{"id":2981,"date":"2025-05-27T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/reproductive-health-101\/"},"modified":"2026-11-02T15:03:26","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T14:03:26","slug":"womens-health-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/womens-health-101\/","title":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s Health 101"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>\n\/* The accent is a light-background device. 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.ti{font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.16em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#1d5f66;margin:0 0 6px}\n.ra-fig .q{font-size:clamp(17.5px,calc(1.55vw + 4.5px),22px);font-weight:600;line-height:1.35;color:#2a2622;margin:0}\n.ra-fig figcaption{font-size:15.5px;line-height:1.6;color:#6b6259;margin:22px 0 0;padding-top:16px;border-top:1px solid #e8e1d5}\n.ra-fig figcaption b{color:#2a2622;font-weight:600}\n.ra-seg{display:inline-flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:4px;padding:4px;background:#faf8f3;border:1.5px solid #e8e1d5;border-radius:999px}\n.ra-seg button{font:600 14.5px\/1.2 \"Work Sans\",sans-serif;border:0;border-radius:999px;padding:8px 16px;cursor:pointer;background:none;color:#6b6259;transition:background .18s ease,color .18s ease}\n.ra-seg button:hover{color:#2a2622}\n.ra-seg button[aria-pressed=true]{background:#1d5f66;color:#fff}\n@media(max-width:520px){.ra-seg{gap:2px;padding:3px}.ra-seg button{font-size:13px;padding:8px 9px;white-space:nowrap}}\n.ra-fig button:focus-visible,.ra-fig input:focus-visible{outline:2px solid #1d5f66;outline-offset:2px}\n\n\/* ---- the hormone key ---- *\/\n.ra-hk{display:grid;gap:12px;margin:0 0 30px}\n.ra-hk .row{display:grid;grid-template-columns:auto minmax(0,1fr);gap:0 16px;background:#faf8f3;border:1.5px solid #e8e1d5;border-radius:16px;padding:18px 22px}\n.ra-hk .sw{width:14px;height:14px;border-radius:50%;margin-top:7px}\n.ra-hk .nm{font-size:clamp(19px,2vw,21px);font-weight:700;line-height:1.35;color:#2a2622;margin:0}\n.ra-hk .nm abbr{display:inline-block;text-decoration:none;font-size:13px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.06em;color:#1d5f66;background:#e9f3f3;border-radius:6px;padding:2px 8px;margin-left:10px;vertical-align:3px}\n.ra-hk .fr{font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.14em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#6b6259;margin:4px 0 8px}\n.ra-hk .t{font-size:clamp(17px,calc(1.3vw + 6.5px),19px);line-height:1.62;color:#2a2622;margin:0}\n@media(max-width:560px){.ra-hk .row{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr);padding:16px}.ra-hk .sw{display:inline-block;margin:0 0 8px}.ra-hk .t{font-size:17.5px}}\n\n\/* ---- her asides: her own voice, in brackets, italic and muted ---- *\/\n.eqp .ra-aside{font-style:italic;color:#6b6259}\n.eqp h3.wp-block-heading,.eqp .ra-fig .q,.eqp .ra-faq summary{text-wrap:balance}\n.eqp .ra-part .sb,.eqp .ra-nm .v,.eqp .wh-hint,.eqp .ra-next .wy,.eqp li{text-wrap:pretty}\n.eqp .ra-dr li,.eqp .ra-sv li,.eqp .ra-hk .t,.eqp .ra-ff .t,.eqp .ra-an .card .t{text-wrap:pretty}\n@media(max-width:640px){.eqp .ra-ff p.t{font-size:1rem}}\n\n\/* ---- fun fact ---- *\/\n.ra-ff{display:grid;grid-template-columns:auto minmax(0,1fr);gap:4px 16px;align-items:start;background:#fff;border:1.5px dashed #f1cadb;\n  border-radius:18px;padding:20px 24px}\n.ra-ff .mk{grid-row:1\/3;width:40px;height:40px;border-radius:50%;background:#fbeef3;color:#a02d5e;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center}\n.ra-ff .mk svg{width:22px;height:22px}\n.ra-ff .k{font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.16em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#a02d5e;margin:2px 0 4px}\n.ra-ff .t{font-size:clamp(14px,calc(10.2px + .62vw),18px);line-height:1.6;color:#2a2622;margin:0}\n@media(max-width:560px){.ra-ff{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr);padding:18px}.ra-ff .mk{grid-row:auto;width:34px;height:34px}}\n\n\/* ---- figure 1: the anatomy ---- *\/\n.ra-an .ctl{margin:0 0 16px}\n.ra-an .lay{display:grid;grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1.1fr) minmax(0,1fr);gap:24px;align-items:start}\n@media(max-width:820px){.ra-an .lay{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr)}}\n.ra-an .view[hidden]{display:none}\n.ra-an svg{display:block;width:100%;max-width:520px;height:auto;margin:0 auto}\n.ra-an svg .hit{cursor:pointer;transition:opacity .2s ease,filter .2s ease}\n.ra-an svg .hit:hover{filter:brightness(.96)}\n.ra-an .view.picked svg .hit{opacity:.38}\n.ra-an .view.picked svg .hit.on{opacity:1}\n.ra-an .dia{position:relative;max-width:520px;margin:0 auto}\n.ra-an .lead line{stroke:#b9b0a4;stroke-width:1.2;vector-effect:non-scaling-stroke}\n.ra-an .lab{position:absolute;transform:translateY(-50%);font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.2;color:#6b6259;white-space:nowrap;\n  background:rgba(255,255,255,.85);padding:1px 4px;border-radius:4px;transition:color .2s ease}\n.ra-an .lab.on{color:#1d5f66;font-weight:700}\n.ra-an .lab.c{transform:translate(-50%,-100%)}\n.ra-an .lead circle{fill:#4a4540}\n\/* tablet: the drawing may use a little more of the width *\/\n@media(min-width:641px) and (max-width:820px){.ra-an .dia{max-width:600px}.ra-an svg{max-width:600px}}\n\/* laptop: the drawing gets the wider column and a larger frame *\/\n@media(min-width:1024px){.ra-an .lay{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1.4fr) minmax(0,1fr)}.ra-an .lay .dia{max-width:640px}.ra-an .lay .dia svg{max-width:640px}}\n\/* phones: the labels beside the drawing give way to one label, set by the script beside the chosen part *\/\n@media(max-width:640px){.ra-an .lab,.ra-an .lead{display:none}}\n.ra-an .plab line{stroke:#1d5f66;stroke-width:1.6;vector-effect:non-scaling-stroke}\n.ra-an .plab circle{fill:#1d5f66}\n.ra-an .plab rect{fill:#fff;fill-opacity:.95;stroke:#1d5f66;stroke-width:1.3;vector-effect:non-scaling-stroke}\n.ra-an .plab text{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-weight:700;fill:#1d5f66}\n@media(min-width:641px){.ra-an .plab{display:none}}\n.ra-an .where{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;max-width:320px;margin:12px 0 0;\n  background:#fff;border:1.5px solid #e8e1d5;border-radius:14px;padding:8px 12px 8px 8px}\n.ra-an .where svg{width:40px;height:auto;flex:0 0 auto}\n.ra-an .where span{font-size:12px;line-height:1.35;color:#6b6259}\n.ra-an .where span b{display:block;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#1d5f66;margin:0 0 2px}\n\n@media(max-width:560px){.ra-an .lab{font-size:12px;line-height:1.15;padding:0 2px;white-space:normal;width:max-content;max-width:56px}.ra-an .lab.l{text-align:right}}\n.ra-an .chips{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:7px;margin:14px 0 0}\n.ra-an .chips button{font:500 14.5px\/1.2 \"Work Sans\",sans-serif;border-radius:999px;padding:7px 13px;cursor:pointer;\n  border:1.5px solid #e8e1d5;background:#fff;color:#2a2622;transition:background .16s ease,border-color .16s ease}\n.ra-an .chips button:hover{background:#e9f3f3}\n.ra-an .chips button[aria-pressed=true]{background:#1d5f66;border-color:#1d5f66;color:#fff;font-weight:600}\n.ra-an .card{background:#faf8f3;border:1.5px solid #e8e1d5;border-radius:16px;padding:22px 24px;min-height:220px}\n.ra-an .card .nm{font-family:\"Playfair Display\",Georgia,serif;font-size:clamp(23px,2.4vw,27px);font-weight:700;line-height:1.2;color:#2a2622;margin:0 0 4px}\n.ra-an .card .al{font-size:14px;color:#6b6259;margin:0 0 14px}\n.ra-an .card .k{font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.14em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#1d5f66;margin:14px 0 5px}\n.ra-an .card .t{font-size:16.5px;line-height:1.6;color:#2a2622;margin:0}\n.ra-an .card .mx{background:#fbeef3;border-radius:10px;padding:12px 14px;margin:16px 0 0;font-size:15.5px;line-height:1.55;color:#7a2147}\n.ra-an .card .mx b{display:block;font-size:12px;letter-spacing:.14em;text-transform:uppercase;margin:0 0 4px}\n.ra-an .card .mx[hidden]{display:none}\n\n\/* ---- figure 2: the cycle, day by day ---- *\/\n.ra-cy .ctl{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:center;gap:10px 14px;margin:0 0 14px}\n.ra-cy .tog{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:7px}\n.ra-cy .tog button{font:500 14px\/1.2 \"Work Sans\",sans-serif;border-radius:999px;padding:6px 12px 6px 10px;cursor:pointer;border:1.5px solid #e8e1d5;\n  background:#fff;color:#6b6259;display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:7px}\n.ra-cy .tog button i{display:block;width:16px;height:4px;border-radius:2px}\n.ra-cy .tog button[aria-pressed=true]{color:#2a2622;border-color:#bcd7d8;font-weight:600}\n.ra-cy .tog button[aria-pressed=false] i{opacity:.3}\n.ra-cy .plot{position:relative}\n.ra-cy svg{display:block;width:100%;height:auto;overflow:visible}\n.ra-cy .ph{fill:#faf8f3}\n.ra-cy .ph.m{fill:#fbe9ee}\n.ra-cy .ln{fill:none;stroke-width:3;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-linecap:round;vector-effect:non-scaling-stroke;transition:opacity .25s ease}\n.ra-cy .ln.off{opacity:0}\n.ra-cy .cur{stroke:#2a2622;stroke-width:1.5;vector-effect:non-scaling-stroke}\n.ra-cy .phl{display:grid;grid-template-columns:5fr 8fr 2fr 13fr;gap:0;margin:6px 0 0;font-size:12.5px;line-height:1.3;color:#6b6259}\n.ra-cy .phl span{padding:4px 4px 0;border-top:2px solid #e8e1d5}\n.ra-cy .phl span.m{border-top-color:#e7a9bb}\n.ra-cy .sl{margin:18px 0 0}\n.ra-cy .sl label{display:flex;justify-content:space-between;font-size:14.5px;color:#6b6259;margin:0 0 8px}\n.ra-cy .sl label b{color:#1d5f66;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums}\n.ra-cy input[type=range]{width:100%;accent-color:#1d5f66;height:28px;margin:0}\n.ra-cy .rd{margin:16px 0 0;display:grid;grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr) minmax(0,1fr);gap:14px}\n@media(max-width:700px){.ra-cy .rd{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr)}.ra-cy .phl{font-size:12px}.ra-cy svg{height:170px}}\n.ra-cy .rd .bx{background:#faf8f3;border:1.5px solid #e8e1d5;border-radius:14px;padding:16px 18px}\n.ra-cy .rd .k{font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.14em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#1d5f66;margin:0 0 6px}\n.ra-cy .rd .nm{font-family:\"Playfair Display\",Georgia,serif;font-size:21px;font-weight:700;color:#2a2622;margin:0 0 8px}\n.ra-cy .rd .t{font-size:16px;line-height:1.6;color:#2a2622;margin:0}\n\n\/* ---- figure 3: check your numbers ---- *\/\n.ra-nm .rows{display:grid;gap:16px}\n.ra-nm .row{background:#faf8f3;border:1.5px solid #e8e1d5;border-radius:14px;padding:16px 18px}\n.ra-nm .row label{display:flex;justify-content:space-between;gap:12px;font-size:16px;font-weight:600;color:#2a2622;margin:0 0 10px}\n.ra-nm .row label b{color:#1d5f66;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums;white-space:nowrap}\n.ra-nm input[type=range]{width:100%;accent-color:#1d5f66;height:28px;margin:0}\n.ra-nm .scale{position:relative;height:10px;border-radius:5px;background:#e8e1d5;margin:6px 0 0}\n.ra-nm .scale .ok{position:absolute;top:0;bottom:0;border-radius:5px;background:#bcd7d8}\n.ra-nm .scale .me{position:absolute;top:-4px;width:18px;height:18px;margin-left:-9px;border-radius:50%;background:#1d5f66;border:3px solid #fff;box-shadow:0 0 0 1.5px #1d5f66}\n.ra-nm .row.out .scale .me{background:#cc5586;box-shadow:0 0 0 1.5px #cc5586}\n.ra-nm .row .v{font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;color:#6b6259;margin:10px 0 0}\n.ra-nm .row.out .v{color:#7a2147}\n.ra-nm .age{margin:0 0 16px}\n\n\/* ---- the questions (part five): one card each, a berry question mark, the\n   answer on warm paper under a rule ---- *\/\n.ra-faq{display:grid;gap:12px;margin:0 0 30px}\n.ra-faq details{background:#fff;border:1.5px solid #e8e1d5;border-radius:18px;overflow:hidden;transition:border-color .2s ease,box-shadow .2s ease}\n.ra-faq details:hover{border-color:#bcd7d8}\n.ra-faq details[open]{border-color:#bcd7d8;box-shadow:0 10px 26px rgba(29,95,102,.08)}\n.ra-faq summary{list-style:none;cursor:pointer;display:grid;grid-template-columns:auto minmax(0,1fr) auto;align-items:center;gap:16px;\n  padding:18px 20px;font-size:clamp(18px,1.9vw,20px);font-weight:600;line-height:1.4;color:#2a2622}\n.ra-faq summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}\n.ra-faq summary:focus-visible{outline:2px solid #1d5f66;outline-offset:-4px;border-radius:18px}\n.ra-faq .qb{position:relative;display:block;width:46px;height:42px;transform-origin:30% 90%}\n.ra-faq .qb svg{position:absolute;inset:0;width:100%;height:100%;overflow:visible}\n.ra-faq .qb path{fill:#fbeef3;stroke:#f1cadb;stroke-width:1.6;transition:fill .25s ease,stroke .25s ease}\n.ra-faq .qb i{position:absolute;left:0;right:0;top:3px;text-align:center;font-style:normal;font-family:\"Playfair Display\",Georgia,serif;\n  font-size:23px;font-weight:800;line-height:1.3;color:#a02d5e;transform:rotate(-9deg)}\n.ra-faq .qb .x{display:none;color:#1d5f66;transform:rotate(6deg)}\n.ra-faq details[open] .qb path{fill:#e9f3f3;stroke:#bcd7d8}\n.ra-faq details[open] .qb .q{display:none}\n.ra-faq details[open] .qb .x{display:block}\n.ra-faq summary:hover .qb{animation:raWig .55s ease}\n@keyframes raWig{0%,100%{transform:rotate(0)}30%{transform:rotate(-9deg)}65%{transform:rotate(6deg)}}\n@media(prefers-reduced-motion:reduce){.ra-faq summary:hover .qb{animation:none}}\n.ra-faq summary .pl{width:30px;height:30px;border-radius:50%;border:1.5px solid #bcd7d8;color:#1d5f66;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;transition:transform .2s ease,background .2s ease}\n.ra-faq summary .pl svg{width:12px;height:12px}\n.ra-faq details[open] summary .pl{transform:rotate(45deg);background:#e9f3f3}\n.ra-faq .an{background:#faf8f3;border-top:1.5px solid #e8e1d5;padding:18px 24px 20px 74px}\n.ra-faq .an p{font-size:clamp(17px,calc(1.3vw + 6.5px),18.5px);line-height:1.66;color:#2a2622;margin:0 0 12px}\n.ra-faq .an p:last-child{margin-bottom:0}\n@media(max-width:560px){.ra-faq summary{gap:12px;padding:16px}.ra-faq .qb{width:38px;height:35px}.ra-faq .qb i{font-size:19px;top:2px}.ra-faq .an{padding:16px}.ra-faq .an p{font-size:17.5px}}\n.ra-faq .all{display:flex;justify-content:flex-end;margin:0 0 2px}\n.ra-faq .all button{font:600 14.5px\/1.2 \"Work Sans\",sans-serif;border:0;background:none;color:#1d5f66;cursor:pointer;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;padding:6px 4px}\n\n\/* ---- when to talk to a doctor: tiles, one small icon each ---- *\/\n.ra-dr{background:#faf8f3;border:1.5px solid #e8e1d5;border-radius:22px;padding:26px 28px;margin:4px 0 32px}\n.ra-dr .k{font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.16em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#1d5f66;margin:0 0 16px}\n.ra-dr ul{list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0;display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(2,minmax(0,1fr));gap:10px}\n@media(max-width:640px){.ra-dr ul{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr)}.ra-dr{padding:20px 16px}}\n.ra-dr li{display:grid;grid-template-columns:auto minmax(0,1fr);gap:12px;align-items:center;background:#fff;border:1.5px solid #e8e1d5;border-radius:14px;\n  padding:14px 16px;margin:0;font-size:17px;line-height:1.45;color:#2a2622}\n.ra-dr li .i{width:36px;height:36px;border-radius:10px;background:#e9f3f3;color:#1d5f66;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center}\n.ra-dr li .i svg{width:20px;height:20px}\n\n\/* ---- the short version (23 Sep 2026): the findings, under the lede. Matched to Men's Health 101 at her request: mist panel, cool eyebrow, a teal dot and a hairline per finding ---- *\/\n.ra-sv{background:#f1f6f6;border:1.5px solid #d9e7e6;border-radius:20px;padding:34px 38px}\n.ra-sv .k{font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.16em;text-transform:uppercase;line-height:1.4;color:#15474d;margin:0 0 12px}\n.ra-sv ul{list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}\n.ra-sv li{display:grid;grid-template-columns:auto minmax(0,1fr);gap:0 16px;align-items:start;margin:0;padding:13px 0;border-top:1px solid #d9e7e6;font-size:clamp(17px,calc(1.3vw + 6.5px),18.5px);line-height:1.6;color:#2a2622}\n.ra-sv li:first-child{border-top:0;padding-top:2px}\n.ra-sv li:last-child{padding-bottom:0}\n.ra-sv .d{display:block;width:9px;height:9px;border-radius:50%;background:#1d5f66;margin-top:calc(.8em - 4.5px)}\n.ra-sv li p{margin:0;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit;color:inherit}\n@media(max-width:560px){.ra-sv li{gap:0 10px;font-size:17px}}\n@media(max-width:520px){.ra-sv{padding:20px 14px;border-radius:16px;margin:0}}\n@media(max-width:520px){.ra-fig{padding:20px 14px;border-radius:16px;margin:0 -12px!important}}\n@media(prefers-reduced-motion:reduce){.ra-fig *,.ra-faq *{transition:none!important}}\n@media print{.ra-seg,.ra-an .chips,.ra-cy .tog,.ra-faq .all{display:none!important}.ra-faq details{display:block}}\n@media(max-width:480px){.eqp ol.wp-block-list{padding-left:18px}.eqp ol.wp-block-list li{overflow-wrap:anywhere}}\n\n\/* phone tap targets: 44px minimum (added, phone only) *\/\n@media(max-width:899px){.ra-seg button,.ra-an .chips button,.ra-cy .tog button,.ra-faq .all button{min-height:44px}.eqp .ra-cy input[type=range],.eqp .ra-nm input[type=range]{height:44px;box-sizing:border-box}}\n\/* S11: the anatomy drop-down, phone only *\/\n.ra-an .mob{display:none}\n.ra-an .mob label{display:block;font-size:12.5px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#1d5f66;margin:0 0 8px}\n.ra-an .ra-sel{display:block;width:100%;box-sizing:border-box;min-height:52px;font:600 16px\/1.3 \"Work Sans\",sans-serif;color:#2a2622;background:#fff;border:1.5px solid #1d5f66;border-radius:12px;padding:12px 44px 12px 16px;margin:0;cursor:pointer;-webkit-appearance:none;appearance:none;background-image:linear-gradient(45deg,transparent 50%,#1d5f66 50%),linear-gradient(135deg,#1d5f66 50%,transparent 50%);background-position:calc(100% - 22px) 50%,calc(100% - 16px) 50%;background-size:6px 6px,6px 6px;background-repeat:no-repeat}\n.ra-an .ra-sel:focus-visible{outline:2px solid #1d5f66;outline-offset:2px}\n@media(max-width:640px){.ra-an .chips{display:none}.ra-an .mob{display:block;margin:14px 0 0}}\n@media print{.ra-an .mob{display:none!important}}\n\n.eqp h3.wp-block-heading,.eqp .ra-fig .q{text-wrap:pretty}<\/style><style>\n\/* ---- glossary popups ---- *\/\n\n\/* THE PAGE MUST NOT SCROLL SIDEWAYS BECAUSE OF A CARD NOBODY CAN SEE. A hidden\n   absolutely positioned box still extends the scrollable width, and a card\n   centred on a word near the right edge hangs off it until the script nudges it\n   back. The script does that on load, but \"on load\" is a moving target: web\n   fonts reflow the line after it, and the sleep article was still scrolling\n   41px sideways at 720px on some loads and not others.\n\n   overflow-x:clip settles it without depending on timing at all. Not hidden:\n   clip does not make this a scroll container, so anything sticky inside keeps\n   sticking and overflow-y stays visible. The clip edge is the page box, and a\n   320px card centred on a word inside the measure column has a couple of\n   hundred pixels of slack before it can reach that edge, so on a desktop it\n   never clips anything; on a narrow screen the clip edge is the viewport, which\n   is where the script is putting the card anyway. *\/\n.eqp{overflow-x:clip}\n\n\/* A dotted underline under a term that is usually already italic: quiet enough\n   to ignore, and different enough from a link to never be mistaken for one. *\/\n.eqp .gl{position:relative;display:inline;border-bottom:1.5px dotted #f1cadb;\n  cursor:help;outline:none}\n.eqp .gl:focus-visible{outline:2px solid var(--eqp-accent);outline-offset:3px;\n  border-radius:3px}\n\n.eqp .gd{position:absolute;left:50%;bottom:calc(100% + 12px);z-index:40;\n  width:min(320px,78vw);box-sizing:border-box;\n  \/* THE NUDGE IS A MARGIN, NOT PART OF THE TRANSFORM. It used to ride inside\n     translateX as calc(-50% + var(--sx)), and the variable never took effect:\n     the script set --sx correctly, the sheet shipped correctly, and the\n     computed transform stayed at a flat -50% regardless. Measured on the live\n     page with the compositor running and a control element proving transform\n     itself worked, cards still sat 54 to 61px off the left edge of a 390px\n     screen. margin-left is a layout property, it resolves the variable, and it\n     put every card exactly where the script had calculated. *\/\n  transform:translateX(-50%) translateY(4px);margin-left:var(--sx,0px);\n  opacity:0;visibility:hidden;pointer-events:none;\n  background:#fff;border:1.5px solid var(--eqp-line2);border-radius:12px;\n  box-shadow:0 10px 30px rgba(20,30,40,.14);padding:14px 16px;\n  font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:14.5px;line-height:1.55;\n  font-style:normal;font-weight:400;color:var(--eqp-body);text-align:left;\n  transition:opacity .16s ease,transform .16s ease}\n.eqp .gd b{display:block;font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:12px;\n  font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.13em;text-transform:uppercase;\n  color:var(--eqp-muted);margin:0 0 6px}\n\/* The pointer, a rotated square sitting half outside the card. 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aria-hidden=\"true\"><i><\/i><\/div><nav id=\"eqp-parts\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><a href=\"#part-1\" data-i=\"1\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span><span class=\"lbl\">Where everything is<\/span><\/a><a href=\"#part-2\" data-i=\"2\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span><span class=\"lbl\">The messengers<\/span><\/a><a href=\"#part-3\" data-i=\"3\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span><span class=\"lbl\">The cycle, day by day<\/span><\/a><a href=\"#part-4\" data-i=\"4\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span><span class=\"lbl\">What counts as normal<\/span><\/a><a href=\"#part-5\" data-i=\"5\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span><span class=\"lbl\">Everything you were too afraid to ask<\/span><\/a><a href=\"#part-6\" data-i=\"6\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span><span class=\"lbl\">When to talk to a doctor<\/span><\/a><\/nav><button id=\"eqp-top\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Back to the top of the article\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" 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wh-post has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-69fa9525 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding:0px 22px\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<div style=\"color:#6b6259;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.455), 18px);font-style:normal;font-weight:400;margin-top:54px;margin-bottom:0\" class=\"has-link-color wp-elements-1 wp-block-post-date has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\"><time datetime=\"2025-05-27T10:00:00+02:00\">27 svibnja, 2025<\/time><\/div>\n\n<div style=\"color:#6b6259;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.455), 18px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0\" class=\"taxonomy-category has-link-color wp-elements-2 wp-block-post-terms has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\"><a href=\"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/category\/too-afraid-to-ask\/\" rel=\"tag\">Everything You Were Too Afraid to Ask<\/a><span class=\"wp-block-post-terms__separator\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/category\/womens-health\/\" rel=\"tag\">Women&#8217;s Health<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family ra-series wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:24px;margin-bottom:0;font-size:12.5px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.2em;line-height:1.4\">Everything you were too afraid to ask<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-playfair-display-font-family\" id=\"top\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:8px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:clamp(26.944px, 1.684rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 2.165), 46px);font-style:normal;font-weight:800;line-height:1.12\">Women&#8217;s Health 101<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#524a42;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:22px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.55\">Where everything is and what each part does, how the brain and the ovaries talk to each other, what happens across the cycle day by day, what counts as normal, plain answers to the questions people rarely ask out loud, and when to talk to a doctor<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eq-credit\" style=\"--eq-credit-ac:#1d5f66\">Written by <a href=\"\/our-team-ivana\/\" rel=\"author\">Ivana<\/a>, psychologist and psychotherapist<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px\"><div class=\"wh-swbox wh-keep\" id=\"wh-swbox\"><div class=\"wh-metarow\"><p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-metat\" style=\"color:#6b6259;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.5\"><span class=\"wh-mtw\"><span class=\"wh-mt-f\"><strong style=\"color:#1d5f66\">27 minute read<\/strong> &nbsp;&middot;&nbsp; 5,998 words<\/span><span class=\"wh-mt-p\"><strong style=\"color:#1d5f66\">22 minute read<\/strong> &nbsp;&middot;&nbsp; 4,839 words<\/span><\/span><\/p><div class=\"wh-seg\" id=\"wh-seg\" role=\"radiogroup\" aria-label=\"Reading version\" aria-describedby=\"wh-sw-h\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"wh-segb\" id=\"wh-seg-full\" role=\"radio\" aria-checked=\"true\" tabindex=\"0\">Detailed<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"wh-segb\" id=\"wh-seg-plain\" role=\"radio\" aria-checked=\"false\" tabindex=\"-1\">Plain words<\/button><\/div><\/div><p class=\"wh-hint\" id=\"wh-sw-h\">Detailed explains the research and the reasons behind each point. Plain words gives the same main points in short, everyday language. Safety advice and emergency steps are the same in both.