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More than half of the women who menstruate, tend to go through pain from period cramps for a day or two every month. During the menstrual cycle, the uterus contracts to remove its coating or lining. Hormone like substances, called prostaglandins, which are the cause for pain and aggravation, trigger the uterine muscle contractions. More elevated levels of prostaglandins are linked with more severe menstrual cramps.

While menstrual cramps, additionally called dysmenorrhea, are normally not an indication of a highly serious health condition, they can act as barriers in your daily lifestyle. To help with the pain, here are five things that may offer some relief. In case your period cramps appear to be extreme or you do not get help even after attempting some of these choices, check with your specialist for the required medication or treatment. Five ways to prevent severe menstrual cramps are:

1. Exercise: A regular walk or any sort of physical movement can relieve you from the abdomen and thigh pain. This discharges endorphins to balance the prostaglandins and diminish your cramps. Exercising a little three to four times each week is useful for the general strength of your body.
2. Apply a heating pad: Warmth unwinds the contracting muscles in your uterus, which is the reason for your pain. There are a number of over-the-counter warming pads and cushions, or electric, reusable heating bags.
3. Drink chamomile tea: Certain teas may calm menstrual cramps. Teas have been used traditionally and can offer relief from pain. Chamomile tea is one of the most effective teas among many others. It tends to increase the hippurate element in your body, which is a natural anti-inflammatory agent. Mitigating agents diminish the prostaglandin formation in the body, accordingly assisting in pain relief from menstrual cramps.
4. Improve your diet: Vitamin D is vital in decreasing menstrual cramps. Decreasing your fat intake and eating more vegetables as a part of your diet may ease the pain. Low-fat food and less carbs help your health by and large, even as they can have an obvious impact on menstrual issues. Swap less solid fats like the saturated fats found in junk food, for more healthy ones like unsaturated fats found in olive oil. Getting more dietary magnesium appears to relieve the pain as well. Magnesium directs better nerve and muscle functioning, among other crucial functions.
5. Massage with essential oils: Using certain sweet-smelling oils and massaging them can likewise soothe menstrual pain. Dilute lavender, clary sage, or marjoram to a three percent concentration in an unscented cream. The duration of pain can be lessened from two and a half to one day after self-massaging with these essential oils.

Most women stay confused with the time of their ovulation. Couples who are sexually healthy and are in their 20s and 30s and are not using any birth control measures have 20% chances of getting pregnant. It is interesting to know that you have a high chance of getting pregnant at the time of ovulation. It is a small window period that comes each month. It is the time when your ovary produces ovum or egg and the egg is open for fertilisation. Even if you are having sex two or three days before ovulation, there is a high possibility of fertilisation. After ovulation is over, the window period gets shut for the next cycle. It is the safe period. Though doctors say that it cannot be considered 100% safe to have unprotected sex during this period, the chances of getting pregnant are considerably lower.

When does ovulation actually start?
It should be remembered that ovulation takes place at the middle of your menstrual cycle. It usually occurs halfway through the cycle. Commonly, the average time period of a cycle is 28 days. But, in some cases, women may have cycles as long as 23 to 35 days.

How will you know that you are ovulating?

1. Check your calendar: It is a healthy habit to keep a menstrual calendar. You must maintain the dates for a few months. This will give you an idea as to when you actually ovulate.It is difficult to know the actual time of ovulation if you are having irregular periods.
2. Carefully listen to your body: It is a common thing that your body spontaneously sends a memo to you before ovulation starts. You get cramps or feel pain in the lower abdomen before ovulation starts. This pain is called mittelschmerz. It is a reminder of the coming periods.
3. Chart your body temperature: Well, you will need to keep a record of your basal body temperature. You can measure it after three to five hours of sleep. Your basal body temperature changes throughout the monthly ovulation cycle. Progesterone hormone is responsible for the increase in body temperature. In the first half of the month, the progesterone levels are low and hence the temperature remains low as compared to the second half of ovulation.
4. You can go for saliva test: Your saliva contains the estrogen hormone. Its level changes throughout the cycle. You can also use an ovulation detector kit to know the dates.
5. One can also track the timing when there is increase in vaginal discharge which starts just before the ovulation and is there for 24 to 48 hours. We can easily notice this as it is intermenstrual.

Vaginal bleeding is something that most women experience between their periods when they are not due for a menstrual cycle. It is considered as an abnormal occurrence when you bleed before you are expecting your menstrual period, or after you are done with your monthly cycle. It is usually characterised by bouts of spotting where a thick brown reddish discharge may be experienced. Also, this kind of bleeding is considered abnormal if it occurs during pregnancy or menopause.

Here are a few causes of abnormal vaginal bleeding:

-  Hormones: An imbalance in the hormones like the estrogen and progesterone can lead to abnormal vaginal bleeding. These are the hormones that help in regulation of the monthly menstrual cycles. An imbalance can occur due to side effects caused by birth control pills that may not suit the individual, a contraceptive patch, or even contraceptive implants and injections. Further, an intrauterine device may also be the cause for this kind of bleeding. The hormonal balance can also get affected due to internal ailments like a dysfunctional thyroid gland and ovaries.

-  Pregnancy and Delivery: Some amount of spotting is considered normal in the first trimester of one's pregnancy. Yet, severe bleeding and persistent spotting must be reported to the gynaecologist immediately. Women also bleed for a while after the delivery of the baby, in the post-partum period. This may also happen when an abortion takes place as the uterus may not have come back to its original size and due to remaining foetal tissues within. Complications during the pregnancy like an ectopic pregnancy or a miscarriage can also lead to such kind of bleeding. An ectopic pregnancy is one where the egg gets implanted in the fallopian tube instead of entering and implanting itself in the uterus.

-  Fibroids: Uterine fibroids are usually considered as non-malignant and non-cancerous growths within the uterus. These are common in many women who have gone through child birth. These fibroids can also cause some amount of bleeding and spotting.

-  Infections: When there is an infection in the reproductive organs like the ovaries and uterus of the patient, there may be some amount of bleeding. An infection in this area can also cause inflammation, which is one of the primary causes of abnormal bleeding. This can also occur due to a sexually transmitted disease or STD, as well as painful intercourse and sexual abuse which can lead to scarring as well.

-  Cancer: One of the least common causes includes cervical, ovarian and other forms of cancer. 
Stress and diabetes can also cause abnormal vaginal bleeding in rare cases. It is best to see a doctor as soon as such bleeding takes place.