How Does Your Period Work?
Your menstrual cycle in simple terms is basically the outcome of a failure to conceive. Every month your body prepares for pregnancy by releasing an egg in hopes of fertilization to occur to start the pregnancy process. If this does not occur then the egg will be excreted along with the endometrium lining which is made up of tissue and blood. Typically the length of time you bleed is called the period and it usually lasts 3-7 days. The menstrual cycle is usually 21-35 days where day 1 is the day you start to bleed and the last day is the day before your next period.
Your menstrual cycle has four phases: menstrual, follicular, ovulation, and luteal. It’s easy to think about your phases as 1 per week if following an average 28-day cycle. This is helpful for syncing food, exercise, and even mindset to your cycle, however, each phase varies a bit from being a perfect 7 days (see below). Also, a 28-day cycle is AVERAGE - it’s perfectly normal to have a cycle from 21-35 days as long as it’s consistent for you.
Overview of the phases:
First is the menstrual phase which is when you are on your period, then the follicular phase which is the time from when your period ends until ovulation, where the egg is released. Ovulation is only a one day phase. Then the luteal phase is next which is about the week before your period and the time when we often see period symptoms associated with PMS. An average period is 28 days but your period can be totally normal if it is a bit longer or bit shorter than this as long as it is consistent for YOU. Your cycle length will affect the number of days each phase occurs for you.
Let’s go through your menstrual cycle and explain how your period works:
1. Menstrual Phase:
How does your period work during the menstrual phase? On day 1 of your period your progesterone and your estrogen are at their lowest point. What is happening is your uterine lining is shedding. Your energy may be the lowest during this time and your period blood should be a bright or dark red (kind of like cranberry juice). You may still be experiencing some left over PMS symptoms during the beginning of this phase, like cramps, moodiness, and sore breasts. Though these symptoms are common, if they are life disrupting or if they cause you to dread your period each month, it may be time to dig a little deeper and decipher what is going on with your hormones. Extreme PMS symptoms are not normal because they are signals that something is wrong and imbalanced with your hormones.
Source: NIH
2. Follicular Phase:
How does your period work during the follicular phase? Once your period ends and you are no longer bleeding, you will enter the follicular phase. Your other eggs in the ovary are currency immature (not ready to ovulate). So, your pituitary gland in the brain will receive a signal to send out the hormone FSH (follicular stimulating hormone) to tell the ovaries to start maturing a new egg. The follicles will mature an egg as estrogen and testosterone levels start to rise. Your energy, mood, and libido will rise in this phase as well. This phase is usually 5-7 days and once you ovulate the phase will end.
Source: NIH
3. Ovulation Phase
How does your period work during the ovulation phase? This phase is the shortest out of all the phases being only one day. As you approach ovulation, luteinizing hormone (or LH – another hormone the pituitary gland releases) tells the ovary to release the egg from the follicle. When the follicle releases, the leftover follicle is called a corpus luteum which helps to secrete progesterone. At this time the egg is in the fallopian waiting to be fertilized and all your hormones are at their peak levels to prepare for pregnancy. While the egg lives for 12-24 hours, your window for conception or to get pregnant is actually about 5-7 days because that is how long sperm can live.
Source: NIH
4. Luteal Phase
How does your period work during the luteal phase? Once you have released the egg the corpus luteum starts to produce progesterone. When the body recognizes that it has not been fertilized (you are not pregnant) all hormones start to fall, energy may decrease, and you may find you are in a more restorative, restful mindset. This may also be when you experience the most significant symptoms linked to PMS. Remember, PMS is common but not normal. If you are experiencing extremely painful cramps, headaches, fatigue, breast soreness, mood swings, these are all signs that you need to look into your hormone levels because something is imbalanced. When you start to menstruate again this phase is over and the menstrual phase will begin again.
Source: NIH
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