What does it mean when a woman has her period?

When couples have sex, some people don't like to wear condoms or birth control pills in order to save trouble. Women have a safe period and a dangerous period. Many people choose to have sex during the safe period and do not use contraceptive measures because this can relieve them of worries. However, there is no uniform dividing line between the safe period and the ovulation period, and women are prone to accidental ovulation when they are excited. So, what does it mean when a woman has seven days before and eight days after her menstrual period?

1. Contraception principles

Under normal menstrual rules, the principle of safe period contraception is: the closer to the first day of menstruation, the safer it is, and the farther away it is, the more dangerous it is, because the possibility of ovulation increases. This is a question of probability.

The period from the first day after the end of menstruation to the day before the beginning of ovulation is generally 8 days, which is the last 8. From the first day after the end of the ovulation period to the day before the next menstrual period is generally 7 days, that is, the first 7 days.

Normal women of childbearing age have menstruation once a month. The period from the beginning of this menstruation to the first day of the next menstruation is called a menstrual cycle. For example, from the perspective of contraception, each menstrual cycle of a woman can be divided into the menstrual period, ovulation period and safe period. Safe period contraception is a contraceptive method that stops sexual intercourse during the ovulation period. This is a traditional contraceptive method and was one of the commonly used contraceptive methods at home and abroad before the advent of birth control pills and intrauterine devices.

A woman's ovulation date is generally about 14 days before the next menstrual period. After the egg is released from the ovary, it can survive in the fallopian tube for 1-2 days, waiting for fertilization; the male's sperm can maintain its fertilization ability in the female's reproductive tract for 2-3 days, so it is easy to get pregnant through sexual intercourse a few days before and after the egg is released. To be on the safe side, we call the 5 days before and 4 days after ovulation, together with the ovulation day, a total of 10 days, the ovulation period. Because it is easy to get pregnant through sexual intercourse during the ovulation period, the ovulation period is also called the fertile period or the dangerous period.

The key to using safe period contraception is to determine the female ovulation date. When the ovaries ovulate, there is generally no special feeling. Even though some women may have symptoms such as lower abdominal pain, back pain, breast swelling and mood changes, these phenomena are not specific symptoms of ovulation and therefore cannot be used as a basis for ovulation. Menstruation and ovulation change cyclically, and there is a close relationship between the two. If you understand the changing patterns of the two, you can determine the ovulation date through indirect methods. There are many ways to determine the ovulation date, and the methods that women can master themselves include: ovulation test strips, calculating based on the menstrual cycle, measuring basal body temperature, and observing cervical mucus secretion.

2. Menstrual cycle

The method of calculating ovulation according to the menstrual cycle is also called the calendar method. Both menstruation and ovulation are affected by endocrine hormones from the pituitary gland and ovaries and show cyclical changes. The length of their cycles is the same, both occurring once a month, and ovulation occurs between two menstrual periods. Women's menstrual cycles vary in length, but the interval between ovulation and the start of the next menstruation is relatively fixed, usually around 14 days. Based on this relationship between ovulation and menstruation, the ovulation period can be calculated according to the menstrual cycle. The calculation method is to count from the first day of the next menstrual period, and count down 14 days or subtract 14 days to get the ovulation day. The ovulation day and the 5 days before and 4 days after the ovulation day are called the ovulation period. This is the theoretical basis of the rhythm method of contraception. For example, a woman's menstrual cycle is 28 days, and the first day of this menstruation is December 2nd. Then the next menstruation will be on December 30th (December 2nd plus 28 days). Subtract 14 days from December 30th, and December 16th is the ovulation day. The ovulation day and the 5 days before and 4 days after it, that is, December 11-20, is the ovulation period. Except for the menstrual period and ovulation period, the rest of the time is the safe period. There is no need to use any contraceptive drugs or tools during sexual intercourse during the safe period.

To calculate the ovulation period using this method, you must first know the length of your menstrual cycle in order to calculate the start date of the next menstrual period and the ovulation period. Therefore, this method is only suitable for women with normal menstrual cycles. For women with irregular menstrual cycles, it is impossible to calculate the date of the next menstrual period. Therefore, it is impossible to calculate the ovulation day and ovulation period.

The calendar method of contraception is prone to failure. Because some women may delay or advance ovulation due to health conditions, environmental changes, and mood swings, the ovulation period calculated based on the menstrual cycle may not be accurate. According to foreign statistics, the failure rate of calendar method contraception is 14.4%-47%. Therefore, this method is only suitable for people who have normal menstrual cycles, live together for a long time, and can correctly calculate the safe period. This method is not reliable for those with irregular menstrual cycles, couples visiting relatives, and women whose living environment has changed.