menses

American  

[men-seez] / ˈmɛn siz /

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

1. the periodic flow of blood and mucosal tissue from the uterus; menstrual flow.

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menses British  

/ ˈmɛnsiːz /

noun

1. another name for menstruation

2. the period of time, usually from three to five days, during which menstruation occurs

3. the matter discharged during menstruation

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menses Scientific  

/ mĕn′sēz /

1. See menstruation

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Etymology

Origin of menses

1590–1600; < Latin mēnsēs, plural of mēnsis month

Example Sentences

"Discrepancies in the incidence of who gets migraine attacks associated with menses is likely due to premenopausal women having more regular menstrual cycles and thus more menstrual-related migraines," says Ailani.

From Science Daily • Apr. 12, 2024

Just like the reason she started taking birth control: to help mitigate severe cramps and heavy bleeding that accompanied her menses.

From Washington Post • Jun. 10, 2022

But restoring the menses before quickening was neither immoral or illegal.

From Slate • Jun. 1, 2022

A doctor researching mifepristone in the 1980s said the drug would prove useful “as a menses inducer for women who are late with their periods.”

From Slate • May 13, 2022

The medicine he also prescribed in fevers and headache, and he thought it "hath done wonders" in obstinate suppressions of the menses.

From Medical Investigation in Seventeenth Century England Papers Read at a Clark Library Seminar, October 14, 1967 by Bodemer, Charles W.