<\/p><button type=\"button\" class=\"wh-pill\" id=\"wh-pill\" role=\"switch\" aria-checked=\"false\"><span class=\"wh-pl-t\">Plain words<\/span><span class=\"wh-pl-k\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><\/button><\/div><!-- eq-post-top -->\n<div class=\"pt-on\" hidden data-src=\"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/womens-health-101-post-top.jpg\" data-w=\"456\" data-aspect=\"0.862\" data-side=\"right\" data-bleed=\"\"><\/div>\n<script>\n\/* Post tops: turns the post's masthead group into the cream band and adds the\n   drawing beside the words. It runs as soon as the masthead's words are in, before\n   the post's own scripts measure anything (the Plain words switch keeps its place on\n   screen, so a band built later scrolled the page). 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It never changes the mode. *\/function fromHash(){if(!root.classList.contains(\"wh-plain\")){return;}var id=window.location.hash;if(2>id.length){return;}try{id=decodeURIComponent(id.slice(1));}catch(e4){id=id.slice(1);}var t=document.getElementById(id);if(!t){return;}if(t.getClientRects().length>0){return;}var n=t;while(n.parentElement){if(n.parentElement===root){break;}n=n.parentElement;}var h2=null;while(n){h2=n.querySelector('h2[id^=\"part-\"]');if(h2){break;}n=n.previousElementSibling;}if(h2){h2.scrollIntoView({block:\"start\",behavior:\"instant\"});}}window.addEventListener(\"hashchange\",fromHash);window.addEventListener(\"load\",fromHash);\/* the floating pill: shown only once the masthead control has scrolled up out of view, and never over the ending (the closing panel and the footer, which are parsed after this script, so they are looked up on first use). The observer says when the control leaves the screen; a passive scroll listener recomputes from the real positions as well, because a jump (a contents link, the End key) can skip an observer entirely. *\/var ends=[null,null],busy=false;function update(){busy=false;var h=window.innerHeight,show=false,hide=false,k,r;if(!ends[0]){ends[0]=document.querySelector(\".wh-end\");}if(!ends[1]){ends[1]=document.querySelector(\"footer\");}r=seg.getBoundingClientRect();if(0>=r.bottom){show=true;}for(k=0;ends.length>k;k+=1){if(ends[k]){r=ends[k].getBoundingClientRect();if(h-72>r.top){if(r.bottom>0){hide=true;}}}}var sf=document.querySelectorAll(\".wh-nopill\"),m;for(m=0;sf.length>m;m+=1){r=sf[m].getBoundingClientRect();if(h>r.top){if(r.bottom>0){hide=true;}}}if(show){if(!hide){pill.classList.add(\"wh-pill-on\");return;}}pill.classList.remove(\"wh-pill-on\");}function soon(){if(!busy){busy=true;window.requestAnimationFrame(update);}}window.addEventListener(\"scroll\",soon,{passive:true});window.addEventListener(\"resize\",soon);if(window.IntersectionObserver){new IntersectionObserver(soon).observe(seg);}window.addEventListener(\"load\",soon);update();})();\/*>*\/<\/script><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family eq-drop wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#35302a;margin-top:46px;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.642px, 0.915rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.836), 22px);line-height:1.62\">A surprising number of adults were never properly taught how their own body works. Maybe you had one awkward lesson at school, a leaflet and a few half-answered questions at home, and after that it felt too late, or too embarrassing, to ask. So the questions stay with you: is this normal, is that supposed to happen, why does it hurt, what is that discharge, and where exactly is everything?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">This article answers those questions plainly. It starts with where everything is and what each part does. Then it follows the conversation between your brain and your ovaries that runs the monthly cycle, and it ends with what counts as normal and when something is worth checking. Along the way, it answers the questions people tend to keep to themselves. If you&#8217;d like everything in plainer words, choose Plain words above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">It describes a body with ovaries and a uterus. Most of the research it draws on was done with women, so that&#8217;s the word it uses when describing studies, while recognizing that not everyone with this anatomy describes themselves that way. <strong class=\"eqb\">There&#8217;s nothing embarrassing about any of this<\/strong>. It&#8217;s how the body works, and knowing it makes it much easier to notice when something changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:0px\"><aside class=\"ra-anyway\"><span class=\"mk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.6\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M12 20.5s-7.5-4.8-7.5-10.4A4.4 4.4 0 0 1 12 7.4a4.4 4.4 0 0 1 7.5 2.7c0 5.6-7.5 10.4-7.5 10.4z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p class=\"h\">This might not be your body. Read it anyway.<\/p><p class=\"t\">Most of us were taught almost nothing about the bodies we do not live in. Knowing how a partner, a friend or a child is built makes it far easier to talk about, and far easier to notice when something is worth checking. The companion article is <a href=\"\/mens-health-101\/\">Everything You Were Too Afraid to Ask: Men\u2019s Health 101<\/a>.<\/p><\/aside><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:22px;margin-bottom:0px\"><aside class=\"ra-sv\" aria-label=\"The short version\"><p class=\"k\">The short version<\/p><ul><li><span class=\"d\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><p class=\"wh-nrm\">The vagina is only the canal inside, not everything you can see, and it cleans itself, so washing inside it upsets the bacteria that keep it healthy.<\/p><p class=\"wh-pln\">The vagina is only the canal inside. Everything you can see on the outside is the vulva. The vagina cleans itself, so washing inside it upsets the bacteria that keep it healthy.<\/p><\/li><li><span class=\"d\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><p class=\"wh-nrm\">The cycle is run by the brain and the ovaries passing hormones back and forth (like a ping pong ball), and when no pregnancy begins, those hormones fall and a period starts.<\/p><p class=\"wh-pln\">Your brain and your ovaries run your cycle by passing hormones back and forth (like a ping pong ball). If no pregnancy starts, those hormones drop and your period begins.<\/p><\/li><li><span class=\"d\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><p class=\"wh-nrm\">Ovulation often comes earlier or later than day 14, so the roughly six days each cycle when pregnancy can begin are hard to predict from the calendar alone.<\/p><p class=\"wh-pln\">Ovulation often comes earlier or later than day 14. So the six or so days each cycle when you can get pregnant are hard to predict from the calendar alone.<\/p><\/li><li><span class=\"d\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><p class=\"wh-nrm\"><strong class=\"eqb\">A normal cycle can be anywhere from 24 to 38 days long<\/strong>, and bleeding counts as heavy when it gets in the way of your life.<\/p><p class=\"wh-pln\"><strong class=\"eqb\">A normal cycle can be anywhere from 24 to 38 days long.<\/strong> Bleeding counts as heavy when it gets in the way of your life.<\/p><\/li><li><span class=\"d\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><p class=\"wh-nrm\">Most of the questions people keep to themselves have reassuring answers: a tampon cannot get lost inside you, and irregular cycles alone do not mean PMOS, the condition long called polycystic ovary syndrome.<\/p><p class=\"wh-pln\">Most of the questions people keep to themselves have reassuring answers. A tampon can&#8217;t get lost inside you, and irregular cycles alone don&#8217;t mean PMOS, the condition long called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).<\/p><\/li><li><span class=\"d\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><p class=\"wh-nrm\">See a doctor about pain that stops your normal routine or bleeding that is unusual for you.<\/p><p class=\"wh-pln\">See a doctor about pain that stops your normal routine or bleeding that is unusual for you.<\/p><\/li><\/ul><\/aside><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-4ccedd2e wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-color:#e8e1d5;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:22px;background-color:#faf8f3;margin-top:56px;margin-bottom:20px;padding:30px 34px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#6b6259;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:22px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">WHAT THIS ARTICLE COVERS &middot; SIX&nbsp;PARTS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\">\n<div class=\"eq-toc\"><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><span class=\"num\">PART 1<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-1\">Where everything is<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"wh-n2\"><span class=\"sec\">4 sections<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>3 min<\/span><span class=\"wh-p2\">3 min<\/span><\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#a-short-tour-of-the-inside\">A short tour of the inside<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#the-outside-has-its-own-name\">The outside has its own name<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#it-cleans-itself\">It cleans itself<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#fewer-eggs-than-you-might-think-and-more-than-you-need\">Fewer eggs than you might think, and more than you need<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><span class=\"num\">PART 2<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-2\">The messengers<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"wh-n2\"><span class=\"sec\">3 sections<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>2 min<\/span><span class=\"wh-p2\">2 min<\/span><\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#the-brain-starts-the-conversation\">The brain starts the conversation<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#four-hormones-worth-knowing\">Four hormones worth knowing<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#how-the-loop-closes\">How the loop closes<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><span class=\"num\">PART 3<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-3\">The cycle, day by day<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"wh-n2\"><span class=\"sec\">4 sections<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>2 min<\/span><span class=\"wh-p2\">2 min<\/span><\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#day-one-is-the-first-day-of-bleeding\">Day one is the first day of bleeding<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#the-two-halves-are-not-equal\">The two halves are not equal<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#discharge-follows-the-hormones\">Discharge follows the hormones<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#the-fertile-window-is-about-six-days\">The fertile window is about six days<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><span class=\"num\">PART 4<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-4\">What counts as normal<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"wh-n2\"><span class=\"sec\">6 sections<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>7 min<\/span><span class=\"wh-p2\">3 min<\/span><\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#a-normal-cycle-is-a-range-not-a-number\">A normal cycle is a range, not a number<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#the-first-years-have-their-own-rules\">The first years have their own rules<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#how-long-and-how-much\">How long, and how much<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#pain-is-common-and-it-has-a-cause\">Pain is common, and it has a cause<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#mood-changes-before-a-period\">Mood changes before a period<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#when-irregular-has-a-name\">When irregular has a name<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><div class=\"flat\"><svg class=\"chev hide\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><span class=\"num\">PART 5<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-5\">Everything you were too afraid to ask<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"wh-n2\">5 min<\/span><span class=\"wh-p2\">6 min<\/span><\/span><\/div><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><span class=\"num\">PART 6<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-6\">When to talk to a doctor<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"wh-n2\"><span class=\"sec\">4 sections<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>5 min<\/span><span class=\"wh-p2\">5 min<\/span><\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#changes-worth-checking\">Changes worth checking<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#when-it-cannot-wait\">When it cannot wait<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#screening-is-not-the-same-as-symptoms\">Screening is not the same as symptoms<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#how-to-raise-it\">How to raise it<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:92px;margin-bottom:34px\"><div class=\"ra-part\"><div class=\"wm\" aria-hidden=\"true\">01<\/div><div class=\"ic\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M6.5 7.2c0-4.3 11-4.3 11 0 0 3.8-2.3 7-4 8.6V21h-3v-5.2c-1.7-1.6-4-4.8-4-8.6zM6.5 7.4C4.6 6 2.8 6.4 2.2 8.6M17.5 7.4c1.9-1.4 3.7-1 4.3 1.2M2.4 11.2a1.3 1.1 0 1 0 .1 0M21.5 11.2a1.3 1.1 0 1 0 .1 0M9.5 7.2c1.2 2 1.9 3.5 2.5 5.6.6-2.1 1.3-3.6 2.5-5.6\"\/><\/svg><\/div><div class=\"tx\"><div class=\"meta\"><p class=\"lb\">Part one of six<\/p><span class=\"tk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i class=\"now\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><\/span><\/div><h2 id=\"part-1\">Where everything is<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">The organs inside and outside, and the parts people most often mix up<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-pl has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-plk wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:38px;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">In plain words<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Your reproductive organs sit low in your belly, behind your bladder and in front of your lower bowel. In the middle is the uterus, also called the womb. It&#8217;s a hollow organ made of muscle, about the size and shape of a small pear turned upside down. <strong class=\"eqb\">Its inner lining is called the endometrium. That&#8217;s the part that builds up and comes away each month.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">On each side of the uterus is an ovary, about the size of an almond. The ovaries store your eggs and make two hormones, estrogen and progesterone. A fallopian tube leads out from each top corner of the uterus toward an ovary. Its soft, fringed end catches an egg when one is released. At the bottom of the uterus is the cervix, a narrow neck with a very small opening. Below that is the vagina, a stretchy canal that leads to the outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Lots of people call everything down there the vagina. The vagina is only the canal inside. Everything you can see on the outside is called the vulva. It has two sets of skin folds, the outer and inner labia, and the clitoris at the top, where the inner labia meet. Between the labia are two openings. The smaller one, the urethral opening, is where urine comes out. The larger one, the vaginal opening, is where period blood leaves. Further back is a third opening, the anus. So <strong class=\"eqb\">there are three openings in all, not one or two<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Choose any part in the figure below to see where it is and what it does.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-n has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"a-short-tour-of-the-inside\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">A short tour of the inside<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If you&#8217;ve never quite pictured what&#8217;s in there, start here. The reproductive organs sit low in your belly, behind the bladder and in front of the lower bowel. In the middle is the uterus, also called the womb. It&#8217;s a hollow, muscular organ, roughly the size and shape of a small pear turned upside down. <strong class=\"eqb\">Its inner lining, the <em class=\"eqi\">endometrium<\/em>, is the part that builds up and is shed each month<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">On each side of the uterus is an ovary, about the size of an almond. The ovaries store eggs and make the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Two fallopian tubes lead out from the top corners of the uterus toward the ovaries, and they end in soft, fringed openings that catch an egg when it&#8217;s released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">At the lower end of the uterus is the cervix, a narrow neck with a very small opening. Below the cervix is the vagina, a stretchy, muscular canal that leads to the outside of the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"the-outside-has-its-own-name\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">The outside has its own name<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Many people use the word vagina for everything down there. In fact the vagina is only the canal inside, and everything you can see on the outside is called the vulva.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The vulva includes the outer and inner labia, which are folds of skin that protect the openings, and the clitoris at the top, where the inner labia meet. Between the labia are two separate openings. The smaller one, the urethral opening, is where urine comes out. The larger one, the vaginal opening, is where period blood leaves the body. Further back, and separate again, is the anus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">So <strong class=\"eqb\">there are three openings in all, not one or two<\/strong>. If that&#8217;s news to you, it&#8217;s one of the most common gaps in what people were taught.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:40px;margin-bottom:48px\"><figure class=\"ra-fig ra-an\" id=\"ra-an\"><div class=\"hd\"><p class=\"ti\">Where everything is<\/p><p class=\"q\">Choose a part to see what it is, what it does, and what people often get wrong about it<\/p><\/div><div class=\"ctl\"><div class=\"ra-seg\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"View\"><button type=\"button\" data-view=\"in\" aria-pressed=\"true\">inside the body<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-view=\"out\" aria-pressed=\"false\">on the outside<\/button><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lay\"><div><div class=\"view\" id=\"ra-vin\"><div class=\"dia\"><svg viewBox=\"70 30 420 365\" role=\"img\" aria-label=\"A diagram of the reproductive organs seen from 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M146.8 147.3C144.5 154 144 161 146 168\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"transparent\" stroke-width=\"24\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><path d=\"M341 130C348 127 354.7 123 361.5 119 M361.5 119C368.2 115 375 111 382 108 M382 108C391 104 402.5 103.5 413.5 106.8 M413.5 106.8C424.5 110 435 117 442 128 M442 128C447 134 451 140.5 453.2 147.3 M453.2 147.3C455.5 154 456 161 454 168\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"transparent\" stroke-width=\"24\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/g>\n<g class=\"hit\" data-p=\"fimbriae\" data-with=\"tubes\" data-pa=\"144,176,112,226,c\"><g fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#cf7a92\" stroke-width=\"3.4\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"><path d=\"M151.3 164.3Q158.5 163.2 162 156.8\"\/><path d=\"M152.5 167.4Q160.2 170 167.4 166.1\"\/><path d=\"M152 170.4Q158.7 176.6 167.8 176.8\"\/><path d=\"M150.2 173Q153.2 181.5 161.1 186\"\/><path d=\"M147.4 174.4Q145.9 182.8 150.7 190\"\/><path d=\"M144.2 174.2Q139.2 180.1 140.3 187.7\"\/><path d=\"M141.5 172.7Q134.7 175.1 132.5 182\"\/><path d=\"M139.8 170Q133.6 168.7 129.4 173.4\"\/><path d=\"M448.7 164.3Q441.5 163.2 438 156.8\"\/><path d=\"M447.5 167.4Q439.8 170 432.6 166.1\"\/><path d=\"M448 170.4Q441.3 176.6 432.2 176.8\"\/><path d=\"M449.8 173Q446.8 181.5 438.9 186\"\/><path d=\"M452.6 174.4Q454.1 182.8 449.3 190\"\/><path d=\"M455.8 174.2Q460.8 180.1 459.7 187.7\"\/><path d=\"M458.5 172.7Q465.3 175.1 467.5 182\"\/><path d=\"M460.2 170Q466.4 168.7 470.6 173.4\"\/><\/g><ellipse cx=\"146\" cy=\"168\" rx=\"5\" ry=\"3.4\" transform=\"rotate(80 146 168)\" fill=\"#c9667f\"\/><ellipse cx=\"454\" cy=\"168\" rx=\"5\" ry=\"3.4\" transform=\"rotate(-80 454 168)\" fill=\"#c9667f\"\/><circle cx=\"146\" cy=\"176\" r=\"20\" fill=\"transparent\"\/><circle cx=\"454\" cy=\"176\" r=\"20\" fill=\"transparent\"\/><\/g>\n<g class=\"hit\" data-p=\"cervix\" data-pa=\"322,216,380,216,s\"><path d=\"M278 192Q300 200 322 192C324 206 325 216 321 226C315 236 307 240 300 240C293 240 285 236 279 226C275 216 277 204 279 188Z\" fill=\"url(#ra-gc)\" stroke=\"#c96a86\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><path d=\"M300 186L300 230\" stroke=\"#9c3d58\" stroke-width=\"2.4\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><ellipse cx=\"300\" cy=\"234\" rx=\"5.2\" ry=\"2.8\" fill=\"#9c3d58\"\/><path d=\"M287 200C286 210 288 218 291 223\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#f8dbe3\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" opacity=\".7\"\/><\/g>\n<g class=\"hit\" data-p=\"uterus\" data-pa=\"268,122,300,70,c\"><path d=\"M300 108C274 108 257 122 257 144C257 164 268 180 278 192Q300 200 322 192C332 180 343 164 343 144C343 122 326 108 300 108Z\" fill=\"url(#ra-gw)\" stroke=\"#c96a86\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><path d=\"M268 138C270 124 284 116 300 116\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#f9dbe3\" stroke-width=\"3\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" opacity=\".75\"\/><\/g>\n<g class=\"hit\" data-p=\"lining\" data-pa=\"322,150,392,58,c\"><path d=\"M270 136C286 126 314 126 330 136C322 158 310 176 304 192H296C290 176 278 158 270 136Z\" fill=\"url(#ra-gl)\"\/><path d=\"M279 140C292 133 308 133 321 140\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#ee9db1\" stroke-width=\"2\" opacity=\".8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/g>\n<g class=\"lead\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><line x1=\"190\" y1=\"103\" x2=\"170\" y2=\"52\"\/><line x1=\"188\" y1=\"190\" x2=\"114\" y2=\"258\"\/><line x1=\"300\" y1=\"110\" x2=\"300\" y2=\"68\"\/><line