Here are 7 ways to better understand your menstrual cycle
I want you to think about what you've been taught about your cycle menstrual and how?
Pour ma part, je me souviens d’une salle bondée d’élèves d’école primaire, en sueur, qui regardaient une étrange cassette VHS sur la puberté des filles. Sans la sagesse des autres femmes dans ma vie, je serais totalement perdue.
42% of women are victims of menstrual shame and 58% of women feel embarrassed simply because they have their period.
Where does that leave room for women to ask stupid, necessary and personal questions to understand their menstrual cycles?
Hint: there aren't any!
The culture surrounding menstruation needs to change. This starts with open and honest conversations. We want to help women become aware of their bodies and feel comfortable in them.
So what is the menstrual cycle?
Your menstrual cycle, also known as the ovarian cycle, begins on the day your period starts and ends the day before your period returns. This cycle is renewed approximately every 28 days, from adolescence (your first period) until the menopause.
What are the phases of my menstrual cycle?
Your menstrual cycle can be broken down into 4 distinct phases:
- Menstrual phase
- Follicular phase
- Ovulatory phase
- Luteal phase
1) First phase of your menstrual cycle: you have your period
Your menstrual cycle begins when your period arrives: These can last for a few days, or even a week. Your body "expels" the uterine lining and the unfertilised egg from your previous cycle because you didn't get pregnant.
2) Second phase of your menstrual cycle: preparing for ovulation
After your period, the pre-ovulatory phase begins, which lasts around seven days and prepares your uterus for ovulation. This phase is also known as the follicular phase.
During this phase, your brain, via the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, sends a chemical message that triggers the release of two hormones. First, FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) stimulates the growth of the ovarian follicle, then LH (luteinizing hormone) releases the egg. At the same time, the stimulated follicle releases large quantities of estrogen. The release of this "feminine hormone" generates a feeling of well-being. You feel good about yourself, you have energy and your libido is in fine fettle.
3) Third phase of your menstrual cycle: ovulation
When the oocyte contained in the follicle reaches maturity, the follicle ruptures under the action of the LH hormone, releasing a fertilizable egg. You then enter the ovulation phase. During this phase, your cervical mucuswhich allows sperm to pass through to the egg, liquefies and becomes translucent. This is why you may notice a white discharge. Some of you may also feel pain when the follicle (which measures two centimetres!) ruptures and travels through your fallopian tubes to reach the uterus.
This ovulatory phase lasts about two days, and that's when you can conceive a child. Your estrogen levels are at their highest and your libido is boosted!
4) Fourth phase of your menstrual cycle: after ovulation
After the ovulatory phase, the last stage of your menstrual cycle begins, known as the luteal phase, which lasts around fourteen days.
The first part of this phase is common to all women and prepares your uterus to receive the fertilised egg. The follicle, which has released the egg, heals and transforms into a corpus luteum, which then secretes progesterone. Throughout this second part of the cycle, progesterone levels rise crescendo until they exceed those of oestrogen. Your uterine wall becomes thicker and more vascular in preparation for the eventual implantation of the fertilised egg. Progesterone, also known as the "maternity hormone", can then lead to a slightly more sombre mood and anxiety.
Your body will then adapt to two very different situations:
a) Your egg has not been fertilized.
If the egg has not been fertilised, hormone secretion drops significantly and the corpus luteum begins to degenerate. The uterine mucosa and the unfertilised egg will then detach and be evacuated through menstruation. You are now entering a new
b) Your egg has been fertilized.
If the egg has been fertilized, it will "cling" to your uterine wall. This is called implantation. Once implanted, the egg will begin to secrete chorionic gonadotropic hormone (HCG), also known as the "pregnancy hormone". pregnancy ". This keeps the corpus luteum active, enabling it to continue secreting estrogen and progesterone. Your pregnancy has just begun!
The menstrual cycle and its ovulation phase: how to recognize it?
There are three physical factors to know if you're entering the ovulation phase of your menstrual cycle. Other physical symptoms may occur (bloating, lower abdominal pain, high libido...), but they vary so much from one person to another. woman to the other that it can be more complicated to associate them with your precise day of ovulation. Here are the signs that should alert you:
First, you can spot the appearance of white discharge a few days before the start of your ovulation. They generally become increasingly fluid and transparent, until they resemble egg white. This means your sperm passage has been facilitated, and it's time to take action!
Ensuite, sachez que votre température augmente légèrement (de 0,3°C à 0,6°C) le jour suivant votre ovulation. Cela veut dire que si vous prenez votre température tous les jours, pendant plusieurs cycles menstruels, vous pouvez déterminer de façon assez précise le moment où votre corps se trouve dans cette phase.
Enfin, comme expliqué plus haut, au moment de l’ovulation, votre corps secrète une hormone appelée LH qui est détectable facilement dans votre urine. C’est alors que le test d’ovulation entre en jeu ! En effet, pour déterminer la période la plus favorable pour get pregnant, vous pouvez utiliser des tests d’ovulation qui vous diront si vous êtes en train de produire cette hormone particulière. En faisant le test sur plusieurs jours, vous pouvez suivre la montée de vos hormones jusqu’à déterminer le jour où le trait est le plus foncé (ou apparent) ce qui déterminera votre jour d’ovulation. Nous vous conseillons de faire un test tous les jours pendant 6 jours (depuis votre 10e du cycle) afin de déterminer avec précision votre jour d’ovulation et donc la période où vous êtes la plus fertile.
