Understanding Your 28-Day Cycle Naturally

Understanding and embracing your menstrual cycle is an empowering journey. We sadly live in a world where women are not learning about their bodies, their cycles, and are often pushed onto birth control from their doctors. We are not taught about the days in the month when we can actually get pregnant, that our bodies are completely different from men, that we have 4 phases to our cycle and how to work out and eat according to the phase we are in. When we learn about our bodies, it gives us the control to regulate them and connect deeply with ourselves.

Women are on a 28 Day Cycle vs. Men who are on a 24 Hour Cycle

While women's menstrual cycles follow a monthly pattern influenced by hormonal changes, men's daily cycles are more closely associated with circadian rhythms that regulate daily physiological processes. These distinct cycles play crucial roles in reproductive health, sleep-wake patterns, and overall well-being for both genders.

Unlike men's hormonal fluctuations occurring within a 24-hour cycle, women experience a 28-day hormonal rhythm (21-35 day range for some). This unique cycle influences energy levels and mood across different phases. Understanding these fluctuations helps tailor activities and self-care practices accordingly.

By nurturing your cycle through tailored workouts, nutritious foods, cycle tracking, and holistic care, you honor your body's natural rhythm.

Understanding Your Cycle

Your menstrual cycle spans approximately 28 days and comprises four key phases:

• Menstruation: This phase marks the shedding of the uterine lining and typically lasts 3-7 days.
• Follicular: Your body prepares for ovulation during this phase, spanning roughly days 1-14.
• Ovulation: Around day 14, one of your ovaries releases an egg.
• Luteal: Post-ovulation, your body prepares for pregnancy, and if conception doesn't occur, this phase ends with the onset of menstruation.

Workouts & Nutrition Throughout Your Cycle

Aligning your workouts and diet with your cycle can optimize your health:

• Menstruation (Days 1-7): During this phase, energy levels might be lower. Focus on gentle exercises like yoga, walking, low impact pilates, or light stretching to support your body during this time. 
• Food: Incorporate iron-rich foods like spinach, turkey, beef, broccoli, avocado, lentils, and eggs. You want energizing carbohydrates, healthy fats, and low-glycemic fruits and vegetables into your meals. You may prefer warm dishes such as soups during this time.
• Follicular Phase (Days 1-14): As estrogen levels rise, energy and strength typically increase. Opt for moderate to high-intensity workouts like cardio, strength training, or HIIT workouts. The body tends to recover faster during this phase, making it ideal for more challenging workouts.
• Food: Rich in antioxidants, such as berries, nuts, dark chocolate, and leafy greens. Try to stick with complex carbs like fruit, whole grains and starchy vegetables like potatoes. You may crave carbs during this time like bread, pasta, rice, so listen to your body.
• Ovulation (Around Day 14): Around ovulation, there's a surge in energy due to the peak in estrogen. Embrace your peak energy - consider trying new, challenging workouts.
• Food: Nutrient-dense foods like salmon, avocados, flaxseed, chia seeds, berries, and complex carbohydrates support this phase.
• Luteal Phase (Days 15-28): During this phase, estrogen and progesterone rise, potentially causing fatigue or mood changes. Focus on workouts that are less intense but aim to maintain movement. Opt for moderate exercises like brisk walking, yoga, cycling, or Pilates. 
• Food: You want to have the most nutrient rich foods. Add fiber, protein and healthy fats into your diet and incorporate magnesium-rich foods such as bananas, nuts, and dark chocolate to help ease any premenstrual symptoms. Warming foods will also feel good, and foods with beta-carotene like leafy greens, carrots, and sweet potatoes

Note: During the luteal phase, the body is preparing for a potential pregnancy. Sudden exposure to cold temperatures, like cold plunges, can potentially disrupt the body's efforts to create a warm environment for a potential embryo. It's advised to prioritize warmth and avoid extreme cold during this phase to support the body's natural processes.

When in your Cycle can you Get Pregnant:

A typical menstrual cycle lasts around 28 days and the most fertile period is generally around the time of ovulation. This generally usually occurs approximately 14 days before the start of the next menstrual period. Conception is most likely to happen during the days surrounding ovulation, typically spanning from about 5 days before ovulation to a day or so after ovulation. This fertile window is when the chances of pregnancy are highest. However, it's important to note that every person's menstrual cycle can vary in length, and ovulation can occur at different times, making it essential to monitor individual cycle patterns for more accurate fertility predictions.

Ways to Track Your Cycle

Consider using apps or journals to track your cycle. Note the start and end of your period, changes in cervical mucus, basal body temperature, and any mood fluctuations. This tracking helps identify patterns and irregularities, enabling informed discussions with healthcare providers.

• Period Tracking Apps (e.g., 28, Flo): These apps use data input by the user to predict menstrual cycles, ovulation, and fertile windows. Users can input information about their periods, symptoms, moods, and sexual activity. These apps employ algorithms to analyze the data and predict future cycles and fertility windows. They can be helpful for understanding menstrual patterns and predicting ovulation for those trying to conceive or avoid pregnancy.
• Temperature Tracking (e.g Daysy, Natural Cycles): These fertility tracker apps use basal body temperature (BBT) monitoring. It requires daily temperature readings taken with a basal thermometer and entered into the device or app. Daysy for example uses this data, along with an algorithm, to determine fertility status by tracking changes in body temperature throughout the menstrual cycle. 

These apps and devices can provide insights into menstrual cycles, ovulation, and fertility patterns. I used Daysy when I first got off the pill to track daily with the thermometer but as I got more comfortable with my body, I now use the tracking app 28.

When you get blood work done, doctors should be asking where you are in your period to understand what phase you are in, to ensure your levels are in line for that phase. This is important so you should be tracking your period no matter what.

Let's Talk about Birth Control

Birth control pills contain synthetic hormones like estrogen and progestin (or only progestin in some cases) to prevent ovulation and the release of eggs from the ovaries. Ordinarily, when ovulation occurs, progesterone, a crucial hormone, is released. Birth control pills inhibit this progesterone release by suppressing ovulation. This disruption can lead to estrogen dominance, causing various adverse health symptoms.

It's vital to distinguish between progestin and progesterone. Progesterone is the natural hormone in the body responsible for facilitating pregnancy, regulating menstrual cycles, and maintaining pregnancy. On the other hand, progestins are synthetic compounds, chemically different from progesterone, and are utilized in hormonal contraceptives to prevent pregnancy. 

While birth control is effective for contraception, it masks underlying issues and disrupts the natural hormonal balance. Birth Control is used to suppress symptoms and does not address the root cause. Birth control can come with potential side effects, including mood changes, weight fluctuations, headaches, and nausea. It can impact fertility down the line and it disconnects you from your body and intuition.