In one of our more recent posts, we briefly chatted about the stages of your menstrual cycle and how the hormones wax and wane during that time.

We’re going to dive deeper here and go through the stages of your cycle and explain where the blips could be happening.

Your cycle:

The average menstrual cycle lasts anywhere between 21 – 35 days. Average being the subjective word here as we are all unique and how our bodies function is totally different and that’s ok. Just because your cousin works like clockwork, doesn’t mean your body will do the same as different factors have different effects. Although I’m sure some of us have experienced that moment of true friendship where your cycles match up and you can comfort each other.

Knowing where you are in your cycle can help with understanding why you feel the way you feel sometimes and working on how to combat that.

Stage 1 – Period and Follicular Phase (Days 1 – 5):

BOOM! Aunt Flo shows up to visit and possibly ruins your favourite pair of underwear if she showed up unawares.
For most of us, we know the signs of our period showing up. It could be a headache, a backache, crying simply because your partner looked at your funny or you dropped the last biscuit on the floor.

When your body goes into the period and follicular phase, you may find that you have very little motivation (with or without the cramps). Simply chilling on the couch watching whatever pops up in your recommended on Netflix sounds delightful.

It’s ok to feel this way. Trust us, there’s a reason. This is when your hormone levels drop, allowing your body to shed the uterine lining and causing menstruation.

When your hormones dip down, so too do your moods and energy levels. If you feel like a gentle walk, then go for it as this is great for the mood as we increase that oxygen level flows around our body. Listen to your body and move when it tells you to.

Stage 2 – Follicular Phase (Days 6-11):

Your follicular phase isn’t a bad time – this is usually after the first week or 1 – 6 days depending on your cycle. By this point any issues you have with your period, e.g cramps, pimples, mood swings etc have dissipated and you’re feeling a bit better.

The reason you’re feeling a little bit better is because your hormone levels are naturally increasing – both Oestrogen and Testosterone.

You may find at this point in time, you feel slightly more energised than usual and may want to re-organise the kitchen cupboards or tackle the junk cupboard (if you have one…). Maybe even take up a new hobby or exercise. The rise in Oestrogen is responsible for this surge and it feels great.

You may even feel like getting your body moving. This is great and jogging or a little high intensity exercise to get the heart pumping would be ideal during this phase.

Stage 3 – Ovulation (Around days 12 – 14)

This is your body’s Beyonce moment. Your Oestrogen and Testosterone levels are at their highest allowing you to feel your best. If baby making is what you want, perfect timing. If baby making is not on the cards, then now is when you should be a little more careful with activities you may engage in. Essentially, your egg has a 12- 24-hour window in which both you, and the egg are perfectly primed.

This is also when you may want to relax any exercise, swap it for something less strenuous like steady cardio such as brisk walking. Do what works for you, you know what works for your body best. Even activities such as Yoga or balance classes of some sort will be perfect here.

Stage 4 Luteal Phase (Around days 15 – 28):

You may find in the late stage of your cycle that you’re a little more chill, a little calmer, feeling very zen. When the highs of Oestrogen and Testosterone ebb and Progesterone pops back up, your body enters a new balancing act. This is totally normal, but it could also be when your PMS issues come creeping in. PMS is generally from imbalanced hormones and sometimes, especially in the Luteal phase, the balancing act, isn’t working at its best. This is also when your body begins the move back to the Period and Follicular phase, starting your cycle again.

What to do when the balancing act isn’t working:

NuWoman may be able to help you here. There’s no such thing as a “normal” period. We’re all individuals and have different bodies but our periods and our cycles, don’t need to be a total mess.

If you want to hear about experiences from women who take NuWoman click here.

How could NuWoman help?

NuWoman has a history of successfully supporting women through rebalancing hormones for over 20 years and is specifically designed to support and effectively help regulate your hormones.  So, if your hormones are out of kilter, it might be just the right helping hand for you.

 Formulated specifically to rebalance hormones with natural plant-based ingredients which have a synergist effect on your body.

NuWoman key ingredients include Cimi-Max® that works to regulate your hormones naturally &

Tyrosine which may assist your adrenal and thyroid function to help with hormone balance. 

If you would like to learn more about the ingredients we use, click here.

Remember to be good to yourself too.