menstruation

noun

men·​stru·​a·​tion ˌmen(t)-strü-ˈwā-shən How to pronounce menstruation (audio)
men-ˈstrā-
: a cyclical discharging of blood, secretions, and tissue debris from the uterus that recurs in nonpregnant breeding-age primate females at approximately monthly intervals and that is considered to represent a readjustment of the uterus to the nonpregnant state following proliferative changes accompanying the preceding ovulation

Examples of menstruation in a Sentence

a first menstruation can be somewhat scary for girls who are unprepared
Recent Examples on the Web Two of the more common menstruation disorders are PCOS and dysmenorrhea. Lauryn Higgins, Health, 17 Nov. 2023 Menstrual health startups are using red liquid in tampon advertisements to destigmatize menstruation and stand out in an industry controlled by blue liquid-using giants. Ellie Austin, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2023 Challenges such as inadequate access to safe water and sanitation make the situation worse, causing girls to frequently miss school for reasons like menstruation and the need to travel long distances to fetch safe water for their families. Keeley Teslik, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 Some people experience menstruation gingivitis as hormones rise and fall during the menstrual cycle. Sarah Bradley, Health, 15 Feb. 2024 While menstruation is experienced across the gender binary, the film itself specifically focuses on the historical and lived experiences of cis-women who menstruate. Kayla Bartsch, National Review, 4 Feb. 2024 Although many parties and women’s rights groups spoke out about period poverty ahead of Thailand’s 2023 election, there’s been little progress since, in part because of pervasive taboos around menstruation in the Buddhist-majority country. Jitsiree Thongnoi, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 Jan. 2024 The explicitly feminist outlook of recent books on menstruation and the organs involved helps make sense of these kinds of superficial contradictions. Laura Kolbe, The New York Review of Books, 18 Jan. 2024 According to American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), girls typically start their menstruation around 12 or 13 years. Jenn Barthole, Glamour, 17 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'menstruation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1686, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of menstruation was in 1686

Dictionary Entries Near menstruation

Cite this Entry

“Menstruation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/menstruation. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

menstruation

noun
men·​stru·​a·​tion ˌmen(t)-strə-ˈwā-shən How to pronounce menstruation (audio)
men-ˈstrā-shən
: a discharging of blood, secretions, and tissue debris from the uterus at periods of approximately one month in female primates of breeding age that are not pregnant

Medical Definition

menstruation

noun
men·​stru·​a·​tion ˌmen(t)-strə-ˈwā-shən, men-ˈstrā- How to pronounce menstruation (audio)
: a discharging of blood, secretions, and tissue debris from the uterus that recurs in nonpregnant human and other primate females of breeding age at approximately monthly intervals and that is considered to represent a readjustment of the uterus to the nonpregnant state following proliferative changes accompanying the preceding ovulation

More from Merriam-Webster on menstruation

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!