Haven’t you ever felt that your periods are having their own roller coaster time during their flow? Some days you just feel like your flow is normal and one fine day your flow stops. You feel relieved that maybe your periods are ending earlier than usual and then your flow comes back to surprise you and hangs around for one more day. You’re not the only one who goes through this phase. A lot of us do. There’s nothing nefarious going on around here.

But why does it happen?

First of all, it’s okay if the flow of your period isn’t the same every day, or every time. We have gotten deeply trapped within the idea that there’s such a thing as a perfect period, when in fact, every period has its own rhythm and its own blips.

There are a few reasons for that pause, and they include the possibility that there’s a chunk of tissue blocking your cervix and it needs to pass before the flow can resume. Also, estrogen and progesterone levels change during your period, so the flow is going to be different throughout – steadier bleeding at the beginning and less so towards the end when estrogen levels start to elevate again.

It’s not that a change in your period never means anything is wrong – if your pause comes with pain, or continues for more than a day and then comes back, or the bleeding that follows is super intense, you should see a doctor. That being said, be cautious of buying into the idea that the right kind of period, the period “everyone” has, is a flawless 28-day cycle. In order to actually evaluate what’s going on with your period you need to understand what’s normal for you, take ownership of your cycle, instead of comparing your period to everyone else’s.

It’s especially important to keep track of your mood since clinicians can discern a lot about what’s happening in your body based on that. The same is true about your period, by the way. Try to figure out and note down what your periods are like, how is your flow pattern, etc.

It’s not only important to look closely at your cycle so you can tell if something is wrong, but so you aren’t constantly thinking that something is. We know that stress and anxiety can impact how your period acts, and understanding that something is normal and natural as opposed to potentially pathological can help keep you out of that anxiety spiral.

It’s very important that you know what’s going on with your body. Why do things happen the way they do. Reaching out to close friends and family is the best way to start learning more about your body and what’s best for it. But take ownership. You’re your own body’s master.