x1=\"320\" y1=\"128\" x2=\"388\" y2=\"50\"\/><line x1=\"324\" y1=\"216\" x2=\"396\" y2=\"216\"\/><line x1=\"332\" y1=\"300\" x2=\"396\" y2=\"300\"\/><circle cx=\"190\" cy=\"103\" r=\"2.6\"\/><circle cx=\"188\" cy=\"190\" r=\"2.6\"\/><circle cx=\"300\" cy=\"110\" r=\"2.6\"\/><circle cx=\"320\" cy=\"128\" r=\"2.6\"\/><circle cx=\"324\" cy=\"216\" r=\"2.6\"\/><circle cx=\"332\" cy=\"300\" r=\"2.6\"\/><\/g><\/svg><div aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"lab l\" data-p=\"tubes\" style=\"right:77.14%;top:5.48%\">fallopian tube<\/span><span class=\"lab l\" data-p=\"ovaries\" style=\"right:90.48%;top:62.47%\">ovary<\/span><span class=\"lab c\" data-p=\"uterus\" style=\"left:54.76%;top:9.32%\">uterus<\/span><span class=\"lab r\" data-p=\"lining\" style=\"left:76.67%;top:5.48%\">lining<\/span><span class=\"lab r\" data-p=\"cervix\" style=\"left:78.57%;top:50.96%\">cervix<\/span><span class=\"lab r\" data-p=\"vagina\" style=\"left:78.57%;top:73.97%\">vagina<\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"where\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 80 122\"><g stroke=\"#cdb9a8\" stroke-width=\"2.8\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" fill=\"#cdb9a8\"><ellipse cx=\"40\" cy=\"10.8\" rx=\"6\" ry=\"7.8\"\/><rect x=\"37\" y=\"15\" width=\"6\" height=\"9\"\/><path d=\"M43 21C44.9 21.5 47.2 22.9 48.6 23.8C50 24.7 51.1 25.3 51.6 26.4C52.1 27.5 52 28.7 51.8 30.5C51.6 32.3 51.2 34.8 50.6 37C50 39.3 48.8 41.9 48.2 44C47.6 46.1 47 47.6 47.2 49.5C47.4 51.4 48.9 53.6 49.6 55.5C50.3 57.4 52 59.3 51.4 61C50.8 62.8 48.9 65.2 46 66C43.1 66.8 36.9 66.8 34 66C31.1 65.2 29.2 62.8 28.6 61C28 59.3 29.7 57.4 30.4 55.5C31.1 53.6 32.6 51.4 32.8 49.5C33 47.6 32.4 46.1 31.8 44C31.2 41.9 30 39.3 29.4 37C28.8 34.8 28.4 32.3 28.2 30.5C28 28.7 27.9 27.5 28.4 26.4C28.9 25.3 30 24.7 31.4 23.8C32.8 22.9 35.1 21.5 37 21C38.9 20.5 41.1 20.5 43 21Z\"\/><path d=\"M40.5 62.5C41.4 60.3 44.2 59.7 46 59.5C47.8 59.3 50.6 59.4 51.4 61.5C52.2 63.6 51.4 67.8 51 72C50.6 76.3 49.1 82.7 48.8 87C48.5 91.3 49.6 93.8 49.2 98C48.8 102.3 46.9 109.2 46.6 112.5C46.3 115.8 47.7 116.5 47.6 117.6C47.5 118.7 47.1 118.8 46.2 119C45.3 119.2 43 119.7 42.4 118.6C41.8 117.5 42.8 115.8 42.6 112.5C42.5 109.2 41.6 103.1 41.5 99C41.4 94.9 41.9 92.3 41.8 88C41.7 83.7 41 77.3 40.8 73C40.6 68.8 39.6 64.8 40.5 62.5Z\"\/><path d=\"M39.5 62.5C38.6 60.3 35.8 59.7 34 59.5C32.2 59.3 29.4 59.4 28.6 61.5C27.8 63.6 28.6 67.8 29 72C29.4 76.3 30.9 82.7 31.2 87C31.5 91.3 30.4 93.8 30.8 98C31.2 102.3 33.1 109.2 33.4 112.5C33.7 115.8 32.3 116.5 32.4 117.6C32.5 118.7 32.9 118.8 33.8 119C34.7 119.2 37 119.7 37.6 118.6C38.2 117.5 37.3 115.8 37.4 112.5C37.6 109.2 38.4 103.1 38.5 99C38.6 94.9 38.1 92.3 38.2 88C38.3 83.7 39 77.3 39.2 73C39.4 68.8 40.4 64.8 39.5 62.5Z\"\/><path d=\"M50.4 25C50.9 23.4 52.6 25.9 53.2 27.6C53.8 29.3 54 32.1 54.2 35C54.4 37.9 54 41.6 54.2 45C54.4 48.4 55.2 52.6 55.6 55.5C56 58.4 56.2 60.5 56.4 62.5C56.7 64.5 57.2 66.1 57.1 67.5C57 69 56.3 70.9 55.8 71.2C55.3 71.5 54.6 70.7 54.2 69.4C53.8 68.1 53.9 65.7 53.6 63.4C53.3 61.1 52.7 58.4 52.2 55.5C51.7 52.6 51.1 49.1 50.8 46C50.5 42.9 50.3 40.5 50.2 37C50.1 33.5 49.9 26.6 50.4 25Z\"\/><path d=\"M29.6 25C29.1 23.4 27.4 25.9 26.8 27.6C26.2 29.3 26 32.1 25.8 35C25.6 37.9 26 41.6 25.8 45C25.6 48.4 24.8 52.6 24.4 55.5C24 58.4 23.9 60.5 23.6 62.5C23.4 64.5 22.8 66.1 22.9 67.5C23 69 23.7 70.9 24.2 71.2C24.7 71.5 25.4 70.7 25.8 69.4C26.2 68.1 26.1 65.7 26.4 63.4C26.7 61.1 27.3 58.4 27.8 55.5C28.3 52.6 28.9 49.1 29.2 46C29.5 42.9 29.7 40.5 29.8 37C29.9 33.5 30.1 26.6 29.6 25Z\"\/><\/g><g fill=\"#f6e9df\"><ellipse cx=\"40\" cy=\"10.8\" rx=\"6\" ry=\"7.8\"\/><rect x=\"37\" y=\"15\" width=\"6\" height=\"9\"\/><path d=\"M43 21C44.9 21.5 47.2 22.9 48.6 23.8C50 24.7 51.1 25.3 51.6 26.4C52.1 27.5 52 28.7 51.8 30.5C51.6 32.3 51.2 34.8 50.6 37C50 39.3 48.8 41.9 48.2 44C47.6 46.1 47 47.6 47.2 49.5C47.4 51.4 48.9 53.6 49.6 55.5C50.3 57.4 52 59.3 51.4 61C50.8 62.8 48.9 65.2 46 66C43.1 66.8 36.9 66.8 34 66C31.1 65.2 29.2 62.8 28.6 61C28 59.3 29.7 57.4 30.4 55.5C31.1 53.6 32.6 51.4 32.8 49.5C33 47.6 32.4 46.1 31.8 44C31.2 41.9 30 39.3 29.4 37C28.8 34.8 28.4 32.3 28.2 30.5C28 28.7 27.9 27.5 28.4 26.4C28.9 25.3 30 24.7 31.4 23.8C32.8 22.9 35.1 21.5 37 21C38.9 20.5 41.1 20.5 43 21Z\"\/><path d=\"M40.5 62.5C41.4 60.3 44.2 59.7 46 59.5C47.8 59.3 50.6 59.4 51.4 61.5C52.2 63.6 51.4 67.8 51 72C50.6 76.3 49.1 82.7 48.8 87C48.5 91.3 49.6 93.8 49.2 98C48.8 102.3 46.9 109.2 46.6 112.5C46.3 115.8 47.7 116.5 47.6 117.6C47.5 118.7 47.1 118.8 46.2 119C45.3 119.2 43 119.7 42.4 118.6C41.8 117.5 42.8 115.8 42.6 112.5C42.5 109.2 41.6 103.1 41.5 99C41.4 94.9 41.9 92.3 41.8 88C41.7 83.7 41 77.3 40.8 73C40.6 68.8 39.6 64.8 40.5 62.5Z\"\/><path d=\"M39.5 62.5C38.6 60.3 35.8 59.7 34 59.5C32.2 59.3 29.4 59.4 28.6 61.5C27.8 63.6 28.6 67.8 29 72C29.4 76.3 30.9 82.7 31.2 87C31.5 91.3 30.4 93.8 30.8 98C31.2 102.3 33.1 109.2 33.4 112.5C33.7 115.8 32.3 116.5 32.4 117.6C32.5 118.7 32.9 118.8 33.8 119C34.7 119.2 37 119.7 37.6 118.6C38.2 117.5 37.3 115.8 37.4 112.5C37.6 109.2 38.4 103.1 38.5 99C38.6 94.9 38.1 92.3 38.2 88C38.3 83.7 39 77.3 39.2 73C39.4 68.8 40.4 64.8 39.5 62.5Z\"\/><path d=\"M50.4 25C50.9 23.4 52.6 25.9 53.2 27.6C53.8 29.3 54 32.1 54.2 35C54.4 37.9 54 41.6 54.2 45C54.4 48.4 55.2 52.6 55.6 55.5C56 58.4 56.2 60.5 56.4 62.5C56.7 64.5 57.2 66.1 57.1 67.5C57 69 56.3 70.9 55.8 71.2C55.3 71.5 54.6 70.7 54.2 69.4C53.8 68.1 53.9 65.7 53.6 63.4C53.3 61.1 52.7 58.4 52.2 55.5C51.7 52.6 51.1 49.1 50.8 46C50.5 42.9 50.3 40.5 50.2 37C50.1 33.5 49.9 26.6 50.4 25Z\"\/><path d=\"M29.6 25C29.1 23.4 27.4 25.9 26.8 27.6C26.2 29.3 26 32.1 25.8 35C25.6 37.9 26 41.6 25.8 45C25.6 48.4 24.8 52.6 24.4 55.5C24 58.4 23.9 60.5 23.6 62.5C23.4 64.5 22.8 66.1 22.9 67.5C23 69 23.7 70.9 24.2 71.2C24.7 71.5 25.4 70.7 25.8 69.4C26.2 68.1 26.1 65.7 26.4 63.4C26.7 61.1 27.3 58.4 27.8 55.5C28.3 52.6 28.9 49.1 29.2 46C29.5 42.9 29.7 40.5 29.8 37C29.9 33.5 30.1 26.6 29.6 25Z\"\/><\/g><circle cx=\"40\" cy=\"56\" r=\"9.6\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#cc5586\" stroke-width=\"1.3\" stroke-dasharray=\"2.5 2.5\"\/><path transform=\"translate(0 -24)\" d=\"M35.5 76.5q4.5-3.5 9 0q0 4.5-3 7v3.5h-3v-3.5q-3-2.5-3-7zM35.5 77q-3-1.5-4.5.5M44.5 77q3-1.5 4.5.5\" fill=\"#cc5586\" stroke=\"#cc5586\" stroke-width=\"1\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span><b>Where in the body<\/b>Low in the belly, between the hips, behind the bladder<\/span><\/div><div class=\"chips\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Choose a part\"><button type=\"button\" data-v=\"in\" data-p=\"ovaries\" aria-pressed=\"false\">ovaries<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-v=\"in\" data-p=\"follicles\" aria-pressed=\"false\">follicles<span class=\"wh-pln\"> (egg sacs)<\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" data-v=\"in\" data-p=\"tubes\" aria-pressed=\"false\">fallopian tubes<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-v=\"in\" data-p=\"fimbriae\" aria-pressed=\"false\">fimbriae<span class=\"wh-pln\"> (tube fringes)<\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" data-v=\"in\" data-p=\"uterus\" aria-pressed=\"false\">uterus<span class=\"wh-pln\"> (womb)<\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" data-v=\"in\" data-p=\"lining\" aria-pressed=\"false\">the lining<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-v=\"in\" data-p=\"cervix\" aria-pressed=\"false\">cervix<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-v=\"in\" data-p=\"vagina\" aria-pressed=\"false\">vagina<\/button><\/div><\/div><div class=\"view\" id=\"ra-vout\" hidden><div class=\"dia\"><svg viewBox=\"128 56 376 404\" role=\"img\" aria-label=\"A simple diagram of the vulva seen from the front: the outer labia forming a soft oval, the inner labia inside them, slightly different on each side, the clitoris and its hood at the top, the urethral opening below it, the larger vaginal opening below that, and the anus separately at the back.\">\n<defs>\n<radialGradient id=\"ra-gs\" cx=\"50%\" cy=\"45%\" r=\"62%\"><stop offset=\"0\" stop-color=\"#f7e0d3\"\/><stop offset=\"1\" stop-color=\"#e8bca5\"\/><\/radialGradient>\n<linearGradient id=\"ra-gi\" x1=\"0\" y1=\"0\" x2=\"1\" y2=\"0\"><stop offset=\"0\" stop-color=\"#df95a8\"\/><stop offset=\".5\" stop-color=\"#eab0bf\"\/><stop offset=\"1\" stop-color=\"#dc8fa3\"\/><\/linearGradient>\n<radialGradient id=\"ra-gmo\" cx=\"50%\" cy=\"50%\" r=\"50%\"><stop offset=\"0\" stop-color=\"#f6e4d6\" stop-opacity=\".85\"\/><stop offset=\".7\" stop-color=\"#f8ebe0\" stop-opacity=\".4\"\/><stop offset=\"1\" stop-color=\"#faf1e8\" stop-opacity=\"0\"\/><\/radialGradient>\n<linearGradient id=\"ra-gmn\" x1=\"0\" y1=\"0\" x2=\"0\" y2=\"1\"><stop offset=\"0\" stop-color=\"#f8e8dc\"\/><stop offset=\"1\" stop-color=\"#f0d4c2\"\/><\/linearGradient>\n<radialGradient id=\"ra-gop\" cx=\"50%\" cy=\"40%\" r=\"60%\"><stop offset=\"0\" stop-color=\"#b95a76\"\/><stop offset=\"1\" stop-color=\"#8d3753\"\/><\/radialGradient>\n<linearGradient id=\"ra-gvs\" x1=\"0\" y1=\"0\" x2=\"0\" y2=\"1\"><stop offset=\"0\" stop-color=\"#f2c4d0\"\/><stop offset=\"1\" stop-color=\"#f7d7df\"\/><\/linearGradient>\n<\/defs>\n<ellipse aria-hidden=\"true\" cx=\"300\" cy=\"262\" rx=\"190\" ry=\"215\" fill=\"url(#ra-gmo)\"\/>\n<g class=\"hit\" data-p=\"mons\" data-pa=\"262,116,176,76,e\"><path d=\"M236 198C220 140 258 88 300 88C342 88 380 140 364 198C352 160 328 143 300 143C272 143 248 160 236 198Z\" fill=\"url(#ra-gmn)\" stroke=\"#e1bda9\" stroke-width=\"1.6\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><rect x=\"244\" y=\"96\" width=\"112\" height=\"44\" fill=\"transparent\"\/><path d=\"M250 130C260 110 280 100 300 100\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#fdf1e8\" stroke-width=\"3\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" opacity=\".8\"\/><\/g>\n<g class=\"hit\" data-p=\"outer\" data-pa=\"222,262,160,300,e\"><path d=\"M300 142C270 140 238 166 226 222C216 276 226 336 258 366C271 377 286 383 300 385C286 356 270 316 264 268C260 222 278 170 300 142Z\" fill=\"url(#ra-gs)\" stroke=\"#d4a089\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><path d=\"M300 142C330 140 362 166 374 222C384 276 374 336 342 366C329 377 314 383 300 385C314 356 330 316 336 268C340 222 322 170 300 142Z\" fill=\"url(#ra-gs)\" stroke=\"#d4a089\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><path d=\"M236 214C226 252 228 300 244 336\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#fdf0e6\" stroke-width=\"3\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" opacity=\".7\"\/><path d=\"M364 214C374 252 372 300 356 336\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#fdf0e6\" stroke-width=\"3\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" opacity=\".7\"\/><\/g>\n<path aria-hidden=\"true\" d=\"M300 146C278 172 258 220 260 270C264 318 282 354 300 384C318 354 336 318 340 270C342 220 322 172 300 146Z\" fill=\"#ecc3bb\"\/>\n<path aria-hidden=\"true\" d=\"M284 176C282 232 280 300 300 358C320 300 320 232 316 176C310 170 290 170 284 176Z\" fill=\"url(#ra-gvs)\"\/>\n<g class=\"hit\" data-p=\"inner\" data-pa=\"330,252,396,236,s\"><path d=\"M300 162C284 168 270 190 268 226C266 262 270 306 284 340C290 350 296 356 300 358C292 330 286 292 286 252C286 224 290 192 300 174Z\" fill=\"url(#ra-gi)\" stroke=\"#c97088\" stroke-width=\"1.6\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><path d=\"M300 162C314 168 326 188 328 222C330 256 328 298 318 330C313 345 306 354 300 358C306 330 314 292 313 254C312 226 308 194 300 174Z\" fill=\"url(#ra-gi)\" stroke=\"#c97088\" stroke-width=\"1.6\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><path d=\"M277 214C275 250 278 292 288 322\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#f6cdd7\" stroke-width=\"2.4\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" opacity=\".8\"\/><path d=\"M321 216C322 250 320 288 313 316\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#f6cdd7\" stroke-width=\"2.4\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" opacity=\".8\"\/><\/g>\n<g class=\"hit\" data-p=\"perineum\" data-pa=\"304,392,400,392,s\"><path d=\"M274 378C288 372 312 372 326 378C324 398 312 412 300 418C288 412 276 398 274 378Z\" fill=\"#ecc9b8\" stroke=\"#d6ac98\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><path d=\"M286 384C294 380 306 380 314 384\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#f9e4d8\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" opacity=\".8\"\/><rect x=\"266\" y=\"372\" width=\"68\" height=\"50\" fill=\"transparent\"\/><\/g>\n<g class=\"hit\" data-p=\"clitoris\" data-pa=\"304,184,400,140,s\"><path d=\"M281 178C281 158 319 158 319 178C311 187 289 187 281 178Z\" fill=\"#d68ca1\" stroke=\"#c0647f\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><path d=\"M289 168C294 163 306 163 311 168\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#f3c3cf\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" opacity=\".85\"\/><circle cx=\"300\" cy=\"186\" r=\"5.6\" fill=\"#b35572\"\/><rect x=\"274\" y=\"154\" width=\"52\" height=\"42\" fill=\"transparent\"\/><\/g>\n<g class=\"hit\" data-p=\"urethra\" data-pa=\"301,226,400,190,s\"><ellipse cx=\"301\" cy=\"226\" rx=\"3.4\" ry=\"4.8\" fill=\"#963c57\"\/><circle cx=\"301\" cy=\"226\" r=\"9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#e9a9ba\" stroke-width=\"2\" opacity=\".7\"\/><rect x=\"284\" y=\"208\" width=\"34\" height=\"36\" fill=\"transparent\"\/><\/g>\n<g class=\"hit\" data-p=\"opening\" data-pa=\"316,284,396,284,s\"><ellipse cx=\"301\" cy=\"284\" rx=\"15\" ry=\"26\" fill=\"url(#ra-gop)\"\/><ellipse cx=\"301\" cy=\"284\" rx=\"16.6\" ry=\"27.6\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#f6c6d2\" stroke-width=\"3.4\"\/><path d=\"M290 296C294 306 308 306 312 296\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#6f2740\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" opacity=\".5\"\/><\/g>\n<g class=\"hit\" data-p=\"anus\" data-pa=\"312,436,400,436,s\"><circle cx=\"300\" cy=\"438\" r=\"12\" fill=\"#cfa090\"\/><g stroke=\"#a97a6c\" stroke-width=\"1.4\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"><path d=\"M300 428v4M300 444v4M290 438h4M306 438h4M293 431l3 3M304 442l3 3M307 431l-3 3M296 442l-3 3\"\/><\/g><circle cx=\"300\" cy=\"438\" r=\"3.5\" fill=\"#8d6558\"\/><rect x=\"280\" y=\"420\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" fill=\"transparent\"\/><\/g>\n<g data-p=\"vulva\" data-pa=\"228,306,160,340,e\"><\/g>\n<g class=\"lead\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><line x1=\"262\" y1=\"116\" x2=\"212\" y2=\"78\"\/><line x1=\"222\" y1=\"262\" x2=\"204\" y2=\"262\"\/><line x1=\"304\" y1=\"184\" x2=\"396\" y2=\"124\"\/><line x1=\"301\" y1=\"226\" x2=\"396\" y2=\"176\"\/><line x1=\"330\" y1=\"252\" x2=\"396\" y2=\"226\"\/><line x1=\"316\" y1=\"284\" x2=\"396\" y2=\"280\"\/><line x1=\"304\" y1=\"392\" x2=\"396\" y2=\"376\"\/><line x1=\"312\" y1=\"438\" x2=\"396\" y2=\"440\"\/><circle cx=\"262\" cy=\"116\" r=\"2.6\"\/><circle cx=\"222\" cy=\"262\" r=\"2.6\"\/><circle cx=\"304\" cy=\"184\" r=\"2.6\"\/><circle cx=\"301\" cy=\"226\" r=\"2.6\"\/><circle cx=\"330\" cy=\"252\" r=\"2.6\"\/><circle cx=\"316\" cy=\"284\" r=\"2.6\"\/><circle cx=\"304\" cy=\"392\" r=\"2.6\"\/><circle cx=\"312\" cy=\"438\" r=\"2.6\"\/><\/g><\/svg><div aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"lab l\" data-p=\"mons\" style=\"right:76.60%;top:4.95%\">mons pubis<\/span><span class=\"lab l\" data-p=\"outer\" style=\"right:79.26%;top:50.99%\">outer labia<\/span><span class=\"lab r\" data-p=\"clitoris\" style=\"left:72.34%;top:16.83%\">clitoris<\/span><span class=\"lab r\" data-p=\"urethra\" style=\"left:72.34%;top:29.70%\">urethral opening<\/span><span class=\"lab r\" data-p=\"inner\" style=\"left:72.34%;top:42.08%\">inner labia<\/span><span class=\"lab r\" data-p=\"opening\" style=\"left:72.34%;top:55.45%\">vaginal opening<\/span><span class=\"lab r\" data-p=\"perineum\" style=\"left:72.34%;top:79.21%\">perineum<\/span><span class=\"lab r\" data-p=\"anus\" style=\"left:72.34%;top:95.05%\">anus<\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"chips\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Choose a part\"><button type=\"button\" data-v=\"out\" data-p=\"vulva\" aria-pressed=\"false\">vulva<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-v=\"out\" data-p=\"mons\" aria-pressed=\"false\">mons pubis<span class=\"wh-pln\"> (front mound)<\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" data-v=\"out\" data-p=\"outer\" aria-pressed=\"false\">outer labia<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-v=\"out\" data-p=\"inner\" aria-pressed=\"false\">inner labia<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-v=\"out\" data-p=\"clitoris\" aria-pressed=\"false\">clitoris<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-v=\"out\" data-p=\"urethra\" aria-pressed=\"false\">urethral opening<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-v=\"out\" data-p=\"opening\" aria-pressed=\"false\">vaginal opening<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-v=\"out\" data-p=\"perineum\" aria-pressed=\"false\">perineum<span class=\"wh-pln\"> (skin between)<\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" data-v=\"out\" data-p=\"anus\" aria-pressed=\"false\">anus<\/button><\/div><\/div><div class=\"mob\"><label for=\"ra-an-sel\">Choose a part<\/label><select class=\"ra-sel\" id=\"ra-an-sel\"><optgroup label=\"Inside the body\"><option value=\"ovaries\" data-v=\"in\">ovaries<\/option><option value=\"follicles\" data-v=\"in\" data-pn=\"follicles (egg sacs)\">follicles<\/option><option value=\"tubes\" data-v=\"in\">fallopian tubes<\/option><option value=\"fimbriae\" data-v=\"in\" data-pn=\"fimbriae (tube fringes)\">fimbriae<\/option><option value=\"uterus\" data-v=\"in\" data-pn=\"uterus (womb)\">uterus<\/option><option value=\"lining\" data-v=\"in\">the lining<\/option><option value=\"cervix\" data-v=\"in\">cervix<\/option><option value=\"vagina\" data-v=\"in\">vagina<\/option><\/optgroup><optgroup label=\"On the outside\"><option value=\"vulva\" data-v=\"out\">vulva<\/option><option value=\"mons\" data-v=\"out\" data-pn=\"mons pubis (front mound)\">mons pubis<\/option><option value=\"outer\" data-v=\"out\">outer labia<\/option><option value=\"inner\" data-v=\"out\">inner labia<\/option><option value=\"clitoris\" data-v=\"out\">clitoris<\/option><option value=\"urethra\" data-v=\"out\">urethral opening<\/option><option value=\"opening\" data-v=\"out\">vaginal opening<\/option><option value=\"perineum\" data-v=\"out\" data-pn=\"perineum (skin between)\">perineum<\/option><option value=\"anus\" data-v=\"out\">anus<\/option><\/optgroup><\/select><\/div><\/div><div class=\"card\" aria-live=\"polite\"><p class=\"nm\" id=\"ra-nm\"><\/p><p class=\"al\" id=\"ra-al\"><\/p><p class=\"k\">What it is<\/p><p class=\"t\" id=\"ra-wi\"><\/p><p class=\"k\">What it does<\/p><p class=\"t\" id=\"ra-wd\"><\/p><p class=\"mx\" id=\"ra-mx\"><b>A common mix-up<\/b><span id=\"ra-mxt\"><\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><figcaption>Diagrams, not to scale, and simplified. Every body is a little different, and the outside in particular varies a great deal from person to person.<\/figcaption><script>(function(){var D={\"ovaries\":[\"Ovaries\",\"Two small organs, one on each side of the uterus\",\"Each ovary is roughly the size and shape of an almond. The ovaries hold the eggs you are born with, and they make the hormones estrogen and progesterone.\",\"In most cycles one egg matures and is released. This is called ovulation.\",\"The ovaries are not joined to the fallopian tubes. The open, fringed end of each tube sits close to the ovary and sweeps the released egg inside.\"],\"follicles\":[\"Follicles\",\"Tiny fluid-filled sacs inside the ovaries\",\"Each follicle holds one immature egg. The ovaries contain thousands of them, most far too small to see.\",\"Each cycle a few begin to grow, one usually takes the lead, and it releases its egg at ovulation. The growing follicle also makes most of the estrogen in the first half of the cycle.\",\"\"],\"tubes\":[\"Fallopian tubes\",\"The two narrow tubes that lead out from the top of the uterus\",\"Each tube runs from the top corner of the uterus toward an ovary, and ends in a soft, fringed opening.\",\"After ovulation the egg travels slowly along a tube toward the uterus. If sperm are present, this is where an egg and a sperm usually meet.\",\"\"],\"fimbriae\":[\"Fimbriae\",\"The fringed ends of the fallopian tubes\",\"Soft, finger-like fringes at the outer end of each tube, lying close to the ovary.\",\"Around ovulation they move gently over the ovary and sweep the released egg into the tube.\",\"\"],\"uterus\":[\"Uterus\",\"Also called the womb\",\"A hollow, muscular organ roughly the size and shape of a small, upside-down pear. Its thick muscle wall can stretch enormously during pregnancy.\",\"It is where a pregnancy grows. When its muscle tightens during a period, that is what you feel as cramps.\",\"\"],\"lining\":[\"The lining\",\"The endometrium\",\"The soft inner layer of the uterus.\",\"Each cycle it thickens to prepare for a possible pregnancy. If no pregnancy happens, most of it is shed, and that shedding is the period.\",\"Period blood is not a sign of anything dirty or unhealthy. It is this lining, with some blood, leaving the body.\"],\"cervix\":[\"Cervix\",\"The neck of the uterus\",\"The narrow lower end of the uterus, where it opens into the vagina. Its opening is very small.\",\"It lets period blood out and sperm in, and it makes mucus that changes through the cycle, which is where much of normal discharge comes from.\",\"A tampon cannot get lost inside the body. The opening of the cervix is far too small for it to pass through.\"],\"vagina\":[\"Vagina\",\"The canal from the cervix to the outside\",\"A stretchy, muscular canal that leads from the cervix to the opening between the legs.\",\"Period blood leaves the body through it, a tampon or menstrual cup sits inside it, and it is the birth canal.\",\"The vagina is only the canal inside the body. The parts you can see on the outside are called the vulva.\"],\"vulva\":[\"Vulva\",\"Everything on the outside, together\",\"The name for all the external parts: the labia, the clitoris and the openings between them.\",\"It protects the openings to the urethra and the vagina.\",\"Many people say vagina when they mean vulva. The vagina is inside; the vulva is what you can see.\"],\"mons\":[\"Mons pubis\",\"The soft mound at the front\",\"A cushion of fatty tissue over the pubic bone, at the top of the vulva. It is covered with hair after puberty.\",\"It cushions and protects the pubic bone underneath.\",\"\"],\"outer\":[\"Outer labia\",\"The fuller outer folds\",\"Two folds of skin, one on each side, which usually have hair on their outer surface after puberty.\",\"They cover and protect the more delicate parts inside them.\",\"\"],\"inner\":[\"Inner labia\",\"The thinner inner folds\",\"Two thinner folds of skin inside the outer labia, with no hair. At the top they meet and form the hood of the clitoris.\",\"They surround and protect the urethral and vaginal openings.\",\"Inner labia vary a great deal in size, shape and color. In many people they show beyond the outer labia, and it is common for one side to be longer than the other. That variety is normal.\"],\"clitoris\":[\"Clitoris\",\"At the top, where the inner labia meet\",\"A small, very sensitive part partly covered by a fold of skin called the hood. What you can see is only the tip: most of the clitoris lies under the skin.\",\"It is packed with nerve endings and is central to sexual pleasure.\",\"\"],\"urethra\":[\"Urethral opening\",\"Where urine comes out\",\"A tiny opening below the clitoris and above the vaginal opening.\",\"Urine leaves the body through it, from the bladder.\",\"People often think urine and periods come out of the same opening. They do not: there are two separate openings at the front, and a third, the anus, at the back.\"],\"opening\":[\"Vaginal opening\",\"The entrance to the vagina\",\"The larger opening below the urethral opening. Around its edge there is often a thin, stretchy rim of tissue called the hymen.\",\"Period blood leaves the body here, and it is where a tampon or menstrual cup goes in.\",\"The hymen is not a seal. It usually has an opening from birth, it varies a lot from person to person, and its appearance cannot show whether someone has had sex.\"],\"perineum\":[\"Perineum\",\"The skin between the two\",\"The area of skin between the vaginal opening and the anus.\",\"It is stretchy and strong, and it sits over the muscles of the pelvic floor.