How to understand that you are about to begin. How to identify signs of labor in progress: the last hours before meeting your baby. How to know if your period is about to start

The first period is always very exciting and even scary! The first period indicates that you are growing up and becoming a woman. And every girl has it in different time... There is no way to know for sure when your first period will start, but there are several signs you can use to guess when your period is coming.

Steps

Part 1

Watch for signs of growing up

Pay attention to the development of your breasts. The breasts will grow for several years before reaching their final size, but when you first notice that the breasts have begun to enlarge, we can conclude that puberty is beginning. For most girls, their first period occurs about two or two and a half years after the first breast enlargement begins.

Pay attention to the presence of pubic hair. Most girls start growing pubic hair (between the legs) soon after their breasts begin to grow. This is another sign that you should expect your first period within the next couple of years.

• You may notice that armpit hair began to grow around this time.

1. Pay attention to vaginal discharge. Many girls during puberty notice small amounts of whitish or transparent discharge on their panties. This is usually a sign that your period will begin within the next few months.

   Notice the growth spurt. Your first period usually starts shortly after your first growth spurt (during puberty), when you suddenly start growing faster. So if you've recently discovered that you've grown a few centimeters, your first period is just around the corner. The hips will get a little wider, but don't worry about that. This period is a little uncomfortable.

   Pay attention to the heaviness in your chest. Many girls feel a heaviness and slight swelling (sometimes even pain) in their breasts just before their period. If you notice this symptom, expect your period to begin soon.

   Pay attention to sudden mood swings. Many girls experience emotional swings in the days leading up to their period. These swings may be different for everyone, but in general, you may feel unusual sadness, anger, or irritation. These feelings usually go away after a few days.

   Pay attention to the appearance of acne and acne. Acne can appear at any time, so acne and pimples should not be considered a mandatory symptom of menstruation. However, if you notice a sudden increase in acne in just a few days, it could be a sign that your period will begin in the next few days.

   Pay attention to seizures. Right before your period (and also right during your period), you may experience cramps and cramps in your abdomen and lower back. These cramps can be mild or severe, and their intensity can change every month.

   • If you have severe cramps and pain that interfere with your daily activities, you should most likely take over-the-counter pain relievers. Exercise and a heating pad will also help reduce the discomfort from cramps.
   • See your doctor if your seizures get worse and you are having trouble "numbing" the pain with over-the-counter pain relievers.

Part 3

Focus on age

1. Keep in mind that you should expect your first period at a certain age. On average, girls begin their periods at 12-14 years old, but for some, the first menstruation may begin a little earlier or a little later. Normally, menstruation can begin at any age in the range of 9-15 years.

   Don't compare yourself to others. If your period started earlier or later than your girlfriends, you may feel "different." Your period may occur at age 9 or 10, or it may not occur until you reach puberty. And this is absolutely normal! It is important to understand that all girls have their periods at different times.

   Ask women in your family. Genetics play a huge role in determining when to expect your first period. Ask your mom, grandmother, and sister when they first got their period. Of course, there is no guarantee that you will have your first period at the same age as your mom, but the chances are very high.

• If you decide to start using tampons, be sure to read the instructions. Remember, tampons need to be changed every few hours to prevent a dangerous infection with toxic shock syndrome from developing.

How do you know if your period is about to start? Often a woman is saddened by the beginning of critical days. And the same question begins to scroll in her head: why did they start right now? Today you will learn how to predict the first day of menstruation in advance so that their arrival is not a complete surprise, and by what pronounced and reliable signs you can determine the approach of critical days. After all, regular periods are extremely important for women.

How to tell when your period is coming? Each woman or girl has her own, individual precursors of menstruation; individual cases require a special approach. If you carefully listen to the changes in your body, you can almost accurately predict not only the exact period of time when your period will come, but also the correct day or even hour.

This will be indicated by numerous processes that need attention. For example, enlargement of the mammary glands and changes in the uterus and ovaries are the first signs of the imminent onset of critical days. The last phase of the menstrual cycle or its second half, as a rule, is characterized by the onset of an inevitable process.

