The Menstrual Cycle
To identify when you ovulate, count back 14 days in your cycle from the first day of your period. That is your fertile time. It is difficult to know you’re ovulating at the time unless you use an ovulation predictor kit or adhere strictly to another cervical mucus/basal body temperature method, which can help you determine when you are fertile within a window of about 24–36 hours.
Anecdotally, it is believed that in times past, women’s periods corresponded with the phases of the moon, with ovulation at full moon and menses at the new moon. It stands to reason that before the advent of artificial light, hormone fluctuations may have been more closely governed by not only diurnal (daily) cycles (as with melatonin and cortisol), but by regular monthly cycles. Who among us has not witnessed the powerful effect that the moon’s phases exert on earth’s largest water body, the ocean? It is no stretch to suppose the ebb and flow of fluid in our own bodies — largely composed of water — would be similarly influenced.
Regular menstruation is a positive indication that your body is in homeostasis, making appropriate levels of hormones according to an age-old rhythm proven optimal for reproduction. However, this hormone-dependent cycle can be mercurial — prone to imbalance and upset by the many stresses of modern life. It is relatively easy, then — and completely normal — to experience hormonal imbalances that disrupt your menstrual cycle. For more information read our many informative articles in our Hormonal Health section.
The good news is that it’s relatively easy to re-establish and maintain a healthy, regular cycle when you give your body the right support. Positive lifestyle changes can make a remarkable difference in menstrual health, and our patients have had great success with improvements in diet, and adding a medical-grade nutritional supplement (Women to Women has a high-quality formulation). In some cases, additional bioidentical progesterone support may be helpful. These measures will support your body’s natural hormonal balance.
[banner id=”single-banner-multi-essentials”]
* Adapted from information at McGill University and the University of Wisconsin. .