What is a regular menstrual cycle?

Cycle regularity refers to how consistent a cycle is, how frequently it happens exactly the same way. An extremely regular cycle is one that always comes a certain number of days from your last one. A woman who always gets her period 27 days after her last one is very regular, a woman who gets it between 26–28 days after her last is less regular, a woman who gets it somewhere between 22–31 days later is very not regular (irregular?). Some women get it every 28 days and 15–18 hours, and this is very regular (but also very rare).

Your cycle is, however, entirely normal. While it is true that ovulation usually happens around the 15th day, if you’re using that as a birth control method, you may want to just buy some ovulation sticks and double-check in case that’s not when you ovulate.

“Regular” usually refers to how consistent it is. If your cycle was 21 days, but always exactly 21 days, you could still consider that regular.

The second half of the menstrual cycle tends to be more stable in length, so it is usually 14 days no matter how long the whole cycle is. The best way to estimate your ovulation is to count backward 14 days from the start of your next period. But if you really want to know, like @Aethelflaed said, just get some ovulation test kits.

Thanks guys, my cycle is way late this month but could be pregnant as well or just irregular, hence the question. I have been tracking my periods for a year and realized that they were all over the place, normally by 2 or 3 days though – oh to have regular clock work cycles.
Is there anyway to know your luteal phase without getting a blood test?

You want to know if you’re in the luteal phase right now, vs if you’re pregnant?

I don’t think there is an easy way to tell. If you came into my lab I could test estrogen and progesterone levels in your saliva :) But I don’t think there is any over-the-counter way to do this. If you think you might be pregnant, what about taking a pregnancy test?

I will wait another 2 days I’m only 2 days later, and every month I take a test for it be negative, so don’t want to see that again, would rather just pretend I’m not and wait for my cycle to start.
2 more days….!!!
I really hope it doesn’t come.
You have a lab @nikipedia?
Are you a doctor or crazy scientist?

Crazy scientist. One of the things we study is how the menstrual cycle affects the brain.

Good luck with your pregnancy test! I hope it all works out!

There are ways to get an idea of your luteal phase without blood work. They involve quite a bit of work and observation on your part though. You can begin by taking your basal body temperature every day as soon as you wake up. You basal body temperature changes slightly throughout your cycle. It goes up some after ovulation, signaling your luteal phase. You can also monitor your cervical mucous for changes. It becomes more like an egg-white when you are fertile (so around ovulation) and becomes drier when you are not fertile. You could also actually feel the position of your cervix as it drops a bit lower and opens slightly around ovulation (so that the sperm can get where they need to go). Basically, you would chart all of this information to get an idea of what’s going on with your cycle.

If you look up “temping for ovulation” you will find numerous sites that talk about it and some that even offer online charting for you.

As far as normal cycles are concerned, you’ve gotten a lot of answers about that already. Typically, woman ovulate 14 days before their period, but some ovulate sooner or later.

Typically women ovulate 14 days BEFORE their period. See if you can begin to feel the little bit of discomfort on one side, amd the next month the other mid cycle. If you can identify the pain of ovulation, you will be able to predict when your period is coming more accurately. Most likely if you ovulate on a Tuesday (usually felt late afternoon to evening) then you will begin your period two Tuesdays from that day. 24 to 27 days is regular usually.

Sorry to be so nosy, but are you trying to get pregnant or avoid pregnancy? If you are trying to get pregnant, have a lot of sex from day 10 to day 20. If you are trying to avoid it, then how about considering various birth control methods?

Day 20 is way too late. Day 10–15.

As far as the irregularity is concerned its perfectly normal if girl starts her period a few days early or late because there are so many factors concerned with menstruation. Anxiety , stress,sleeplessness etc now why these factors affect your cycle is because progesterone the hormone which keeps your uterine wall thick is secreted by the pituitary gland which receives a message from the brain and obviously if your brain is preoccupied by one of these it will affect your cycle. I mean during my exams my periods start after 2 weeks.