The most reliable harbingers

It is quite easy to find out that menstruation will begin soon if you know a few special properties of your own body, and symptoms, which just need to be paid a little attention, help to determine the exact time intervals. How to know when your period starts:

1. The mammary glands swell. They increase in size, there is some engorgement of the female mammary glands, there is a slight soreness. There is also a small discharge from the nipples, which later turns into a curdled secret, which women do not notice immediately.
2. When menstruation should begin, a pulling pain in the lower abdomen is felt, as the uterus prepares to reject its inner layer (endometrium). In most cases, this is accompanied by unpleasant painful sensations, which most often depend on the individual properties of the organism. In rare cases, such pains are associated with hormonal imbalance, therefore, if a pronounced discomfort is detected, the best solution would be to consult a qualified gynecologist.
3. Rashes may appear on the skin. This symptom is directly related to hormonal changes in the body on the eve of menstruation.
4. When menstruation should come, lumbar pain appears. A fairly common symptom that is associated with various processes taking place in the uterus on the eve of menstruation.
5. When your period comes, your bowels are emptied. This is a completely natural reaction of the body with a normal metabolism. In the time interval before the onset of critical days, the woman's body tries to get rid of everything unnecessary. In most cases, painful sensations on the eve of menstruation directly depend on excessive intestinal congestion and after emptying they disappear.

Sometimes, some other phenomena are recorded as the harbingers of menstruation, such as a desire to eat more, swelling of the lower extremities, face. Some girls note a depressed state in themselves, which is called premenstrual syndrome, or PMS.

Premenstrual syndrome

Representatives of the stronger sex deny the existence of PMS in every possible way, while women insist that they experience it every time before their periods start. Experts still argue about the presence of premenstrual syndrome, but many women claim that they understand when menstruation will come thanks to PMS. Professors studying this very interesting question, confirm the existence of this syndrome and even subdivide it into several types. What are the signs of PMS that you can understand that critical days will soon come:

1. Neuropsychic view. This type is characterized by a depressed state, increased nervousness, a tendency to depression, tearfulness, and a violation of moral stability. When menstruation began, women complain of rapid fatigue, experience unreasonable aggression towards everything around them. Quick change external signs is normal and is not considered a disorder.
2. Edematous appearance. This type is accompanied by an enlargement of the mammary glands, puffiness of the upper and lower extremities, as well as the face, bloating of the abdomen, increased weakness of the whole body as a whole.
3. Cephalgic view. This type is manifested in increased headaches, attacks of dizziness, urge to nausea. Women complain of depressed morale, when menstruation has come, they have a tendency to depression and a general deterioration in health.

Causes of PMS

• malnutrition;
• lack of vitamins;
• increased prolactin levels;
• thyroid disease;
• frequent conflicts;
• prolonged stressful condition;
• hormonal disruptions;
• poor heredity;
• violation of the level of some hormones.

What changes occur in the ovaries before the onset of menstruation?
In a healthy body, the processes occurring in the ovaries are always the same. On the 13-16th day of the menstrual cycle, the egg, which has already matured by this time, forms a protrusion (on ultrasound it may show a functional cyst), and then is removed from the ovary.

When the ovarian wall bursts and the egg leaves it, the woman feels pain in the iliac regions. In the place where the egg leaves the ovary, a corpus luteum develops, which produces progesterone (a steroid hormone), which prepares the endometrium to receive a fertilized egg. In the event that fertilization did not take place, the corpus luteum is destroyed, the hormone is insufficiently produced and the endometrium is rejected. At that very moment, menstruation begins.

If during menstruation you feel tangible pain from the ovaries, you should immediately contact a competent specialist, since this is a pathology.

What if your period is painful?

When menstruation brings more than just natural changes in the body, but also noticeable painful sensations, you should go to an appointment with a gynecologist to find out the cause of such pain and eliminate it.

In most cases, your doctor will prescribe hormonal birth control to help you get your menstrual cycle back to normal. The best solution for those who want to eliminate the main symptoms is to use drugs that suppress muscle spasms or the introduction of rectal suppositories.

