Sync With Your Cycle

From a young age, people who menstruate have been taught the basics. Once a month you bleed. You’re angry, emotional, your boobs can hurt, you have cravings, you may even shed a tear or two (or 267 if you’re like me) over period cramps and then after roughly 3-7 days, it’s all over. Now we wait 28 days for it to happen all again. Even though there is some truth to all of that, what we as a society have failed to do, is discuss the ways in which our cycles operate during the times that we are not physically bleeding. These are crucial parts of our lives that have a great impact on the ways our day-to-day activities function throughout the month. It’s time we started learning about how to sync with our cycles.

When discussing our menstrual cycles, we need to look at the 4 different phases that affect our bodies in different ways. Most commonly people who menstruate have been taught about Phase 1, our menstrual phase, but what about phase 2, 3 and 4? Let’s get into it. The 4 phases of a menstrual cycle are: the menstrual phase, the follicular phase, the ovulatory phase, and the luteal phase. Each of these phases have different amounts of time in which they can last, and also depend on the length of each person’s full cycle. For example, if someone had a cycle that was 32 days, each phase would last a bit longer than someone with a 28-day cycle.

Phases 1: The Menstrual Phase (also known as your period)

This phase can last between 3-7 days and is known to be our ‘inner winter’. As our hormones are at their lowest levels of our cycles during this phase, you can find yourself experiencing low and inward energy. As our bodies are using stored energy to shed the uterine lining from our bodies this can lead to things such a finding yourself increasingly tired, easily exhausted, and irritated. As our uterus sheds lining and contracts, you may experience digestive issues in this phases and the urgent toilet runs to do the notorious ‘period poops’. The key to this phase it to rest and nourish the same way you would in wintertime. Watch a couple of movies, read a nice book, have a hot bath, a put on your comfiest clothes.

Phase 2: The Follicular Phase

This phase can last anywhere from 7-10 days and is the phase in your cycle that is the most likely to vary with the time it lasts. We can consider this phase as our ‘inner spring’. As this phase occurs straight after your body has moved out of the menstrual phase but before you enter ovulation, your hormones will slowly begin to increase from their lowest point that was previously experienced, with estrogen being dominant during this time. You may feel a greater playful, creative, outward energy, with more motivation and vibrancy for things in your life as your happy hormones begin to increase. This phase is when you will experience the most energy in your cycle so it’s a great time to go on that hike you’ve been wanting to do or go with a friend to that dance class, she always talks about wanting to do together. This is also the phase in your cycle where intense exercising will be more enjoyable to complete as your body is able to absorb oxygen and recover from exercise better with endurance and pain tolerance at a high. During this time your immune system is able to fight off illness better so if your brother has a cold and you give him a hug, there isn’t much need to worry.

Phase 3: The Ovulatory Phase

This phase can last between 5-7 days and occurs during the few days before, during, and after ovulation (ovulation: when the egg is released from the ovary and is on its way to be fertilized by a sperm). This phase of our cycle can be considered as our ‘inner summer’ and is the point where estrogen and testosterone levels in our body peak. As our hormones are at their highest point you may find yourself wanting to be increasingly social, with a confident, outward, sensual energy being predominant. During this period of time, there is naturally an increase in blood flow to your genitals so you may experience yourself having a higher sex drive during this time and wanting to engage in sexual intercourse with a partner or partners during this phase (make sure you are always following safe sex methods to prevent an STI/pregnancy). You will find yourself being the most confident during this phase, your skin will glow, your hair will look shiny, and you also smell your best (thanks pheromones!). All of your senses are heightened by your increased hormones, so this is your best time to go out and be social. If you like going to restaurants, or clubs, hanging out with your friends, or going to museums and art galleries, now is the best time. As you are your most confident during this phase, this is also the best time to have meetings or do that presentation you’ve been putting off.

Phase 4: The Luteal Phase

This phase can last between 7-12 days and can be known as our ‘inner autumn’. As this phase occurs post ovulation, when the egg in our uterus hasn’t been fertilized, it is preparing itself to be removed from our body in the next period we get. There is an increase in experiencing pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) during this time and our stress hormone is naturally higher. This is the phase in which our bodies have a weakened immune system, so try to consume immune boosting vitamins or foods. There is an increase of progesterone in our bodies which can work to speed up a person’s metabolism and burns more energy, so we need to ensure we are eating enough and consuming nutrient rich meals to combat things such mood swings, irritability, and brain fog. As our bodies are progesterone dominant during this time and progesterone is known as the “chill pill hormone” you may feel less social and want to be home and more comfortable. You may experience wanting to declutter or reorganize and reevaluate and set new boundaries to essentially ‘prepare for winter’ which is right around the corner.

Well, there you have it. You now know the 4 cycles of your menstrual cycle and how they each affect your body. Getting a period tracking app such as “Flo” can help you track which phase of your cycle you are on by counting days. Use what you’ve learnt in this to leverage each phase and optimize your life through each week of the month. if you haven’t already, tell your friends about these phases, or send them this. After all, we all deserve to sync with our cycle. 

Written by Talystra Moses