Why I Get My Menstrual Period and What It Feels Like

Why do I get my menstrual period?

graphic of body and hormones

You have two small, grape-shaped ovaries inside of your belly on either side of your uterus (where a baby develops). Ovaries are filled with hundreds of thousands of eggs and they are the organs that allow you to have children. You are born with ovaries. When you reach puberty and you are becoming a woman, your ovaries ripen the eggs and release one each month. Your pituitary gland in your brain releases chemical messengers, called gonadotropins, that "tell" your ovaries to release a mature egg once a month. The egg then travels towards the uterus. If the egg is not fertilized by a sperm, then two weeks later, the thick, bloody lining (called the endometrium) that builds up in your uterus between periods, passes out of your body through your vagina. This flow, which comes out as blood, is your menstrual period. The whole process is called menstruation, and it will begin when your body is ready.

What does my menstrual period feel like?

Your menstrual period feels like liquid flowing slowly, with starts and stops, out of your vagina. And this is exactly what happens during your menstrual period. Blood flows slowly out of your vagina. Although it may seem like a lot of blood, only a small amount is really released at a time. It is normal to see small clots of blood on the toilet paper when you urinate.

Written by the Center for Young Women's Health Staff

Updated 5/12/2005

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