9 things you never knew about your period

1. The average girl gets her period around the age of 12: If you thought you started young, keep in mind that 12 is theaverage age of women when they have their first cycle. This means that girls as young as 9 sometimes start to menstruate. According toActive Beat, this is the result of changing diets, environmental stress, and genetic earlier rates of puberty.
2. The average cycle isn’t 28 days: Your doctor may tell you that every 28 days you can anticipate your period, but the truth is that every woman is different. Twenty-eight days is the average for most women, but depending on age and stress level, period cycles can vary significantly.
3. Heavy flows are mostly water: One average a woman only loses a few tablespoons of blood during her period. What’s the rest of that liquid? It’s mostly water, according to experts. This is why some women experience bloating prior to their cycles; the water is then removed from the body during menstruation.
4. You have more than enough eggs: Women who worry about fertility should know they are born with more than enough eggs–around 2 million. When they hit puberty that number is generally decreased to around 40,000, but  the average woman only loses about 500 eggs due to her period in a lifetime.
5. Men find ovulation attractive: They might not know it, but men subconsciously are more attracted to a woman who is ovulating. This all has to do with the chemical pheromones released during ovulation, and goes back to the days when instincts paired us based on fertility.
6. The mystery of period syncing: Ever worked with a group of women and everyone gets their period at the same time? This phenomenon, called period syncing, seems to be widely accepted by women everywhere, but there is little to no research supporting its existence, according to theHuffington Post.

7. Periods are still taboo: It may not be so strange to talk about a period in the United States, but in some areas of the world and in some religions, women having their period are seen as “unclean.” Sometimes they are sent into isolation during their cycle, and sometimes these women are not allowed to perform regular household chores like cooking or cleaning.
8. Some women feel themselves ovulate: It’s not a myth! Some women really can feel the moment they ovulate. This is a result of the sudden rupture of the egg follicle which causes fluid to be released into the abdomen.
9. Sex probably won’t help menstrual cramps: Chances are at some point you were told sex can help relieve menstrual cramps, and there is some truth to that statement. An orgasm can provide some pain relief and pleasure, but just as many women find sex makes cramps worse. Sometimes sex can bump the cervix, increasing uterine spasms
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