What Exactly Is the Menstrual Cycle and Why Should I Care?

There was a time in the not too distant past when I viewed my period like many humans in the world who have a uterus: as a painful burden that brought acne, bloating, rage in my veins and an overwhelming craving for Cheez Its AND Ben & Jerry’s. I was told by physicians that it was okay that I didn’t bleed while on certain birth control. No one sat me down and told me that there are actually reasons we cycle every month that don’t pertain to reproducing more humans.  Nobody explained that the fluctuations of our sex hormones throughout the menstrual cycle have an affect on our energy, libido, skin, emotional wellbeing, anxiety, metabolism, focus, productivity. Basically every aspect of our daily lives.

My understanding of my monthly bleeding was simplified down to two basic thoughts; Because of the anatomy I was born with, I was destined to endure a shameful, painful, dirty experience every month for at least three decades AND  I wasn’t pregnant.

Now after close to twenty years of feeling like a victim in my own body I have come to love and embrace my menstrual cycle. Not because I have light, barely-there bleeds with no pain at all and flowers bloom from my vaginal walls, but because I understand how my cycle affects me on a daily basis. It is my monthly report card. I can use the information my body is giving me in the form of pain, mood, energy, consistency of blood, skin condition, etc, to assess my daily decision making and its impact on my health.

• Were my cramps especially bad the week leading up to my period? I look at my diet. How much sugar did I consume in the previous month? Did I spend a few too many nights drinking margaritas?  

• If I realize that I ovulated late, I take a good hard look at my stress levels. I make a concerted effort to shift things around moving forward whether that is saying no to another commitment or cutting down on my caffeine intake .  

 This post is not to shame you for feeling disgust, hatred or indifference towards your menstrual cycle. This post is also not to make you feel as though you should add one more item to your list of things that make you ‘imperfect’ because what I describe below is not your current reality and never has been.  I am writing this post to share information that we should have learned years ago. ALL sexes. Maybe then something as natural and essential for life as menstruation wouldn’t be so god damn taboo.

Below I will explain what a typical ‘healthy’ menstrual cycle should look like. That way you have a baseline.  From there, I invite you to start noticing your own cycle and how you feel throughout the month. Our bodies are giving us signals constantly on how they want to be treated. We just need to listen with curiosity instead of constant judgment.

Before we get started I want to mention hormonal birth control because many forms work by suppressing ovulation. If you are currently on the pill or some other form of hormonal BC, there is no shame in that. We can all agree that the pill revolutionized the role of women in our society. In addition, we all have goals and maybe yours is to avoid getting pregnant because you are in a heterosexual relationship. Yay for practicing your inherent right to do what you want with your own body! I am providing this information because you or a loved one has female reproductive organs and therefore deserve to have a basic understanding of how they work.

Let’s dive in!

 

There are four phases to the menstrual cycle: Menstruation (the bleeding part of the Follicular Phase), Follicular (the non-bleeding part of the Follicular phase), Ovulation and the Luteal phase.

The Menstrual Cycle encompasses ALL of these phases, not just Menstruation. A healthy menstrual cycle should last between 21-35 days and is defined as “healthy’ if you can confirm ovulation. How do we confirm ovulation you may ask?

 (1) Recording your basal body temperature every morning when you wake up, and noting an increase in body temperature (I’ll explain this later).

(2) Confirming that your cervix is soft, high, open and wide. Yes, your cervix moves throughout the cycle.

(3) Cervical fluid is a wet consistency, like egg whites, slippery, watery. Fertility regardless of whether you choose to use it or not, is a good indicator that you are healthy, so let’s celebrate cervical fluid!

Here’s a closer look at the 4 phases:

Menstruation (Lasts 3-7 days)

-Consistency and color of blood matter! Your period should be the color of cranberry juice and the consistency of maple syrup.

-What if you have clots larger than a dime? You may have excess estrogen due to a myriad of different factors: environmental toxins like the use of plastics or pesticides in our food, in addition to hormonal birth control, makeup and skin care products.

-Your key sex hormones (Estrogen, Testosterone and Progesterone) are at their lowest, which can cause you to feel tired or low energy. If your schedule allows, take some time to rest. Perhaps a quiet night in, watching Amy Schumer’s new Netflix special Growing. She talks a lot about periods. It’s hysterical and refreshing.

-Your cervix is at its lowest and feels like the tip of your nose.

-Little tip: If you are experiencing pain or feeling particularly blue, having an orgasm may help! When we have an orgasm a hormone called oxytocin is released. Studies have found this hormonal surge increases a sense of wellbeing which may be responsible for reducing pain sensitivity! And don’t fret if you’ve never had an orgasm before. Check out https://www.o.school/- ……... You’re welcome.

 Follicular Phase (Lasts 7-10 days)

-Energy will begin to increase thanks to the rise in Testosterone. Another by-product of higher testosterone in your system during this phase, confidence!

-The increase in estrogen has a direct impact on our mood. This is because estrogen supports the healthy production of serotonin. Serotonin improves our overall sense of emotional wellbeing in addition to improving our sleep. Yay!

- Cervical fluid will also start to shift from a drier consistency to a more wet, fertile consistency. See above for examples.

Ovulation (3-5 days)

- The mature follicle in one of your two ovaries bursts and releases an egg that travels into the corresponding fallopian tube. A temporary endocrine gland called the Corpus Luteum will grow on the follicle that released the egg. Yes, we are aliens. This endocrine gland is responsible for the progesterone surge that we will get for the remaining 10-16 days of our cycle. If we conceive, then the Corpus Luteum will continue to produce Progesterone until we give birth. If we do not conceive then the Corpus Luteum is absorbed back into our body and a new one will form in our next cycle during ovulation.

• Side note: we are fertile for up to a week. This is because sperm can live inside a woman’s body for around 5 days. Sperm is happiest in fertile cervical fluid because it can be sustained by the nutrients that are present in the fluid. The life span of the egg is around 12-24 hours.

-Progesterone is a heat inducing hormone meaning our basal body temperature is around .4 degrees warmer during the second half of our menstrual cycle.

 -The actual event of ovulation takes moments but the physiological effects of this event can last days.

-Our sex hormones are at their highest which can allow us to feel incredible: increased sex drive, improved mood, high energy. Take advantage. Go on a date, hang out with friends, try something new, network!

-Studies have shown that we have increased verbal skills during this time. Personally, I try to plan all my speaking engagements around the days leading up to ovulation.

 Luteal Phase (10-16 days)

-After ovulation estrogen and testosterone will slowly decline with a slight increase mid luteal phase. The predominant hormone in this half of our cycle is Progesterone.

-Progesterone is responsible for keeping us feeling calm and peaceful.

-For those of us that may feel anxious mid-way through this part of our cycle, it may be because we either did not ovulate and therefore did not produce Progesterone and receive its soothing effects. OR we did ovulate but due to stress or nutrient deficiencies we were unable to produce enough Progesterone to carry us through to menstruation. *There is a smaller percentage of people with periods who may suffer debilitating symptoms of anxiety & depression, diagnosed as Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) potentially due to the withdrawal from Progesterone.

-5-7 days out from menstruation we may begin to feel more withdrawn, tired and less social. This is NORMAL! If possible, make plans to do more low key activities: long walks, naps, yoga, bath or even just say “no” to one more social engagement. Your body and mind will thank you!

I would love to know more about your experience with your menstrual cycle. Is this similar to what you experience or does what I describe seem as elusive as a unicorn? Did anything in particular resonate with you?

Please also share what else you may want to learn more about. I am starting to create more content for my website and I would love to provide any information you may be seeking!