Premenstrual period without pronounced symptoms.
In some women, the period of time before menstruation is not accompanied by any clinical symptoms, and there are no noticeable signs of an imminent arrival of menstruation. In this situation, there is only one thing left: to keep a personal calendar of critical days in order to know in advance when menstruation will begin. On average, the menstrual cycle lasts about a month, ideally 28 days.

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How to find out about the onset of the very first menstruation in a girl?
How to determine when the first period will begin? The arrival of the first menstruation prepares the girl's young body for future pregnancy and subsequent childbirth. The very first critical days for a girl come at the age of eleven or fourteen years. In general, a large number of factors can affect the date of the first menstruation, such as the girl's nutrition, her health, heredity, past diseases and much more. How do you understand that menstruation will begin? Of the signs accompanying the first premenstrual period, there are: unfamiliar pulling pains in the lower abdomen, increased fatigue, bouts of aggression, nausea, dizziness, abrupt changes mood.

There are some other visible signs by which we understand that menstruation will soon come: an increase in the volume of the thighs, the appearance of transparent vaginal discharge, increased work of the sweat glands, breast growth.

The most important question that torments all pregnant women who are on a long term: "How to understand that the birth is coming soon?"

By the end of pregnancy, you already know that a couple of weeks before giving birth, your belly sinks and a little weight loss occurs, and a few months before the significant event, you start to experience "training contractions". But how to understand that very little is left before the onset of labor - perhaps even literally a couple of hours? Any mom-to-be wants to be ready for this crucial moment. In this regard, we will name the main signs by which one can understand that the birth is coming soon.

Signs of labor

Bloody discharge as a sign of labor

Shortly before giving birth (from a few hours to a couple of weeks), you may think of a forgotten period by finding some reddish or brown spots on your underwear or panty liner. This mucous discharge, which indicates the activity of the cervix - its thinning, softening and expansion. This prepares the cervix for upcoming birth.

But remember that spotting late in pregnancy can not only give you understand that the birth is coming soon but also be the result of having sex or a pelvic examination. But if spotting did not appear as a result of these two processes, you can be congratulated! You will become a mother very soon!

Child behavior

Your baby will help you to understand that labor will begin soon. A few days before the expected date of birth, the baby seems to calm down. Of course, all analyzes and studies show that the fetus is developing absolutely normally. It's just that by the end of pregnancy, the baby has already grown up enough, and he simply does not have enough space to actively move inside the abdomen. In addition, the child also needs to accumulate strength before the upcoming birth, because he will need to make a lot of efforts to be born.

Mucous plug

A mucous plug closes the entrance to the uterus, acting as a natural barrier to infection and other adverse factors that can harm your baby. Discharge of the mucous plug - rather controversial a sign of an imminent birth... For some, it does not appear at all due to the scarcity of mucous secretions, for some it departs long before the onset of labor, and for others, with the onset of labor pains. But ideally, the discharge of the mucous plug occurs some time after the onset of bloody discharge - a few hours before the onset of labor.

The mucous plug can come out into literally"With cotton" - because of the contractions of the cervix - and may come out "in portions" in parts. But no matter how the mucous plug comes out specifically for you - in most cases this process gives you understand that the birth is coming soon- and there are 1-3 days left before they start!

Low back pain as a sign of approaching labor

Periodic back pain is also a clear sign that makes it clear that childbirth is coming soon. Typically, this kind of back pain appears a week or even a few days before childbirth and only periodically. But if you feel them constantly, it is quite possible that the fetus is located in the uterus incorrectly. You should immediately talk to your doctor about all your doubts and discomforts.

Indigestion

About a day before onset of labor there is a particularly intense bowel movement. you can go to the toilet more than once and in larger volumes than usual. Nature has foreseen this phenomenon so that nothing will interfere with you during childbirth. You probably already know that the vagina and rectum are separated by a thin septum - and if there is an accumulation of feces in the rectum, there will be less room in the vagina for your baby to pass.

