Your Menstrual Cycle in Four Phases
Keep in mind the menstrual cycle can vary greatly from woman to woman or month to month and still be considered normal. Generally, the length of your menstrual cycle can fluctuate from three weeks to five weeks, without alarm.
When counting the days in your cycle, always count the first day of your period as day one. The average period lasts three to five days, although some women may experience slightly shorter or longer periods.
Your menstrual cycle consists of four phases:
The menstrual phase starts the moment you get your period and typically lasts up to five days. During this time, your uterus sheds its lining through your vagina and women wear a tampon or sanitary pad to absorb it.
Next, the follicular phase usually occurs during days six through 14 of your cycle. Your estrogen levels rise, causing the endometrium to get thicker.2 FSH levels also rise causing maturation of several ovarian follicles, one of which will produce a fully mature egg during days 10 to 14.
Around day 14, in a woman who has a 28-day cycle, LH levels surge causing ovulation. This means one of the mature follicles burst and released the fully mature egg into one of the fallopian tubes.
The fourth stage, called the premenstrual or luteal phase, lasts approximately 14 days.
At this time, the egg travels through the fallopian tube to the uterus. If it’s fertilized by a sperm, you get pregnant. If not, progesterone and estrogen levels decline, and the endometrial lining flows out as your period.
