Women’s Hormonal Cycle - The Menstrual Cycle
Women will go through numerous menstrual cycles throughout their lives - but sadly, not enough women actually receive the proper education about the menstrual cycle. Some women even see their menstrual cycle as a burden that they have to live with - and some cultures even perceive menstruation as a curse.
The menstrual cycle is much more complex than “just” bleeding once a month - and it can be absolutely beautiful if women learn to live in tune with it. Therefore, it is important to get the proper knowledge of what the menstrual cycle is, its different phases, and how to honor it - ultimately learning how to use the various phases of the cycle to your advantage.
The Hormonal Cycle - Men vs. Women
Our body runs on a hormonal cycle, whether you are a man or a woman - but our cycle is not the same. Men go through an entire hormonal cycle in 24 hours and they are mainly influenced by the hormone testosteron. Therefore, men are better suited to do the same thing everyday such as going to work from 9-5, doing the same workout and so on. Much like what most of the society is doing today.
However, the women’s cycle is completely different. Women go through their hormonal cycle on an average of 28 days and they are mainly influenced by the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Therefore, women are not suited to do the same thing everyday, because their hormones will fluctuate a lot more in some phases of the cycle, and less in other phases of the cycle.
This is one of the first and most important things to understand when talking about hormones: to grasp why women do not thrive under the same circumstances as men - and why especially women struggle in today’s society.
The Menstrual Cycle
The menstrual cycle is divided into four seasons that is beautifully similar to the seasons we see in nature - coincidence?
Season one: The Menstrual Phase - Winter
The first season of the menstrual cycle is the menstrual phase, where the woman bleeds. This season starts on the first day of the menstruation and lasts on average 7 days.
Hormonally, this is actually where the woman are the least influenced by hormones, because both estrogen and progesteron almost flatlines. The woman’s body is shedding what could have been a pregnancy - this process is actually a naturally inflammatory process in the body.
Energetically, the woman’s energy is at its lowest. This is the time to go inwards and to be gentle with herself. It is the perfect time for idea thinking, sitting with herself and reflecting.
It is no coincidence that this phase is also referred to as the inner winter. During winter in nature, the leaves has fallen from the trees, animals are hibernating and it is cold outside - similarly the woman’s body temperature is at its lowest, because estrogen - which is a naturally warming hormone - is almost not at presence and the woman may want to go into her own form of hibernation.
Focus points for this phase:
Listen to your body and respects its needs for extra rest during this time. Enjoy low impact physical activities such as walking or yin yoga. Drink warming beverages and foods and try to add anti-inflammatory foods to your diet, to support your body in this naturally inflammatory process.
Season two: The Follicular Phase - Spring
Once the menstruation ends, the follicular phase begins. Also referred to as the inner spring, which like in nature, is the time where seeds are growing and birds are starting to sing again. It is the time to come out of hibernation.
Hormonally, both estrogen and progesteron will start to rise during the follicular phase. The body is starting to prepare for a potential pregnancy once again.
Energetically, the woman will feel a boost in her energy levels due to the rise in both estrogen and progesteron. The lifted energy levels may show up as a higher libido and an urge to do something about the ideas that may have been planted during winter.
Just like in nature during spring, where the days are looking brighter and animals are coming out of their hibernation - similarly, the woman will often experience a boost in her mood.
Focus points for this phase:
Enjoy the benefits of the rise in your energy levels - enjoy physical activities with higher impact such as vinyasa yoga, pilates and jogging. Focus on the ideas you planted during winter, and maybe you feel ready to take actions on them now that you have the energy for them.
Season three: The Ovulatory Phase - Summer
On average, the woman will ovulate halfway through her cycle. If her cycle is 28 days long, the ovulation will fall approximately on day 14 of her cycle. The day of ovulation is the day the ovulatory phase starts.
The ovulatory phase is a culmination of the hard work the body has done internally during the first half of the cycle. During ovulation, an egg gets released from its follicle in the ovary and will survive from 12-24 hours.
Hormonally, this is where estrogen peaks - your body is at its warmest, which actually can be measured and even be used as a natural prevention. The estrogen makes the mucus membrane in the woman’s vagina thick - which is crucial for a potential pregnancy to develop. Besides estrogen, the woman also gets a kick of testosteron - the main male hormone.
Energetically, this is where the woman will experience the highest levels of energy during the entire cycle. This is because of the peak of estrogen combined with the kick of testosteron, which together gives the woman more energy and a higher libido. Her high libido during this time is no coincidence, as it is during this time the woman is fertile and from a primal perspective, more likely to seek mating.
Focus points for this phase:
Use the high energy levels to your full advance - work on those ideas that you had during winter, that started to sprout during spring and now potentially will bloom during summer. This is the perfect time to have a full schedule, have plenty of dinner dates and maybe even a job interview, that requires your full attention and energy. Enjoy high impact physical activities such as HIIT, running and hot yoga. Take this energetic time to get things done, before the next phase of your cycle asks you to slow down again.
Season four: The Luteal Phase - Fall
The shift from the ovulatory phase to the luteal phase is the biggest shift in energy the woman will experience throughout her cycle. This is the phase that, on average, lasts a week until the menstruation begins again.
Hormonally, the levels of estrogen is falling drastically, while progesteron rises. Progesteron is stabilizing and slow - and is responsible of stabilizing the mucus membrane. This phase is where the woman is most influenced by hormones, as both estrogen and progesteron are present and can be fluctuating.
Energetically, the woman may feel a crash in her energy levels due to the crash in her estrogen levels. This might make her want to go from being extroverted during her ovulatory phase, to being introverted during the luteal phase.
This time is perfect to slowly start going inwards and start reflecting on what worked and did not work throughout the cycle. Just like in nature during fall, where the leaves are starting to shed and prepare for winter, the woman’s body is doing the same.
Focus points for this phase:
Due to the fluctuations in your hormones, you may easily experience feeling irritated. Therefore, this season is a perfect time to be with yourself and to minimize the plans in your calendar. Hopefully, you got a lot of things done during spring and especially summer, so that you can give your body time to rest during this time. Enjoy slow, low impact physical activities such as hatha yoga, yin yoga and walking. Focus on eating enough, as your metabolism is naturally higher during this time.
The Menstrual Cycle Takeaways
I truly hope you feel more informed about your cycle after reading this post. This is the first step towards understanding your hormones and your cycle. Once understanding this, you are hopefully ready to take actions to live more in tune with your cycle and thereby living more in tune with your body. Doing this can single-handedly improve your physical and mental wellbeing. There are numerous things you can do to support your body during each phase - but starting with the basics you’ve learned in this post will get you a long way.
