How Many Phases are In My Menstrual Cycle?
Getting to Know All Four Stages of Your Cycle
Many women learn most of what they know about their period around puberty and unless you are actively trying to get pregnant or are experiencing period problems the learning may stop there.
We may also receive a variety of messaging in our early years from parents, friends or religious teachings that influence our views of our menstrual cycles. So let's take a deeper look and start to unpack some of this!
What we aren’t often told is that menstruation is actually just one of four equally important menstrual cycle phases that our body moves through to prepare for a potential pregnancy, and that the health of our cycles directly correlates to our overall health. Throughout the stages, our bodies go through different hormone-driven processes that can affect our energy levels and mood.
Because of these changing menstrual cycle hormones, there’s actually different types of exercises, tasks, and foods that are better suited for you during each stage! This is important information, because once we learn to honor all four phases of our cycle, we can take control of our health and wellbeing.
The Four Menstrual Cycle Phases:
Menstruation
Follicular phase
Ovulation
Luteal phase
Let’s dive deeper into what is going on within the body during each of these stages! I’ll also give you some insight into how you may be feeling during each stage and some recommendations for how to best care for yourself during the different parts of your cycle.
1. Menstruation- the “Winter” Phase
This is the first phase of your cycle that starts on day one of your period and lasts around 3-7 days. (We’re talking actual bleeding here, not light spotting that can be a precursor to the main event in some women.)
You can think of this as the “winter phase” where you can bundle up, get cozy, and honor moving at a little bit of a slower pace than normal.
What’s Happening in the Body?
Hormonally, estrogen and progesterone are at their lowest levels of your entire cycle. Progesterone plummets right before your period starts which gets your uterine lining to break down and shed. You’re releasing blood of course, and uterine tissue and mucus as well.
The release of prostaglandins (I know, prost-what??), a hormone-like compound, causes your uterus to contract so that the lining sheds. That’s actually what can cause the low-grade cramps you may feel around this time.
How might you be feeling?
This phase of your cycle is a great time to honor rest. You may also be feeling extra tired this week and have permission to fit in as many naps as you can! Think, Netflix and chill vibes!
This time of the month is sometimes associated with irritability and mood swings. Mild fluctuations in mood are totally normal but if you are experiencing major mood swings that interfere with your daily life it may be time to look for deeper imbalances that could be occurring. So yes, you may feel a little extra emotional, but you may also feel more intuitive and reflective, making this a great part of the month to spend some time alone.
Good activities for this phase in your cycle are journaling, easy walks, and light yoga where you can enjoy some solitude, relaxation, and reflection. It’s a great opportunity to turn inward.
2. Follicular Phase- “Spring” Waxing Moon
This is the second phase of your cycle that begins when bleeding wraps up and ends before ovulation. The major thing happening in this phase is your body is preparing for ovulation.
You can think of this as the “spring” phase of your cycle, where you are preparing for new beginnings! This is a great time to set new intentions and get creative.
What’s happening in the body?
Maturing ovarian follicles start upping production of estradiol. Estradiol is a type of estrogen your body makes, and it’s a good one! Estradiol works to prep your body for a possible pregnancy by stimulating your uterine lining to grow and thicken.
Somewhere around day 8, one special ovarian follicle (basically a little sac that contains one egg) is chosen to get the lead role and all other follicles that were at the casting call disintegrate. I know, she means business!
As ovulation approaches, the cervix literally changes position and opens to get ready. Now we’ve got estrogen in the mix too which starts to increase. You’ll notice this mostly in your production of cervical fluid which gets thicker and wetter.
FUN FACT- The cervical fluid you experience right around ovulation is actually pretty amazing. It is specifically formulated to allow sperm to survive and swim faster to the egg-in-waiting. If looked at under a microscope you’d see little channels that help sperm swim up the uterus.
How might you be feeling?
That estradiol I mentioned? Among other benefits, it boosts serotonin and dopamine which can be great for mood and libido, so you’ll probably be feeling an increase in energy and sex drive. You are your most fertile in this phase, with the greatest chance for pregnancy so manage those sexy vibes wisely!
You’ll also be mentally sharp and creative so this is a great time for starting new projects, planning, leading meetings, or networking.
3. Ovulation- “Summer” Full Moon
Ovulation is the third phase of your cycle and is the shortest phase lasting only 24-48 hours.
Think of this as opening night for your lead ovarian follicle from the previous follicular phase. She and all the supporting cast of hormones have been planning and rehearsing for this moment. She’s the star and she’s ready to shine!
We’ve got a complex interplay of hormones happening that result in our little lead egg bursting out of her follicle sac and getting escorted into a fallopian tube as she makes her way to the main stage, AKA the uterus.
This journey through the fallopian tube takes around 12-24 hours and it’s where fertilization happens- if it happens. If the egg is not fertilized, your period should be making an appearance in roughly 14 days.
How might you be feeling?
Three words: hot, hot, hot!
You’ll be feeling extra sexy and social during this time! It’s a great time to get out with friends, go on dates, or have some passionate playtime with your partner or yourself. Enjoy your spike in energy levels and take advantage of your magnetic disposition.
For the most part, you’ll probably be feeling pretty good, but you might also experience some mild cramping known as mittelschmerz (“middle pain” in German) as the egg ruptures out of your ovary.
4. Luteal Phase- “Fall” Waning Moon
This is the fourth phase of your cycle and is the 10-16 days between ovulation and the first day of your period.
Ok, so remember our star diva egg who burst out of her follicle sac during ovulation? Well that follicle that she burst out of is about to make a pretty bad-ass transformation into a temporary endocrine gland called the corpus luteum that secretes a super beneficial hormone called progesterone.
Progesterone's main job is to hold and maintain a pregnancy, but that’s not all it does. It’s a key hormone for period health and also works to counterbalance estrogen, calm the nervous system, promote sleep, build muscles and reduce inflammation, among other things! This one’s a keeper, right?
Alright, let’s get back to the corpus luteum, which has been busy pumping out progesterone that will stay high in this phase while estrogen is in a sharp decline. This little endocrine gland goddess will stick around for three months if you become pregnant (after three months your placenta becomes the progesterone maker).
If you don’t become pregnant, the corpus luteum will only survive 10-16 days (the length of your luteal phase) after which it will shrink, progesterone levels will drop which in turn stimulates your uterus to contract and start shedding its lining, aka the first day of your period.
And so starts a brand new cycle! How cool is that?
How might you be feeling?
Good energy levels and sexy vibes might still be around in the first half of this phase, but depending on your body the later half might bring a decrease in energy.
This is the phase of your cycle where you might experience those common, yet pesky symptoms of PMS, like mood changes, bloating, breast tenderness, or food cravings.
Though all of these things are common, they can be managed and potentially even eliminated through lifestyle changes. Getting to know your body and it’s different phases is a great first step to having easier and pain-free periods.
Honoring All Four Seasons
Each of our four stages plays a special role in reproduction, and also contributes to our general health and wellbeing.
Keep in mind there is a delicate balancing act happening between your hormones that can be affected by many factors (diet, stress levels, sleep quality etc.) which will influence how you feel in each phase.
Period health is an important indicator of overall health so symptoms should not be overlooked or ignored. There are also other conditions such as PCOS, Endometriosis and PMDD that can present major health challenges that we will dive into in future posts.
As women, we have the privilege of connecting with our bodies in a unique way and honoring all four stages of our cycle as we honor the seasons of the year.
If you’d like to learn more about your cycle phases “etc etc” - CALL TO ACTION
I referenced two great resources for this post, the books Fix Your Period by Nicole Jardim and Period Repair Manual by Lara Briden ND.