Period Health: Ovulatory 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 ovulatory 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 3- Ovulatory Cycle

In ovulation, the third week of our menstrual cycle, our estrogen has reached its peak and is triggering LH and testosterone. This is a time where we are feeeeeeling good. Our inner strength, confidence, and sex appeal is at its highest. This week we can push ourselves and make the most of our personal and professional life! During this time we might notice our appetite and sleep being reduced, while we are often still able to do more. 

Our hormones are making us feel and look good so we can get pregnant. At this point we are interested in exploring, we are maybe more talkative, and confident. Some of us are even more ornery. This time of the cycle is all about enjoying life. This is why getting clear on what we want for each month during our period is essential. If we aren't clear, we might find ourselves saying HECK YES to every little thing, forgetting our intentions or goals. 

A few ways to know you are in your ovulation, is feelings of being unstoppable, level headed, and able to articulate thoughts and feelings not only clearly, but confidently. During this time, we will have some sass going on, and when it comes to flirting, look out, because we are on fire. We are in the mood for pleasure! Our ability for giving and receiving love increases. Our desire for union and joy increases too. 

While during this phase we can feel on top of the world, some women feel more at home during this half of our cycle. Sometimes it can feel intense and just because we do feel positive and alive, it doesn’t always mean we want to broadcast that to the world, and that is okay too. Sometimes because men pick up on our pheromones, it can make us subject to unwanted attention as well. 

When Estrogen peaks, even when we feel motivated and ready to get stuff done, we may notice, as soon as we sit down, we are unable to concentrate to get anything done. Another thing to note with this cycle is when you don’t have an idea of what you are meant to be doing with your life, or if you are not able to conceive after trying, there is a real possibility this time is going to be a time of sadness, anxiety, frustration, and depression. This will definitely have an impact on production during this time you would normally be experiencing. Remember to be gentle with yourself during this time. Your productivity is not correlated to your worth.

During Ovulation, our oral ability is going to be the greatest, meaning this is the ideal time for us to say what we think during a meeting with our bosses, teachers, co-workers, and a great time to schedule for them. It is a great time to be interviewed, do some public speaking, or ask for a promotion/ raise. Not only are we going to be more inclined to hearing other people's thoughts, we can hear them without attaching emotions and getting defensive and be able to calmly and confidently defend our position if the need arises. 

Don’t forget to celebrate your courage during this time and your ability to keep up with the demands of life. Be sure to keep track of the things that have worked well to help continue to create a cheat code for your personal life. Write it down and make note of your wins.

If you need to, try working in short but quick bursts, taking breaks by walking, having a phone call with friends/ family, or taking a lunch to fulfill our need to move and socialize during this time. That way, once we have satisfied our urges to connect and explore the world, we can get back to work more focused. 

Other things can affect our ability to ovulate as well as birth control such as; not eating enough calories or carbs, drinking caffeinated drinks, and even taking drugs (prescribed or recreational.) 

Drugs that interfere with ovulation are 

-NSAIDs such as 

-ibuprofen 

-naproxen

-mefenamic acid

-antidepressants classified as selective serotonin uptake inhibitors

-citalopram and fluoxetine

-steroids to treat allergies/ asthma

-medications to treat high blood pressure or ulcers 

-recreational drugs such as cannabis and cocaine. 

Let’s not forget that alcohol itself is a depressant, so alcohol intake around your ovulation (binge drinking in particular) is known to increase estrogen levels making us more prone to a big hormonal drop post-ovulation. Once we hit that second half of our cycle, we are more prone to blood sugar instability, this will come with mood swings and being hangry, so, it’s an important time to up protein and fat in our diet to help stabilize our blood sugar levels and our mood as well. 

OVULATION 

Around this time we do get a sharp rise in testosterone pre ovulation, so when it comes to exercising and working out, this is a great time to push yourself and hit a few PR’s at the gym. 

Note: if you are working out make sure you are paying attention to form as well as actively WARMING UP. There is a study that found injuring your ACL is 4-8 times more likely to happen now than any other point in our cycles.