Just a few hours before the start of the labor, you can understand that the birth is coming soon, and other features of the "behavior" of your digestive system. You may experience nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Your malaise is due to the release into the blood of a shock dose of hormones that stimulate labor.

By the way, you can also confuse the first contractions with an upset stomach - after all, mild pains during the first contractions resemble abdominal pain with diarrhea.

Contractions during childbirth

Of course in the most reliable way understand that the birth is coming soon are contractions. Some people confuse labor contractions with training contractions, which periodically appear during the third trimester of pregnancy. But training and labor contractions have one significant difference - they are periodic, repeated at approximately regular intervals and gradually increase. Something like this: bout 40 seconds - pause 20 minutes.

Women who are going through their first pregnancy are afraid to miss the start of regular contractions. In fact, contractions cannot be confused with anything - these sensations are so unique. If the discharge of amniotic fluid has not yet begun and the contractions are infrequent, then you can take a bath or shower. This will help reduce the pain a little. Direct the shower jet to the sacrum or lower back. It is better if someone close to you at this moment is to help you with the procedure, and just to support you psychologically. And if the contractions are accompanied by discharge of water or other discharge from the vagina, you can be sure that labor has already begun!

Chills

A few hours before giving birth or even at the beginning of labor, you may feel cold and chills.

If you feel most of the signs listed above, do not worry and suddenly start going to the hospital. Of course, it is stupid in this case to go out of town or go on a hike - but you don’t need to rush around the apartment, frantically thinking about what to go to the hospital urgently (unless, of course, you have lost your water). Doctors even advise to wait at home for some time of contractions - and wait until their frequency becomes 5/45 (every 5 minutes for 45 seconds). And only after that you can have fun getting ready and go to the hospital to give birth to your little one!

Menses are spotting that occurs once a month. If pregnancy occurs, they stop. The menstrual cycle is the length of time from the first day of one period to the first day of the next. On average, it lasts about 28 days, although it can be longer or less. The main role here is played by the regularity of the arrival of critical days. In the middle of the cycle, ovulation occurs: a mature egg, ready for fertilization, leaves the follicle and moves along the fallopian tube into the uterine cavity. During ovulation, the likelihood of getting pregnant is very high, so every woman should know when her next period will begin. Often the cycle gets lost, and it is very difficult to determine the date of arrival of critical days.

How to recognize ovulation

Ovulation occurs approximately in the middle of the cycle, a woman can determine this process by some signs. At the moment the egg leaves the follicle, a hormonal surge occurs in the body. The basal temperature rises by 0.5-0.8 degrees, this increase can last up to last day cycle. Measure the temperature in the morning after waking up without getting out of bed. The thermometer must be inserted into the anus for 8-10 minutes. It is better to write down the thermometer in a notebook specially designated for this, so it will be easier to track the regularity of your cycle. When measuring basal temperature, it is important not to forget to record the date of measurement and the day of the cycle.

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

PMS is a collection of your own personal feelings that indicate the approach of your period. The reason for the manifestation of signs of premenstrual syndrome are hormonal changes in organism. Each time these signs can be expressed to a greater or lesser extent. Premenstrual syndrome lasts from two to several days.

PMS symptoms divided into psychological and physiological. Psychological symptoms: drowsiness or insomnia, unmotivated sensitivity, anxiety, fear, aggressive behavior, sudden mood swings. Physiological signs: pulling pains in the lower abdomen and lower back, headache, dizziness, increased appetite, nausea, swelling of the mammary glands, the appearance of acne on the face, a slight increase in body temperature, extinction or increased libido.

If a woman notes in herself the manifestation of any sign of these two groups, she should not immediately label herself as "PMS". It is necessary to monitor any symptoms for at least three months, then it will be possible to draw conclusions whether it is PMS or not. Remember that PMS won't last forever. If the symptoms make life very difficult, interfere with working and communicating with people, you need to take action. A good obstetrician-gynecologist will tell you your condition, and the support of your family will give you strength.

