Is My Period Late? The Real Benefits of Knowing Your Menstrual Cycle

By Sophie Leclerc

What is the menstrual cycle and how does it work?

The first day of a menstrual cycle always comes with the beginning of menstrual bleeding and lasts until the day before the first day of the next menstruation. 28 days is considered common length for a typical cycle, with lengths usually varying slightly around this number. However, every woman knows that cycle lengths can vary greatly from woman to woman. In extreme cases, there can be timespans of 90 days without any particular reasons between two periods.

Every menstrual cycle is then subdivided into several phases in which the female sexual organs prepare for pregnancy. Menstrual cycles are determined and controlled by different levels of hormones that are essential to female health.

Given that the menstruation itself is considered the first phase and lasts (on average) 4 days, the so-called follicular phase takes part between day 5 and day 13 of your menstrual cycle. Among other hormones, the FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) induces the production of an egg in the ovaries, while others - mainly estrogen, the most important "female" hormone - induce the lining of the uterus to grow. This happens in order to provide the best conditions for a potentially fertilized egg that is to nest in the uterus.

Around the middle of the cycle - that is day 14 in case of an average 28-day cycle - the ovary will release an egg. Sometimes, two eggs are released by both ovaries - this will most probably lead to fraternal twins in case of fertilization.

The following luteal phase is marked by the egg travelling down the fallopian tube, ready to be fertilized by a sperm cell. In case there is no fertilization, hormone levels will drop significantly around day 25 of the menstrual cycle. This in turn makes the unfertilized egg fall apart and induces the repulsion of the previously built lining in the uterus. In other words, the next period is triggered at this point, and the menstrual cycle is over.

Calculating your menstrual cycle can help you build a family

Now that you are familiar with the different phases and processes, what can you use it for? Knowing the menstrual cycle in detail is especially important for women wishing to get pregnant. The easiest way to find out about your cycle lengths and when to expect your next period is a simple online period calculator where you simply have to enter the starting date of your last period as well as your average cycle length. Once you have determined the starting day of your next menstrual cycle, you can easily identify the days belonging to the so-called fertile window. The fertile window comprises the approximately 4 days before and two days after ovulation. Apart from these merely calculative methods, women desiring to have a child should pay attention to and closely observe their cervical mucus, whose consistency will considerable change at the time of ovulation, as it will become very clear, of transparent colour and very elastic.

Measuring your basal body temperature regularly will also give you important hints as to when exactly ovulation takes place, as this temperature will rise by 0.3 to 0.6° the day after ovulation. Here, it is important to measure the body temperature each day at exactly the same time and in exactly the same place - which requires a lot of discipline and accuracy. Used over a few months, these methods will help you find out when to expect ovulation and develop a much better understanding of how your body works.

Are you looking for a quick, uncomplicated and reliable method to calculate your menstrual cycle? Try our free and easy period calculator which gives you the result in less than 30 seconds!

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