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Menstruation and the menstrual cycle

amenorrhea

noun

a medical condition in which a woman who is not pregnant does not menstruate (=produce a flow of blood once a month)

amenorrhoea

noun

the British spelling of amenorrhea

biological clock

noun

a woman’s need to have children before she reaches a certain age and can no longer physically do so

the change of life

noun

the menopause

cramps

noun

pains that a woman sometimes gets during her period

the curse

noun

a woman’s period

menopause

noun

the time in a woman’s life when her periods stop and she is no longer capable of getting pregnant

menses

noun

the monthly flow of blood from a woman’s body. The usual word for this is period.

menstrual

adjective

relating to a woman’s periods

menstrual cycle

noun

the repeated process in which a woman’s womb prepares for pregnancy. It ends in a period if she does not get pregnant. The menstrual cycle usually lasts about a month.

menstruate

verb

if a woman menstruates, she has a flow of blood from her womb, usually once a month

menstruation

noun

the process of menstruating

miss

verb

if a woman misses her monthly period, it does not happen

napkin

noun

a sanitary pad

ovulate

verb

when a woman or female animal ovulates, she produces an egg in her body and can become pregnant

period

noun

the time about once a month when a woman who is not pregnant menstruates (=loses blood)

PMS

noun

premenstrual syndrome: the pain and unpleasant feelings some women have just before their period every month

postmenopausal

adjective

relating to the time of a woman’s life after the menopause

premenstrual

adjective

happening in the days before a woman’s monthly period

premenstrual syndrome

noun

pms

sanitary pad

noun

a thick band of soft material that women attach to the inside of their underwear during menstruation

spotting

noun

the loss of blood from a woman’s womb between her normal monthly periods

Tampax

a type of tampon

tampon

noun

an object that a woman puts inside her vagina to collect the blood during her period (=monthly flow of blood)

menopausal

adjective

time of the month

the time when a woman has her period

vocal fry

a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence

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conflict mineral

a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons

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