Do you experience a fluctuation in your energy or mood depending on the stage of your cycle or leading up to your period?
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It’s super common, and as you’ll find out also normal – to a degree…
The problem is that for the most part if we have an issue with our menstrual cycle and we go and see a doctor, they will put us on the pill.
In fact I started on the pill when I was just 15 years old.
- I was told it was OK to skip periods and just keep taking the pill.
- I was warned the pill wouldn’t protect me from STDs and I was told what to do if I missed one so that I didn’t get pregnant.
What I wasn’t told was that
- if I started hormonal contraception I wouldn’t be having periods I would be having breakthrough bleeds…
- that after stopping the pill it would take me 18 months to start cycling again…
- that by not ovulating I wouldn’t be making any true oestrogen or progesterone
- that the synthetic hormones in contraceptives simply block ovulation – they don’t substitute for the body’s natural hormones…
and I wasn’t told of any of the very real medical risks of taking the pill or how interfering with my hormones would affect my general health, mental health or fertility…….
I mean…. WHAT!!
This is SO important as there are a number serious health issues associated with the use of hormonal contraceptives!
It seemed that as long as there were no unwanted pregnancies – that was all that mattered. Grr.
The importance of a regular cycle
You see each month we go through a precisely timed, beautifully orchestrated flow of hormonal fluctuations that are necessary for us to ovulate and either conceive or discharge the egg and shed the lining of the womb.
However, these hormones are also essential for your mood, energy, libido, insulin response, thyroid function, skin, hair, and so much more.
Furthermore, having adequate levels of your natural reproductive hormones when you are young contributes to both muscle and bone density and helps to protect you from osteoporosis, cancer, and cardiovascular disease later in life.
Perhaps you’re thinking, I do have periods – and they SUCK!
It’s true even women who aren’t on hormonal contraception can have problems with their period such as PMS, not ovulating, heavy bleeding or migraines.
(BTW I go into specifics and the strategies you can use to improve your cycle and hormone balance in my Hormones workshop inside The Green Body Circle Membership which you can access for FREE!)
So here’s whats happening throughout your cycle
and what you can expect – because hormone fluctuations are NORMAL, but should not cause awful monthly symptoms other than maybe some mild cramping and feeling a bit heavier and tired.
WEEK 1 Period
So week 1 you’re bleeding. As soon as you start bleeding you really should sit down for a bit!!
It took me a while to get my head around respecting the fact that I was literally losing blood once a month, but once you do decide to give yourself a mini break over those couple of days, you really feel better for it!
WEEK 2 Fertility
Then what happens is your oestadriol level or oestrogen starts to rise, so by day 3, 4, or 5 of your period, you should notice you start to feel good, like energetically really GOOD.
It stands to reason then that the end of your period and the following week is a good time to get stuff done, to commit to bigger projects, hit the gym harder, socialise and generally be a boss.
Then we really reach a peak before ovulation around day 14. Your skin will be glowing, your hair shiny, and you even smell good!
Everything to attract a mate because you are fertile baby!!
Women should also feel more beautiful at this time, have some libido and enjoy their femininity, energy and sexuality.
…Remember if you’re on or have recently come off hormonal contraception, or you have some hormonal imbalances, you may not actually be ovulating.
In which case you aren’t getting these hormonal fluctuations in this orchestration so it would be ideal to make an appointment with a naturopath or at least start tracking your cycle to uncover what’s really going on with your period.
WEEK 3 To be or not to be…
Ok, so after ovulation your body starts to make progesterone in case you conceive as this hormone would support a new pregnancy.
And if you don’t conceive, both progesterone and oestrogen levels gradually reduce as you slide down towards menstruation for the start of a new cycle.
And I say slide down because generally you are more likely to have lower energy, feel more sluggish and even a little more depressed towards the end of your cycle.
WEEK 4 Energy Drop
It’s important to note that while PMS is common, it is surprisingly not actually normal.
Your period should kind of arrive out of nowhere other than knowing that its about due… it shouldn’t announce itself a week in advance with mood swings, back pain and full blown anxiety and depression.
Now if you had told me this a few years back I would have laughed at you! But I can honestly say that since tracking my cycle and getting my stress and anxiety under control, my period honestly does turn up out of nowhere!
And then day 1 of bleeding begins day 1 of a new cycle and we are back to the start again.
A BRILLIANT book on periods, hormones and everything in between, (which I believe should be mandatory reading for all women!), is Lara Briden’s Period Repair Manual. It will change your life!
So there are a couple of takeaway points here:
If you’re reading this, it is likely that you are a woman, and women have menstrual cycles and fluctuating hormones! and that is not just normal but actually CRUCIAL for the survival of our species!!!
So we need to embrace and actually learn to live our cycles!! (Perhaps even learn to love them?)
I must say that I feel like being in touch with my monthly cycle is surely some kind of super power!
- I know I’m going to have that energy surge after my period and I look forward to that as my week to shine…
- I know when I am fertile because I can tell from my behaviour, my thoughts and importantly because I’m keeping an eye out “down there” for signs of fertility.
- I also know when I ‘switch off’ and am no longer fertile…
- And I know not just how I’m likely to feel at the back end of my cycle but I also understand WHY my mood and energy is not 110%, and I gave myself a break for it!
I don’t believe some of my more negative thoughts for example, but I also don’t fight the natural flow of things and expect myself to be as energetic as I was before ovulation – that’s just not how the female cycle works.
Most importantly the power and sense of control and being ok with everything is what makes this knowledge absolutely GOLDEN…
That life-changing book again: Period Repair Manual by Lara Briden (P.S. you can get it for 5 bucks on kindle!)
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I hope that this has been helpful to read and I want to invite you to join my facebook group where I delivered this short training so that you can access weekly videos just like it all about stress and energy management for busy women.
Plus! If you’re busting to know more, check out The Green Body Circle membership, completely free for 7 days, and you can watch the entire hormones workshop, plus download recipes, meal plans and so much more!
Kelly Moriarty
kellyannmoriarty.com 