\",\"\"],\"anus\":[\"Anus\",\"The opening at the back\",\"The opening at the end of the digestive system, behind the vaginal opening and the perineum.\",\"It is part of the digestive system, not the reproductive system.\",\"\"]};var f=document.getElementById(\"ra-an\");if(!f){return;}var vin=document.getElementById(\"ra-vin\"),vout=document.getElementById(\"ra-vout\"),vb=f.querySelectorAll(\".ra-seg button\");var el=function(i){return document.getElementById(i);};function pick2(v){if(v===\"out\"){pick(\"vulva\");}}var user=false;var cur=\"\";var P={\"ovaries\":[null,null,\"Each one is about the size and shape of an almond. They hold the eggs you were born with, and they make two hormones, estrogen and progesterone.\",\"In most cycles, one egg gets ready and is released. That\u2019s called ovulation.\",\"The ovaries and the tubes aren\u2019t joined. The fringed end of each tube sits close to the ovary and sweeps the released egg inside.\"],\"follicles\":[null,\"Tiny sacs inside the ovaries, each holding an egg\",\"Each one holds one egg that isn\u2019t ready yet. There are thousands of them, and most are far too small to see.\",\"Each cycle, a few start to grow and one usually gets ahead. That one lets its egg go at ovulation. While it grows, it also makes most of the estrogen in the first half of the cycle.\",null],\"tubes\":[null,null,null,\"After ovulation, the egg moves slowly along a tube toward the uterus. If there\u2019s sperm there, this is usually where the egg and a sperm meet.\",null],\"uterus\":[null,null,\"A hollow organ made of muscle, about the size and shape of a small pear turned upside down. Its thick wall can stretch a huge amount in pregnancy.\",\"It\u2019s where a pregnancy grows. When its muscle tightens during a period, that\u2019s what you feel as cramps.\",null],\"lining\":[null,\"Its medical name is the endometrium\",null,\"Each cycle it gets thicker, ready in case a pregnancy starts. If one doesn\u2019t, most of it comes away, and that\u2019s your period.\",\"Period blood is this lining, with some blood, leaving the body. There\u2019s nothing dirty or unhealthy about it.\"],\"cervix\":[null,null,null,\"It lets period blood out and sperm in. It also makes mucus that changes through the month, and that\u2019s where much of normal discharge comes from.\",\"A tampon can\u2019t get lost inside you. The opening of the cervix is far too small for one to get through.\"],\"vulva\":[null,null,\"The name for all the parts on the outside, together. That includes the labia, the clitoris and the openings between them.\",\"It protects the openings to the vagina and to the urethra, where urine comes out.\",\"Many people say vagina when they mean vulva. The vagina is the canal inside. The vulva is what you can see.\"],\"mons\":[null,null,\"A soft cushion of fat over the pubic bone, at the top of the vulva. Hair grows on it after puberty.\",null,null],\"clitoris\":[null,null,\"A small, very sensitive part, partly covered by a fold of skin called the hood. What you can see is only the tip. Most of the clitoris is under the skin.\",\"It\u2019s packed with nerve endings, and it\u2019s central to sexual pleasure.\",null],\"urethra\":[null,null,null,null,\"People often think urine and period blood come out of the same opening. They don\u2019t. There are two separate openings at the front, and a third, the anus, at the back.\"],\"opening\":[null,null,null,null,\"The hymen doesn\u2019t seal the opening. It usually has a gap from birth, it varies a lot between people, and looking at it can\u2019t show whether someone has had sex.\"]};var sl=document.getElementById(\"ra-an-sel\");var mq=window.matchMedia?window.matchMedia(\"(max-width:640px)\"):null;var NS=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\";var VB={\"ra-vin\":[\"106 40 388 350\",\"70 30 420 365\"],\"ra-vout\":[\"132 56 336 404\",\"128 56 376 404\"]};function phone(){return mq?mq.matches:false;}function vbs(){var ss=f.querySelectorAll(\".dia svg\"),i,id;for(i=0;i<ss.length;i++){id=ss[i].parentNode.parentNode.id;if(VB[id]){ss[i].setAttribute(\"viewBox\",VB[id][phone()?0:1]);}}}function mk(n,at){var e=document.createElementNS(NS,n),k;for(k in at){e.setAttribute(k,at[k]);}return e;}function plab(p){var old=f.querySelectorAll(\".plab\"),i;for(i=0;i<old.length;i++){old[i].parentNode.removeChild(old[i]);}vbs();if(!phone()){return;}var 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on=plainOn(),os=sl.options,i,t;for(i=0;os.length>i;i+=1){if(os[i].getAttribute(\"data-n\")===null){os[i].setAttribute(\"data-n\",os[i].textContent);}t=os[i].getAttribute(\"data-pn\");if(on){if(t){os[i].textContent=t;continue;}}os[i].textContent=os[i].getAttribute(\"data-n\");}}document.addEventListener(\"wh-plain-change\",function(){names();if(cur){pick(cur);}});names();if(window.addEventListener){window.addEventListener(\"resize\",function(){if(cur){plab(cur);}});}view(\"in\");})();\/*>*\/<\/script><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-pl has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-plk wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:38px;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">In plain words<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">You don&#8217;t need to clean inside the vagina, because it cleans itself. The discharge made by the vagina and the cervix above it carries away dead cells and keeps the vagina moist. Protective bacteria keep the inside slightly acidic, and that helps stop unwanted germs settling there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">That&#8217;s why doctors advise against washing inside, which is called douching. <strong class=\"eqb\">It washes away the protective bacteria that keep the vagina healthy<\/strong>. When that balance is upset, the result is called bacterial vaginosis. It&#8217;s one of the most common reasons for a change in discharge or smell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The vulva is skin, and you can wash it. Wash the vulva with plain unperfumed soap and warm water, or with clear water alone if the skin is sore. Skip perfumed washes, sprays, deodorants and scented wipes, which are all advised against. If a smell is strong enough that you feel you need to cover it, see a doctor rather than buying a product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">Your eggs aren&#8217;t made during adult life.<\/strong> They&#8217;re all there before you&#8217;re born, each one resting in a tiny sac called a follicle. Each ovary holds the most it will ever have, about 300,000, before birth. One study estimated that by 30, almost all women have only about 12% of that left, and by 40 about 3%. That&#8217;s still several thousand in each ovary, and usually only one egg is released each cycle. The drop explains why fertility changes with age, and why the ovaries stop releasing eggs at menopause. Around the world that happens at about 49 on average, though it varies from region to region.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n\" id=\"it-cleans-itself\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">It cleans itself<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If you&#8217;ve ever wondered how you&#8217;re supposed to clean inside, you don&#8217;t need to, because the vagina looks after itself. Its lining and the cervix above it make the discharge described later in this article, and that fluid carries away dead cells and keeps the tissue moist. The vagina also holds a population of bacteria, mostly lactobacilli, which keep the inside slightly acidic. That acidity is part of what stops less welcome organisms from settling there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">That&#8217;s why doctors advise against washing inside, which is called douching. <strong class=\"eqb\">It washes away the protective bacteria that keep the vagina healthy<\/strong>. Bacterial vaginosis, one of the most common reasons for a change in discharge or smell, is what happens when that balance is disturbed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The outside, the vulva, is skin, and skin can be washed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background wh-n has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-bd3116f4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#fbeef3;border-radius:18px;margin-top:4px;margin-bottom:30px;padding:24px 28px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#7a2147;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:12.5px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">WHAT HELPS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.568), 19px);line-height:1.7\">\n<li>Wash the vulva with plain unperfumed soap and warm water, or with clear water alone if the skin is sore.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Skip perfumed washes, sprays, deodorants and scented wipes, which are all advised against.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If a smell is strong enough that you feel you need to cover it, see a doctor rather than buying a product.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n\" id=\"fewer-eggs-than-you-might-think-and-more-than-you-need\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Fewer eggs than you might think, and more than you need<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">The eggs in your ovaries aren&#8217;t made during adult life<\/strong>. They&#8217;re all there before birth, each one resting inside a tiny sac of cells called a <em class=\"eqi\">follicle<\/em>. Each ovary holds its largest number of follicles, around 300,000, before birth. In a study that modeled the whole lifespan, almost all women had only about 12% of that peak left by the age of 30, and about 3% by 40.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If those percentages sound alarming, it helps to know that even 3% still means several thousand in each ovary, and in most cycles only one egg is released. What the decline does explain is why fertility changes with age, and why the ovaries eventually stop releasing eggs at menopause. Around the world that happens at about 49 on average, though it differs between regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wh-keep\" style=\"margin-top:6px;margin-bottom:34px\"><aside class=\"ra-ff\"><span class=\"mk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.6\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M12 3.5l1.9 5.1 5.1 1.9-5.1 1.9L12 17.5l-1.9-5.1-5.1-1.9 5.1-1.9zM18.5 15.5l.8 2 2 .8-2 .8-.8 2-.8-2-2-.8 2-.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p class=\"k\">Fun fact<\/p><p class=\"t\">The egg that became you formed while your mother was still growing inside her own mother. So, in a sense, the very first part of you began inside your grandmother.<\/p><\/aside><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:92px;margin-bottom:34px\"><div class=\"ra-part\"><div class=\"wm\" aria-hidden=\"true\">02<\/div><div class=\"ic\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M4.5 11a7.5 7.5 0 0 1 13.2-4.6M19.5 13a7.5 7.5 0 0 1-13.2 4.6M18 2.8v4h-4M6 21.2v-4h4\"\/><\/svg><\/div><div class=\"tx\"><div class=\"meta\"><p class=\"lb\">Part two of six<\/p><span class=\"tk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"now\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><\/span><\/div><h2 id=\"part-2\">The messengers<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">How the brain and the ovaries talk to each other every month<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-pl has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-plk wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:38px;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">In plain words<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Your monthly cycle begins in your brain. A small area called the hypothalamus sends a hormone to the pituitary gland just below it. The pituitary then sends two hormones into your blood, called FSH and LH for short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Those two travel to your ovaries and tell them what to do. The ovaries answer by making estrogen and progesterone, which travel back to the brain and also to the uterus. The brain adjusts what it sends depending on what comes back. <strong class=\"eqb\">It&#8217;s a loop, and your cycle is that loop running for a month.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n\" id=\"the-brain-starts-the-conversation\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">The brain starts the conversation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">You might think the ovaries run the cycle on their own, but it begins in the brain, in a small region called the <em class=\"eqi\">hypothalamus<\/em>. That region sends a hormone to the pituitary gland just below it, and the pituitary then releases two hormones into the bloodstream: follicle-stimulating hormone, usually shortened to FSH, and luteinizing hormone, or LH.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Those two travel to the ovaries and tell them what to do. The ovaries answer by making estrogen and progesterone, which travel to the brain as well as to the uterus, and the brain adjusts what it sends according to what it hears. <strong class=\"eqb\">It&#8217;s a loop, and the cycle is what that loop looks like when it runs for a month<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wh-keep\" style=\"margin-top:6px;margin-bottom:34px\"><aside class=\"ra-ff\"><span class=\"mk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.6\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M12 3.5l1.9 5.1 5.1 1.9-5.1 1.9L12 17.5l-1.9-5.1-5.1-1.9 5.1-1.9zM18.5 15.5l.8 2 2 .8-2 .8-.8 2-.8-2-2-.8 2-.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p class=\"k\">Fun fact<\/p><p class=\"t\">The pituitary gland, which sends the hormones that start every cycle, is only about the size of a pea.<\/p><\/aside><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-pl has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-plk wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:38px;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">In plain words<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Each of the four hormones has its own job. FSH, short for follicle-stimulating hormone, makes the follicles, the tiny egg sacs, grow. Several start growing each cycle, and usually one gets ahead of the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Estrogen comes mainly from that growing follicle. As it rises, it rebuilds the lining of the uterus and changes the mucus the cervix makes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">LH, short for luteinizing hormone, is the trigger. When estrogen has been high for long enough, the brain sends out a sudden burst of LH. About a day and a half after that burst begins, <strong class=\"eqb\">the follicle lets its egg go. This is ovulation.<\/strong> The ovulation tests sold in pharmacies work by picking up this burst in urine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Progesterone comes after ovulation. The empty follicle turns into a small gland called the corpus luteum, and it makes progesterone. Progesterone gets the lining ready for a possible pregnancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If no pregnancy starts, the corpus luteum lasts about 12 days on average and then fades. <strong class=\"eqb\">Progesterone and estrogen drop. Without them, the lining can&#8217;t stay in place, so it comes away as your period.<\/strong> Chemicals called prostaglandins, made by the lining itself, help this happen, and they&#8217;re a big part of why periods can hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">When the hormones drop, the brain notices and sends more FSH, and a new group of follicles starts to grow. So one cycle ends as the next one begins.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n\" id=\"four-hormones-worth-knowing\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Four hormones worth knowing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wh-n\" style=\"margin-top:4px;margin-bottom:30px\"><div class=\"ra-hk\"><div class=\"row\"><span class=\"sw\" style=\"background:#7d86b8\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><div><p class=\"nm\">Follicle-stimulating hormone<abbr title=\"Follicle-stimulating hormone\">FSH<\/abbr><\/p><p class=\"fr\">Made by the pituitary gland<\/p><p class=\"t\">FSH does what its name says: it stimulates follicles to grow. At the start of each cycle several begin to develop, and usually one takes the lead.<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"row\"><span class=\"sw\" style=\"background:#c75a78\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><div><p class=\"nm\">Estrogen<\/p><p class=\"fr\">Made mainly by the ovaries<\/p><p class=\"t\">Estrogen is made mainly by that growing follicle. As it rises, it rebuilds the lining of the uterus and changes the mucus made by the cervix.<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"row\"><span class=\"sw\" style=\"background:#d99a2b\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><div><p class=\"nm\">Luteinizing hormone<abbr title=\"Luteinizing hormone\">LH<\/abbr><\/p><p class=\"fr\">Made by the pituitary gland<\/p><p class=\"t\">LH is the trigger. When estrogen has been high for long enough, the brain responds with a sudden surge of LH, which begins roughly a day and a half before ovulation. <strong class=\"eqb\">That surge is what makes the follicle release its egg<\/strong>, and it&#8217;s what the ovulation tests sold in pharmacies pick up in urine.<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"row\"><span class=\"sw\" style=\"background:#1d5f66\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><div><p class=\"nm\">Progesterone<\/p><p class=\"fr\">Made by the ovaries, after ovulation<\/p><p class=\"t\">Progesterone comes afterward. Once the egg has been released, the empty follicle turns into a small gland called the <em class=\"eqi\">corpus luteum<\/em>, and that gland makes progesterone, which prepares the lining for a possible pregnancy.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n\" id=\"how-the-loop-closes\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">How the loop closes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If no pregnancy begins, the corpus luteum lasts around 12 days on average and then fades. <strong class=\"eqb\">Progesterone and estrogen fall, and without them the lining of the uterus can&#8217;t be kept in place, so it&#8217;s shed as your period<\/strong>. Chemical messengers called <em class=\"eqi\">prostaglandins<\/em>, released by the lining itself, help this happen, and they&#8217;re also a big part of why periods can hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">As the hormones fall, the brain notices and starts sending more FSH, and a new group of follicles begins to grow. The first day of bleeding counts as day one of the next cycle, so the end of one cycle and the start of the next overlap.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:92px;margin-bottom:34px\"><div class=\"ra-part\"><div class=\"wm\" aria-hidden=\"true\">03<\/div><div class=\"ic\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M4 5.5h16v14.5H4zM4 9.5h16M8.5 3v4.5M15.5 3v4.5M8 13.5h1.5M11.3 13.5h1.5M14.6 13.5h1.5M8 16.8h1.5M11.3 16.8h1.5\"\/><\/svg><\/div><div class=\"tx\"><div class=\"meta\"><p class=\"lb\">Part three of six<\/p><span class=\"tk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"now\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><\/span><\/div><h2 id=\"part-3\">The cycle, day by day<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">What happens in each phase, and what you might notice<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-pl has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-plk wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:38px;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">In plain words<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">Each cycle is counted from the first day of one period to the first day of the next.<\/strong> Ovulation splits it into two halves. In the first half, a follicle grows and the lining builds back up. In the second half, the corpus luteum makes progesterone and the lining gets ready for a possible pregnancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Move through the cycle in the chart below to see what&#8217;s happening on each day.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-n has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"day-one-is-the-first-day-of-bleeding\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Day one is the first day of bleeding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">Every cycle is counted from the first day of one period to the first day of the next<\/strong>. It has two halves, split by ovulation. In the first half, a follicle grows and the lining rebuilds. In the second half, the corpus luteum makes progesterone and the lining prepares for a possible pregnancy.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:40px;margin-bottom:48px\"><figure class=\"ra-fig ra-cy\" id=\"ra-cy\"><div class=\"hd\"><p class=\"ti\">The cycle, day by day<\/p><p class=\"q\">Four hormones across an example 28-day cycle, and what they do<\/p><\/div><div class=\"ctl\"><div class=\"tog\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Show or hide a hormone\"><button type=\"button\" data-h=\"estrogen\" aria-pressed=\"true\"><i style=\"background:#c75a78\"><\/i>estrogen<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-h=\"progesterone\" aria-pressed=\"true\"><i style=\"background:#1d5f66\"><\/i>progesterone<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-h=\"LH\" aria-pressed=\"true\"><i style=\"background:#d99a2b\"><\/i>LH<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-h=\"FSH\" aria-pressed=\"true\"><i style=\"background:#7d86b8\"><\/i>FSH<\/button><\/div><\/div><div class=\"plot\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 1000 300\" preserveAspectRatio=\"none\" role=\"img\" aria-label=\"An illustration of four hormone curves across 28 days. FSH rises a little at the start, briefly in the middle, and again in the last few days. Estrogen climbs to a peak just before the middle, falls as LH surges, then has a smaller second rise. LH surges sharply in the middle. Progesterone stays low until the middle, then rises to a peak in the second half and falls before the next period.