Flo with it: Understanding your menstrual cycle for peak confidence and vitality

Did you know that the menstrual cycle can be enlightening when it comes to health status? Regular periods, painful periods, missed periods, premenstrual symptoms - every symptom and stage can shed light on what’s going on beneath the surface, exposing potential health issues and revealing so much about female health.

Whilst the most obvious signal of the cycle is menstruation, there is a range of hormonal activities going on at every stage, which has an effect on our brain, energy levels, metabolism, stress response, our microbiome and even the immune system. Your cycle is a vital sign of your health; symptoms need to be taken as seriously as a fever. Left unchecked, it can increase the risk of developing the four biggest diseases of inflammation post-menopausally.

During the cycle, eggs are grown and released, the uterine lining thickens, hormones are released and there are physical, mental and emotional effects. Knowing the different phases of the cycle and what occurs during each is an important part of being able to support vibrant health.

Many women still experience negative cycle symptoms, but what if these could be a thing of the past? Imagine feeling vibrant and aligned at every stage. When your hormones work for you rather than against you, you can show up as your true self more consistently throughout the month. The benefits of tuning into each stage can help your: improve your stress response, PMS symptoms, protect your mood, protect your fertility, increase your energy and improve your weight.

There are 4 phases we should be aware of and you can correspond each of these to the different phases of the seasons: Follicular - Spring, Ovulatory - Summer, Luteal - Autumn, and Menstruation - winter.

Follicular

The time in the menstrual cycle when the ovaries are preparing to release and ripen an egg. This stage begins on the first day of menstruation and ends the day before ovulation.

At the beginning of the follicular phase, oestrogen and testosterone levels are typically low but gradually ramp up. During this time, you can experience a boost in energy, mood and brain skills. You may start to feel more confident, powerful and willing to take more risks. Testosterone stimulates the libido while also making you feel a bit bolder. Oestrogen will make your skin look and feel better, make you more extroverted and push you to be more sociable and connect with others.

At this time, oestrogen also suppresses appetite, making you feel lighter and less weighed down. You actually need less calories at this time so roll with lighter foods. This part of the cycle is an excellent time for planning, doing strength training, cardio or going for that extra long run.

A huge proportion of women suffer from oestrogen overload, some signs to look out for here are:

• Heavy bleeding

• Irregular periods

• Breast tenderness or cysts

• PMS

• Brain Fog

• Menstrual Migraines

• Moodiness or frequent meltdowns

• Skin changes

• Increased tiredness or low energy levels

Focus on consuming more raw, sprouted, fermented, plant based foods due to the rise of oestrogen in the body. We need to super charge the gut and the liver with micro nutrients and fibre that the body needs to metabolise oestrogen effectively

The ovulatory phase

You are most fertile in this phase, a few days before ovulation.

This phase is short and is the stage where the egg is released from the ovary. It lasts 2 - 3 days. During this phase, there is a surge of LH which causes the dominant follicle to burst open and release an egg. Oestrogen and testosterone levels are at their peak during the ovulatory phase and you may feel at your most attractive during this time. This tends to be when your sex drive is at its highest.

This is a great time to approach an awkward or important conversation, network or partake in public speaking events.

Luteal Phase

The phase that occurs when the egg is not fertilised and the body begins to release it. This phase typically lasts 12 - 16 days. After ovulation, oestrogen and testosterone decline.

This phase is known as the Autumn phase and can be broken down into two halves. In the first half of this phase, women are still riding high of the ovulation phase but as progesterone production increases, they will find themselves starting to wind down. Progesterone is known as the ‘keep calm and carry on’ hormone. This is because it is a natural sleep aid and anxiety-reducing hormone. It helps to balance the effects of oestrogen which can sometimes lead to anxiety and mood swings when present in higher levels.

The second half of the luteal phase can be difficult for so many women, the ‘PMS’ phase. One reason why so many women have PMS is due to an underproduction of progesterone. It may be statistically normal to feel awful just before your period but it is not biologically normal. Period depression, anxiety, anger, breast tenderness, cramping, headaches, fluid retention, or bloating 5 - 10 days before your period can be a sign of an underlying hormonal imbalance, typically high oestrogen, low progesterone or low thyroid function.

Practices that help cope with the luteal phase: massage and baths. nourishing and healthy comfort foods that won’t disrupt blood sugar levels. Yin Yoga, getting an early night. When you exercise, focus on long walks, swimming, strength training, less high-intensity exercises. ‘Get things done’ in this phase, planning and organisation is good to focus on.

In this phase, it is important to increase your caloric input by about 250 calories per day. You are building an organ, and without sufficient caloric input, you will have an increased risk of unstable blood sugar levels and increased cortisol (stress hormone). At this point, we want to keep cortisol levels low so the body can focus on producing progesterone and not deal with breaking down cortisol.

The menstrual phase

Also known as the winter phase, this is when the uterine lining sheds, due to a sudden drop in progesterone levels. Energy is at its lowest during this part of your cycle, adopting some key lifestyle adjustments in this time can help you biohack this phase. Here is when your intuition is at its strongest as the left and right side of your brain are communicating at optimum levels.

This is a restorative time and a good time to practice journalling and goal setting. Plan some down time, trust your intuition and get some love!

The benefits of Tracking your menstrual cycle goes far beyond fertility and conception. irregularities can signify a whole host of hormonal imbalances and issues. Working with a health coach can help you pin point where your cycle is off and together you can work on dietary and lifestyle interventions to help get it, and you back on track.