Is a 40 day menstrual cycle normal?

Menstruation can also reflect whether a woman's endocrine system is normal. For normal women, the menstrual cycle should be between 28 and 32 days. However, in real life, there are many people who suffer from irregular menstruation. Many women even feel obvious pain in the lower abdomen during menstruation. This is dysmenorrhea. But if a woman’s menstrual cycle lasts up to 40 days, is this normal?

Is a 40 day menstrual cycle normal?

Experts point out that everyone's menstrual cycle is different, but as long as there is not much difference in the cycle, it is normal. Some people have a period every 20 days, and some people have a period every 40 days. As long as the interval is similar, there is no need to worry.

If your period has been prolonged since shortly after your menarche and has continued to this day, then there is no major problem. Some women only menstruate once every three months. However, if you have only recently discovered that your period has lengthened and you feel unwell, you need to go to the hospital for a check-up.

Of course, Chinese medicine also has its own systematic theories: Chinese medicine believes that the reasons for prolonged menstrual period in women can be divided into deficiency and excess, so regulating menstruation must also be distinguished between deficiency and excess before starting. Excessive syndrome is mostly caused by blood stasis blocking Chong and Ren meridians, preventing new blood from returning to the meridians; deficiency syndrome is mostly caused by Yin deficiency and internal heat, which disturbs the blood sea and causes prolonged menstruation. In addition, Chinese medicine treatment focuses on overall observation of the woman's complexion, and it is also possible to determine whether a woman has menstrual irregularities from her complexion. This is not because Chinese medicine practitioners can read faces, but because Chinese medicine practitioners believe that changes in internal organs, qi and blood will be reflected on the person's face.

1. Yin deficiency and internal heat: If a woman has a Yin deficiency constitution, or if she has lost Yin fluid due to long-term illness, or has given birth too many times or had excessive sexual intercourse, the Yin blood in her body will be depleted. Yin deficiency and internal heat cause the blood sea to be restless, and menstrual blood cannot flow normally, thus leading to prolonged menstruation.

2. Qi stagnation and blood stasis: If a woman is usually depressed, it will cause qi stagnation and blood stasis over time. Or women may feel the cold during menstruation or after giving birth, which can hinder the circulation of Qi and blood and cause blood stasis. Because blood stasis blocks the cell vessels, new blood cannot return to the menstruation, resulting in delayed menstruation.

Generally speaking, if it has been 40 days, there is no need to worry too much, but if the cycle is unstable, you should check it as soon as possible.

Causes of Short Menstrual Cycles

The normal menstrual cycle of women is generally 28-30 days. The length of the cycle varies from person to person, but a menstrual cycle shorter than 21 days should be considered an abnormal short menstrual cycle.

The main reasons for short menstrual cycles in adult women are as follows:

1. Ovarian dysfunction and menopausal dysfunctional uterine bleeding are both causes of short menstrual cycles.

2. People with luteal insufficiency have a shorter menstrual cycle due to the shortening of the relatively fixed luteal phase.

3. Some patients with uterine fibroids have frequent menstruation, and their menstrual cycle becomes shorter due to frequent menstruation.

4. Some women who experience heavy bleeding during ovulation may also experience frequent menstruation, which is also one of the reasons for a short menstrual cycle.

Causes of long menstrual cycles

The normal menstrual cycle is 22-35 days, with an average of 28 days. Generally speaking, it is normal for menstruation to be advanced or delayed by about a week.

There are many factors that cause the menstrual cycle to become longer, which can be divided into the following categories: central nervous system-hypothalamic abnormalities; pituitary abnormalities refer to pituitary lesions that cause abnormal secretion of gonadotropin, which may be congenital factors or acquired lesions; ovarian abnormalities are due to congenital ovarian dysplasia, ovarian dysfunction or secondary lesions that cause menstrual abnormalities. The specific reasons may be:

1. Endometriosis: This is often caused by affecting the contraction of the uterine muscle layer or due to the enhancement of the endometrium, resulting in excessive menstrual cycles or prolonged menstruation. Having an IUD can also cause prolonged menstruation.

2. Uterine leiomyoma: especially submucosal uterine leiomyoma, due to the expansion of the uterine cavity area and abnormal contraction, it can cause excessive menstrual cycles and prolonged menstruation.

3. Dysfunctional uterine bleeding: such as anovulatory dysfunctional uterine bleeding and irregular endometrial shedding, both of which cause prolonged menstruation due to endocrine dysfunction.

4. Chronic uterine hypertrophy: Due to pelvic congestion, ovarian estrogen continues to increase, causing the uterine muscle layer to thicken, resulting in excessive menstrual cycles and prolonged menstruation.

Pelvic inflammation, intrauterine polyps, uterine inflammation, etc. are all caused by poor intrauterine blood circulation, degeneration and necrosis, or pelvic congestion, which lead to excessive menstrual cycles and prolonged menstruation.

5. Blood diseases: such as thrombocytopenic purpura, aplastic anemia, etc., are often accompanied by menstrual cycles. If severe uterine bleeding occurs, the menstrual period will be prolonged. Other conditions such as chronic anemia, chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, nephritis, etc. can make the blood vessel walls fragile, increase permeability and cause bleeding.