\"><rect class=\"ph m\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\" width=\"166.7\" height=\"300\"\/><rect class=\"ph\" x=\"425.9\" y=\"0\" width=\"111.1\" height=\"300\"\/><path class=\"ln\" data-h=\"estrogen\" stroke=\"#c75a78\" d=\"M0.0 251.4L9.3 251.4L18.5 251.3L27.8 251.3L37.0 251.3L46.3 251.3L55.6 251.2L64.8 251.2L74.1 251.1L83.3 251.0L92.6 250.8L101.9 250.6L111.1 250.4L120.4 250.0L129.6 249.6L138.9 249.0L148.1 248.2L157.4 247.2L166.7 246.0L175.9 244.5L185.2 242.6L194.4 240.3L203.7 237.6L213.0 234.2L222.2 230.3L231.5 225.7L240.7 220.4L250.0 214.2L259.3 207.2L268.5 199.4L277.8 190.6L287.0 181.0L296.3 170.6L305.6 159.5L314.8 147.6L324.1 135.3L333.3 122.6L342.6 109.8L351.9 96.9L361.1 84.4L370.4 72.4L379.6 61.1L388.9 50.9L398.1 41.9L407.4 34.4L416.7 28.4L425.9 24.3L435.2 22.0L444.4 22.3L453.7 31.6L463.0 50.1L472.2 75.3L481.5 104.1L490.7 133.4L500.0 160.5L509.3 183.7L518.5 202.0L527.8 215.3L537.0 224.1L546.3 229.0L555.6 231.0L564.8 230.7L574.1 228.8L583.3 225.7L592.6 221.8L601.9 217.1L611.1 211.9L620.4 206.2L629.6 200.1L638.9 193.8L648.1 187.2L657.4 180.5L666.7 173.9L675.9 167.4L685.2 161.2L694.4 155.4L703.7 150.2L713.0 145.7L722.2 142.1L731.5 139.3L740.7 137.5L750.0 136.8L759.3 137.0L768.5 138.0L777.8 139.8L787.0 142.4L796.3 145.6L805.6 149.4L814.8 153.8L824.1 158.6L833.3 163.8L842.6 169.3L851.9 174.9L861.1 180.7L870.4 186.5L879.6 192.2L888.9 197.8L898.1 203.2L907.4 208.4L916.7 213.2L925.9 217.8L935.2 222.0L944.4 225.9L953.7 229.4L963.0 232.5L972.2 235.3L981.5 237.8L990.7 240.0L1000.0 241.9\"\/><path class=\"ln\" data-h=\"progesterone\" stroke=\"#1d5f66\" d=\"M0.0 271.6L9.3 271.6L18.5 271.6L27.8 271.6L37.0 271.6L46.3 271.6L55.6 271.6L64.8 271.6L74.1 271.6L83.3 271.6L92.6 271.6L101.9 271.6L111.1 271.6L120.4 271.6L129.6 271.6L138.9 271.6L148.1 271.6L157.4 271.6L166.7 271.6L175.9 271.6L185.2 271.5L194.4 271.5L203.7 271.5L213.0 271.5L222.2 271.4L231.5 271.4L240.7 271.3L250.0 271.2L259.3 271.1L268.5 271.0L277.8 270.9L287.0 270.7L296.3 270.5L305.6 270.2L314.8 269.9L324.1 269.5L333.3 269.0L342.6 268.5L351.9 267.8L361.1 267.0L370.4 266.1L379.6 265.0L388.9 263.8L398.1 262.3L407.4 260.6L416.7 258.7L425.9 256.5L435.2 254.0L444.4 251.1L453.7 248.0L463.0 244.4L472.2 240.4L481.5 236.0L490.7 231.2L500.0 225.9L509.3 220.1L518.5 213.8L527.8 207.1L537.0 199.8L546.3 192.2L555.6 184.0L564.8 175.5L574.1 166.6L583.3 157.3L592.6 147.8L601.9 138.1L611.1 128.2L620.4 118.2L629.6 108.3L638.9 98.5L648.1 88.8L657.4 79.5L666.7 70.6L675.9 62.1L685.2 54.3L694.4 47.1L703.7 40.7L713.0 35.1L722.2 30.5L731.5 26.8L740.7 24.2L750.0 22.5L759.3 22.0L768.5 22.6L777.8 24.3L787.0 27.1L796.3 31.0L805.6 35.8L814.8 41.7L824.1 48.4L833.3 55.9L842.6 64.1L851.9 72.9L861.1 82.2L870.4 91.9L879.6 101.9L888.9 112.0L898.1 122.3L907.4 132.5L916.7 142.6L925.9 152.5L935.2 162.1L944.4 171.4L953.7 180.4L963.0 188.9L972.2 197.0L981.5 204.6L990.7 211.7L1000.0 218.3\"\/><path class=\"ln\" data-h=\"LH\" stroke=\"#d99a2b\" d=\"M0.0 261.2L9.3 261.2L18.5 261.2L27.8 261.2L37.0 261.2L46.3 261.2L55.6 261.2L64.8 261.2L74.1 261.2L83.3 261.2L92.6 261.2L101.9 261.2L111.1 261.2L120.4 261.2L129.6 261.2L138.9 261.2L148.1 261.2L157.4 261.2L166.7 261.2L175.9 261.2L185.2 261.2L194.4 261.2L203.7 261.2L213.0 261.2L222.2 261.2L231.5 261.2L240.7 261.2L250.0 261.2L259.3 261.2L268.5 261.2L277.8 261.2L287.0 261.2L296.3 261.2L305.6 261.2L314.8 261.2L324.1 261.2L333.3 261.2L342.6 261.2L351.9 261.2L361.1 261.0L370.4 260.7L379.6 259.9L388.9 258.0L398.1 254.0L407.4 246.2L416.7 232.5L425.9 210.8L435.2 180.1L444.4 141.5L453.7 99.1L463.0 60.0L472.2 32.1L481.5 22.0L490.7 32.1L500.0 60.0L509.3 99.1L518.5 141.5L527.8 180.1L537.0 210.8L546.3 232.5L555.6 246.2L564.8 254.0L574.1 258.0L583.3 259.9L592.6 260.7L601.9 261.0L611.1 261.2L620.4 261.2L629.6 261.2L638.9 261.2L648.1 261.2L657.4 261.2L666.7 261.2L675.9 261.2L685.2 261.2L694.4 261.2L703.7 261.2L713.0 261.2L722.2 261.2L731.5 261.2L740.7 261.2L750.0 261.2L759.3 261.2L768.5 261.2L777.8 261.2L787.0 261.2L796.3 261.2L805.6 261.2L814.8 261.2L824.1 261.2L833.3 261.2L842.6 261.2L851.9 261.2L861.1 261.2L870.4 261.2L879.6 261.2L888.9 261.2L898.1 261.2L907.4 261.2L916.7 261.2L925.9 261.2L935.2 261.2L944.4 261.2L953.7 261.2L963.0 261.2L972.2 261.2L981.5 261.2L990.7 261.2L1000.0 261.2\"\/><path class=\"ln\" data-h=\"FSH\" stroke=\"#7d86b8\" d=\"M0.0 141.5L9.3 135.9L18.5 130.9L27.8 126.4L37.0 122.6L46.3 119.6L55.6 117.4L64.8 116.1L74.1 115.6L83.3 116.1L92.6 117.4L101.9 119.6L111.1 122.6L120.4 126.4L129.6 130.9L138.9 135.9L148.1 141.5L157.4 147.5L166.7 153.7L175.9 160.2L185.2 166.8L194.4 173.3L203.7 179.8L213.0 186.1L222.2 192.2L231.5 197.9L240.7 203.4L250.0 208.5L259.3 213.2L268.5 217.5L277.8 221.4L287.0 224.9L296.3 228.0L305.6 230.8L314.8 233.2L324.1 235.2L333.3 237.0L342.6 238.5L351.9 239.6L361.1 240.3L370.4 240.3L379.6 239.4L388.9 237.0L398.1 232.4L407.4 224.8L416.7 213.6L425.9 198.3L435.2 179.5L444.4 158.4L453.7 137.3L463.0 119.1L472.2 106.8L481.5 102.4L490.7 106.9L500.0 119.3L509.3 137.6L518.5 158.8L527.8 180.1L537.0 199.2L546.3 214.7L555.6 226.2L564.8 234.2L574.1 239.3L583.3 242.3L592.6 244.0L601.9 244.9L611.1 245.3L620.4 245.5L629.6 245.6L638.9 245.6L648.1 245.6L657.4 245.6L666.7 245.6L675.9 245.6L685.2 245.6L694.4 245.6L703.7 245.6L713.0 245.6L722.2 245.6L731.5 245.6L740.7 245.6L750.0 245.6L759.3 245.6L768.5 245.6L777.8 245.6L787.0 245.6L796.3 245.6L805.6 245.6L814.8 245.6L824.1 245.6L833.3 245.6L842.6 244.8L851.9 242.5L861.1 239.0L870.4 234.3L879.6 228.7L888.9 222.4L898.1 215.5L907.4 208.2L916.7 200.8L925.9 193.4L935.2 186.1L944.4 179.2L953.7 172.9L963.0 167.3L972.2 162.6L981.5 159.1L990.7 156.8L1000.0 156.0\"\/><line class=\"cur\" id=\"ra-cur\" x1=\"0\" y1=\"0\" x2=\"0\" y2=\"300\"\/><\/svg><div class=\"phl\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"m\">period<\/span><span>before ovulation<\/span><span>ovul.<\/span><span>after ovulation<\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"sl\"><label for=\"ra-day\"><span>Move through the cycle<\/span><b id=\"ra-dl\">Day 1<\/b><\/label><input type=\"range\" id=\"ra-day\" min=\"1\" max=\"28\" step=\"1\" value=\"1\"><\/div><div class=\"rd\" aria-live=\"polite\"><div class=\"bx\"><p class=\"k\">In the body<\/p><p class=\"nm\" id=\"ra-ph\"><\/p><p class=\"t\" id=\"ra-bd\"><\/p><\/div><div class=\"bx\"><p class=\"k\">What you might notice<\/p><p class=\"t\" id=\"ra-no\"><\/p><\/div><\/div><figcaption><span class=\"wh-nrm\"><b>An example, not a rule.<\/b> Each curve is scaled to its own peak, so the chart shows timing and shape rather than amounts. Real cycles vary: very few are exactly 28 days, ovulation often happens earlier or later than day 14, and the second half of the cycle averages about 12 days rather than the 14 drawn here.<\/span><span class=\"wh-pln\"><b>This is only an example.<\/b> Each line is drawn to its own highest point, so the chart shows when each hormone rises and falls, and not how much there is. Real cycles vary. Very few are exactly 28 days, ovulation often comes earlier or later than day 14, and the second half of the cycle is about 12 days on average, shorter than the 14 drawn here.<\/span><\/figcaption><script>(function(){var D=[[1,5,\"Period\",\"Hormone levels are low, and the lining of the uterus is being shed. In the ovaries, a group of follicles, each holding an egg, has started to grow.\",\"Bleeding, often heaviest on the first day or two. Cramps are common, especially early on.\"],[6,11,\"Before ovulation\",\"One follicle takes the lead and makes more and more estrogen. The lining of the uterus starts to rebuild and thicken.\",\"Some people feel their energy lift. Discharge often starts to increase.\"],[12,15,\"Around ovulation\",\"Estrogen peaks, which sets off a sharp surge of LH from the brain. About a day and a half later the follicle releases its egg.\",\"Discharge may become clear, slippery and stretchy, a little like raw egg white. Some people feel a brief ache on one side.\"],[16,23,\"After ovulation\",\"The empty follicle becomes a small gland, the corpus luteum, which makes progesterone. The lining becomes softer and richer.\",\"Discharge usually becomes thicker again. Body temperature rises very slightly.\"],[24,28,\"Before the next period\",\"If no pregnancy has started, the corpus luteum shrinks, progesterone and estrogen fall, and the lining begins to break down.\",\"Some people notice tender breasts, bloating, tiredness or changes in mood. Then the next period starts, and so does the next cycle.\"]];var P=[[\"Hormone levels are low, and the lining of the uterus is coming away. In the ovaries, a few follicles, each holding an egg, have started to grow.\",null],[\"One follicle gets ahead of the others and makes more and more estrogen. The lining of the uterus starts to build back up.\",\"Some people feel they have more energy. There\u2019s often more discharge.\"],[\"Estrogen reaches its peak. That sets off a sudden burst of LH from the brain, and about a day and a half later the follicle lets its egg go.\",null],[\"The empty follicle turns into a small gland called the corpus luteum, and it makes progesterone. The lining gets soft and ready in case a pregnancy starts.\",null],[\"If no pregnancy has started, the corpus luteum shrinks. Progesterone and estrogen drop, and the lining starts to break down.\",null]];var cd=1;var f=document.getElementById(\"ra-cy\");if(!f){return;}var r=document.getElementById(\"ra-day\"),cur=document.getElementById(\"ra-cur\"),dl=document.getElementById(\"ra-dl\");function show(d){var x=((d-1)\/27*1000).toFixed(1);cur.setAttribute(\"x1\",x);cur.setAttribute(\"x2\",x);dl.textContent=\"Day \"+d;cd=d;for(var i=0;i<D.length;i++){if(d>=D[i][0]){if(d<=D[i][1]){var bd=D[i][3],no=D[i][4],q=null,rt=document.querySelector(\".wh-post\");if(rt){if(rt.classList.contains(\"wh-plain\")){q=P[i];}}if(q){if(typeof q[0]===\"string\"){bd=q[0];}if(typeof q[1]===\"string\"){no=q[1];}}document.getElementById(\"ra-ph\").textContent=D[i][2];document.getElementById(\"ra-bd\").textContent=bd;document.getElementById(\"ra-no\").textContent=no;}}}}r.addEventListener(\"input\",function(){show(parseInt(r.value,10));});var tb=f.querySelectorAll(\".tog button\");for(var i=0;i<tb.length;i++){tb[i].addEventListener(\"click\",function(){var on=this.getAttribute(\"aria-pressed\")!==\"true\";this.setAttribute(\"aria-pressed\",on?\"true\":\"false\");var ln=f.querySelector('.ln[data-h=\"'+this.getAttribute(\"data-h\")+'\"]');var c=ln.getAttribute(\"class\").replace(\" off\",\"\");ln.setAttribute(\"class\",on?c:c+\" off\");});}document.addEventListener(\"wh-plain-change\",function(){show(cd);});show(1);})();\/*>*\/<\/script><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-pl has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-plk wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:38px;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">In plain words<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The two halves aren&#8217;t equal. The first is usually the longer one, and it changes the most. In a very large study of cycles logged in a fertility app, the first half lasted about 17 days on average and the second about 12. <strong class=\"eqb\">Only 13% of cycles were exactly 28 days long.<\/strong> The app&#8217;s maker paid for that study, and app users aren&#8217;t a random sample, but earlier research points the same way. Ovulation often doesn&#8217;t happen on day 14. So if your cycle isn&#8217;t exactly 28 days long, you&#8217;re in the majority (the textbook cycle is the rare one)!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Discharge changes with your hormones too. Much of it is mucus made by the cervix. As estrogen rises before ovulation, there&#8217;s more of it, and around ovulation it often turns clear, slippery and stretchy. After ovulation, progesterone quite suddenly makes it thicker, and there&#8217;s less of it. <strong class=\"eqb\">Discharge that changes through the month is a sign of a cycle working as expected, not a sign that something is wrong.<\/strong> These changes describe what the body is doing, but on their own they aren&#8217;t a reliable way to avoid pregnancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">You can only get pregnant on about six days of each cycle.<\/strong> These days are called the fertile window. They&#8217;re the five days before ovulation plus the day of ovulation, and the chance of pregnancy is highest in the last three of those days. When ovulation moves, the window moves with it. That&#8217;s why <a href=\"\/contraception-101\/#barriers-withdrawal-and-timing\" style=\"color:#a02d5e;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1.5px;text-decoration-color:#f1cadb\">working out the fertile days from the calendar alone<\/a> is unreliable.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-n has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"the-two-halves-are-not-equal\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">The two halves are not equal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The first half of the cycle is usually the longer one, and it&#8217;s also the one that varies most. A very large study of cycles recorded in a fertility app found that the first half lasted about 17 days on average and the second half about 12. In the same study, <strong class=\"eqb\">only 13% of cycles were exactly 28 days long<\/strong>, and the researchers concluded that the common belief that ovulation happens consistently on day 14 isn&#8217;t correct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">That study was funded by the company that makes the app, and it used app users rather than a random sample, but earlier research points the same way. In a study that tracked hormones daily, only about 30% of women had their whole fertile window within days 10 to 17 of the cycle, the days usually described as the fertile ones. So if your cycle isn&#8217;t exactly 28 days long, you&#8217;re in the majority (the textbook cycle is the rare one)!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"discharge-follows-the-hormones\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Discharge follows the hormones<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If you&#8217;ve noticed your discharge changing through the month, that&#8217;s the cycle at work. Much of it comes from mucus made by the cervix, and it changes with your hormones. As estrogen rises before ovulation there&#8217;s more of it, and around ovulation it often becomes clear, slippery and stretchy. After ovulation, progesterone makes it thicker and scantier again, quite abruptly. In one long study, the slippery, fertile-type mucus lasted a little over six days in an average cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">Discharge that changes through the month is a sign of a cycle working as expected, not a sign that something is wrong<\/strong>. These changes describe what the body is doing, but on their own they aren&#8217;t a reliable way to avoid pregnancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"the-fertile-window-is-about-six-days\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">The fertile window is about six days<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Whether you&#8217;re hoping to get pregnant or not, these are the days that matter most. <strong class=\"eqb\">A pregnancy can only begin during a short stretch of each cycle<\/strong>. A well-known study of couples trying to conceive found that it only happened after sex during a six-day window that ended on the day of ovulation. The chance was lowest at the start of the window and highest in its last three days, up to and including the day of ovulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The window covers the five days before ovulation and the day itself, which is why it&#8217;s six days long rather than one. It&#8217;s also why <a href=\"\/contraception-101\/#barriers-withdrawal-and-timing\" style=\"color:#a02d5e;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1.5px;text-decoration-color:#f1cadb\">working out the fertile days from the calendar alone<\/a> is unreliable: the window moves when ovulation moves.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:92px;margin-bottom:34px\"><div class=\"ra-part\"><div class=\"wm\" aria-hidden=\"true\">04<\/div><div class=\"ic\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M3 12h18M3 8.5v7M21 8.5v7M7.5 12v-2.2M12 12V8.8M16.5 12v-2.2\"\/><\/svg><\/div><div class=\"tx\"><div class=\"meta\"><p class=\"lb\">Part four of six<\/p><span class=\"tk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"now\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><\/span><\/div><h2 id=\"part-4\">What counts as normal<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">Cycle length, bleeding and pain, and how much they vary<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-pl has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-plk wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:38px;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">In plain words<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">A cycle doesn&#8217;t have to be 28 days. Doctors around the world use definitions from FIGO, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. By those definitions, <strong class=\"eqb\">a normal cycle is anywhere from 24 to 38 days long<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">US and UK guidance use a slightly tighter adult range of 21 to 35 days. So a cycle of 21 to 23 days, or 36 to 38, is normal by one definition and irregular by the other. If yours sits there, or is consistently much shorter or much longer than these, or has changed a great deal from what&#8217;s usual for you, mention it to a doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Cycles can also vary a little from month to month. Try your own numbers in the figure below to see how much counts as regular at your age.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-n has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"a-normal-cycle-is-a-range-not-a-number\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">A normal cycle is a range, not a number<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If your cycle isn&#8217;t a neat 28 days, that alone isn&#8217;t a sign that anything is wrong. Doctors around the world use a set of definitions from FIGO, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, and by those definitions <strong class=\"eqb\">a normal cycle is anywhere from 24 to 38 days long<\/strong>, counted from the first day of one period to the first day of the next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">It&#8217;s also normal for cycles to vary a little from month to month. For adults aged 26 to 41, the shortest and longest cycles over six months count as regular if they&#8217;re within seven days of each other. For those aged 18 to 25, and 42 to 45, the allowance is nine days, because cycles are naturally less settled at those ages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">US and UK guidance, and the international guideline on polycystic ovaries, use a slightly tighter adult range of 21 to 35 days, so a cycle of 21 to 23 days, or 36 to 38, counts as normal by one definition and irregular by the other. If yours sits there, or is consistently much shorter or much longer than these, or has changed a great deal from what&#8217;s usual for you, mention it to a doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:40px;margin-bottom:48px\"><figure class=\"ra-fig ra-nm\" id=\"ra-nums\"><div class=\"hd\"><p class=\"ti\">Check your numbers<\/p><p class=\"q\">How your own cycle compares with the international definitions of normal<\/p><\/div><div class=\"age\"><div class=\"ra-seg\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Your age\"><button type=\"button\" data-a=\"9\" aria-pressed=\"false\">18 to 25<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-a=\"7\" aria-pressed=\"true\">26 to 41<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-a=\"9\" aria-pressed=\"false\">42 to 45<\/button><\/div><\/div><div class=\"rows\"><div class=\"row\" id=\"ra-r1\"><label for=\"ra-i1\"><span>My cycle is usually<\/span><b id=\"ra-b1\"><\/b><\/label><input type=\"range\" id=\"ra-i1\" min=\"15\" max=\"60\" step=\"1\" value=\"29\" data-u=\"days\"><div class=\"scale\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><div class=\"ok\" id=\"ra-o1\"><\/div><div class=\"me\" id=\"ra-m1\"><\/div><\/div><p class=\"v\" id=\"ra-v1\" aria-live=\"polite\"><\/p><\/div><div class=\"row\" id=\"ra-r2\"><label for=\"ra-i2\"><span><span class=\"wh-nrm\">Difference between my shortest and longest cycle over six months<\/span><span class=\"wh-pln\">Gap between my shortest and longest cycle in the last six months<\/span><\/span><b id=\"ra-b2\"><\/b><\/label><input type=\"range\" id=\"ra-i2\" min=\"0\" max=\"20\" step=\"1\" value=\"4\" data-u=\"days\"><div class=\"scale\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><div class=\"ok\" id=\"ra-o2\"><\/div><div class=\"me\" id=\"ra-m2\"><\/div><\/div><p class=\"v\" id=\"ra-v2\" aria-live=\"polite\"><\/p><\/div><div class=\"row\" id=\"ra-r3\"><label for=\"ra-i3\"><span>My period usually lasts<\/span><b id=\"ra-b3\"><\/b><\/label><input type=\"range\" id=\"ra-i3\" min=\"1\" max=\"14\" step=\"1\" value=\"5\" data-u=\"days\"><div class=\"scale\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><div class=\"ok\" id=\"ra-o3\"><\/div><div class=\"me\" id=\"ra-m3\"><\/div><\/div><p class=\"v\" id=\"ra-v3\" aria-live=\"polite\"><\/p><\/div><\/div><figcaption><span class=\"wh-nrm\"><b>A guide, not a diagnosis.<\/b> These are the FIGO definitions for adults, based on the previous six months and not during pregnancy. They are not defined for under-18s or over-45s, and cycles are naturally less regular in the first years after periods start and in the years before menopause. Nothing you set here is saved or sent.<\/span><span class=\"wh-pln\"><b>This is a guide, and it can&#8217;t diagnose anything.<\/b> It uses FIGO&#8217;s definitions for adults, based on your last six months, and they don&#8217;t apply during pregnancy. They don&#8217;t cover anyone under 18 or over 45. Cycles are naturally less regular in the first years after periods start and in the years before menopause. Nothing you set here is saved or sent.<\/span><\/figcaption><script>(function(){\nvar f=document.getElementById(\"ra-nums\");if(!f){return;}\nvar allow=7,ab=f.querySelectorAll(\".ra-seg button\");\nvar R={1:{min:15,max:60,lo:24,hi:38,ok:\"Within the usual range of 24 to 38 days.\",\n low:\"Shorter than the usual range of 24 to 38 days. Worth mentioning to a doctor if it happens regularly.\",\n high:\"Longer than the usual range of 24 to 38 days. Worth mentioning to a doctor if it happens regularly.\"},\n 2:{min:0,max:20,lo:0,hi:7},\n 3:{min:1,max:14,lo:1,hi:8,ok:\"Within the usual range of up to eight days.\",high:\"Longer than eight days. Worth mentioning to a doctor.\"}};\nvar pc=function(r,v){return (v-r.min)\/(r.max-r.min)*100;};\nvar draw=function(){\n R[2].hi=allow;\n R[2].ok=\"Within \"+allow+\" days, which counts as regular at your age.\";\n R[2].high=\"More than \"+allow+\" days apart, which counts as irregular at your age. Worth mentioning to a doctor, especially if it is new.\";\n for(var k=1;k<=3;k++){var r=R[k],i=document.getElementById(\"ra-i\"+k),v=parseInt(i.value,10);\n  document.getElementById(\"ra-b\"+k).textContent=v+(v===1?\" day\":\" days\");\n  var o=document.getElementById(\"ra-o\"+k);o.style.left=pc(r,r.lo)+\"%\";o.style.width=(pc(r,r.hi)-pc(r,r.lo))+\"%\";\n  document.getElementById(\"ra-m\"+k).style.left=pc(r,v)+\"%\";\n  var msg=r.ok,out=false;if(v<r.lo){msg=r.low;out=true;}if(v>r.hi){msg=r.high;out=true;}\n  document.getElementById(\"ra-v\"+k).textContent=msg;document.getElementById(\"ra-r\"+k).className=out?\"row out\":\"row\";}};\nfor(var k=1;k<=3;k++){document.getElementById(\"ra-i\"+k).addEventListener(\"input\",draw);}\nfor(var j=0;j<ab.length;j++){ab[j].addEventListener(\"click\",function(){allow=parseInt(this.getAttribute(\"data-a\"),10);\n for(var m=0;m<ab.length;m++){ab[m].setAttribute(\"aria-pressed\",ab[m]===this?\"true\":\"false\");}draw();});}\ndraw();\n})();\/*>*\/<\/script><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-pl has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-plk wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:38px;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">In plain words<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Periods usually start between 10 and 15. In the first years they often come whenever they like, because the brain and ovaries are still learning the loop, and that&#8217;s usually normal. By the third year after the first period, most cycles have settled into the adult pattern of 21 to 34 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">One line doesn&#8217;t stretch, though. <strong class=\"eqb\">More than 90 days between periods, even once, is worth having checked, at any age<\/strong>. So is a first period that hasn&#8217;t arrived by 15, or by three years after the breasts began to develop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">A period lasting up to eight days counts as normal by FIGO&#8217;s definitions, and UK and US guidance draw the line at seven. <strong class=\"eqb\">Bleeding counts as heavy when it gets in the way of your physical, social or emotional life.<\/strong> If you&#8217;re changing protection during the night, planning your day around it or worrying about leaks, that counts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Period pain is very common. It&#8217;s caused mainly by prostaglandins, the chemicals from part two, which make the muscle of the uterus squeeze hard. <strong class=\"eqb\">Anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen often help, because they reduce how much prostaglandin is made<\/strong>, but check with a pharmacist or doctor that they suit you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Many people notice mood changes in the days before a period. For a smaller group, the changes are bad enough to disrupt work, relationships and daily life. This is called premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD. <strong class=\"eqb\">PMDD is a recognized condition, and it can be treated.