Should Your Period Last More Than Seven Days?

There are many terms for the shedding of the uterus lining in female humans such as a period, catamenia, or the menses. The average period lasts between three to five days. However, like any continuous natural phenomenon, there is a degree of natural variation between results. Usually, the frequency of a continuous natural variable such as the length of a period is distributed normally around a peak that is the mean, median, and modal value. However, given that there is a cut off point of zero days, and that there are all sorts of other factors that might affect the length of the period, we might not expect a normal distribution curve for the graph of period length by frequency. As said before, the typical period lasts between three and five days. However there is a large amount of variability and it is not abnormal for a period to last anything between two days to one whole week. Of course, if someone has very regular cycles and all their periods seem to last exactly three days, then one abnormally long period of say a week may be more cause for concern. On the whole, the length that women experience menstrual bleeding does vary, and so the occasional outlying result should not be regarded as cause for concern.

There are many reasons why a woman might have an abnormally long period such as if they have taken a contraceptive pill, as this causes an imbalance in hormone levels. Diet, alcohol intake, and various other factors can change the behaviour of the menstrual cycles. For example, a study was conducted showing that even simply exposure to bright light in the mornings can alter the lengths of a cycle, and that moonlight does seem to have an effect on menstruation! Additionally, due to pheromones, women grouped together will tend to synchronise their cycles. With so many subtle and complex factors that can alter the length of a period, there is no exhaustive list of the causes for the length of a period to change, and chance variation does play a large part.

Having said that, if you experience a period lasting over nine days then it would be recommended that you see a doctor, as the lengthened period could be a symptom of internal damage. On the whole however, a period lasting seven days may easily just be due to chance, and unless this pattern continues, and beforehand long periods were a rare occurrence, there is probably nothing wrong. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstrual_cycle was the primary source for this, and provides more information on this topic.

Normal periods can last for 1-7 days. Condition of having menstrual bleeding for more than 7 days is called menorrhagia which is not good for health and  can be due to temporary hormonal imbalance, fibroids, polyps, endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, stress, anxiety, fatigue, overwork, and dysfunctional uterine bleeding which is bleeding without known reason.
So, you have to visit a doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Of periods last for more than 7-10 days then there are many causes of prolong periods. Some common causes are

1. Miscarriage
2. Change of birth control pills
3. Use of intrauterine device
4. Menopause
5. Uterine fibroids
6. Endometrial cancer
7. Side effects of some medicines
8. Pelvic inflammatory disease
9. Stress and anxiety
10. Thyroid and pituitary gland problems

It's unusual for a menstrual period to last more than five days. But every woman is different; some have periods for only three days, and some have periods for 5-6 days. With younger women who have just started having periods, they are often longer with a heavy menstrual flow; this is your body's way of getting used to menstruation. In their 20's through their 40's, women may have longer periods due to developing problems with their uterus, such as uterine fibroid cysts. Longer, heavier periods during these years could also indicate a miscarriage, nature's way of not allowing a "flawed" fetus to develop. Finally, women in their 40's are beginning "perimenonopause," the years before they actually go into real menopause. Perimenpause can cause irregularities in menstrual periods that are usually harmless. Women in their 50's enter menopause, during which periods can be very irregular both in length and in frequency.

If this is the first time this has happened, and is unusual for you, please make an appointment to see your doctor, especially if your period doesn't end within a day or two.

You should have given complete details of your problem especially about number of days of periods. Periods can last for 2-7 days. Prolong periods can be due to following reasons.

1. Stress/anxiety
2. Change of birth control pills
   
3. Hormonal imbalance
4. Miscarriage
5. Problems of thyroid and pituitary gland
6. Use of IUD
7. Miscarriage
8. Uterine fibroid
9. Uterine cancer
10. Pelvic inflammatory disease

You should get advice from your doctor.

You may have a polyp in the lining of the uterus you get rid of every month. Although this is totally benign some people require a d&c to help get rid of the lining and help it to grow back normally and this usually fixes the problem. It could also be a fibroid which is also benign. With that you usually have very heavy periods to with clots.  It could also be just hormonal changes. Call your md. Or ask health depart. To get on birth control pills for a couple months  to see if that  regulates things. You can always come of them later after you get straightened out

If you are on birth control it could be do to that. You should let your obgyn know, and he might have a solution. Also if you are taking your pills wrong this could be a result as well. In any case it is too long if it happens every time, check with your doctor

It is not normal but it can happen. You might even be starting early menopause. You need to make an appointment with your doctor. So he can put you on something to regulate your periods. I wont care when the day comes that I start missing my periods but I can barely handle the 5 days a month that I have it. Good luck.

It is not normal. Long periods occur around the menopause. The possible reason is hormonal imbalance. The other possible reason is fibroids. You must see the doctor for proper treatment.

A friend of mine had the same problem in basic training. She found out it was a curable std. I can't remember the name but like she said, you need to see a gyn soon.

Mine does this sometimes, I have uterine fibroids. Consult your dr.

Nope five days is average if you are bleeding longer you need to speak to your doctor about it as you make have some internal problems.
Although it is known that some women bleed for up to ten days.