The Menstrual Cycle 101
In a recent poll on my Instagram, I asked what content people would enjoy learning more about: women’s cycle health, meal planning, wifehood, or diet culture. The results surprised me: most people selected women’s cycle health. But then, I thought about it.
Why do people want to learn more about women’s cycle health?
Because it isn’t taught.
Most of us receive a rudimentary explanation about the menstrual cycle either from our mothers or from our sex ed class in middle school. If your experience was anything like mine, I lived my teen years knowing very little about my cycle. As a 12-year-old, I did know a few basic facts about my period: It’s an annoyance of womanhood and everyone complains about it. The monthly bleed equals fertility. It hurts and turns normally nice women into the Hulk, but that’s normal.
Little did I know that not only are these facts rudimentary, but they are also false.
It’s Annoying: Periods should not be complained about. God has given women the gift of periods, as monthly report cards of our overall health!
A Bleed Equals Fertility: This in fact is only partially true. It is possible to menstruate without ovulating (more on that shortly).
It’s Normal to Turn into the Hulk: While it is quite common for women to transform into emotional disasters the week prior to menstruation, it is not normal.
So, over the past few years, I have been on a journey to learn the truth about menstrual cycles—and what I have learned has dramatically benefited my health.
If you are new to female health education, or you need a refresher, this is the article for you. After looking at the most common female hormones, I will then walk through the menstrual cycle and explain each step of the process. My hope is that this explanation will help you to understand that your cycle was designed by a perfect Creator and that it is so much more than cramps and a five-day bleed.
Without a good explanation of the menstrual cycle, we cannot understand women’s health. So let’s dive in!
What IS a Menstrual Cycle Anyway?
Though the name is misleading, our menstrual cycles do not actually revolve around a monthly period. Ovulation, a 12-24 hour event, is the star of the show, the main event of our cycles.[2] Thus, whether your cycle is 25 days or 35 days, the end goal is the same: ovulate for a potential pregnancy. Regardless if your goal is conception or not, your menstrual cycle is always working towards the end of creating life.
The easiest way to understand the menstrual cycle is the think of it in two phases: the pre-ovulatory phase (follicular) and the post-ovulatory phase (luteal).
The Cycle for Dummies: How Does it Work?
Now that we know what a cycle is, that naturally leads to the next question: how does it work?[3]
Day one of your cycle is marked by the start of your period. After your period ends, the pituitary gland messages your ovaries: time to start over! Time to prep for ovulation again! The pituitary gland deploys FSH to develop the ovarian follicles. Though the ovaries have thousands of follicles containing eggs, only a handful are chosen to grow each month. These growing follicles produce estrogen in the follicular phase. Ultimately, only one will mature, rupture, and release an egg. As the time for ovulation draws near, the pituitary gland deploys LH. The arrival of LH causes a surge, triggers ovulation, and ruptures the mature follicle. After ovulation, this chosen follicle is transformed into the corpus luteum, which will produce progesterone throughout the luteal phase.
Now, this story can end one of two ways: if an egg is fertilized, then implantation occurs and the corpus luteum supports the embryo until the placenta takes over. But, if pregnancy does not occur, then the corpus luteum will disintegrate, progesterone will drop off, and menstruation will begin.
4 Common Female Hormones
Now that we understand the mechanics of the cycle, it’s time to get to learn more about the most common female hormones. The following four hormones are the key actors in your menstrual cycle. The show cannot go on without them. This section is largely based on a section from Toni Wescheler’s book Taking Charge of Your Fertility, which I highly recommend if you would like a deeper dive.[1]
1. Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
FSH, which lives in the Pituitary Gland, takes charge of developing follicles at the beginning of the cycle. Right after the period ends, FSH blows it’s whistle and the troops spring into action: about 12 follicles begin the journey of maturation. But only one follicle will be chosen for the task of ovulation.
2. Luteinizing Hormone (LH)
After menstruation, LH, also from the Pituitary Gland, joins the ranks with FSH. LH surges, triggering the mature follicle to rupture, which causes ovulation 12-24 hours later. Then, LH gets to work creating the Corpus Luteum out of the remains of the ruptured follicle.