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">PMDD can also bring much darker days. People with it are more likely than others to have thoughts of ending their life. If that ever happens to you, <strong class=\"eqb\">please tell someone rather than waiting for the days to pass<\/strong>. Our <a href=\"\/suicidal-thoughts\/#if-it-is-you\" style=\"color:#a02d5e;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1.5px;text-decoration-color:#f1cadb\">article on suicidal thoughts<\/a> says where to find someone to talk to, wherever you are. If you need someone to talk to now, you can find the crisis lines and emergency numbers for your country on <a href=\"\/crisis-helplines\/\" style=\"color:#a02d5e;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1.5px;text-decoration-color:#f1cadb\">our helplines page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Most irregular cycles are just irregular. One condition explains a big share of the rest. You&#8217;ve probably heard of it as polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS. In 2026 it was <strong class=\"eqb\">renamed polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, or PMOS<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">PMOS affects about one woman in eight. Once other causes, such as thyroid problems, have been ruled out, a diagnosis needs two of three things. The first is irregular cycles. The second is signs of higher androgen levels, most reliably unwanted hair growth. Androgens are hormones, testosterone among them, that every body makes. The third is how the ovaries look on a scan, or, for adults, a blood test called AMH.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The scan matters least. If irregular cycles and signs of extra androgens are both there, <strong class=\"eqb\">a scan isn&#8217;t needed<\/strong>, and in the first eight years after periods start, it isn&#8217;t recommended at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If it took a long time for anyone to name what you had, that&#8217;s common, and the guideline itself says diagnosis is still delayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">There&#8217;s no cure, but a great deal can be done. Because the risk of type 2 diabetes is higher whatever your age or weight, the international guideline on PMOS asks for blood sugar to be checked at diagnosis and every one to three years after that. It also asks for cholesterol to be checked, and for everyone with PMOS, teenagers included, to be checked for depression, and every adult for anxiety too. If you have PMOS, it&#8217;s fine to ask your doctor whether these checks have been done, and when the next one is due.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-n has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"the-first-years-have-their-own-rules\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">The first years have their own rules<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Periods usually start somewhere between the ages of 10 and 15. Where children are well nourished, the typical age is around 12, though in the United States it has edged earlier over recent decades, and almost every girl has started by 15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If you&#8217;re a teenager, or the parent of one, and the periods seem to come whenever they like, you might well wonder whether something is wrong. At first, it usually isn&#8217;t. In the first years the brain and the ovaries are still learning the loop, many cycles pass without an egg being released, and the timing wanders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">In the teenage years, most cycles fall between 21 and 45 days, a much wider range than the adult one, and by the third year after the first period most have settled into the adult pattern of 21 to 34 days. The international guideline on polycystic ovaries agrees: irregular cycles are normal in the first year, 21 to 45 days is allowed for the next two, and the adult limits apply only from the third year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">One line doesn&#8217;t stretch, though. <strong class=\"eqb\">More than 90 days between periods, even once, is worth having checked, at any age<\/strong>. So is a first period that hasn&#8217;t arrived by 15, or by three years after the breasts began to develop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"how-long-and-how-much\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">How long, and how much<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">A period lasting up to eight days counts as normal by FIGO&#8217;s definitions, while UK and US guidance draw the line at seven. In one long study the average was about six.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If you&#8217;ve wondered whether your periods are too heavy, it helps to know that the amount of blood is smaller than most people imagine. Typical loss over a whole period is around 30 milliliters, a couple of tablespoons, though anywhere from about 20 to 90 is common. Researchers have long drawn the line for heavy bleeding at a measured amount, but in everyday life nobody measures, so the definitions have changed. Both FIGO and the UK&#8217;s national guidance now say that <strong class=\"eqb\">bleeding counts as heavy when it interferes with your physical, social or emotional life<\/strong>. If you&#8217;re changing protection through the night, planning your day around it, or worrying about leaks, that counts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"pain-is-common-and-it-has-a-cause\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Pain is common, and it has a cause<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If your period hurts, you&#8217;re far from the only one. Depending on how they asked, studies have found period pain in anywhere from about one woman in six to about nine in ten, and severe pain in up to about three in ten. It&#8217;s caused mainly by prostaglandins released by the lining of the uterus, which make its muscle contract strongly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">Anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen often help, because they reduce how much prostaglandin is made<\/strong>, but check with a pharmacist or doctor that they suit you. Research also shows that period pain isn&#8217;t only physical: women with significant period pain tend to report poorer sleep and lower mood around their periods as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"mood-changes-before-a-period\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Mood changes before a period<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Many people notice mood changes in the days before a period, such as irritability, tearfulness, tension or feeling low. For a smaller group the changes are severe enough to disrupt work, relationships and daily life. This is called premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD. A <span class=\"gl\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-describedby=\"gd-1\"><em class=\"eqi\">meta-analysis<\/em><span class=\"gd\" role=\"tooltip\" id=\"gd-1\"><b>meta-analysis<\/b>A study of studies: it pools the results of many studies on the same question to estimate how large an effect usually is, rather than relying on any single result.<\/span><\/span> found that about 3% of women met the full criteria when their symptoms were confirmed by tracking them over two cycles, and about 1.6% in studies of the general population rather than clinics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If that sounds like you, it helps to know that <strong class=\"eqb\">PMDD is a recognized condition, and it can be treated<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">PMDD can also bring much darker days. People with it are more likely than others to have thoughts of ending their life. If that ever happens to you, <strong class=\"eqb\">please tell someone rather than waiting for the days to pass<\/strong>. Our <a href=\"\/suicidal-thoughts\/#if-it-is-you\" style=\"color:#a02d5e;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1.5px;text-decoration-color:#f1cadb\">article on suicidal thoughts<\/a> says where to find someone to talk to, wherever you are. If you need someone to talk to now, you can find the crisis lines and emergency numbers for your country on <a href=\"\/crisis-helplines\/\" style=\"color:#a02d5e;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1.5px;text-decoration-color:#f1cadb\">our helplines page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"when-irregular-has-a-name\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">When irregular has a name<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Irregular cycles are common, and most of the time they&#8217;re simply irregular. One condition accounts for a large share of the rest, and it&#8217;s worth knowing by name, partly because it has had a new name since 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">You&#8217;ve probably heard of polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS. In 2026 it was renamed, after a large international consensus involving dozens of academic, clinical and patient organizations. <strong class=\"eqb\">It&#8217;s now called polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, or PMOS<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The old name was part of why the condition was so often misunderstood. It suggested cysts on the ovaries and obscured the hormonal and metabolic features that matter most, and in the consensus statement&#8217;s own account it contributed to delayed diagnosis and to stigma. The UK&#8217;s national health service has already renamed its pages. Most articles, most leaflets and many doctors will say PCOS for a while yet, and the two names mean the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">It&#8217;s common, affecting about one woman in eight. Once other causes, such as thyroid problems, have been ruled out, <strong class=\"eqb\">the diagnosis needs two of three things<\/strong>. The first is cycles that are irregular in the ways described above. The second is signs of higher <span class=\"gl\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-describedby=\"gd-2\"><em class=\"eqi\">androgen<\/em><span class=\"gd\" role=\"tooltip\" id=\"gd-2\"><b>androgen<\/b>A group of hormones, testosterone among them, that every body makes. Women make them in much smaller amounts, and higher levels can show up as unwanted hair growth or acne.<\/span><\/span> levels, most reliably unwanted hair growth. The third is the appearance of the ovaries on a scan, or, in adults, a blood test for a hormone called AMH.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The scan is the part people expect, and it&#8217;s the part that matters least. Around 28% of women have ovaries that look polycystic on an ultrasound, while only about one in eight have the syndrome, so the picture alone diagnoses nothing. The international guideline says so directly: where irregular cycles and signs of excess androgens are both present, <strong class=\"eqb\">an ultrasound is not necessary for the diagnosis<\/strong>. In the first eight years after periods start, it isn&#8217;t recommended at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If it took a long time for anyone to name what you had, that experience is common. In the largest survey of its kind, a third of women said it took more than two years, and almost half saw three or more health professionals before anyone named it. That survey recruited through support groups, so it almost certainly overstates the general picture, but the guideline itself says that diagnosis is still delayed and that the needs of people who have it aren&#8217;t being adequately met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The UK&#8217;s national health service says plainly that there&#8217;s no cure, but a great deal can be done. The guideline asks for blood sugar to be checked at diagnosis and every one to three years after that, because the risk of type 2 diabetes is raised regardless of age or weight. It asks for cholesterol to be checked as well, and for everyone with the condition, teenagers included, to be screened for depression, and every adult for anxiety too, because both are common enough in this group to make looking for them routine care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Those two recommendations show that the emotional side of this condition is clearly not an afterthought for the people who wrote it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-bd3116f4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#fbeef3;border-radius:18px;margin-top:4px;margin-bottom:30px;padding:24px 28px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#7a2147;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:12.5px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">WHAT TO ASK, IF YOU HAVE PMOS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.568), 19px);line-height:1.7\">\n<li>Has my blood sugar been checked, and when should it be checked again?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Has my cholesterol been checked?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Can we talk about my mood, and whether I&#8217;ve been feeling low or anxious?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:92px;margin-bottom:34px\"><div class=\"ra-part\"><div class=\"wm\" aria-hidden=\"true\">05<\/div><div class=\"ic\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M4 4.5h16v11.5H9.5L4 20.3zM9.8 8.6a2.2 2.2 0 1 1 3.3 1.9c-.7.4-1.1.9-1.1 1.7M12 13.8v.3\"\/><\/svg><\/div><div class=\"tx\"><div class=\"meta\"><p class=\"lb\">Part five of six<\/p><span class=\"tk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"now\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><\/span><\/div><h2 id=\"part-5\">Everything you were too afraid to ask<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">Plain answers to the questions people rarely say out loud<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">These are the questions people most often keep to themselves. Open any of them for a short answer.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:20px\"><div class=\"ra-faq\" id=\"ra-faq\"><div class=\"all\"><button type=\"button\" id=\"ra-fa\">Open all<\/button><\/div><details id=\"q-1\"><summary><span class=\"qb\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 46 42\"><path d=\"M23 3C11.4 3 4 9.8 4 18.2c0 4.8 2.5 9 6.5 11.7L8.6 38l8.8-4.4c1.8.4 3.6.6 5.6.6 11.6 0 19-6.8 19-15.2S34.6 3 23 3z\"\/><\/svg><i class=\"q\">?<\/i><i class=\"x\">!<\/i><\/span><p hidden><\/p><span>Can you get pregnant during your period?<\/span><span class=\"pl\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\"><path d=\"M6 1.5v9M1.5 6h9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p hidden><\/p><\/summary><div class=\"an\"><p>It&#8217;s less likely, but yes, it&#8217;s possible. The fertile window is the six days that end with ovulation, and ovulation doesn&#8217;t always happen in the middle of the cycle. In one study of women with regular cycles, there was at least a 10% chance of being in the fertile window on every day from day 6 to day 21. If your cycle is short, or your period is long, the fertile window can start soon after bleeding stops.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details id=\"q-2\"><summary><span class=\"qb\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 46 42\"><path d=\"M23 3C11.4 3 4 9.8 4 18.2c0 4.8 2.5 9 6.5 11.7L8.6 38l8.8-4.4c1.8.4 3.6.6 5.6.6 11.6 0 19-6.8 19-15.2S34.6 3 23 3z\"\/><\/svg><i class=\"q\">?<\/i><i class=\"x\">!<\/i><\/span><p hidden><\/p><span>Is discharge normal?<\/span><span class=\"pl\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\"><path d=\"M6 1.5v9M1.5 6h9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p hidden><\/p><\/summary><div class=\"an\"><p>Yes, it is. Discharge is how the vagina keeps itself clean and healthy, and much of it comes from the cervix. It changes through the cycle, becoming clearer and stretchier around ovulation and thicker afterward. <strong class=\"eqb\">It&#8217;s worth seeing a doctor if it changes color, smells unpleasant, or comes with itching, soreness or pain.<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/details><details id=\"q-3\"><summary><span class=\"qb\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 46 42\"><path d=\"M23 3C11.4 3 4 9.8 4 18.2c0 4.8 2.5 9 6.5 11.7L8.6 38l8.8-4.4c1.8.4 3.6.6 5.6.6 11.6 0 19-6.8 19-15.2S34.6 3 23 3z\"\/><\/svg><i class=\"q\">?<\/i><i class=\"x\">!<\/i><\/span><p hidden><\/p><span>Can a tampon get lost inside you?<\/span><span class=\"pl\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\"><path d=\"M6 1.5v9M1.5 6h9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p hidden><\/p><\/summary><div class=\"an\"><p>No, it can&#8217;t! The vagina is a closed canal, and the only way further in is the opening of the cervix, which is far too small for a tampon to pass through. A tampon can sometimes sit higher than you expect, or the string can tuck up out of reach, but it&#8217;s still in the vagina. If you can&#8217;t reach it, a doctor or nurse can remove it quickly, and it&#8217;s best not to leave it.<\/p><p>Tampon packets advise changing them regularly and using the lowest absorbency you need, because of a rare but life-threatening illness called <span class=\"gl\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-describedby=\"gd-3\"><em class=\"eqi\">toxic shock syndrome<\/em><span class=\"gd\" role=\"tooltip\" id=\"gd-3\"><b>toxic shock syndrome<\/b>A rare but serious illness caused by toxins from certain bacteria. Some cases have been linked to tampons, which is why the advice is to change them regularly and use the lowest absorbency you need.<\/span><\/span>, which can happen with tampons and menstrual cups. It comes on quickly. If you develop a high temperature, muscle aches, flu-like symptoms or a raised rash that feels like sandpaper while using one, <strong class=\"eqb\">take it out and get urgent medical help<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details id=\"q-4\"><summary><span class=\"qb\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 46 42\"><path d=\"M23 3C11.4 3 4 9.8 4 18.2c0 4.8 2.5 9 6.5 11.7L8.6 38l8.8-4.4c1.8.4 3.6.6 5.6.6 11.6 0 19-6.8 19-15.2S34.6 3 23 3z\"\/><\/svg><i class=\"q\">?<\/i><i class=\"x\">!<\/i><\/span><p hidden><\/p><span>Do periods really sync up when you live together?<\/span><span class=\"pl\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\"><path d=\"M6 1.5v9M1.5 6h9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p hidden><\/p><\/summary><div class=\"an\"><p>They probably don&#8217;t, even though it&#8217;s a popular belief. When researchers followed women living together in university dormitories, their cycles didn&#8217;t synchronize. Because cycles vary in length, two people&#8217;s periods drift toward each other and then apart again over time, which can easily look like syncing for a month or two.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details id=\"q-5\"><summary><span class=\"qb\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 46 42\"><path d=\"M23 3C11.4 3 4 9.8 4 18.2c0 4.8 2.5 9 6.5 11.7L8.6 38l8.8-4.4c1.8.4 3.6.6 5.6.6 11.6 0 19-6.8 19-15.2S34.6 3 23 3z\"\/><\/svg><i class=\"q\">?<\/i><i class=\"x\">!<\/i><\/span><p hidden><\/p><span>Does the hymen show whether someone has had sex?<\/span><span class=\"pl\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\"><path d=\"M6 1.5v9M1.5 6h9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p hidden><\/p><\/summary><div class=\"an\"><div class=\"wh-nrm\"><p>No, it doesn&#8217;t. The hymen is a thin, stretchy rim of tissue around the vaginal opening, and it usually has an opening from birth. It varies a great deal between people and can change for many reasons. A <span class=\"gl\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-describedby=\"gd-4\"><em class=\"eqi\">systematic review<\/em><span class=\"gd\" role=\"tooltip\" id=\"gd-4\"><b>systematic review<\/b>A study that searches for every piece of research on a question, using set rules, and weighs up what it shows as a whole.<\/span><\/span>, and a joint statement from the World Health Organization and other United Nations agencies, concluded that examining it can&#8217;t reliably show whether someone has had sex, and that so-called virginity testing has no scientific merit.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"wh-pln\"><p>No, it doesn&#8217;t. The hymen is a thin, stretchy rim of tissue around the vaginal opening, and it usually has an opening from birth. It&#8217;s different from one person to the next, and it can change for lots of reasons. Researchers who reviewed all the studies on it, and the World Health Organization together with other United Nations agencies, agree that examining it can&#8217;t reliably show whether someone has had sex. So-called virginity testing has no scientific basis.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/details><details id=\"q-6\"><summary><span class=\"qb\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 46 42\"><path d=\"M23 3C11.4 3 4 9.8 4 18.2c0 4.8 2.5 9 6.5 11.7L8.6 38l8.8-4.4c1.8.4 3.6.6 5.6.6 11.6 0 19-6.8 19-15.2S34.6 3 23 3z\"\/><\/svg><i class=\"q\">?<\/i><i class=\"x\">!<\/i><\/span><p hidden><\/p><span>How much blood do you actually lose?<\/span><span class=\"pl\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\"><path d=\"M6 1.5v9M1.5 6h9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p hidden><\/p><\/summary><div class=\"an\"><p>It&#8217;s less than it looks. A typical period loses around 30 milliliters of blood, a couple of tablespoons, spread over several days <span class=\"ra-aside\">(I know, it feels like a lot more)<\/span>. It looks like more because it&#8217;s mixed with the lining and other fluid. What matters more than the amount is whether it gets in the way of your life, which is how heavy bleeding is now defined.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details id=\"q-7\"><summary><span class=\"qb\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 46 42\"><path d=\"M23 3C11.4 3 4 9.8 4 18.2c0 4.8 2.5 9 6.5 11.7L8.6 38l8.8-4.4c1.8.4 3.6.6 5.6.6 11.6 0 19-6.8 19-15.2S34.6 3 23 3z\"\/><\/svg><i class=\"q\">?<\/i><i class=\"x\">!<\/i><\/span><p hidden><\/p><span>Is it normal for periods to hurt this much?<\/span><span class=\"pl\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\"><path d=\"M6 1.5v9M1.5 6h9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p hidden><\/p><\/summary><div class=\"an\"><p>Some pain is very common, and it usually eases within a day or two of bleeding starting. But <strong class=\"eqb\">you don&#8217;t have to put up with pain that stops you going to work or school<\/strong>, that doesn&#8217;t improve with the usual painkillers, or that gets worse over the years. It&#8217;s worth raising with a doctor, because conditions such as endometriosis, where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows elsewhere in the body, or fibroids and adenomyosis, can be behind it, and they can be treated.<\/p><p>Endometriosis alone affects around one in ten women of reproductive age worldwide, and it often takes years to diagnose, so if you&#8217;ve been told for a long time that your pain is normal, it&#8217;s fine to ask again.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details id=\"q-8\"><summary><span class=\"qb\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 46 42\"><path d=\"M23 3C11.4 3 4 9.8 4 18.2c0 4.8 2.5 9 6.5 11.7L8.6 38l8.8-4.4c1.8.4 3.6.6 5.6.6 11.6 0 19-6.8 19-15.2S34.6 3 23 3z\"\/><\/svg><i class=\"q\">?<\/i><i class=\"x\">!<\/i><\/span><p hidden><\/p><span>Is it normal for the two sides to look different?<\/span><span class=\"pl\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\"><path d=\"M6 1.5v9M1.5 6h9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p hidden><\/p><\/summary><div class=\"an\"><p>Yes, it is. Labia vary enormously in size, shape and color from person to person, and it&#8217;s common for one side to be longer or fuller than the other. Most of the images people see aren&#8217;t a good guide to the range of normal bodies.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details id=\"q-9\"><summary><span class=\"qb\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 46 42\"><path d=\"M23 3C11.4 3 4 9.8 4 18.2c0 4.8 2.5 9 6.5 11.7L8.6 38l8.8-4.4c1.8.4 3.6.6 5.6.6 11.6 0 19-6.8 19-15.2S34.6 3 23 3z\"\/><\/svg><i class=\"q\">?<\/i><i class=\"x\">!<\/i><\/span><p hidden><\/p><span>Are my mood swings before my period just in my head?