Study, 1979
What are normal menstrual patterns?
Normal cycles last 21-35 days with 1-7 days of bleeding. About 43% of women experience menstrual pain and 75% experience premenstrual tension.
What they did
Analyzed menstrual information from 2,343 women using a computer system to identify common patterns in cycle length, bleeding duration, menstrual pain, and premenstrual tension.
What they found
Menstrual pain was reported by 43% of women. Premenstrual tension was reported by 75%. Normal cycle length ranges from 21-35 days, with only 1.5% having cycles shorter than 21 days. Normal bleeding duration is 1-7 days, with only 3% bleeding longer than 7 days. The researchers found 150 different patterns of menstrual symptoms. The 10 most common patterns accounted for 40% of the population, and most of these included both menstrual pain and premenstrual tension.
What it means for you
Menstrual pain and premenstrual tension are very common. Three-quarters of women experience premenstrual tension. This large study shows what's normal for menstrual cycles. However, it was done at one health center, so it may not represent all populations equally.
2,343
women studied
75%
experienced premenstrual tension
43%
experienced menstrual pain
About the study
- Original title
- Menstrual characteristics of 2,343 women attending the Shepherd Foundation
- Authors
- Wood C, Larsen L, Williams R
- Journal
- The Australian & New Zealand journal of obstetrics & gynaecology
- Year
- 1979
- Study design
- Study
- Participants
- 2,343
- What was tested
- No intervention
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1111/j.1479-828x.1979.tb01366.x
Topics
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