Harbingers of the very first menstruation

The onset of critical days is not a sign of the complete readiness of a young girl's body for pregnancy and childbirth, it is just a sign that pregnancy is possible. Usually, the first menstruation (menarche) in a girl begins at the age of 11-14 years. This period varies greatly due to several factors. The date of the onset of menarche is influenced by the state of health, diet, physical and mental development, a history of illness, a hereditary factor, stressful situations and so on. Some signs indicate the approach of the first menstruation: pulling pains in the lower abdomen (previously unfamiliar), nausea, headache, frequent mood swings, fatigue, apathy or aggression.

There are other signs of puberty, and hence the imminent onset of menarche: the girl's figure becomes more rounded, the volume of the hips increases,

Every expectant mother, especially an inexperienced one, experiences bouts of anxiety and fear - what if I miss the beginning of labor and do not have time to get to? Very suspicious pregnant women are so afraid of missing childbirth that every ailment is attributed to the onset of labor.

Meanwhile, there are a number of signs indicating that labor has really begun. We will talk about them today.

1. Lowering the abdomen

This is one of the earliest signs of an approaching birth - the child prepares for his birth and lowers it lower into the small pelvis. According to various sources, this occurs 1-2 weeks before childbirth - at 38-39 weeks. A woman may notice that suddenly it became easier for her to breathe, heartburn has disappeared, and her stomach seems to have become smaller.

2. Indigestion and weight loss

Very often, on the eve of childbirth, a woman can observe a digestive upset. It can be expressed in the following:

• loss of appetite,
• nausea,
• upset stool
• weight loss of 1-2 kg,
• frequent urge to use the toilet.

This reaction of the digestive system is associated with the effects of hormones that regulate labor. The body prepares for a big job and tries to cleanse itself in order to save energy for childbirth.

3. Discharge of the mucous plug

It is this sign that is familiar to all pregnant women and everyone is looking forward to it. The cork is a brownish mucus of a jelly-like consistency with streaks of blood, which protects the uterus from various infections entering it. It can come out immediately, or it can flow out gradually, in small portions.

However, the passage of the plug may well be overlooked, since the plug may be very small or mucus may come off during childbirth. If you notice a discharge that is very similar to a mucous plug, then this is not a reason to go to the hospital immediately, because the plug can move away both a few hours before giving birth, and in 1-3 days.

Nevertheless, in the overwhelming majority of cases, a mucous plug appears with the onset of labor or a few hours before it begins. Observe how you feel.

4. Outpouring of amniotic fluid

We have all seen in the films a scene when a pregnant woman's water suddenly leaves, she finds herself in a puddle and contractions immediately begin. Most of the time, of course, things are completely different.

Amniotic fluid is the fluid that fills the fetal bladder in which the baby is located. Shortly before the onset of labor, the integrity of the bladder is violated, and amniotic fluid begins to flow out of it - an outflow of amniotic fluid occurs. In this case, the drips of fluid can be very small, you will feel only slight moisture, and only sometimes there is a strong flow of fluid down the legs. A sharp outpouring of water is extremely rare.

The passage of water, as a rule, means an early onset of labor, but often labor can begin without the passage of water. In this case, the doctor in the hospital will puncture the bladder to speed up the process.

5. Contractions

The most famous and most accurate sign of the onset of labor is contractions! Everyone knows about it. The problem is that long before the onset of labor, pregnant women begin so-called "training" or false contractions, which only prepare the body of the expectant mother for real contractions.

How to distinguish real fights from training? Training contractions can cause the following sensations: pulling, aching pain in the lower back, cramping pain in the lower abdomen, the stomach seems to be stiff. The difference between training fights and real ones is that they can be removed: with a warm shower, a walk on fresh air, with help, etc.

During real contractions, the pain is much more intense. It can be compared to pain during menstruation or during severe indigestion. But this is very approximate. The most important sign of real contractions is their frequency and increasing intensity.

Having seen enough scenes in the movie, when a heavily pregnant woman suddenly grabs her stomach and starts screaming loudly, expectant mothers are waiting for such sensations from the very beginning. However, the first contractions are not at all strong and short - no longer than 30 seconds, and the break between them can last up to 20-30 minutes.