Is it normal to have 7 days period?

Nita asks:
I am a 15-year old girl. My periods continue for 7 days and I bleed excessively during the first 3 days. Is it normal? Please advise.




A majority of healthy women have a cycle of 28 days and 3-7 days’ bleeding. Some even have a regular cycle of 21 days or as long as 35 days. As long as the cycle is normal, it should not cause worry.

In some women there is excessive loss of blood during the early days but mere prolongation of periods to 7 days and should be considered normal as long as they are regular. Unless the menstrual bleeding is extremely heavy and you are passing huge clots of blood and have the need to change your sanitary napkins every 2-3 hours, it's not abnormal. Teens normally have a heavy flow for the first 3-4 days and the  bleeding days extend up to 7 and in some girls even up to 8-9 days. But this eventually settles to 4-5 days over a period of time. So there is really no need to worry as such, at least in your case!

Normally when menstruation starts for girls, usually between the ages of 11-15, the cycles are more or less erratic. It may be 21 days for some teens or even as much as 2-3 months for some. Bleeding can also vary from light to heavy. In an year or so, it establishes a regular pattern of 24, 28, 30 or 32  days lasting from 5-7 days. Even after one and a half years, if a teen finds that there is no regularity in her period, then she should visit a gynaecologist.