The Truth About Your Menstrual Cycle

Balancing your hormones may feel like a never-ending feat. And when our hormones are out of whack, it’s easy to feel like our entire cycle is a burden.

Does this sound like you?

We tend to think of our cycle as the week we have our period, but our cycle has 4 unique phases. Knowing what happens in each phase allows us to set up the best, most-customized care for our bodies. We can adjust our nutrition, movement, and rest!

In our What No One Tells You About Hormone Balance Guide, we break down what hormones are supposed to do in your body, how to tell when they’re off, how to sort out what’s going on, and most important — what to do about it.

In Understanding Menopause: The Support You Need, we break down the many signs of changing cycles during the time period before menopause, called perimenopause.

Keep reading for more information about the 4 phases, tips on supporting your body with foods, lifestyle, and activity tips, as well as our favorite products to support your body during each phase of your menstrual cycle:

Menstrual: Ease the Ache

Follicular: Natural Balance

Ovulatory: Lunamore

Luteal: Liver Love

The Menstrual phase begins with the shedding of the uterine lining. Day 1 of your cycle is the first day of your period. This phase lasts for about 5 days. Estrogen and progesterone drop right before your menstruation. Honor your body with extra rest. Take a break from excess exercise. Walk, take Epsom salt baths, and fuel your body with nutrition.

Avoid fatty food, alcohol, caffeine, and salty foods. These will increase inflammation in the body, which causes menstrual cramps and PMS.

Instead, incorporate anti-inflammatory foods and herbs that boost estrogen and progesterone.

Some foods and herbs during the menstruation phase to

• Alfalfa
• Berries
• Broccoli
• Cinnamon
• Dark chocolate
• Flaxseed
• Garlic
• Licorice root
• Peaches
• Schisandra
• Wheat bran

The Follicular phase is from days 6 to 14, and it is when the body prepares for ovulation as follicles develop. Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) is secreted from the pituitary gland to encourage the growth of your follicles to best develop a healthy egg. Estrogen and testosterone increase during this time. You may experience a boost of energy, so prioritize big projects and to-dos!

It is best to also avoid those inflammatory foods during this time and focus on fiber-rich foods and vegetables.

Support with broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale, arugula, and dandelion.

Ovulation occurs on or about day 14 of the cycle. This marks the release of an egg and the peak of estrogen releases. The egg only survives for 12-24 hours after release from the ovary. Testosterone and progesterone also increase during this time, making it the most fertile time of the cycle.

If you haven't already, this is a crucial time to begin supporting the liver. Have you tried our Liver Love? Focus on whole foods that are not inflammatory.

Great sources of support are blueberries, beets, ginger, grapefruit, and turmeric.

In the Luteal phase, the body readies the uterus for potential pregnancy. If the egg is not fertilized to become pregnant, hormone levels will drop. The corpus luteum forms from the open follicle of the ovulatory phase and produces progesterone. Fatigue may kick in, and you may need to slow down. Estrogen and testosterone begin to decline, and you may experience PMS symptoms.

During the luteal phase, estrogen and progesterone both surge and then wane, so it’s best to avoid alcohol, carbonated drinks, artificial sweeteners, and added salt. Instead, focus on magnesium-rich foods that produce serotonin to fight fatigue and low libido.

Support with spinach, bananas, pineapple, nettle, and fennel seed.

Take our Hormone quiz for more personal tips.

Another popular method to support your body is called Seed Cycling. Try out these tips! You can also read more about How to Seed Cycle for Menstrual Optimization here.

Not sure where to start with your hormone journey? Take our Hormone Quiz!