• Question: why do women have periods and does it hurt ?

    Asked by sicker3 to Hermine, Katy, Laura, Nathalie, Paula on 22 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Katy Mee

      Katy Mee answered on 21 Jun 2010:

      Basically the female body produces an egg every month or so…..and if this isn’t fertilised by sperm from a male, i.e. you don’t get pregnant, that egg has to be discarded and that’s what periods are. Poeple find it embarrassing to talk about and granted, it’s not something you bring up over dinner, but it’s just a natural process without which we wouldn’t be able to have children!

      As for whether it hurts or not, well that depends very much on the individual. Mostly it doesn’t hurt other than perhaps a of discomfort for the few days that you are on your period but some people do get very painful stomach cramps. Things like regular exercise can help to reduce the pain.

      Hope that helps!

    • Photo: Nathalie Pettorelli

      Nathalie Pettorelli answered on 21 Jun 2010:

      Hi Sicker3,

      Women have periods as part of their reproductive cycle (which is on average 28 days): during every cycle, the lining of the uterus thickens, to prepare for a possible fertilised egg to develop (known as implantation). If implantation does not occur, sharp drops in levels of both progesterone and estrogen occur. These hormone drops cause the uterus to shed its lining in a process termed menstruation – ending up with women loosing tissues and blood. Not all women have the same symptomas associated to periods – for some, it hurts a lt; for others, it is not painful at all
      Hope that answers your question 😉

    • Photo: Paula Salgado

      Paula Salgado answered on 21 Jun 2010:

      Hi sicker3

      Basically, periods are a result of a women’s body preparing for a pregnancy that didn’t happen. Every month, an ovum (female sexual cell) matures in the ovaries and leaves the ovary, travelling down the uterus where normally it would meet a spermatozoid (male sexual cell) and be fertilized. The resulting egg would then need a special place to develop – the placenta in the women’s uterus.

      As the ovum travels down, the uterus wall also starts preparing for the eventual egg to come. When no fertilization happens, the egg is just eliminated from the body. All the special tissue in the cell uterus is also disposed of – and that is what forms what we call “period”. Its a mixture of blood and cells from the woman uterus that are not needed since no baby is going to develop.

      Generally, its painless, even if a bit annoying at times 😉 Some women do have pain which has to do with the way their uterus is organized – but normally this is moderate pain and some pain killers solve the problem.

      Hope that makes it clear! 😉

    • Photo: Laura Dixon

      Laura Dixon answered on 21 Jun 2010:

      Each month when a woman ovulates (egg is released) her uterus prepares for pregancy by building up blood and tissue. If the egg isn’t fertilized (no pregnancy) the built up tissues ‘die’ and come off the uterus wall, becoming the discharge during menstruation. There can be cramps associated with menstruation which are the uterine wall contracting to get rid of all the tissue.

    • Photo: Hermine Schnetler

      Hermine Schnetler answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      I guess it is to get rid of the egg and byproducts. It is triggered by falling levels of progesterone. It can be painful!
      Painful cramping in the abdomen, back, or upper thighs is common during the first few days of menstruation (most women experience some pain during menstruation). Severe uterine pain during menstruation is known as dysmenorrhea, and it is most common among adolescents and younger women.When menstruation begins, symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) such as breast tenderness and irritability generally decrease.

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