What are menses?

  • (noun): The monthly discharge of blood from the uterus of nonpregnant women from puberty to menopause.
    Example: "A woman does not take the gout unless her menses be stopped"--Hippocrates
    Synonyms: menstruation, menstruum, catamenia, period, flow

Some articles on menses:

Premenstrual Syndrome - Diagnosis
... system must be excluded, including dysmenorrhea (pain during menses, rather than before it), endometriosis, perimenopause, and adverse effects produced by oral contraceptive pills ... the six-day interval before the onset of menses ... (emotional) and somatic (physical) symptoms during the five days before menses in each of three consecutive cycles, and must not be present during the pre-ovulatory part of the cycle (days 4 through 13) ...
PMS - Diagnosis
... aspects of the female reproductive system must be excluded, including dysmenorrhea (pain during menses, rather than before it), endometriosis ... from cycle days 5 to 10 to the six-day interval before the onset of menses ... symptoms during the five days before menses in each of three consecutive cycles, and must not be present during the pre-ovulatory part of the cycle (days 4 through 13) ...