Living in Sync with Your Cycle

In my previous post we learnt about the four phases in our cycle and how to use BBT, & CM to track these phases. If you have no idea what I’m talking about I recommend you go read that post first.

Okay, so you know how to track your cycle, and you know when you’re in each of the different phases of your cycle, but— what does each phase mean? and how do you adjust your life accordingly?

Menstrual Phase

This is the beginning of your cycle, with Day 1 being counted as the first day of full bleeding, not first sign of spotting. It we compare your cycle to seasons, the menstrual phase is WINTER.

To optimise this YIN time, I recommend turning inwards by turning off social media, if you can allow yourself plenty of time to rest. If you’re tired sleep.

In Chinese Medicine a healthy period is one that arrives with and leaves with ease. There should be no spotting prior to it’s arrival, no clots, the blood a fresh red colour, and no pain/cramping. Now, I know this isn’t very common- but you need to know if you do have a less than ideal period it could be a sign of a hormone imbalance or another underlying issue. I recommend seeking help from a qualified women’s health professional to get you back on track. While it may not seem important now, it can take months to balance hormones and alot of the women I see in clinic don’t have months when they want to conceive NOW. Also, conception or baby making isn’t the only reason you want balanced hormones. Your period is considered your fifth vital sign as a woman. You want a healthy, happy period so you can live life to its fullest! Living in flow with your hormones means you’re able to adjust and hack your body to work to its best potential.

Be sure to rest during your menstrual phase for you will be rewarded with more energy during your follicular and luteal phase.

What’s happening with your hormones? A slight rise in FSH stimulates your ovaries to start preparing the egg. Other hormones such as progesterone, oestrogen, & LH are at their lowest as your body sheds the lining of the uterus, called endometrium. Many women find their energy levels are also at their lowest during this time too.

Exercise: Gentle low body impact exercise is ideal if you’re up to it. Movement as simple as a walk around the block will help with overall blood flow around your body and to your uterus. This may help ease any light cramping too. Rest overall is key. Other gentle activities may include yin yoga & restorative yoga. If you do have energy for more intense exercise, don’t hold back, lower oestrogen levels during this phase mean you’re less prone to injuries!

Libido & Sex: You might notice your libido fluctuate throughout your cycle with not much awareness for what or why it is happening (this is why tracking your cycle is awesome!). During your menstrual phases sex or no sex is totally up to you! It depends on what you feel like. A lot of women report orgasms can relieve cramps, but if you’re not up to penetrative sex don’t force it. There is more than one way to come. ;)

Diet: Eat nourishing foods that are easy to digest. Think warm, simple foods such as congee, & soup. It might be ideal to increase iron intake to help replenish blood stores.

Follicular Phase

Following bleeding, you enter your follicular phase of your cycle, SPRING time. Your energy is starting to awake again following winter, and you might find yourself wanting to get out more and socialise the closer it gets to ovulation.

To optimise this time I recommend finding balance between work & play, embracing nature, and reconnecting to hobbies that make your soul happy.

Cervical Mucus (CM): varies from person to person, so is important to figure out what is normal for you. Generally, it is common to have a few dry days following menstruation before your CM becomes more watery & slippery the closer it gets to ovulation. It may also be thick, creamy, lumpy, sticky, or tough.

What’s happening with your hormones? FSH continues to gradually rise to help an egg mature in the ovary and then drops right before ovulation. Oestrogen levels also rise and your developing follicles release an important type of oestrogen called estradiol which is your happy hormone (Briden 2017). It stimulates mood and libido as it boosts the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine (Briden 2017).

Exercise: You might feel more open to trying high intensity exercises and new movement you haven’t explored before. Options such as dancing and cardio are a great way to mix up your usual routine and find movement you enjoy! High oestrogen levels have been linked to a reduced muscle stretch reflex and more pliable hamstring muscles making women more vulnerable to knee injuries as muscles absorb less force from the joints. To counteract this, be sure to always listen to your body and warm up properly before movement and stretch following.

Libido/Sex: Your libido is naturally on the rise as your oestrogen continues to build.

Diet: Incorporating more oestrogen metabolising foods such as dark leafy greens, broccoli will help your body’s excretion pathways. Looking after your liver is key, so much so I’ve written a whole blog post about that.

Ovulation Phase

Woohoo! Welcome to SUMMER! This is the part of your cycle where you will feel most energetic, most social, and have tonnes of energy for getting out and doing alll of the things. If you’re finding yourself irritable during this time that can be a sign of liver qi stagnation or underlying hormone imbalance. Consult your Chinese medicine practitioner for more details.

One sided lower abdominal pain can occur and is called mittelschmerz. This pain can be dull, or cramp-like on ovulation and can last a few minutes, to an hour, or even a day or two. While not too concerning this can also be a sign of Liver qi stagnation in Chinese medicine.

