This blog post is going to give you the basic information you need to understand your menstrual cycle and ultimately your fertility. This information is something I believe we should have been taught in school but the only thing we learnt was that boys have wet dreams and then we got sat in front of a tv with a very hairy lady giving birth in a hospital. Was it informative for women? Not really.
What we should have been told firstly is that our hormones are ever changing, both men and women (yes that’s right, men too). I’m sure by now you have heard of the 4 cycle phases that dominate your month and dictate how you feel. Now these are only relevant if you are not on oral contraceptives as the OCP shuts off your natural hormones and you do not have a naturally occurring cycle.
During this post I will also be discussing which specific hormones are involved in each phase and why.
The menstrual phase
The first day of your cycle (day 1) is the first day of your bleed/menstruation, so when us naturopaths ask when did your cycle start this month? This is what we are referring to, the first day of your bleed. Why do we bleed? This is your uterine lining (endometrium) shedding (how fun) after implantation of the egg did not occur, essentially after your body has realised you are not pregnant. During this phase both oestrogen & progesterone are low and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) begins to rise to stimulate follicles for the new cycle. This phase typically lasts between 3 to 7 days, anything shorter or longer needs to be investigated.
The follicular phase
The follicular phase technically starts at the start of the new cycle also (confusing I know) but we typically state that it starts after your bleed (even though that is not technically true we will just keep it simple). During this phase your follicle stimulating hormone is stimulating follicles, these follicles are immature eggs and only one will be chosen for ovulation. Oestrogen begins to steadily rise here, while FSH begins to decline. This is typically the part in your cycle when you feel the most energised and mentally clear with a boost in motivation, thanks to oestrogen, rising oestrogen levels also stimulate dopamine production in the brain, thank you confidence.
The ovulation phase
Let’s talk about ovulation, this is when oestrogen peaks and luteinizing hormone rises sharply to trigger the release of the egg. So many women do not know that you only ovulate for 12 to 24 hours in total! But that does not mean you can only fall pregnant within those 12 to 24 hours, I repeat DOES NOT. Under ideal conditions sperm can stay alive inside a female for up to 5 days. These ideal conditions include fertile cervical mucous (think sticky egg whites) and a pH no higher than 4.5. So please be mindful of this. Unlike basic regular sex education where they tell you that you can ALWAYS fall pregnant (that’s a lie) I am telling you that you have a total of 6 fertile days out of the month. Knowing when this fertile window is for you is wonderful for both trying to conceive and contraception.
The luteal phase
Now moving on to the luteal phase, the dreaded luteal phase, this is the one most women actually know about because they tend to feel it. The luteal phase symptoms of digestive discomfort such as bloating, constipation, exhaustion, cramping, spotting, mood fluctuations. We have traditionally been told this is just what happens in the lead up to our period yet these symptoms are not what our body is trying to do. They are a bi-product of gut imbalances, liver dysfunction and hormonal imbalances. During this phase progesterone starts to rise and oestrogen declines. Your basal body temperature rises directly after ovulation between 0.4 to 0.6 degrees celsius. This will stay elevated until the end of the luteal phase. If there are imbalances between the gut, the liver and your hormones these ‘PMS’ symptoms will make an appearance, an example if oestrogen levels stay high then sore breasts, bloating and irritability can occur.
All of these carefully timed and perfectly curated hormonal shifts have an interrelationship between other actions in the body and these also fluctuate alongside the reproductive hormones, actions such as insulin sensitivity, cortisol and immune modulation. Please cut yourself some slack when you are riding the hormonal waves, there is a lot happening in your body, lean into how you are feeling and try to give yourself some self care.
