Keeping track of your menstruation could help you with family planning and pregnancy prevention in the future. When your doctor asks you for the first day of your last period,
‘are you someone who can tick the date off without thinking?’
or
‘are you like most women who stare blankly at the doctor’s calendar, guesstimating the date?’
If you’re in the second group, you probably aren’t tracking your menstrual cycles on a regular basis. But keeping a menstrual calendar can be helpful for most women, even those who are not thinking about pregnancy.
Keeping a Record of Your Periods
Tracking your menstrual cycle simply means keeping a record of when you’re on your period. The best way to start is to begin with a regular planner or calendar by marking the first day of your period. These could help you to figure out your cycle lengths. For most women, the average menstrual cycle is 28 days, though it can range from 21 to 35 days in adult women and still considered “normal.”
Tracking Your Menstruation: How It Helps Your Reproductive Health
For someone who has regular cycles, this method may be helpful to try to avoid pregnancy. The idea is to avoid sex during the time when she is most fertile – generally during ovulation and for several days before and after. This can be between 80 and 87 percent effective at preventing pregnancy when done correctly.
However, it could be complicated to figure out exactly what days to avoid sexual intercourse, so there’s a high risk of failure if you don’t track your cycle correctly. This method will definitely not work for people who have irregular periods.
So, if you don’t already track your period, now may be a good time to start. Knowing your cycle can only help you to get a better understanding of your body and your health.