Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: periods! If you’re anything like us, you had no idea that there were multiple phases of the menstrual cycle, menstruation being just one of them!

Menstruation is considered the first of the four phases of the menstrual cycle. Day 1 is the day you get your period, and the average period will last 3-5 days. 

Remember that everyone is different, and not all periods will fall into this average 28 day cycle range! If you have questions about the length of your period, consult your gynecologist! 

Get your heating pads out and let’s dive right into everyone's ~least~ favorite part about getting their period: the symptoms. Common symptoms of menstruation are listed above, but again - everyone is different! Your body is going through a lot during the menstrual cycle, and how it handles this stress will present differently for everyone. 

For example, in a study conducted by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, muscle recovery was negatively affected during menstruation due to the fluctuation in hormones - keep this in mind if you’re feeling extra sore after the gym during your period!

This part of the menstrual cycle is where things start to get more complicated. Like it says on the post, the main point to know is that during the follicular phase, an egg matures in your ovaries. If you want to get a little deeper, then keep reading! 

During the phase, follicles (fluid-filled sacs in your ovaries) house immature eggs. The dominant follicle is the one that develops the fastest, and houses the healthiest egg. This is the egg that will eventually be released during ovulation!

At birth, we have about a million eggs in our reserves! When you begin menstruating (when you get your first period) your body begins the process of maturing these eggs, with only a handful maturing throughout your entire life. This is all possible because of hormones in your brain that trigger these processes! 

The FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) activates your ovaries to start producing follicles. Like we said before, the dominant follicle will begin to form which will house the egg that is released during ovulation. When the dominant follicle forms, there is more estrogen released into your body. As the estrogen increases, the high levels tell the brain to release LH (luteinizing hormone) which triggers the mature egg to escape the follicle - bringing us to ovulation and the start of the luteal phase! 

Often, people use ovulation as a tool to increase chances of pregnancy. But tracking your ovulation can be useful for the opposite as well! Whatever your goals are, it is always beneficial to understand what is going on inside your body. Turn on post notifications to see what we have learned about ovulation, and some tricks, tips, and fun facts that will help you become more in tune with your body and what it is trying to tell you! 

Now that we know what ovulation is, when is it in our cycle? Remember, everyone’s cycle length varies. In an average cycle (28 days) ovulation happens around the 14 day mark. If your cycle isn’t regular, that’s okay! There are signs and symptoms of ovulation that you can look out for, or you can utilize menstrual calendars (we have made one!) to keep track. Despite your cycle length, ovulation usually occurs 14-16 days before menstruation. 

If you keep track of your cycle for a few months in a row and start to sense a pattern, you should be able to guess when you’re ovulating. Or, stay tuned for symptoms you can look out for to tell when you’re ovulating!

As promised, here are some symptoms of ovulation! Everyone is different, but above are some common ways that our bodies try to tell us that we are ovulating. 

A common indicator of ovulation is slippery, egg-white like discharge. Right after ovulation, cervical discharge will become much less noticeable, thicker, or cloudy. 

Did you see the heightened senses in the symptom list? Check out this study on how our body odor changes when fertility is high, which can trigger hormonal reactions in biologically male counterparts! 

So, what is the luteal phase? If you’re interested in the fertility awareness method, keep reading! 

This is the phase of your cycle that your body is preparing for possible pregnancy. 

Who learned about the corpus luteum in sex ed? Not us! 

“The corpus luteum is a vital yet temporary organ that plays a crucial role in fertility during the luteal phase. It is an endocrine structure in females existing within the ovary once the ovarian follicle has released a mature ovum during ovulation” (“Luteal Phase Of The Menstrual Cycle: Symptoms & Length”).

So now that we know that your menstrual cycle doesn’t just mean your period, let’s clarify what menstruation is. Whether you call it menstruation, menses, your time of the month, your period, or Ms. Flow, menstruation is the shedding of your uterine lining and is composed of blood and tissue. 

Okay, now that we have clarified what menstruation really is, let’s talk about what’s really happening inside your body during the menstruation phase. 

If a fertilized egg doesn’t attach to the uterine wall before your period, your estrogen and progesterone levels will drop. This drop in hormone levels is a signal to your body to begin menstruation. 

Next stop on the menstrual cycle train…the follicular phase! Turn on post notifications to be the first to read about the next phase of your menstrual cycle, the follicular phase.

Fun follicular fact: The follicular phase (unlike the luteal phase) changes length throughout your lifetime! As you approach menopause, your follicular phase can begin to shorten. 

Reminder - the average menstrual cycle is 28 days. The luteal phase usually lasts 14 days, and the follicular phase is typically the other 14. Depending on how long it takes for the egg to mature in your dominant follicle, the follicular phase will be shorter or longer. It’s helpful to know when you’re in your follicular phase because the last five days of the follicular phase, just before ovulation, is when you’re most fertile! 

Feeling a little frisky? As we mentioned earlier, the end of your follicular phase is when you’re most fertile, so it makes sense biologically that you’re feeling an increase in sex drive. 

Have you ever heard of using your body temperature as a tool for tracking your menstrual cycle? During the follicular phase, your body temperature will be lower (97-97.6 degrees fahrenheit) than when you’re ovulating and when you’re in the luteal phase.

So what is really going inside our bodies when we are ovulating? Well, as the follicles continue to mature, they release estrogen. (For more on this, go back to our posts on the follicular phase!) Our hormones work kind of like dominoes - as the estrogen increases, it triggers a surge of luteinizing hormone, which tells the body to release the egg from the ovary and send it on its way to the fallopian tube.

If you want to try another method of tracking ovulation, you can try an over the counter ovulation predictor kit! The ovulation predictor kit actually works by testing for a rise of LH in your urine. 

Out of all of the phases, you’ve probably heard the word ovulation here and there. But if you were asked right now, “What is ovulation?” Would you know the answer? Honestly, we didn’t know before this project either!

During ovulation, the mature egg is released from the ovary and travels to the fallopian tube. It remains there for 12-24 hours, waiting to be fertilized. 

Take note! Sperm can live inside the reproductive tract for 5 days, so if live sperm is present when ovulation begins, it’s possible to get pregnant. 

Let’s talk about the luteal phase! 

Turn on post notifications to be the first to see our upcoming posts on what the luteal phase. 

We’re going to talk about what it is, what happens during it, when in your cycle it occurs, and symptoms you might experience! Plus, we’re going to release a recipe catered towards nourishing your body during this phase of your menstrual cycle.

The average luteal phase is the 12-14 days between ovulation and menstruation.

Keep in mind that no two cycles are the exact same. 

Paying attention to the length of your luteal phase can be helpful in the context of fertility or hormonal imbalances. Learn more here or consult your trusted gynecologist if you have questions about the length of your luteal phase!

Oh, the joys of periods! Let’s talk symptoms: 

The hormone fluctuations that occur during the luteal phase may lead you to experience symptoms resembling PMS (premenstrual symptoms).

Also, because of the thickened uterine lining your vaginal discharge may be thick, dry, or paste-like. Paying attention to this can help you know what part of your cycle you’re in!