Cycle Variations
Your cycle begins with the 1st day of menstrual bleeding and ends the day before the next menstruation. Though the average length of a healthy menstrual cycle is about 28 days in length, only 30% of women regularly experience a cycle of that length.
Healthy menstrual cycles may vary in length from 1 to 8 days between individual cycles. Cycle length tends to vary when a woman is ill or under unusual stress.
The menstrual cycle is divided into two phases. Ovulation is the dividing point of those phases. From menstruation to ovulation is the pre ovulatory phase. From the day after ovulation until the day before the next menstruation is the post ovulatory phase.
The preovulatory phase of the cycle is variable. You cannot predict the exact time of ovulation, though the presence of mucus indicates that ovulation is near. In the preovulatory phase you will experience menstruation for about 3 to 7 days. The number of dry days before ovulation will depend upon how early or late ovulation will occur in that cycle. Several days prior to ovulation a cervical mucus discharge is noticed.
If you have a short cycle (21-26 days) you may notice mucus on the light and very light days as menstruation is ending, or within a day or two following the end of menstruation.
If you have moderate length cycles (27-35 days) you may experience several dry days before cervical mucus is noticed.
If you have a long cycle (36-60 days) you may experience many dry days or episodes of cervical mucus before ovulation occurs.
Whether you experience a 21, 35, or 60 day cycle your
postovulatory phase is stable. For example if your postovulatory phase is 13 days it would be 13 days whether as part of a 35 or 60 day cycle. The postovulatory phase remains stable from cycle to cycle in healthy cycles. A healthy post-ovulatory phase lasts 12 to 16 days.
