but first, What is a menstrual cycle?
The menstrual cycle is a series of events that occur approximately every month to prepare the uterus for the possibility of pregnancy.
We measure the length of a menstrual cycle from the first day of bleeding of one cycle to the first day of bleeding of the next cycle
Periods are what many people call the time during the menstrual cycle in which the lining of the uterus is being shed.
In other words when someone is experiencing vaginal bleeding this is used as the marker because we can see this happening
outside of the body while the other events occur inside the body.
So how does the menstrual cycle work?
Well, level of hormones such as estrogen and progesterone vary throughout the cycle and
cause changes that define the different parts of the cycle. In the early parts of
this menstrual cycle estrogen is being made by the ovaries and released into the body.
This is causing the lining of the uterus to grow and prepare for a possible pregnancy.
During this first half of the cycle the ovaries are preparing for ovulation and
about halfway through the menstrual cycle the ovary releases an egg, which we call ovulation.
After this point the ovaries also make progesterone which further prepares the lining for
a pregnancy. If pregnancy does not occur however, the levels of hormones drop, the uterine lining
is shed, and the cycle repeats itself. If pregnancy does occur the levels of hormone do not decrease
and the lining of the uterus is maintained to support the pregnancy. So now that we know what the
menstrual cycle is and how it works let's get to some myths.
Myth one: every person who menstruates gets their period for one week once a month.
The length of the periods and time in between each one actually varies from person to person.
A normal menstrual cycle can be anywhere from 21 to 35 days.
The length of a period can be anywhere from two to seven days. The amount of time between
periods can vary especially during the first few years of menstruation and as someone approaches
menopause. Certain types of birth control can also alter the frequency of your periods.
Myth number two: you can't get pregnant until after you've had your period.
This is a common misconception ovulation which is when the ovaries release an egg to possibly be fertilized happens
before your period this means that you can get pregnant even if you haven't had your first period
or had your first period after a pregnancy.
Myth number three: you can't get pregnant if you have sex while you're on your period
Although those people with regular periods are less likely to get pregnant while they're on their period than compared to other points in the menstrual cycle,
it is still possible. This is especially true for those with shorter menstrual cycles or who
have more bleeding days and might ovulate before or soon after their bleeding stops.
If pregnancy is not something you want right now be sure to use contraception.
Myth number four: you can take a pregnancy test the day after having sex to see if you're pregnant.
Unfortunately this is not the case. The pregnancy hormone that the pregnancy test looks for hcg
isn't produced until after the fertilized egg implants into the lining of the uterus
This process can take up to 12 days after the egg is fertilized. This means that pregnancy
tests are not accurate until at least two weeks after having sex.
Myth number five: only women have menstrual cycles and periods.
Although many people who have menstrual cycles identify as women
transgender men and some non-binary people may have periods as well. There are also women who
do not have menstrual cycles because they are transgender, have gone through menopause, or are
taking hormones for birth control or for other medical reasons. Those who have had their uteruses
surgically removed, also called a hysterectomy, but still have their ovaries may still have the
hormonal changes that happen with the menstrual cycle like ovulation but will not have the monthly
bleeding that we call the period. Menstrual cycles look different for every person but understanding
how they work can be an important part of staying healthy and understanding pregnancy. As always if
you have a question or need advice about menstrual cycles be sure to ask your health care provider.