Menstrual cycle (PDF, 105 KB)
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Kristen A. Matteson, M.D., M.P.H., Interim Director, Division of Research, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women and Infants Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
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Sunni Mumford, Ph.D., Earl Stadtman Investigator, Epidemiology Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health
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Peter Schmidt, M.D., Chief, Section on Behavioral Endocrinology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health
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Kimberly Ann Yonkers, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Epidemiology, and Public Health, and Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences; Director, Center for Wellbeing of Women and Mothers, Yale University School of Medicine
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Menstrual Cycle
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Menstrual Cycle
The menstrual cycle is the hormonal process a woman’s body goes through each month to prepare for a possible pregnancy. Regular menstrual periods in the years between puberty and menopause are usually a sign that your body is working normally. Irregular or heavy, painful periods are not normal. Many women also get premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms. You can take steps at home and talk to your doctor or nurse about ways to treat your period problems and PMS.
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Menstrual cycle (PDF, 105 KB)
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Page last updated: April 25, 2018.
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