Cervical Mucus: As you get closer to ovulation, your oestrogen levels rise producing a higher quality mucus that can look clear, translucent, or transparent. Sometimes it might have a few streaks of yellow or white. The CM can also become more stretchy, and feels slippery and lubricative. This is why it is often compared to egg white. Sometimes, CM becomes so liquid it runs like water and can no longer be seen. When this happens your vaginal opening will feel distinctly wet.

What’s happening with your hormones? This is the time in your cycle when oestrogen, FSH, and LH are all peaking! Oestrogen helps thicken your endometrium and produce fertile cervical mucus as explained above. FSH helps the follicle to mature in the ovary, and the dominant follicle swells, and then when triggered by LH, it ruptures releasing its egg! The release of the egg is called ovulation.

Exercise: Take advantage of all this extra energy and choose workouts that make you sweat! Bonus points if they’re group workouts as you’re likely to feel like socialising at the same time. High intensity interval training (HIIT), spin classes, jog/walk, vinyasa yoga and swimming classes are all excellent choices during this phase.

Libido/Sex: Oh Mama! If all your hormones are in balance they’re geared for baby making. You’re likely to feel more in the mood and more experimental during this phase in your cycle. If you’re Trying To Avoid pregnancy (TTA) this is the time in your cycle to use protection and perhaps experiment with non-penetrative sex. I recommend contacting a Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) educator to learn all about how to avoid pregnancy correctly. If you’re Trying To Conceive (TTC) this is the time you’re most fertile!

Diet: No big dietary changes needed here. Consistency and variety is key. I’ve written another blog post all about eating for hormonal health.

Luteal Phase

Ahh, alas summer is over and we’ve entered Autumn. A healthy luteal phase is ideally 14 days long, and contrary to popular belief your period is never late, your ovulation is usually the one that holds up your period as it’s easily affected by stress. Delayed ovulation = delayed period.

Cervical Mucus: Following ovulation cervical mucus declines as progesterone becomes the dominant hormone. It often becomes opaque and lumpy again, loses its elasticity, and might disappear completely leaving your vaginal opening feeling dry.

What’s Happening with your Hormones? After ovulation the emptied follicle restructures itself into a progesterone-secreting gland called the corpus luteum. Your corpus luteum forms rapidly, from virtually nothing to a fully vascularised 4 cm structure in one day (Briden 2017). It’s the final stage of your follicle’s 100 day journey. The health of your corpus luteum is affected by everything that affects your follicles during all of the 100 days. The best thing about this structure, and the whole reason we need to cycle naturally, is its the only way our body gets progesterone. It’s an amazingly beneficial hormone that’s biggest job is to hold and nourish a pregnancy- but its functions aren’t limited there. Progesterone’s benefits include reducing inflammation in the body, building muscle, promoting sleep, protecting against heart disease, and my favourite, calming the nervous system and making it easier to cope with stress (Briden 2017).

Progesterone calms the nervous system as it converts to a neurosteroid called allopregnanolone (ALLO).

Progesterone has a stimulating effect on your thyroid and this is how it raises you basal body temperature in your luteal phase.

Also, synthetic progestins such as those found in hormonal birth control are not the same as progesterone. On a molecular level levonorgestrel, a progestin found in hormonal birth control such as the Mirena IUD, and the morning after pill, is actually more similar to testosterone than progesterone. While they may has similar affects to progesterone, many have the opposite affects. For example, progesterone improves brain health and cognition, while progestins have been linked to anxiety and depression (Briden 2017).

Exercise: It’s common to have high levels of energy in the first part of this phase, although in the second part of your luteal phase it’s more likely you feel a little tired. Give yourself permission to back off the week before your period. Gentle exercises such as yoga, walking, and dancing may be more what you feel like doing. Focus on opening up and stretching your hips and legs. Above all, listen to your body and don’t berate yourself if you’re not up to that F45 class you signed up for when you were ovulating.

Libido/Sex: You may notice a dip in your libido the closer it gets to when your period is due. It’s also likely with a less lubricated vagina that you’re not in the mood as easily. Take it slow, enjoy foreplay. You may find it harder to climax during this phase, but it makes it the perfect time to get creative.

Diet: It’s quite normal to experience an increased appetite during this time in your cycle. It’s also a great time to start increasing foods that are naturally high in magnesium such as pumpkin seeds, spinach, almonds, and cashews. Especially if you find yourself craving chocolate. A really good magnesium supplement may also be supportive for your body if you get menstrual cramps. one that include vitamin B6 is also really good if you find yourself irritable. As always check with your doctor or women’s health professional to see if it’s appropriate for you.

So there you have it!

A comprehensive blogpost to help you understand your monthly cycle. Let me know if you’ve notice any of these natural ebs and flows in your cycle, and if you have any questions or topics you would like me to explore in future blog posts.

Reference List:

https://dukeintegrativemedicine.org/DHWBlog/workout-flow-ladies-syncing-exercise-cycle/

Briden, L., 2017. Period Repair Manual. 2nd ed.