Understanding Your Menstrual Cycle
For the next few weeks I am going to cover all-things period related, from what your cycle should look like, why ovulating is important, how to tell if you’re ovulating, how to address common period problems, and more. Today, let’s chat about a typical menstrual cycle so we have a reference point to come back to.
Fun fact: your menstrual cycle actually starts with your period, it doesn’t end with your period.
There are 2 phases, or 3 “events,” to your cycle, and the actual “period” itself kicks it off:
Follicular phase (pre-ovulation)
The first phase of your cycle starts with your first heavy day of bleeding (if you’re using a period tracking app, this is day one.. any spotting beforehand can be considered the end of your previous cycle). The follicular phase stretches from the start of your period until ovulation and tends to last anywhere from 7-23 days with an average length of about 15 days. This phase is where most variation in cycle length occurs, while the post-ovulatory phase stays fairly constant.
During the follicular phase, 6-8 ovarian follicles (where your eggs live) enter the last dash towards ovulation. FHS (follicle-stimulating hormone) tells those follicles to grow and start producing estrogen, especially important is estradiol which tells your uterine lining to thicken to prepare for pregnancy - if you do not become pregnant, this will be shed during your next period. Estradiol also stimulates cervical mucus which is important for conception and also as a tool for tracking your own ovulation (more on this come).
It’s important to note that follicles start maturing long before this point. It takes about 100 days for follicles to mature all the way to ovulation. This is why it can take months to see improvements in your period symptoms. When we take a closer look at the lifecycle of a follicle, and the menstrual cycle in particular, it’s clear why nutrition and lifestyle changes are important months before trying to conceive. 100 days is just shy of 3 months. We can’t expect to see changes from nutrition and lifestyle changes until at least that 3rd cycle after changes have been made. This work takes time.
Ovulation
This is the main event, lasting only 24 hours! Ovulating is such an important marker of hormonal health, and absolutely essential if you want to get pregnant. Ovulation happens when one (or sometimes two) of your follicles reach the “finish line,” trigger the release of luteinizing hormone (LH), and the follicle ruptures and releases the egg. Some women can actually feel a slight twinge or pain when this rupture happens! The egg is then swept up into your fallopian tubes, where it can be fertilized if sperm is present. After ovulation, you will either be pregnant, or get your period about 2 weeks later.
Even if you aren’t trying to get pregnant, ovulation is how you make the ever important progesterone! Progesterone is what helps you hold and nourish a pregnancy, but it also does so much more (more on this to come soon).
Luteal phase (post-ovulation)
This phase can last 10-16 days, but is usually very close to 14 days, and ends on the first day of your period. This is when your now-empty follicle becomes a temporary endocrine gland called the corpus luteum, which produces the ever-important progesterone.
This is the final phase of that 100 day journey for your follicles, and the health of your corpus luteum is based on your health at the beginning of that journey, not at the start of this specific cycle. I will cover this more in-depth in further articles, but if you are not producing enough progesterone, you are more likely to have a short luteal phase and spotting before your period. If you’re hoping to get pregnant, a short luteal phase is not ideal.
If you have ovulated, and made enough progesterone, then you should cycle smoothly into your period roughly 14 days after ovulation. This all adds up to a healthy menstrual cycle of about 21-35 days for adults. You’ve probably heard the average of 28 days, but that is just an average, by no means is it the rule. If you were to conceive, your corpus luteum would stick around for about 3 months until your placenta takes over.
So there you have it! Stay tuned for more on tracking your mensural cycle, troubleshooting your cycle, how to support your follicles on that 100 day journey to ovulation, and more!
Sources:
“Period Repair Manual” by Lara Briden DN
“The 5th Vital Sign” by Lisa Hendrickson-Jack
