Understanding the Female Hormone Cycle
Most women go their whole lives without knowing anything about the changes happening inside them each month. Our menstrual cycle holds great insights, as the health of our menstrual cycle is a reflection of our whole body health.
The menstrual cycle is a series of natural processes to prepare for pregnancy. During our cycle, our hormone levels rise and fall, depending on which phase we are in. The fact is that different hormones dominate at different stages. The levels even change from day to day, which means that we cannot expect to feel the same way every day. Our energy levels, libido, mood, self-esteem and appetite change throughout our cycle and once you start tracking these physical and emotional symptoms, you'll likely notice a pattern and correlation to your cycle. To think that we are, and can live our lives the same every day, is a big misunderstanding that doesn't take our cycle into consideration. By that, I don't mean that we should suffer from PMS and other typical signs of an underlying hormonal imbalance throughout our cycle, but to adjust and work with our cycle, rather than against it. Because by paying attention to our body's cues, we will facilitate a deeper awareness of how it functions, allowing us to use the cycle to our advantage and to know how to treat our bodies throughout our cycle as our needs naturally changes with the different phases.
The female hormone cycle begins in the brain, in a structure called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus receives information from the immune system, the nervous system and from hormones in the body. Based on that input and information, the hypothalamus releases something called gonadotropin-releasing hormone. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone goes to hypothalamus' neighbour, another structure in your brain called the pituitary gland which makes two hormones, regarding the female hormone cycle.
The first half of the month the pituitary gland makes something called FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone). FSH then tells the ovaries to make estrogen, meaning that the first half of the month, FSH and estrogen are dominant. Then, the second half of the cycle, when the ovulation is taking place, the pituitary gland makes another hormone, LH (luteinising hormone). LH tells the ovaries to produce progesterone, meaning that the second half of the cycle is dominant by LH and progesterone.
Your cycle is divided into four phases. The menstrual phase, the follicular phase, the ovulation phase and the luteal phase.
Phase 1: The menstrual phase (3-7 days)
The first day of your period is the start of your menstrual cycle. Right before your bleeding begins, the levels of estrogen and progesterone drop and they are reaching their lowest concentrations. As you reach your menstrual phase, your hormone levels are still low, but slowly starts to increase in concentration. On day one, your pituitary gland starts to make FSH which stimulates your ovaries to start producing a mature egg, or follicle.
Phase 2: The follicular phase: (7-10 days)
This maturing process produces estrogen, which explains the raise of estrogen as the increasingly maturing follicle produces more and more. This makes the lining of your uterus thicken with nutrients and blood, so it will be able to provide the egg with the support it needs in case of pregnancy.
Phase 3: The ovulation phase: (3-5 days)
Estrogen reaches its highest amount, and this peak suggests that the follicle is completely matured. The pituitary gland then pickes up this high level of estrogen, and releases LH which stimulates the matured follicle or egg to release into the fallopian tube and further down to the uterus, where the egg can survive for approximately 12-24 hours. During this time, it can be fertilized, if coming in contact with sperm. So keep in mind that during these days you are most likely to get pregnant. After ovulation, a temporary endocrine structure called the corpus luteum, which is what's left of the ovarian follicle, starts to produce progesterone.
Phase 4: The luteal phase (10-14 days)
After the egg has travelled down the fallopian tube it gets to the womb. The corpus luteum, what was left over from the maturing egg or follicle, produces progesterone, but if pregnancy doesn't occur, corpus luteum ends up shrivelling away which makes less and less progesterone. At the end of the month, as long as the egg is not fertilized, we will have low contrentrations of both FSH and estrogen and LH and progesterone. Because pregnancy didn't happen, the uterine lining, which is now thick and ready for pregnancy, starts to break down and will now leave your body through the menstruation phase, meaning that a new cycle begins.
