Period Health: Luteal Cycle

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Let’s Talk Period Health.

Why is it important to know about our menstrual cycles for female health?

Our periods are a reflection of our overall health, they can be affected by not only big life events, but little ones too. Periods are the only source of blood that is not caused by trauma, however, after years of women having them we still seem to hide, manage, and minimize them. It is a bit ironic, since they are signs of a healthy reproductive system. A fun fact I learned recently is, menstrual blood is actually highly valued by the medical community- it is a rich source of stem cells. Stem cells are a type of cell that can develop into ANY other cell in the body. Can we just take a moment to realize how awesome we are as women? 

We have 2 Phases; Follicular and Luteal. Follicular is from menstruation to ovulation, while the luteal phase is from ovulation to menstruation. We have four cycles of our period, in order it is; Menstrual, Follicular, Ovulatory, and Luteal. In this blog I will be going over the Luteal cycle. Teaching on why it is important to learn what goes on in our body each month and how we can use that to our advantage. Let’s get empowered and look at our cycles as a way to help us out, not something to dread each month.

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Cycle 4- Luteal Cycle

After ovulation, this is when we typically will see a shift in how we feel and possibly behave. We might notice feeling a bit quieter and possibly more sad, agitated, cranky, tired, or all of the above. When we are sensitive to our estrogen taking a nosedive, this is when we have the possibility to feel these changes. Identifying the day we move into our Luteal cycle is a very important aspect of charting our cycles. 

When we pinpoint the day we transition, we give ourselves the power to realize what is going on when we are feeling like crap and giving ourselves a hard time. By charting and knowing what is to come, we are able to make plans around how we feel and handle things better. Instead of having meltdowns, or being upset we are having them, we can give ourselves grace and compassion, developing an inner kindness towards ourselves. 

Typically, women will arrive in our Luteal phase around day 20-21 in a 28 day cycle. It will happen at some point after ovulation. A few ways to know how you are there: you feel yourself detaching and withdrawing, your energy slumps, you find yourself more sensitive to criticism, and we see our faults and what needs to change. This is a phase where our gut feelings, as well as our intuition can really serve us by helping us towards choices that truly serve US vs everyone else. Sometimes instead of responding, we react, and our communication isn’t the best, but at the same time, we become more assertive and want to focus on what truly is important to us. 

The thing is, some people will feel right at home during their Luteal phase. This is a phase where sometimes we fall apart a little, and sometimes we fall apart a lot. We might have sore boobs, bloating, digestive issues, night sweat headaches, and backaches. This is a time where we have a lowered tolerance for bullshiii.., which can feel freeing and dangerous at the same time. 

When we do get to this point where we find something coming up, let’s maintain a curiosity about it. Asking ourselves, what is really going on here? Estrogen does a great job keeping us happy, so, at this point of the cycle, we aren’t feeling estrogen doing its thing. This leads us to feel irritated, sad, angry, and maybe in tears about x, y, and z. 

This is a time to take a step back and assess our responsibilities not only to ourselves, but to others. During this time we take a back seat and turn the energy we have inwards. After being so productive during Ovulation, it is easy to get down on ourselves for not “doing enough” or being the same person we were last week. The Luteal phase may not feel helpful or even like it has a purpose- but that is only if you don’t know how to work with it or understand it, which is what I am here to explain.

During this phase, we are able to be deep in thought and focus, because our energy levels are declining, it is important that we are intentional with where we are putting the energy we do have. This is a great opportunity for us to dive deep into a project and complete it because of the deep focus. I am in my luteal phase writing this and have been so zoned in all day writing, it is currently 30 minutes prior to midnight, and I am still locked in. 

This is a great time to step back and approach things with fresh eyes. This is a time where we have great insight and clarity about what we are wanting to do with our lives, our job situation, our personal relationships, and maybe things we have been mulling over for a while. We want to decide what is important and serving us and what is not. 

Let’s get rid of what is not serving us, what is not working for us- work, relationships, clothes, organization, food. Tidy, organize, clean. The rise in our progesterone hormone can sometimes produce this nesting feeling, this is our bodies way of communicating to us to get ready to drop some responsibilities so we can ground once our period does arrive. 

The real key to this phase is to trust your inner voice and the messages. Do you need to get better at saying no? Do you need to spend more time alone? Do you need to stop letting others walk all over you? Do you need to spend less time on social media? Comparing yourself to others? Put your needs first? 

Note: Our inner critic will run rampant if we allow it to do so, so if you aren’t someone who speaks to themselves with compassion, this is your sign to begin now. How would you treat a child going through this situation? Be gentle. We are all learning and growing and the world is hard enough, we don’t need to start bullying ourselves too. 

Reflect on what you personally need in order to do and work at your best. Once you have been charting your cycle for a few months, look back at what has gotten in the way in previous months.