3. Estrogen
Often associated as “the women hormone,” estrogen is emitted from the developing follicles in the pre-ovulatory phase. During the first half of the cycle, estrogen helps the eggs mature, strengthens the uterine lining, and aids in the production of cervical mucus (CM).
4. Progesterone
The corpus luteum creates progesterone after ovulation occurs. This hormone is essential for a pregnancy to occur: progesterone is the grounds crew for the endometrium, maintaining it for a potential pregnancy. If pregnancy does not occur, then the corpus luteum disintegrates, progesterone drops, and menstruation begins.
If Ovulation is the Superstar, Then What is My Period?
Menstruation is the body’s way of hitting the “reset button” when pregnancy is not achieved. After the corpus luteum disintegrates, the blood vessels in the uterus constrict, washing the uterine lining away through a menstrual flow. Your body is detoxing, getting rid of the un-needed developed endometrium to prepare for a new cycle.[4]
What to Expect in Your Cycle
Menstruation
For most women, the average cycle lasts 3-7 days, with days 1-3 being the heaviest.[5] Slight discomfort is okay. Your cervix is contracting after all, to shed your endometrium lining! But if you find yourself popping painkillers to make it through your period or find that your life stops for 3 days out of every month, that is not normal.[6] Realize that an excruciating period is a failing grade in your monthly report card—something is off in your body and needs attention.
Follicular Phase
In the estrogen dominant phase, the follicles produce CM, which is the white/sticky or clear/stretchy fluid that you may have noticed. This is your body’s way of communicating that ovulation is near! Most ladies produce CM in the 2-7 days prior to ovulation.[7] During this phase, you will likely find that you have the most energy. You may be able to stay up later, fast longer, get in better workouts, and have higher energy throughout the day. You will also likely feel the most comfortable in your body image. After all, your body is preparing for ovulation, so feelings of confidence make perfect sense.
Ovulation
This is a 12-24 hour event. You may have feel slight cramping as the follicle ruptures. You can always confirm ovulation by charting the rise of basal body temperatures (BBT), the absence of CM, the lowering of the cervix, and the firmness of the vagina.[8]
Luteal Phase
This phase will always last 12-14 days after ovulation, and then menstruation will begin.[9] Thus, if you know when you ovulated, you will always have a good idea of when to expect your period. This is your “nesting” era, in which your body prepares for a potential pregnancy by heating up, ramping up your metabolism, and lowering your energy. It is normal to feel slower in this phase, perhaps less comfortable in your body (water retention causes bloating), hungrier, and perhaps more tired.
The following visual gives the time-frame ranges for each phase of the cycle. As you can tell, the exact length of a cycle depends on the person.
Shift Your Mindset
I hope that you leave this article with a better understanding of the science behind the menstrual cycle and a greater appreciation for its complexity. Your cycle is so much more than tampons, cramps, and a monthly bleed. Our cycles are part of what makes us female. God is so kind that our cyclical fertility doubles as a report card for our health. Your cycle is always trying to tell you something about your health, if you only take the time to learn the signs and listen.
So, get curious about your cycle. What phase are you in? How do you feel? Can you chart your cycle for a month and see you can distinguish the phases?
Understanding our cycles is an empowering tool to help us flourish in the bodies God has given us.
Footnotes:
[1] Weschler, Toni, Taking Charge of Your Fertility, 20th Anniversary Edition: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health, (New York: William Morrow Paperbacks, 2015), 406-407.
[2] Hendrickson-Jack, Lisa, and Lara Briden ND, The Fifth Vital Sign: Master Your Cycles & Optimize Your Fertility, (Fertility Friday Publishing Inc., 2019), 18.
[3] Hendrickson-Jack, Lisa, The Fifth Vital Sign, 49-52.
[4] Weschler, Toni, Taking Charge of Your Fertility, 408.
[5] Hendrickson-Jack, Lisa, The Fifth Vital Sign, 29.
[6] Hendrickson-Jack, Lisa, The Fifth Vital Sign, 33.
[7] Hendrickson-Jack, Lisa, The Fifth Vital Sign, 61.
[8] Hendrickson-Jack, Lisa, The Fifth Vital Sign, 28.
[9] Hendrickson-Jack, Lisa, The Fifth Vital Sign, 28.