I am baffled by how little women know about our bodies and how they work. I was one of them. It wasn’t until college that I started to learn the phases of the menstrual cycle and how our hormones work. When we do not know the fluctuations of our hormones and their functions, we are blind to why we feel the way we do. You are not crazy. You just have hormones.
For some reason, no one really talks about periods or what they should be like. It’s one of those hush-hush topics you try not to make noticeable. It is just one week a month that you deal with. But what if I told you your menstrual cycle tells you so much more than if you are pregnant or not? I want to empower you to understand your cycle better and why you might feel the way you do during it. So, I will fill you in on what no one taught you growing up.
Here are some basics
Most women have a 28-day cycle, as in they go through all of these phases within 28 days. The phases I list below will follow the average cycle, but yours might be longer or shorter, and that’s okay! Just like how everyone is different, your period might differ from one another’s, too. Menstrual cycle lengths should fall between 24-35 days.
The Four Phases of the Menstrual Cycle
Menstrual phase:
The first day of your period marks day one of your cycle length. The average period usually lasts 5-7 days. During the menstrual phase, the uterus sheds its lining. Your hormones are at their lowest point during your period. This drop in hormones is what triggers your body to have a period. This is the time of the month that you might be the most emotional. Again, if you are crying at the commercial of a baby playing with a dog, you are not crazy. You just have hormones. During this time, your body is going through a lot, so drink plenty of water, eat nourishing foods, and get as much rest as you need.
Follicular phase:
Marked by the end of your period. The pituitary gland releases follicular-stimulating hormone (FSH). Luckily, some medical terms have their function in the name, making remembering what they do easier. FSH stimulates the follicles. The follicles are part of the ovaries that contain the eggs. This process increases estrogen, which thickens the uterine lining (endometrium) to increase the likelihood of an egg being able to implant. This shift in estrogen can cause changes in mood and acne. This phase might also bring a burst of energy. After your period, you will not have much, if any, cervical fluid.
Ovulatory phase:
Occurs more than likely between days 12-16. The increase in estrogen during the follicular phase causes your Lutenizing hormone (LH) to increase. LH tells your follicle to release the mature egg. You have two ovaries total. One on each side of your lower abdomen. Each ovary has a fallopian tube that connects it to the uterus. The uterine lining is where implantation can occur if the egg is fertilized. Once a month, about two weeks before your period, one of your ovaries will release a mature egg, also called an ovum, and it will travel from the ovary down the fallopian tube to the uterus.
During this phase, you can notice cervical fluid will be the consistency of an uncooked egg white, and there will be more of it. This increase in cervical fluid is due to the increased estrogen in the body. The reason is to help the sperm travel to the egg. Another neat thing that cervical fluid does is it helps nourish the sperm. The last day of egg white cervical fluid is your peak day of ovulation, the day you have a higher probability of conceiving.
Luteal phase:
On days 16-28, Hormones are usually the highest at this point. The body is preparing to conceive. The mature egg produces the corpus luteum in the uterus. The corpus luteum is formed during the luteal phase. This is super interesting. It is a temporary organ that females form every month. I mean, how cool is that! It sits in the ovary where the egg that left was. It secretes progesterone and estrogen to thicken the uterus lining or endometrium. If the ovum is fertilized, the Corpus luteum will continue to secrete progesterone to support the uterus and the developing baby.
If conception does not occur and your period begins, then the corpus luteum will dissolve and be expelled out of the body with your period. Cervical fluid will be more sticky and paste-like at this point. As your period approaches, you will probably not feel very social, you will be more fatigued, and you may have other pre-menstrual symptoms. Listen to your body; if you feel like you need more rest, go to bed early.
Be Gentle with one Another’s Heart
While on this topic, I want to add that my belief is God opens and closes the womb. It is according to his will when conception occurs. I say this knowing that conception physiologically is more than likely possible only 3 days out of your cycle length. But we all know people who became pregnant while on their period, breastfeeding, and other scenarios. We can plan all we want, but whatever the Lord wills is what will happen. With that also being said, there are cases where we can think we are doing everything right and still are not getting pregnant. These scenarios are so disheartening.
Please, sister, be cautious and guard your lips when talking to people about this sensitive topic. You never know what someone’s fertility is like or what seasons they have been walking through. They could have thought this was the month, and then they started their period this morning or had yet another control line for the sixth month in a row. Some might still be grieving their miscarriage from last month or three years ago. One couple might be in their third year of trying to conceive. I say this so that we can better support our sisters and brothers in Christ as they might be walking through a very hard season.
The Miracle of New Life
God has created the woman’s body in an incredibly resilient and beautiful way. He has given us the enriching opportunity and ability to bring forth new life from the womb. Have you ever stopped and thought about how huge of a miracle it is that a human is formed in our bodies, developing, growing, and being nourished for nine months? A child who was not here before is now present. Praise the Lord for this miracle!
God, thank you for this amazing gift and honor. Thank you for womanhood and the amazing responsibilities that come with it. Thank you for creating us differently from man but making us complementary and equal. Lord, I pray for those who have been waiting prayerfully for this miracle to be placed in their womb and their hands. God, please place godly believers in their lives to walk through this journey with them. I pray for blessings in their lives and for them to feel your presence every step of the way. We love and trust you, God. To you all praise, Amen.
SOURCES
If you want to learn more about your cycle and all things hormonal, you can check out these great podcasts!
- Freely Rooted – Kori Meloy & Fallon Lee https://freelyrootedpodcast.com/
- Are you Menstrual? – Amanda Montalvo https://hormonehealingrd.com/podcast/
- Happily Hormonal – Leisha Drews https://leishadrews.com/podcast