<\/span><span class=\"pl\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\"><path d=\"M6 1.5v9M1.5 6h9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p hidden><\/p><\/summary><div class=\"an\"><p>No, they aren&#8217;t. <a href=\"\/is-it-your-hormones\/\" style=\"color:#a02d5e;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1.5px;text-decoration-color:#f1cadb\">Mood can genuinely change across the cycle<\/a>, and for some people the change is large. If it regularly affects your relationships, your work or how you feel about yourself in the days before a period, try tracking it for a couple of months and taking the notes to a doctor, because PMDD is a recognized condition and it can be treated.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details id=\"q-10\"><summary><span class=\"qb\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 46 42\"><path d=\"M23 3C11.4 3 4 9.8 4 18.2c0 4.8 2.5 9 6.5 11.7L8.6 38l8.8-4.4c1.8.4 3.6.6 5.6.6 11.6 0 19-6.8 19-15.2S34.6 3 23 3z\"\/><\/svg><i class=\"q\">?<\/i><i class=\"x\">!<\/i><\/span><p hidden><\/p><span>Should I be washing inside?<\/span><span class=\"pl\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\"><path d=\"M6 1.5v9M1.5 6h9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p hidden><\/p><\/summary><div class=\"an\"><p>No, you shouldn&#8217;t, and the advice on this is unusually consistent. The vagina keeps its own balance of bacteria, and washing inside it, which is called douching, disturbs that balance rather than improving it. The vulva, on the outside, can be washed with plain unperfumed soap and warm water, or with water alone if the skin is irritated. If there&#8217;s a smell you feel you need to cover up, that&#8217;s a reason to see a doctor rather than to buy a product.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details id=\"q-11\"><summary><span class=\"qb\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 46 42\"><path d=\"M23 3C11.4 3 4 9.8 4 18.2c0 4.8 2.5 9 6.5 11.7L8.6 38l8.8-4.4c1.8.4 3.6.6 5.6.6 11.6 0 19-6.8 19-15.2S34.6 3 23 3z\"\/><\/svg><i class=\"q\">?<\/i><i class=\"x\">!<\/i><\/span><p hidden><\/p><span>Does a positive HPV result mean someone has been unfaithful?<\/span><span class=\"pl\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\"><path d=\"M6 1.5v9M1.5 6h9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p hidden><\/p><\/summary><div class=\"an\"><div class=\"wh-nrm\"><p>No, it doesn&#8217;t. HPV is extremely common, most people will have some type of it during their lives, and it can sit quietly in the body for years before a test picks it up. The UK&#8217;s national health service addresses this directly: <strong class=\"eqb\">a positive result does not mean your partner has had sex with someone else while you have been together<\/strong>. It can show up even when you haven&#8217;t been sexually active, or haven&#8217;t had a new partner, for a very long time.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"wh-pln\"><p>No, it doesn&#8217;t. HPV, short for human papillomavirus, is very common. Most people will have some type of it during their lives, and it can stay in the body for years, unnoticed, before a test picks it up. The UK&#8217;s national health service is clear about this. <strong class=\"eqb\">A positive result does not mean your partner has had sex with someone else while you&#8217;ve been together.<\/strong> It can show up even if you haven&#8217;t had sex, or haven&#8217;t had a new partner, for a very long time.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/details><details id=\"q-12\"><summary><span class=\"qb\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 46 42\"><path d=\"M23 3C11.4 3 4 9.8 4 18.2c0 4.8 2.5 9 6.5 11.7L8.6 38l8.8-4.4c1.8.4 3.6.6 5.6.6 11.6 0 19-6.8 19-15.2S34.6 3 23 3z\"\/><\/svg><i class=\"q\">?<\/i><i class=\"x\">!<\/i><\/span><p hidden><\/p><span>I had the HPV vaccine. Do I still need cervical screening?<\/span><span class=\"pl\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\"><path d=\"M6 1.5v9M1.5 6h9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p hidden><\/p><\/summary><div class=\"an\"><div class=\"wh-nrm\"><p>Yes, you do. The vaccine has made a striking difference: in England, the group offered it at 12 to 13 has had an estimated 87% lower rate of cervical cancer than the unvaccinated group just before them. But no version of the vaccine covers every type of HPV that can change the cells of the cervix, so screening still has something to look for. The two work better together than either does alone.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"wh-pln\"><p>Yes, you do. Cervical screening is a regular test that looks for HPV or for changes in the cells of the cervix. The vaccine has made a big difference. In England, people offered it at age 12 to 13 have had an estimated 87% lower rate of cervical cancer than the group just before them, who weren&#8217;t vaccinated. But no version of the vaccine covers every type of HPV that can change the cells of the cervix, so screening still has something to look for. The two work better together than either does alone.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/details><details id=\"q-13\"><summary><span class=\"qb\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 46 42\"><path d=\"M23 3C11.4 3 4 9.8 4 18.2c0 4.8 2.5 9 6.5 11.7L8.6 38l8.8-4.4c1.8.4 3.6.6 5.6.6 11.6 0 19-6.8 19-15.2S34.6 3 23 3z\"\/><\/svg><i class=\"q\">?<\/i><i class=\"x\">!<\/i><\/span><p hidden><\/p><span>My cycles are irregular. Does that mean I have PCOS?<\/span><span class=\"pl\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\"><path d=\"M6 1.5v9M1.5 6h9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p hidden><\/p><\/summary><div class=\"an\"><div class=\"wh-nrm\"><p>On its own, it doesn&#8217;t. Irregular cycles have many causes, including stress, a large change in weight, thyroid problems, and simply being in the first years after periods start or the last years before menopause. PMOS, the new name for PCOS, needs two of three features: irregular cycles, signs of higher androgen levels such as unwanted hair growth, and the appearance of the ovaries on a scan. It affects roughly one woman in eight, so it&#8217;s common enough to be worth asking about, and the diagnosis usually rests on the pattern of your cycles and a blood test rather than on the scan.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"wh-pln\"><p>Not on its own. Irregular cycles have many causes. These include stress, a big change in weight, thyroid problems, and just being in the first years after periods start or the last years before menopause. PMOS is the new name for PCOS. A diagnosis needs two of three things. They&#8217;re irregular cycles, signs of higher androgen levels such as unwanted hair growth, and the way the ovaries look on a scan. Androgens are hormones, such as testosterone, that every body makes. PMOS affects about one woman in eight, so it&#8217;s common enough to be worth asking about. The diagnosis usually rests on the pattern of your cycles and a blood test rather than on the scan.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/details><script>(function(){var b=document.getElementById(\"ra-fa\");if(!b){return;}var d=document.querySelectorAll(\"#ra-faq details\");b.addEventListener(\"click\",function(){var open=b.textContent===\"Open all\";for(var i=0;i<d.length;i++){d[i].open=open;}b.textContent=open?\"Close all\":\"Open all\";});})();\/*>*\/<\/script><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:92px;margin-bottom:34px\"><div class=\"ra-part\"><div class=\"wm\" aria-hidden=\"true\">06<\/div><div class=\"ic\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M6.5 3v5.5a3.5 3.5 0 0 0 7 0V3M10 12v2.5a4.5 4.5 0 0 0 9 0V12M19 12a2 2 0 1 0 0-4 2 2 0 0 0 0 4z\"\/><\/svg><\/div><div class=\"tx\"><div class=\"meta\"><p class=\"lb\">Part six of six<\/p><span class=\"tk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"now\"><\/i><\/span><\/div><h2 id=\"part-6\">When to talk to a doctor<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">The changes worth checking, and how to raise them<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-pl has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-plk wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:38px;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">In plain words<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The list below shows the changes worth checking. None of these necessarily means something is wrong, but <strong class=\"eqb\">each one is worth mentioning to a doctor rather than waiting to see if it passes<\/strong>. After the list come the few signs that can&#8217;t wait.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n\" id=\"changes-worth-checking\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Changes worth checking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">None of these necessarily means something is wrong, but <strong class=\"eqb\">each one is worth mentioning to a doctor rather than waiting to see if it passes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wh-keep wh-nopill\" style=\"margin-top:4px;margin-bottom:32px\"><div class=\"ra-dr\"><p class=\"k\">Worth checking with a doctor<\/p><ul><li><span class=\"i\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.6\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M4 5.5h16v14.5H4zM4 9.5h16M8.5 3v4.5M15.5 3v4.5M8 14h8\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><\/span><span>Cycles that are regularly shorter than 24 days or longer than 38<\/span><\/li><li><span class=\"i\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.6\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M12 21a8.5 8.5 0 1 0 0-17 8.5 8.5 0 0 0 0 17zM12 8v4.5l3 2\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><\/span><span>Periods that last more than eight days<\/span><\/li><li><span class=\"i\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.6\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M12 3.5c3.2 4 5.5 7.3 5.5 10.2a5.5 5.5 0 0 1-11 0C6.5 10.8 8.8 7.5 12 3.5zM9.5 14.5c.3 1.5 1.3 2.3 2.7 2.4\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><\/span><span>Bleeding heavy enough to disrupt your day or your nights<\/span><\/li><li><span class=\"i\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.6\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M4 5.5h16v14.5H4zM4 9.5h16M8.5 3v4.5M15.5 3v4.5M12 12.5c1.3 1.6 2.2 2.8 2.2 3.9a2.2 2.2 0 0 1-4.4 0c0-1.1.9-2.3 2.2-3.9z\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><\/span><span>Bleeding between periods or after sex<\/span><\/li><li><span class=\"i\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.6\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M12 21a8.5 8.5 0 1 0 0-17 8.5 8.5 0 0 0 0 17zM10 9.5v5M14 9.5v5\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><\/span><span>Periods that stop for three months or more when you are not pregnant<\/span><\/li><li><span class=\"i\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.6\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M13 3L5.5 13.5H11L10 21l7.5-10.5H12z\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><\/span><span>Pain that stops you doing ordinary things, or that is getting worse<\/span><\/li><li><span class=\"i\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.6\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M12 21a8.5 8.5 0 1 0 0-17 8.5 8.5 0 0 0 0 17zM8.5 15.5c1.8-1.6 5.2-1.6 7 0M9 10h.01M15 10h.01\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><\/span><span>Unwanted hair growth or acne alongside irregular cycles<\/span><\/li><li><span class=\"i\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.6\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M12 3.5c3.2 4 5.5 7.3 5.5 10.2a5.5 5.5 0 0 1-11 0C6.5 10.8 8.8 7.5 12 3.5zM12 9.5v3.5M12 15.5v.1\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><\/span><span>Mood changes before your period that affect your life<\/span><\/li><li><span class=\"i\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.6\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M4 5.5h16v14.5H4zM4 9.5h16M8.5 3v4.5M15.5 3v4.5M8 14h8\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><\/span><span>Any bleeding after menopause<\/span><\/li><li><span class=\"i\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.6\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M3.5 8h15v8h-15zM18.5 10.5h2v3h-2M6.5 10.5v3\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><\/span><span>Feeling tired or short of breath a lot alongside heavy periods<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p style=\"margin:16px 0 0;font-size:14px;line-height:1.55;color:#6b6259\">The day counts follow FIGO&#8217;s international definitions. UK and US guidance draw slightly tighter lines, at 21 to 35 days for a cycle and seven days for a period.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-keep wh-nopill\" id=\"when-it-cannot-wait\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">When it cannot wait<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-nopill wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Almost everything on that list is a conversation for your next appointment rather than an emergency. There&#8217;s one exception worth knowing in advance, because it&#8217;s exactly the kind of thing people talk themselves out of at two in the morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-nopill wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists draws the line like this: if you&#8217;re changing pads or tampons every hour for more than two hours in a row, and you also have chest pain, shortness of breath and feel lightheaded or dizzy, seek emergency care right away. <strong class=\"eqb\">Bleeding that heavy still needs urgent medical advice, even without those feelings<\/strong>. And the UK&#8217;s national health service treats chest pain that doesn&#8217;t go away, or that comes with breathlessness or lightheadedness, as a reason to call 999 on its own, period or not. Elsewhere, that&#8217;s your local emergency number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-nopill wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">One other combination is urgent for a different reason. A recently missed period, unusual bleeding and pain anywhere in the abdomen can be signs of an ectopic pregnancy, where a pregnancy implants outside the uterus. The UK&#8217;s national health service asks for an urgent appointment or a call to 111 the same day, or your local urgent care number elsewhere. If a sharp, sudden and intense pain in your belly comes together with feeling very dizzy or fainting, feeling sick or looking very pale, <strong class=\"eqb\">call 999 or your local emergency number straight away<\/strong>, because that combination can mean a fallopian tube has burst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-nopill wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">And if you&#8217;re using a tampon or a menstrual cup and suddenly feel very unwell, with a high temperature, muscle aches or a rash that feels like sandpaper, take it out and get urgent help. It can be toxic shock syndrome, which is rare but comes on quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-pl has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-plk wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:38px;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">In plain words<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Cervical screening works the other way around. It&#8217;s an appointment you keep when nothing is wrong, and that&#8217;s the whole point of it. In the words of the UK&#8217;s national health service, <strong class=\"eqb\">it is not a test for cancer, it is a test to help prevent cancer<\/strong>. In England, the sample is first checked for the high-risk types of HPV, short for human papillomavirus, that can change the cells of the cervix. Only if those are found are the cells themselves looked at. HPV is very common, and the body usually clears it within about two years without anything happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">How often you&#8217;re invited depends on where you live. The World Health Organization recommends a test such as an HPV test every five to ten years from age 30, and every three to five years from 25 for women living with HIV. England invites everyone with a cervix from 25 to 64 every five years. In the United States, screening starts at 21 with a cell test every three years, and from 30 there&#8217;s a choice of tests. Neither country screens anyone under 21, because cervical cancer is very rare that young and cell changes at that age usually settle on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The HPV vaccine has made a big difference, but no vaccine covers every type of HPV, so screening carries on either way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If you have symptoms, don&#8217;t wait for screening. Bleeding between periods, during or after sex, or after menopause, or discharge that isn&#8217;t usual for you, is a reason to see a doctor now rather than to wait for your next invitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Breasts have screening of their own, with mammograms, which are X-rays of the breasts. The World Health Organization describes it as usually for women aged 50 to 69. England invites women every three years from 50 until their 71st birthday, and in the United States the advice is a mammogram every two years from 40 to 74. In between, it helps to know how your breasts usually look and feel. <strong class=\"eqb\">A new lump, a change in the skin or shape of a breast, or a nipple that changes or leaks is worth checking now<\/strong>, whatever your age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If you&#8217;re not sure how to bring it up, notes help. Write down when each period starts and stops, and how heavy it is. Note any pain, and anything else you&#8217;ve noticed, like changes in mood or sleep. Two or three months of notes is usually enough to show a pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If you feel embarrassed, it may help to know these are some of the most ordinary conversations doctors have. FIGO estimates that at least one woman in three will have abnormal bleeding at some point in her reproductive years. <strong class=\"eqb\">You&#8217;re not wasting anyone&#8217;s time<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If you&#8217;re young, or a partner or family keeps an eye on your appointments, or there&#8217;s no doctor you can afford, a sexual and reproductive health clinic or a pharmacist is often an easier first step. Many will see you in confidence, and it&#8217;s fine to ask how they keep your information before you share anything.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n\" id=\"screening-is-not-the-same-as-symptoms\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Screening is not the same as symptoms<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Everything above starts with noticing something. Cervical screening is the opposite: it&#8217;s an appointment you keep when nothing is wrong, and that&#8217;s the whole point of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">It&#8217;s also widely misunderstood, and the UK&#8217;s national health service corrects the main misunderstanding in a single line. <strong class=\"eqb\">It is not a test for cancer, it is a test to help prevent cancer<\/strong>. In England the sample is checked first for the high-risk types of human papillomavirus that can change the cells of the cervix, and only if those are found are the cells themselves examined. HPV is very common. Most people will have some type of it at some point, and the body usually clears it within about two years without anything happening at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If you&#8217;ve read different advice in different places, that&#8217;s because the schedules differ between countries. The World Health Organization recommends a high-performance test, such as an HPV test, every five to ten years from age 30, and for women living with HIV every three to five years from 25. It also notes that taking the sample for an HPV test yourself is about as reliable as having a health worker take it, and some women prefer it. England invites everyone with a cervix from 25 to 64 every five years. Since July 2025 that includes 25 to 49 year olds whose last test found no HPV, who used to be invited every three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">In the United States, the Preventive Services Task Force advises starting at 21 with a cell test every three years, and from 30 offers a choice of the cell test every three years, an HPV test every five, or both together every five. Neither country screens under 21, because cervical cancer is very rare that young and cell changes at that age usually settle on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The vaccine has changed the picture without replacing the test. In England, the year groups offered it at 12 to 13 had an estimated 87% lower rate of cervical cancer, and 97% fewer of the serious cell changes that come first, than the unvaccinated year group just before them. A very large study in Sweden, which followed individual girls and women rather than year groups, found the same pattern. No vaccine covers every type of HPV, so screening carries on either way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Screening also isn&#8217;t where symptoms go. Bleeding between periods, during or after sex, or after menopause, or discharge that isn&#8217;t usual for you, is a reason to see a doctor now rather than to wait for your next invitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Breasts have screening of their own. The World Health Organization describes mammogram screening as usually for women aged 50 to 69. England invites women every three years from 50 until their 71st birthday, and in the United States the Preventive Services Task Force advises a mammogram every two years from 40 to 74. In between, it helps to know how your breasts usually look and feel. <strong class=\"eqb\">A new lump, a change in the skin or shape of a breast, or a nipple that changes or leaks is worth checking now<\/strong>, whatever your age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n\" id=\"how-to-raise-it\" style=\"color:#1d5f66;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">How to raise it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If you&#8217;re not sure how to start, a few notes help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background wh-n has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-bd3116f4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#fbeef3;border-radius:18px;margin-top:4px;margin-bottom:30px;padding:24px 28px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#7a2147;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:12.5px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">WHAT HELPS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.568), 19px);line-height:1.7\">\n<li>Note when each period starts and stops, and how heavy it is.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Write down any pain, and anything else you&#8217;ve noticed, such as changes in mood or sleep.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keep this up for two or three months, which is usually enough to show a pattern.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If you feel embarrassed, it may help to know that these are some of the most ordinary conversations doctors have. Problems with periods are among the most common health concerns there are: FIGO estimates that at least one woman in three will have abnormal bleeding at some point in her reproductive years, and recent surveys suggest the true figure may be higher still. <strong class=\"eqb\">You&#8217;re not wasting anyone&#8217;s time<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If you&#8217;re young, or a partner or family keeps an eye on your appointments, or there&#8217;s no doctor you can afford, a sexual and reproductive health clinic or a pharmacist is often an easier first step. Many will see you in confidence, and it&#8217;s fine to ask how they keep your information before you share anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wh-keep wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Knowing how your body works won&#8217;t stop it from surprising you now and then, but it does make the surprises easier to read. Most of what people are too afraid to ask turns out to be normal, and the rest is worth asking about out loud.