menstruation

(noun)

the periodic discharging of the menses, the flow of blood and cells from the lining of the uterus in females of humans and other primates

Related Terms

Examples of menstruation in the following topics:

  • Uterine (Menstrual) Cycle

    • During menstruation, the body begins to prepare for ovulation again.
    • These hormone drops cause the uterus to shed its lining and the egg in a process termed menstruation.
    • High estrogen and progesterone levels stimulate increased endometrial thickness, but following their decline from a lack of implantation, the endometrium is shed and menstruation occurs.

  • Endometriosis

    • In addition to pain during menstruation, the pain of endometriosis can occur at any time of the menstrual cycle.
    • The most intense pain is usually during menstruation which causes dread in women.

  • Periodic Abstinence

    • Most menstrual cycles have several days at the beginning that are infertile (pre-ovulatory infertility), a period of fertility, and then several days just before the next menstruation that are infertile (post-ovulatory infertility).
    • Finally, calendar-based methods assume that all bleeding is true menstruation.
    • Incorrectly identifying bleeding as menstruation will cause the method's calculations to be incorrect.

  • Acne

    • Enlargement of sebaceous glands and an increase in sebum production occur with increased androgen production during puberty and directly before menstruation.

  • Infertility

    • Inadequate nutrition, especially starvation, can delay menstruation.

  • Implantation

    • The syncytiotrophoblast also produces human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone that "notifies" the mother's body that she is pregnant, preventing menstruation by sustaining the function of the progesterone-producing corpus luteum within the ovary.

  • Anatomy of the Female Reproductive System

    • If not fertilized, this egg is flushed out of the system through menstruation.

  • Premenstrual Syndrome and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

    • Two to 10% of women have significant premenstrual symptoms that are separate from the normal discomfort associated with menstruation in healthy women.
    • Symptoms begin in the late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle (after ovulation) and end shortly after menstruation begins.

  • Female Athlete Triad: Disordered Eating, Amenorrhea, and Premature Osteoporosis

    • Female athlete triad is a combination of eating disorders, disrupted menstruation, and low bone density.

  • Ovarian Cycle

    • However, some sources use a different set of phases: menstruation, proliferative phase, and secretory phase.
    • Continued drops in levels of estrogen and progesterone trigger the end of the luteal phase, menstruation and the beginning of the next cycle.