Why do women bleed during menstruation?

For women, menstruation indicates that their reproductive function is normal. This is a normal metabolic reaction of the female reproductive system. If menopause occurs, their reproductive ability will disappear and they will age rapidly. In order to ensure menstrual health, women must pay attention to certain matters during the menstrual period and develop good living and eating habits. Next, I will introduce to you the main components of menstruation, the causes of formation and precautions!

1. Main ingredients

The main components of menstruation are blood (3/4 arterial blood, 1/4 venous blood), endometrial tissue fragments and various active enzymes and biological factors. Among them, fibrinolytic enzyme makes menstrual blood liquid and prevents it from coagulating, and prostaglandins play the role of contracting the uterus.

Medically speaking, only the reproductive cycle experienced by primates (including humans) is called menstruation. In addition, the reproductive cycle of other mammals is called the estrus cycle. Menstruation is regulated by the reproductive hormone system and is necessary for biological reproduction. A woman's first menstruation is called menarche, and the onset of menarche marks the entry of a woman into puberty. The average age of menarche for girls is 12 years old. Many factors, including genetics, diet, and physical health, can cause menarche to come earlier or later. The cessation of menstruation marks that a woman has entered menopause, also known as menopause. The average age of menopausal women is 51 years old. Of course, just like menarche, many factors such as genetics, disease, surgery and medical treatment can advance or delay menopause. It is normal to enter menopause between the ages of 40 and 58. Menopause occurring before the age of 35 is defined as premature aging.

2. Causes

Menstruation is regulated by the interaction between reproductive hormones from the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and ovary. During the menstrual period and proliferation period of the menstrual cycle, the levels of estradiol and progesterone in the blood are very low, thereby weakening or eliminating the negative feedback effect on the pituitary gland and hypothalamus, leading to increased secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone by the hypothalamus, which in turn leads to increased secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone by the pituitary gland, thereby causing follicle development and a gradual increase in estrogen secretion. At this time, estrogen stimulates the endometrium to enter the proliferative phase. Luteinizing hormone increases the secretion of progesterone, leading to ovulation. During this period, both estrogen and progesterone levels increase. This produces a negative feedback inhibitory effect on the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, thereby reducing the levels of ovulation-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone, leading to corpus luteum degeneration, and then reducing estrogen and progesterone levels. The endometrium loses the support of these two hormones and begins to shed and bleed, which is when menstruation occurs. At this time, the decrease in estrogen and progesterone begins the next menstrual cycle.

3. Precautions during menstruation

1. It is not suitable to have sexual intercourse: During menstruation, the endometrium is peeled off and a wound is formed on the surface. If sexual intercourse occurs, it is easy to introduce bacteria, causing them to move retrograde and enter the uterine cavity, causing intrauterine infection.

2. It is not suitable to eat too salty food: Too salty food will increase the salt and water retention in the body. Before menstruation, it is easy to have symptoms such as headaches, emotional excitement and irritability.

3. It is not suitable to drink strong tea or coffee: these beverages contain high caffeine content, which can easily stimulate the nerves and cardiovascular system, resulting in uncomfortable symptoms such as menstrual pain, prolonged menstruation and excessive menstrual bleeding.

4. Avoid eating raw and cold vegetables and fruits and cold drinks: raw and cold food will slow down blood circulation, thereby affecting the contraction of the uterus and the discharge of menstrual blood, causing adverse discharge of menstrual blood and causing menstrual pain.

5. Avoid eating seafood: Most seafood is cold in nature, known as the "yang in yin". When you are physically weak, try to eat less or no seafood. After cold food enters the esophagus, the blood vessels in the gastrointestinal tract are contracted due to the cold, which weakens the gastrointestinal digestive ability and leads to diarrhea and other phenomena. Therefore, women should not eat seafood during menstruation.

6. It is not advisable to take sitting baths or tub baths: During menstruation , the cervix is ​​slightly open, and sitting baths and tub baths can easily allow sewage to enter the uterine cavity and cause inflammation.