As a menstruating woman you are probably familiar with your period, or at least the common complaints of the period. Bleeding, bloating, mood swing, (you know the drill). You may even have general idea about when you might ovulate, but did you know that there are two more distinct phases in your cycle? Or did you know that each of these four phases influences your body and your brain in ways that affect you each and every day?
These changes in your body are the cause of four main hormones produced by your endocrine system, also known as your reproductive glands.
Adrenal cortex/Glands and Ovaries = Progesterone
Ovaries = Estrogen
Anterior Pituitary Gland = Luteinizing Hormone (LH)
Pituitary gland = Follicle Stimulating Hormone(FSH)
These hormones are the body’s way of understanding where you are in your cycle and telling it what to do next to progress the system into each phase. The Menstrual cycle, is often compared to the Earth's seasons do to how strongly our internal world seems to reflects nature.
Menstrual Phase = Winter
Follicular Phase = Spring
Ovulatory Phase =Summer
Luteal Phase = Fall
Most of us have lived our lives with the expectation from others and ourselves that we are just like men, only we bleed and are shaped a bit differently. But we often find ourselves feeling an ebb and flow in our energy, brain, function, and cravings. Even your athletic abilities are subject to change throughout the length of your cycle. Do you ever find yourself filled with excitement, ideas, and the desire to accomplish, well EVERYTHING - only to feel overwhelmed, depleted, and a little disappointed in yourself shortly after that? No, you're not broken or lacking discipline, and you're probably not bipolar (Yes, I used to wonder all of these things) It is not a problem, you just have been given a different set of cards than the men that we have tried to model ourselves after. If you were to track these changes, you would likely find that they happen like clock work.
When our bodies are in balance, the menstrual cycle surveys a tool to help us live a healthy, enjoyable life. Ideally, your cycle would look something like this.
Menstrual = Winter
We start in our menstrual cycle with relatively low hormone levels, we feel peaceful yet introspective. We may feel cold because our body is actually slightly cooler at this time. Warm nourishing foods not only are desirable, but helpful as we clean out the old and make room for the new both physically and mentally.
Follicular Phase = Spring
We move into the Follicular phase with Estrogen, FSH, and LH slowly increasing. This causes the ovarian egg to grow. We experience mental and physical energy for life. It is common to encounter interest in learning, growing, increased excitement, the desire to dive deep into planning every aspect of life, and maybe a little impatience and struggle with working with others.
Ovulatory Phase = Summer
The Hormonal/Emotional slide into ovulation is marked by a sudden rise in temperature. The three previously mentioned hormones peek with estrogen making the biggest splash. Empathy, communication, and even your attractiveness are at their peak for the month. You are also the most likely to get pregnant at this point.
Luteal Phase = Fall
This phase should come in quietly exchanging the traits of ovulation with its own. As Estrogen, FSH, and LH quickly decline, they are replaced with Progesterone to soften the blow. Pregnant women are famous for experiencing “nesting” which means their attention to detail, creativity, and critical thinking are heightened. Women, who are not pregnant, in their Luteal phase will experience similar feelings and behaviors. In the middle of this phase, estrogen makes a quick appearance to help any fertilized egg find its home in the uterine lining.
That's the ideal way things should happen. Unfortunately, our society, environment, and lifestyle tend to throw things off. The foods that we eat, our stress level, and the toxins in our environment are all factors that affect our gene expression causing hormonal imbalance to one degree or another. Many of the symptoms of hormonal imbalance can be reversed with growing your knowledge, intentionally improving your environment, and sometimes with the help of an expert.
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