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Your menstrual cycle is more than just a period. In this VIP (very important piece!) penned by the team at Moxie HQ and given the all-clear by regular Moxie blog contributor and expert consultant, Sydney-based Gynaeocologist Dr. Nicole Stamatopoulos, we break-down the four phases of the menstrual cycle, their functions, symptoms, and share some tips on how to best nurture yourself during each one.
First up...
Let's start by laying the foundations and explaining some of the basics before we get into the specifics. We'll define some key terms that are important to understand, if you're not already familiar with them (that you may want to refer back to as you make your way through this piece), as well as answer some of your most common FAQs around the menstrual cycle.
CORPUS LUTEUM: A cyst-like structure inside the ovary that holds the developing egg.
ENDOMETRIUM: Lining of the uterus.
FOLLICLES: Fluid filled sacs containing immature (initially, anyway) eggs. The number of follicles a menstruating person has can vary, depending on factors like age and medical history.
MENSTRUATION: A.k.a your period. More specifically, it’s when the endometrium (lining of the uterus) sheds and expels through the cervix and vagina.
OVARIES: Small, oval (hence the name!) shaped glands that sit either side of your uterus, responsible for producing and storing eggs. They also secrete the hormones estrogen and progesterone.
OVULATION: The release of an egg from the ovary.
PITUITARY GLAND: A gland that sits at the base of your brain, responsible for making hormones.
UTERUS: A.k.a. the 'womb'. It's a pear-shaped organ, present in most people born with female reproductive organs, whose function is to nourish the foetus (unborn baby) as it grows.
Your menstrual cycle is more than just a period. Menstruation, or your period, is just the first phase!
Your menstrual cycle, through a series of complex and incredible interactions between your brain, ovaries, uterus and hormones, is your body’s way of prepping for a potential pregnancy.
If a pregnancy doesn’t occur, your body has a super special way of dealing with that, too (it’s very clever!) – this is the part we know to be our period, or menstruation, where the body sheds the endometrium through the cervix and out of the vagina, which it had grown to receive a fertilised egg, as it essentially doesn't eed it anymore.
Most people born with female reproductive organs will menstruate, and they will start to experience their menstrual cycle anywhere between the ages of 9 - 16yrs. This will continue up until menopause, at around 45 - 55yrs.
The menstrual cycle is often spoken about as a 28-day cycle (sometimes referred to as 'once a month'), but this can vary from person to person. Some people have shorter cycles, some have longer cycles. Anywhere between 21 – 40 days is considered fairly normal, but if you’re concerned or fall anywhere outside of this window, we recommend seeing a Doctor.
The menstrual cycle is made up of four stages, or phases, as they're often referred to:
The cycle is broken down into TWO PARTS.
The first part of the cycle, which happens in the ovaries, prepares an egg to be released from an ovary (even though most people have two ovaries, only one ovary will release an egg each month), and also builds the lining of the uterus in prep for potential implantation of a fertilised egg (resulting in pregnancy).
The second part of the cycle, which happens in the uterus, prepares your body to either accept a fertilised egg if you get pregnant, or to start the menstrual cycle again if pregnancy doesn’t occur.
Let's take an inside view (well, a cutesy, simplified illustrative version) of a female-assigned reproductive system, in the pic below. This will help get your head around how and where it all goes down. It might help to refer back to this as we talk through the phases.
Okay, now it's time to dive into the detail, Moxettes. Take notes, bookmark this page for later, tell the others!
This is what we know as our period, and starts from the first day of your bleed (Day 1) to when your bleed stops. This can vary from person to person, but usually anywhere between 3 – 7 days in total is considered pretty ‘normal’.
The hormone progesterone takes a dive during this phase, which is what causes your endometrium to shed.
SYMPTOMS & FEELS:
BEST TIME FOR:
This phase starts at the end of your period and lasts until ovulation, which starts around the middle of your cycle. By way of example, if your period lasts for 5 days, your follicular phase would be from day 5 to day 14.
During this phase, the pituitary gland releases Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), telling the ovaries to produce follicles, each which will house an immature egg. Only one follicle will fully mature and grow to the stage where it’s ready to release its egg (which is, you guessed it, the next phase: ovulation!).
SYMPTOMS & FEELS:
Estrogen is the dominant hormone during this phase, prepping your body for ovulation. It might make you feel flirty and energetic, creative, and open to trying to new things.
BEST TIME FOR:
This occurs mid-cycle, so roughly day 14 (though again, everyone is different, and this can be difficult to predict for those with irregular menstrual cycles. Use this as a guide only and check in with a Doctor if you’re unsure).
This phase is a quick one and only lasts about 24 hours, but it's an important one - it's kinda like the grand finale of all the hard work your body has been doing during Part One of your cycle.
In this phase, a mature egg will get released from its follicle in your ovary and will travel down the fallopian tube, which is where fertilisation usually occurs if there is male sperm present. It will then roll down into the uterus for implantation.
An egg will survive only for a short window of time - generally around 12 - 24 hours, but up to 72 hours - so if you are trying to get pregnant, this is considered the optimal time as your chances of falling pregnant are higher.
Did you know... sperm can live inside the vagina anywhere from a few hours to 5 days! So if you're not planning on a pregnancy but are having vaginal intercourse with someone wtih a male penis and sperm, be sure to use contraception as you can still get pregnant outside of your ovulation window.
SYMPTOMS & FEELS:
BEST TIME FOR:
This is the last phase of your cycle, and goes from ovulation to your next period, when the cycle starts again - unless pregnancy occurs.
During the luteal phase, the corpus luteum (see glossary, above) collapses and produces progesterone. If an egg is fertilised, the progesterone produced will help to support the pregnancy by thickening the lining of the uterus so that it has a place to easily implant itself.
If pregnancy doesn't occur, the corpus luteum will stop producing progesterone after a couple of weeks, causing your hormone levels to drop, resulting in menstruation (which is when the cycle starts again!).
SYMPTOMS & FEELS:
BEST TIME FOR:
Your body sure is complex, but pretty darn incredible, isn't it?! If you've still got questions or any concerns about your cycle or your flow, please check in with your Doc, or send us a note at info@moxie.com.au We'll do our best to help but if we can't, we'll be sure to help steer you in the right direction.
In the meantime, come flow with us on socials, or learn more about how to best care for down there on The Regular. x
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