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Understanding
Your Period |
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All you know is that there is blood, and somehow you have to stop it from showing up on the back of your jeans and embarrassing the living daylights out of you! Did you know that your period is part of a natural process that is actually preparing you to become pregnant one day? This is also called your “menstrual cycle,” with your period being the first day. That’s right, every time you get your period, you have passed through another cycle of pregnancy-preparation. But don’t stress. This doesn’t mean that you’re supposed to get pregnant, or that you will. It just means that your body is maturing from a girl to a woman, and that means you have to be prepared for things that adults deal with. Here’s the deal. Your reproductive system consists of ovaries, fallopian tubes, a uterus and your vagina. The ovaries store your eggs. Once a month, your ovaries will release an egg that is fully developed. This is called ovulation, and it generally happens about 13-15 days after your period starts … but this timing varies for all girls. During ovulation, the egg will travel through your fallopian tubes and toward your uterus. Remember those hormones that are traveling around your blood stream and causing changes in your body? Well, there are two special hormones that play a big role in menstruation. They are called estrogen and progesterone. They both tell your uterus to prepare for the egg by becoming thicker with blood vessels and extra tissue. This is really intended to prepare the uterus for a fertilized egg. Since most eggs aren’t fertilized, however, the unfertilized egg will simply dissolve as you are not pregnant. During the same time, the extra lining in the uterus made up of blood and tissue will detach and leave your body through your vagina. You know those cramps you feel sometimes when you get your period? That is your muscles helping the tissue and blood detach from your uterus. And that is the story behind your period. Click below to read about related topics.
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