A look at the menstrual cycle's different phases and how to best support your body during each one. First up: the Menstrual phase.

I didn’t start to truly understand my monthly cycle until just last year.

As a 34-year-old woman, that’s 21 years (!!!!) of monthly cycles before I ever fully understood them (that’s 252 periods!).

And I know I’m not alone. Unless you were one of the lucky few who had an educated parent, a progressive school or ended up educating yourself on the matter, what most women learn from others and society about their monthly cycles is usually some assortment of the following:

• Your period is your monthly “cycle”.

• Getting your period means you can become pregnant: “You’re a woman now!”

• You’ll bleed out of your vagina for about a week, and it will be painful.

• You’ll crave chocolate.

• Your hormones make you unreliable, moody, and bitchy. You just have to accept it.

• You’ll have cramps.

• You can’t have sex on your period.

• If you’re angry or moody, it must be because you’re about to start or are already on your period.

• Don’t bring up your period to boys. They don’t like it when you talk about their period because it’s gross.

While some of these things are technically true, others are just absolute lies that have no basis in reality.

It’s a clear-as-day symptom of the larger, more important underlying issue in society today — that women’s health is an area of medicine that has historically been underfunded, and therefore understudied. This means that many conditions that specifically affect women are also chronically understudied—case in point: our monthly cycles.

From my own education while studying women’s health, I’ve found that many women, like me, have gone their whole lives without really understanding their monthly cycle and the natural superpower it gives them; and I want to change that.

I want women to be more educated about their bodies.
I want them to speak unashamedly about their bodies and their functions.
I want them to have the knowledge they need to unlock their superpower.

So — for our very first edition of The Cycle Series, I want to start with some basics. Let’s get started!

The four phases of a menstrual cycle

The monthly cycle typically takes between 21-35 days from the start of one period to the beginning of the next. The average cycle is widely acknowledged as being about 28 days.

A woman’s monthly cycle is comprised of 4 phases:

• Menstrual Phase (days 1 - 7; winter)

• Follicular Phase (days 8 - 14; spring)

• Ovulation (days 14-17; summer)

• Luteal Phase (days 18 - 28; autumn)

Each phase lasts a different amount of days and involves changes in hormone levels, specifically estrogen and progesterone, that trigger physical changes in the body.

For today’s first edition of The Cycle Series, we’re going to focus on the menstrual phase: what’s happening in your body, what foods to eat to best support your body, what symptoms you may be feeling, and ways to help alleviate them.

The Menstrual Phase: Days 1 - 7

Season: Inner winter. If we view a woman’s monthly cycle as a cycle of seasons, then your menstrual phase a time where your body is ready to rest, hibernate, reflect, and be alone.

The menstrual phase marks the start of the menstrual cycle, not the end. This phase typically lasts 3-5 days but can last up to 7 or more days for some women.

Something that helped me begin to understand my monthly cycle was remembering that biologically, our body’s primary purpose is to procreate; therefore, each phase of our monthly cycle has a critical job to complete to ensure the cycle continues.

In the days before your period, the uterus builds up a thickened lining in preparation for a fertilized egg. When an egg is not fertilized and pregnancy does not occur, the uterus has no need for this extra lining and begins to shed said lining through the vagina, resulting in menstrual bleeding aka your period.

Symptoms you may experience during your period

During the menstrual phase, your hormone levels are at their lowest of the month: Your body is going through a serious energy dip. That’s why it is so important to take time to rest and nourish your body during this phase.

It’s common to experience cramping and other PMS symptoms like bloating, headaches, mood swings, and fatigue. Other symptoms may include:

• Abdominal or pelvic cramps

• Food cravings

• Lower back pain

• Mood swings 

• Sore breasts
  

Tips for managing your period

Let’s be honest, no matter how magical and cool it is that our bodies can create human life, the symptoms of your period can absolutely suck.

But as we continue to learn more about women’s health and other neglected areas of medicine (i.e. the gut microbiome), researchers are beginning to see the interconnectedness of human health and the importance of taking the whole human into consideration when discussing or measuring health.

So maybe it comes as no surprise to you (or maybe it does!) that eating certain foods during your period can help support your body and its hormones during this low-energy time.

Foods to incorporate

You’re, y’know, bleeding. Eat foods rich in iron, like spinach, red meat, and liver to help replenish the lost minerals and iron you’re losing.

• Avoid caffeine and alcohol, which can make symptoms worse! And please don’t drink on your period. It really wrecks your body, even if it may feel good or relieving in the moment. I promise you, it’s not helping at all.

• Eat pineapple! Bromelain is anti-inflammatory and eases cramps.

• Sip on bone broth: it’s hydrating, nourishing, and healing. Perfect for sipping while snuggling in a blanket on the couch.

• Consume dark chocolate. Magnesium helps relax muscles and combats cravings. Just make sure it’s a high percentage dark chocolate (I like to stay between 75-90% cacao).

• Ginger tea is helpful for nausea, gastro issues, and bloating.

• Red raspberry leaf tea (my personal favorite) is great for relieving cramps and has been used for thousands of years in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Stick to these exercises

Remember — your body is going through it. It’s best to avoid high-intensity training or intense cardio during this time of the month. Pushing through intense workouts can put even more undue stress on the body, which could potentially make your symptoms worse. However, if you insist on working out, focus on activities like:

• Walking

• Gentle, restorative yoga

• Stretching

• Some light strength training can be beneficial

…or just skip the gym and take a nap instead!

Self care is the name of the game

Take care of yourself, girl. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t feel as productive as usual. Pushing yourself to 100% at a time when your body can only give, say, 60% is a guaranteed way to burn out, make your period symptoms worse, and even make your next cycle phase start on worse footing.

Use this time to take a break if you can, find moments of quiet, and indulge in little things throughout the day to help you feel a bit more comforted and cozy:

• Drink plenty of water. And I mean plenty. With estrogen and progesterone so low during your period, your skin takes a serious hit and becomes dehydrated. Moisturize like it’s your job and help your skin out by drinking a lot of clean filtered water.

• Use a heating pad for cramps. I also recommend hot water bottles on your stomach or lower back.

• Take over-the-counter medication for cramps, if needed. Acetaminophen is my family’s preferred OTC for pain.

• Indulge in comfort foods like soup, tea, or dark chocolate. Dark chocolate contains magnesium, which helps relax muscles and ease uterine contractions, thereby reducing cramps. It also contains antioxidants and other nutrients that can boost your mood and overall well-being!

• Sleep, sleep sleep. It will probably feel like you need a lot more sleep than normal or that you get very tired quickly, and that’s okay! Sleep is when your body repairs itself, and your body needs more sleep during this time of the month.

• Take magnesium supplements and Epsom salt baths to help relax muscles and promote quality sleep. I take magnesium glycinate, a form of magnesium that is more absorbable in the body, before bed and it’s helped my sleep quality improve.

Most importantly, give yourself permission to treat yourself gently. This is a time when your body needs extra care, make sure to get enough rest, sleep, and self-love.

Ultimately, the menstrual phase marks a new beginning and sets the stage for the next cycle. Honoring your body's natural rhythms during this time can help you sync with your hormones, leading you to a better, happier life!