Learning how to track menstrual cycles is an important skill for any adult woman-and for anyone either in a relationship or living with an adult woman. Humans have been tracking these cycles since ancient times, which means we have acquired many approaches and methods. Whether you use the ancient methods, many of which involve the waxing and waning of the moon, or consult the computer applications of modern methods, there are many ways to track the menstrual cycle.
Why Track Menstrual Cycles?
Tracking your menstrual cycle is useful for both women who want to get pregnant and those who do not want the get pregnant. There are certain times in a menstrual cycle when the woman's fertility is at its peak. Knowing this time can help a women encourage or avoid sexual relations, according to her desired results. However, tracking fertility is far from fool-proof and should never be used as a primary means of birth control.
Tracking your menstrual cycle can be very helpful for predicting and controlling symptoms associated with pre-menstruation and menstruation. For example, if you know you're going to get pimples exactly three days before your period, you can use acne-fighting medications four days before your period to prevent a breakout.
Menstrual Cycles
Despite popular belief, women do not automatically get their period once a month. While many women are regular, menstruating about every 30 days, there are also many women who have irregular menstruation cycles.
A woman with an irregular menstruation cycle might menstruate after 26 days one month, 34 days the next month and 23 days the month after that. There are also several different conditions and medications that can create a menstruation skipping cycle, where the body goes 60 days or more before menstruation.
How Do I Track My Menstrual Cycles?
The easiest way to track your menstrual cycles is to use a calendar. Mark the calendar on the first day of your period. Wait until the next month and mark the calendar on the first day of your period again. Count the days that pass between the first days of your period on the first month and the first day of your period on the second month. This gives you a rough idea of how long your menstruation cycle takes.
You may need to track the first day of your period for several months before you can work out an average number that allows you to predict menstruation. If you experience irregular menstruation, you may never be able to get more than a rough idea of how long your cycle takes.
Methods to Track Menstrual Cycles
There are several methods you can use to track your menstrual cycle on a calendar. You can use a plain paper or a fancy online calendar. Since the lunar cycles can also be plotted on a calendar, you can use a lunar calendar for tracking. There are computer and cell phone programs that automatically calculate the next day of your menstruation according to your calendar entries. There are even strings of colored beads you can use to help track and predict your next menstruation.
 | Can I get pregnant on my menstrual cycle? If you are concerned that you might be pregnant but have only had intercourse during your period, you should realize that an unlikely phenomenon is not at all impossible. |
 | If you've been experiencing menstrual cycle problems, such as an irregular menstrual cycle, absence of menstruation after years of regular periods or painful menstruation, you'll want to read through these descriptions to see if you need to call your physician. |
Reasons for delay in menstrual cycles can range from minor to major. With such a wide range of possible factors, including medication, diet, exercise and your stress level, the reason for a late period can be tough to pin down. |
Knowing how to calculate a menstrual cycle can make all the difference between getting pregnant or not, preventing breakouts and just knowing when to curl up with a hot water bottle and a blanket. |
Keeping track of your monthly cycle is a process that takes very little effort, but can be very useful when determining what is going on in your own body. |