As far as finding out your ovulation date is concerned its on the 14 day but dont rely on that completely basically your temperature will drop a little and then spike upwards also you will notice excessive secretion of cervical fluid .

@sophiesword Again, 14 days before your period. The ovulation triggers the oncoming period. 26 day cycle, ovulation is most likely day 12 of your period. Sex on day 14 is too late to get pregnant most likely.

@tan235 Are you trying NFP as a means to get pregnant? If so, you may want to invest in an OV Monitor.

I spent two years “trying” only to find out that my ovulation day is not an easy one to figure out.

@SpatzieLover Can I ask what day was it? What day of your cycle, and was your period 14 days later.

Sure @JLeslie. If I recall correctly, muine swung (depended on the ovary in use) from the 13th to the 16th occasionally it was the 17th or 18th. Most commonly for me it was day 15, but I have a longer cycle than most. Mine varies from 30 to at times 45 days. Usually its in the 32 day range.

@SpatzieLover So the LH surge was probably day 13th to the 16th, your actual ovulation is a day or two later, which makes sense with the longer cycle. Although, still you are longer than 14 days. But, 30–32 days is not abnormal at all of course, 45 days being a little long. But, it sounds like it is simply your normal. :) After talking to many women who cycle regularly, right around 28 days, it seems the most common mistake is they have sex way too late in their cycle trying to get pregnant. Do you have any symptoms of PCOS? Or, diabetes?

Symptoms of PCOS, yes.

I’ve found the same thing as you, most women try once it’s too late. For me, using the Basal method I was trying too soon…and failing because of it ;)

Once I knew which side ovulated when, it became more obvious when I was actually fertile. It took a while to discover. For me, the electonic device helped too bad I don’t live near @niki

ah so interesting thanks….. I think if i’m not pregnant this month I“ll try a kit…. I feel quite aware of things that happen in my body and believe I know when I ovulate, this is our second month trying, so I guess if I am then we are lucky.
However my chinese sign is a dragon and they are suppose to be lucky!
x

@zenvelo definitely trying!

@nikipedia sorry one more thing, you say you’re studying how the menstrual cycle affects the brain – is there a link to this research, that sounds truly fascinating and something I would love to know about, as it very obviously does affect the brain! x

@tan235 Are you trying after you already ovuated? I assume you can feel when you ovulate from what you said. If you don’t buy an ovulation predictor, which I think would help you, because as I mentioned above the ovulation kit measures the hormone that rises just before ovuoation, then try having sex every other day from day 10–15, especially the day you ovuate even if it is out of sequence. Once you ovulate have sex within 12 hours and after that I would not worry so much. After sex, lay on your back and put your legs up for 20 minutes. Were you more regular previously, and since you have been trying you became less regular? Do you think you have been having sex too late in the month after reading the answers here?

Two months isn’t long, but know that 6 months is starting to get long if you are young, and worth getting a test or two done. At minimum a sperm count on your husband, and simple hormone tests for you on day three of your cycle.

Good luck.

Thanks @JLeslie, my period still has not arrived and I’m 4 days late, not feeling pregnant though, trying to conceive is so frustrating ha ha, so exciting as well, but we’ll see, I do feel slightly sick but that could be my nerves and have period pains so expecting her to arrive any second, only she just doesn’t – tomorrow I’ll test.
fingers crossed.
Thanks for the information above.

First sign for me is always breast tenderness when I first wake up. Well, and also a period. When I was young I knew when I was a few hours late, and I was always pregnant. Although, some were chemical pregnancies that ended quickly.

Hey @JLeslie, well it turns out I’m pregnant!
Very excited and scared, but mostly excited, so here we go… this was our first month trying so we did pretty well.
Very tired but that’s it really – so amazing is a woman’s body.

Yay!

Congratulations @tan235. I hope you have a happy and healthy 9 months!!

Thanks guys!! x

Congratulations!!!

@tan235 Great news! Congrats! You and @ItalianPrincess1217 ! She’s close to due date, and you’re starting out!

Sending you prayers and good thoughts for a safe, healthy, and uneventful pregnancy and child.