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f86ed65e wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#fbf4e6;border-color:#eedcb9;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:20px;margin-top:46px;margin-bottom:46px;padding:34px 38px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#15474d;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:12px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">WORTH BEING CLEAR ABOUT<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The ranges in this article are for adults. In the first years after periods start, and again in <a href=\"\/perimenopause-and-mood\/\" style=\"color:#a02d5e;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1.5px;text-decoration-color:#f1cadb\">the years before menopause<\/a>, cycles are naturally less regular, and the adult definitions don&#8217;t apply in the same way. Some of the largest studies of cycles used app users rather than random samples, and much of the research was done in a small number of countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">This article is a general introduction. It can&#8217;t tell you whether your own body is working as it should, so if anything worries you, raise it with a doctor, however small it seems.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-69c879e7 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#faf8f3;border-color:#e8e1d5;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:18px;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:44px;padding:30px 34px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#6b6259;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">REFERENCES<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" style=\"color:#524a42;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.17), 15.5px);line-height:1.7\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.acog.org\/womens-health\/faqs\/abnormal-uterine-bleeding\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2025). <em>Abnormal uterine bleeding<\/em> [FAQ].<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.acog.org\/womens-health\/faqs\/vulvovaginal-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2026). <em>Vulvovaginal health<\/em> [FAQ].<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.acog.org\/clinical\/clinical-guidance\/committee-opinion\/articles\/2015\/12\/menstruation-in-girls-and-adolescents-using-the-menstrual-cycle-as-a-vital-sign\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Committee on Adolescent Health Care. (2015, reaffirmed 2025). Menstruation in girls and adolescents: Using the menstrual cycle as a vital sign (Committee Opinion No. 651). <em>Obstetrics &amp; Gynecology, 126<\/em>(6), e143-e146.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/humrep\/dew218\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Bozdag, G., Mumusoglu, S., Zengin, D., Karabulut, E., &amp; Yildiz, B. O. (2016). The prevalence and phenotypic features of polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. <em>Human Reproduction, 31<\/em>(12), 2841-2855.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41746-019-0152-7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Bull, J. R., Rowland, S. P., Scherwitzl, E. B., Scherwitzl, R., Danielsson, K. G., &amp; Harper, J. (2019). Real-world menstrual cycle characteristics of more than 600,000 menstrual cycles. <em>npj Digital Medicine, 2<\/em>(1), Article 83.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/01.AOG.0000230214.26638.0c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Dawood, M. Y. (2006). Primary dysmenorrhea: Advances in pathogenesis and management. <em>Obstetrics and Gynecology, 108<\/em>(2), 428-441.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/S0140-6736(21)02178-4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Falcaro, M., Casta\u00f1on, A., Ndlela, B., Checchi, M., Soldan, K., Lopez-Bernal, J., Elliss-Brookes, L., &amp; Sasieni, P. (2021). The effects of the national HPV vaccination programme in England, UK, on cervical cancer and grade 3 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia incidence: A register-based observational study. <em>The Lancet, 398<\/em>(10316), 2084-2092.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1210\/jc.2016-2963\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Gibson-Helm, M., Teede, H., Dunaif, A., &amp; Dokras, A. (2017). Delayed diagnosis and a lack of information associated with dissatisfaction in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. <em>The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology &amp; Metabolism, 102<\/em>(2), 604-612.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/aje\/kws421\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Gold, E. B., Crawford, S. L., Avis, N. E., Crandall, C. J., Matthews, K. A., Waetjen, L. E., Lee, J. S., Thurston, R., Vuga, M., &amp; Harlow, S. D. (2013). Factors related to age at natural menopause: Longitudinal analyses from SWAN. <em>American Journal of Epidemiology, 178<\/em>(1), 70-83.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3109\/00016346609158455\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Hallberg, L., H&#246;gdahl, A. M., Nilsson, L., &amp; Rybo, G. (1966). Menstrual blood loss: A population study. Variation at different ages and attempts to define normality. <em>Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 45<\/em>(3), 320-351. (Figures as restated in Reed and Carr, 2018.)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/humupd\/dmv039\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Iacovides, S., Avidon, I., &amp; Baker, F. C. (2015). What we know about primary dysmenorrhea today: A critical review. <em>Human Reproduction Update, 21<\/em>(6), 762-778.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/ijgo.14946\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Jain, V., Munro, M. G., &amp; Critchley, H. O. D. (2023). Contemporary evaluation of women and girls with abnormal uterine bleeding: FIGO Systems 1 and 2. <em>International Journal of Gynecology &amp; Obstetrics, 162<\/em>(Suppl. 2), 29-42.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/epirev\/mxt009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Ju, H., Jones, M., &amp; Mishra, G. (2014). The prevalence and risk factors of dysmenorrhea. <em>Epidemiologic Reviews, 36<\/em>(1), 104-113.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1056\/NEJMoa1917338\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Lei, J., Ploner, A., Elfstr&#246;m, K. M., Wang, J., Roth, A., Fang, F., Sundstr&#246;m, K., Dillner, J., &amp; Spar&#233;n, P. (2020). HPV vaccination and the risk of invasive cervical cancer. <em>New England Journal of Medicine, 383<\/em>(14), 1340-1348.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/2025\/06\/10\/nhs-england-changes-cervical-screening-to-every-5-years\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Lenza, M. (2025, June 10). <em>Another screening success story: England changes cervical screening to every 5 years<\/em>. Cancer Research UK.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/j.1471-0528.2004.00517.x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Lloyd, J., Crouch, N. S., Minto, C. L., Liao, L. M., &amp; Creighton, S. M. (2005). Female genital appearance: &#8220;Normality&#8221; unfolds. <em>BJOG, 112<\/em>(5), 643-646.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/data\/nhsr\/nhsr146-508.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Martinez, G. M. (2020). <em>Trends and patterns in menarche in the United States: 1995 through 2013-2017<\/em> (National Health Statistics Reports No. 146). National Center for Health Statistics.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.anireprosci.2010.08.030\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Mihm, M., Gangooly, S., &amp; Muttukrishna, S. (2011). The normal menstrual cycle in women. <em>Animal Reproduction Science, 124<\/em>(3-4), 229-236.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s12978-019-0731-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Mishori, R., Ferdowsian, H., Naimer, K., Volpellier, M., &amp; McHale, T. (2019). The little tissue that couldn&#8217;t: Dispelling myths about the hymen&#8217;s role in determining sexual history and assault. <em>Reproductive Health, 16<\/em>(1), Article 74.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/ijgo.12666\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Munro, M. G., Critchley, H. O. D., Fraser, I. S., &amp; FIGO Menstrual Disorders Committee. (2018). The two FIGO systems for normal and abnormal uterine bleeding symptoms and classification of causes of abnormal uterine bleeding in the reproductive years: 2018 revisions. <em>International Journal of Gynecology &amp; Obstetrics, 143<\/em>(3), 393-408. (See also the 2019 corrigendum, 144(2), 237.)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/ppe.12644\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Najmabadi, S., Schliep, K. C., Simonsen, S. E., Porucznik, C. A., Egger, M. J., &amp; Stanford, J. B. (2020). Menstrual bleeding, cycle length, and follicular and luteal phase lengths in women without known subfertility: A pooled analysis of three cohorts. <em>Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, 34<\/em>(3), 318-327.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/humrep\/deab049\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Najmabadi, S., Schliep, K. C., Simonsen, S. E., Porucznik, C. A., Egger, M. J., &amp; Stanford, J. B. (2021). Cervical mucus patterns and the fertile window in women without known subfertility: A pooled analysis of three cohorts. <em>Human Reproduction, 36<\/em>(7), 1784-1795.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nice.org.uk\/guidance\/ng88\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2018, updated 2026). <em>Heavy menstrual bleeding: Assessment and management<\/em> (NICE Guideline NG88).<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/ectopic-pregnancy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">NHS. (2022). <em>Ectopic pregnancy<\/em>.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/symptoms\/chest-pain\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">NHS. (2023). <em>Chest pain<\/em>.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/periods\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">NHS. (2023). <em>Periods<\/em>.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/toxic-shock-syndrome\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">NHS. (2023). <em>Toxic shock syndrome<\/em>.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/endometriosis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">NHS. (2024). <em>Endometriosis<\/em>.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/heavy-periods\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">NHS. (2024). <em>Heavy periods<\/em>.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/breast-cancer-in-women\/symptoms-of-breast-cancer-in-women\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">NHS. (2024). <em>Symptoms of breast cancer in women<\/em>.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/symptoms\/vaginal-bleeding-between-periods-or-after-sex\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">NHS. (2024). <em>Vaginal bleeding between periods or after sex<\/em>.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/tests-and-treatments\/breast-screening-mammogram\/who-breast-screening-is-for\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">NHS. (2025). <em>Breast screening (mammogram)<\/em>.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/tests-and-treatments\/cervical-screening\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">NHS. (2025). <em>Cervical screening<\/em>.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/bacterial-vaginosis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">NHS. (2026). <em>Bacterial vaginosis<\/em>.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/human-papilloma-virus-hpv\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">NHS. (2026). <em>Human papillomavirus (HPV)<\/em>.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/polyendocrine-metabolic-ovarian-syndrome-pmos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">NHS. (2026). <em>Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS)<\/em>.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s12978-017-0319-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Olson, R. M., &amp; Garc&#237;a-Moreno, C. (2017). Virginity testing: A systematic review. <em>Reproductive Health, 14<\/em>(1), Article 61.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1089\/jwh.2021.0185\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Prasad, D., Wollenhaupt-Aguiar, B., Kidd, K. N., de Azevedo Cardoso, T., &amp; Frey, B. N. (2021). Suicidal risk in women with premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. <em>Journal of Women\u2019s Health, 30<\/em>(12), 1693-1707.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK279054\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Reed, B. G., &amp; Carr, B. R. (2018). The normal menstrual cycle and the control of ovulation. In K. R. Feingold et al. (Eds.), <em>Endotext<\/em>. MDText.com.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jad.2024.01.066\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Reilly, T. J., Patel, S., Unachukwu, I. C., Knox, C. L., Wilson, C. A., Craig, M. C., Schmalenberger, K. M., Eisenlohr-Moul, T. A., &amp; Cullen, A. E. (2024). The prevalence of premenstrual dysphoric disorder: Systematic review and meta-analysis. <em>Journal of Affective Disorders, 349<\/em>, 534-540.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/CMR.00032-19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Schlievert, P. M., &amp; Davis, C. C. (2020). Device-associated menstrual toxic shock syndrome. <em>Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 33<\/em>(3), e00032-19.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/ije\/dyu094\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Schoenaker, D. A. J. M., Jackson, C. A., Rowlands, J. V., &amp; Mishra, G. D. (2014). Socioeconomic position, lifestyle factors and age at natural menopause: A systematic review and meta-analyses of studies across six continents. <em>International Journal of Epidemiology, 43<\/em>(5), 1542-1562.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/S0140-6736(26)00717-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Teede, H. J., Bahri Khomami, M., Morman, R., Laven, J. S. E., Joham, A. E., Costello, M. F., Patil, M., Rees, D. A., Berry, L., Cree, M. G., Zhao, H., Norman, R. J., Dokras, A., Piltonen, T., Amao, S., Amiri, M., Andrews, C., Arcari, A., Arlt, W., . . . Zhang, Y. (2026). Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, the new name for polycystic ovary syndrome: A multistep global consensus process. <em>The Lancet, 407<\/em>(10545), 2329-2339.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1210\/clinem\/dgad463\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Teede, H. J., Tay, C. T., Laven, J. J. E., Dokras, A., Moran, L. J., Piltonen, T. T., Costello, M. F., Boivin, J., Redman, L. M., Boyle, J. A., Norman, R. J., Mousa, A., &amp; Joham, A. E. (2023). Recommendations from the 2023 international evidence-based guideline for the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome. <em>The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology &amp; Metabolism, 108<\/em>(10), 2447-2469.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1001\/jama.2018.10897\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">US Preventive Services Task Force. (2018). Screening for cervical cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. <em>JAMA, 320<\/em>(7), 674-686.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1001\/jama.2024.5534\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">US Preventive Services Task Force. (2024). Screening for breast cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. <em>JAMA, 331<\/em>(22), 1918-1930.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0008772\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Wallace, W. H. B., &amp; Kelsey, T. W. (2010). Human ovarian reserve from conception to the menopause. <em>PLOS ONE, 5<\/em>(1), Article e8772.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/bmj.321.7271.1259\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Wilcox, A. J., Dunson, D., &amp; Baird, D. D. (2000). The timing of the &#8220;fertile window&#8221; in the menstrual cycle: Day specific estimates from a prospective study. <em>BMJ, 321<\/em>(7271), 1259-1262.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1056\/NEJM199512073332301\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Wilcox, A. J., Weinberg, C. R., &amp; Baird, D. D. (1995). Timing of sexual intercourse in relation to ovulation: Effects on the probability of conception, survival of the pregnancy, and sex of the baby. <em>New England Journal of Medicine, 333<\/em>(23), 1517-1521.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/publications\/i\/item\/WHO-RHR-18.15\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">World Health Organization. (2018). <em>Eliminating virginity testing: An interagency statement<\/em> (WHO\/RHR\/18.15).<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/endometriosis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">World Health Organization. (2025). <em>Endometriosis<\/em> [Fact sheet].<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/breast-cancer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">World Health Organization. (2026). <em>Breast cancer<\/em> [Fact sheet].<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/cervical-cancer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">World Health Organization. (2026). <em>Cervical cancer<\/em> [Fact sheet].<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s12110-006-1005-z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Yang, Z., &amp; Schank, J. C. (2006). Women do not synchronize their menstrual cycles. <em>Human Nature, 17<\/em>(4), 433-447.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#6b6259;margin-top:30px;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">BOOKS FROM OUR SHELF<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" style=\"color:#524a42;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.17), 15.5px);line-height:1.7\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kensingtonbooks.com\/shop\/the-vagina-bible\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#bcd7d8\">Gunter, J. (2019). <em>The vagina bible: The vulva and the vagina, separating the myth from the medicine<\/em>. Citadel Press.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eq-lastrev\" style=\"margin:34px 0 0;font-family:&quot;Work Sans&quot;,sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.15em;text-transform:uppercase;line-height:1.5;color:#6b6259\">Last reviewed October 2026<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<style>.eqp{--rc-accent:#ad3466;--rc-band:#f9e9f0;--rc-hover:#f4dae4;--rc-bg:#faf8f3}.eqp .eq-rc-btn{display:none}.eqp .eq-rc{position:relative}.eqp .eq-rc li[hidden]{display:block;margin:0;padding:0;height:0;line-height:0;font-size:0}.eqp .eq-rc li.rc-off{display:none}.eqp .eq-rc.is-collapsed::after{content:\"\";position:absolute;left:0;right:0;bottom:0;height:76px;background:linear-gradient(to bottom,transparent,var(--rc-bg) 94%);pointer-events:none}.eqp .eq-rc ~ .eq-rc-btn{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;gap:8px;box-sizing:border-box;min-width:260px;min-height:48px;margin:22px 0 0;padding:12px 26px;background:var(--rc-band);color:var(--rc-accent);border:1.5px 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soon(){if(!queued){queued=true;raf(paint);}}\nvar ev=[\"input\",\"change\",\"click\",\"keyup\"],k;\nfor(k=0;k< ev.length;k+=1){document.addEventListener(ev[k],soon,true);}\nwindow.addEventListener(\"load\",soon);\npaint();\n})();<\/script>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-32086477 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-left-color:#cc5586;border-left-width:4px;border-left-style:solid;border-radius:0px;margin-top:8px;margin-bottom:56px;padding:4px 0px 4px 28px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#6b6259;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.227), 16px);line-height:1.7\"><strong style=\"color:#a02d5e\">This article is general information, not medical advice.<\/strong> It cannot diagnose or rule out any condition. Changes in your cycle, bleeding that is heavy, irregular or happens between periods or after menopause, and pain that disrupts your life deserve proper medical assessment. If any of this sounds like your experience, please speak to your doctor or gynecologist. Psychological support is intended to work alongside appropriate medical care, never to replace it.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:44px\"><a class=\"ra-next\" href=\"\/is-it-your-hormones\/\"><span class=\"eyb\">Read next<\/span><span class=\"ti\">So, Is It Your Hormones?<\/span><span class=\"wy\">What those same hormones do in the brain, and why changes across the cycle, after pregnancy and in midlife can be felt as changes in mood.<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wh-keep wh-end has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1708\" src=\"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A therapist taking notes on a clipboard during a session\" class=\"wp-image-230\" style=\"width:100%;height:340px;object-fit:cover;object-position:center 40%;border-radius:22px 22px 0 0;display:block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/div>\n<div hidden data-eq-related=\"2792,3041,2963\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background eq-ondark has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f761ea3b wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#1d5f66;border-radius:0px 0px 22px 22px;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:80px;padding:52px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#bcd7d8;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">WORKING WITH THIS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"when-womens-health-is-hard-to-talk-about\" style=\"color:#ffffff;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">When women's health is hard to talk about<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#ffffff;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:30px;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.455), 18px);line-height:1.7\">Painful periods, a difficult cycle or years of feeling unable to ask can all weigh on how you feel about your body. Talking it through, alongside good medical care, can make it easier to understand what is happening and what would help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-color has-background has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-element-button\" href=\"\/individual-session\/\" style=\"border-radius:9px;color:#2a2622;background-color:#faf8f3;padding:15px 30px;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.284), 16.5px);font-weight:700\">Book a session<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button footer_b\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-element-button\" href=\"\/contact\/\" style=\"border-color:#bcd7d8;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:9px;color:#ffffff;padding:15px 30px;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.284), 16.5px);font-weight:600\">Get in touch<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Where everything is and what each part does, how the brain and the ovaries talk to each other, what happens across the cycle day by day, what counts as normal, plain answers to the questions people rarely ask out loud, and when to talk to a doctor<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4729,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":777,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-too-afraid-to-ask","category-womens-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2981"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4781,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2981\/revisions\/4781"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}