In this article I’ll outline the basics of what’s going on in your body each month. Knowing this will help you better avoid pregnancy because understanding your cycle will allow you to make intelligent decisions based on actual facts and data – not guesswork or approximations.
There are a few things you probably already know about menstruation. And there are a few things you may not realize. I’ll walk you through a brief overview of the basics and explain how charting your cycles can help, regardless of where you’re at in your fertile lifetime.
What you probably already know…
The female body does a lot of hard work internally every month. Setting up to carry on the survival of the human species is no simple task, after all. The average female has a period about every month (28 days or so, which equates to 13 periods each year) between the ages of 12 – 51. That’s an average of 39 years x 13 periods/year = 507 possible periods in your fertile lifetime. Depending on your childbearing preferences, if you also wind up with the average 2 kid family size that means 507 months – 18 months of pregnancy – 12 months of amenorrhea during postpartum time = approximately 477 of those cycles will not result in pregnancy and therefore will involve a visit from Aunt Flo.
Assuming your ideal is to navigate through the hormonal changes that ultimately shed the inner uterine lining swiftly and painlessly THAT many times in your life, it’s a good idea to learn everything you can.
What you might not realize…
There are 4 hormones doing the heavy lifting, triggering the main events each cycle. Each one dominates for part of your cycle and each one has a distinct role. Most of us are familiar with estrogen and progesterone, which are produced in your ovaries; the other two hormones involved are called FSH and LH, which come from the pituitary gland in your brain.
This visual might help.
-Image sources listed below in References-
A (very) simplified description of the role of each hormone follows:
FSH: Follicle Stimulating Hormone; causes the egg to grow inside the ovary. FSH levels rise leading up to ovulation and then spike at ovulation.
LH: Luteinizing Hormone; causes the egg to be released from the ovary. LH levels also spike at ovulation.
Estrogen: Levels quickly rise leading up to ovulation, then drop off sharply before gradually increasing again in the latter half of your cycle. Causes the body to begin rebuilding the uterine lining after menstruation; also prepares the dominant follicle that will eventually release an egg that cycle. Triggers production of cervical mucus as fertile window approaches.
Progesterone: Levels start out low and then quickly rise after ovulation. The rising level triggers a rise in body temperature. Progesterone prepares the body for a pregnancy by sending the message to thicken the uterine lining; if no pregnancy occurs, at the end of your cycle levels drop off sharply. This drop off signals the start of the next menstruation.
Although the exact timing of the rise and fall of your hormone levels can vary each cycle, these four hormones interact in a predictable pattern. And that’s how practicing NFP can help – you’ll be learning how to systematically observe your unique pattern each cycle and decode your body’s natural cadence.
Why should you care?
Knowing that your hormones continually fluctuate throughout the month means you don’t have to feel like a victim to some unknown forces – you can actively observe how you feel at any given time in your cycle and do something about it. Experiencing PMS? Maybe squeeze in some extra sleep that week. Getting close to ovulation? You will probably feel like getting cozy with your partner that week – schedule a date night or two and live it up.
This is where the power of charting your cycles can really pay off in your day to day life. Knowing where I’m at in my cycle each month has proved quite valuable for me and that’s why I encourage you to get started charting today.
For purposes of avoiding pregnancy, now that you have brushed up on the basics about how your menstrual cycle works you can get on to the task of learning how to recognize your own monthly patterns and begin to record your own observations.
To help you in your charting journey I have a few posts that you might find interesting:
Tips on Taking Your Basal Body Temperature
A Guide to Identifying Your Fertile Window
If you prefer a more individualized approach, I invite you to connect with me.
Schedule your completely free 30-minute
Natural Fertility Discovery Session
with me to find out if NFP is a good fit for you.
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