Make yourself at home.
Blood
Menstrual Bleeding
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In the beginning was the word, and the word was period. The first thing I learned about my reproductive system was that, besides from moms growing babies, I am going to bleed. Fifth grade me loved learning, so I readily took in the ‘talk’ we received in our classroom. We watched an informational video on a wheeled-in T.V. screen, then received bags with mini deodorants and panty liners. This prepared me for the fact that I will someday bleed without cause for concern. (Could you imagine not having a clue about menstruation, and all of a sudden bleeding profusely?)
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Again, this was fifth grade. While beneficial for those entering menarche (the first period) within a year or two, I completely forgot everything by the time I had my first period at almost 17 years old—six years later. During those years, my memory of the cartoon information was replaced by primarily locker room complaints. I overheard the joys of gut-wrenching cramps, bleeding through clothing, running out of tampons, and hormonal acne. I became more and more grateful not to have my period as time went on.
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Because the time was drawing out, and I knew my lack of cycling was abnormal, I was relieved when I finally started bleeding. By day eight, however, I was asking my volleyball team if an eight-day period was normal. They informed me it was, in fact, not. But, like many health-related issues, I didn’t think it was of much concern. I didn’t have monthly periods. They would come and go. I didn’t care. The less I had to deal with it, the happier I was.
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My information at this time came mainly from my peers and my mother. However, my experience was different from everyone I spoke with. Since my case was unique, the information I received in fifth grade didn’t help much, considering I had forgotten everything I learned.
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What did help was the small bits of information I obtained from others, advertisements, and health class. Somewhere along the way, I learned that when a woman bleeds, the uterine lining is shed as well. This is vital to know for someone who can get worked up about small things. Not expecting uterine tissue to accompany the blood is another surprise that could cause panic.
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I'm glad I knew this and had some time to absorb what was happening to those around me and form expectations. Hearing it from peers who were experiencing it in real-time was more beneficial than the "talk," anyway.
What do you know about female anatomy?
Stages
of the Cycle
Click me!
Somewhere deep in my memory, I may recall the explanation of ovulation in that fifth-grade meeting. Or maybe it just makes sense that it would have come up. Either way, the detail of stages of a woman’s cycle was minimal when I first learned it. In the beginning, there is the period. In the middle, there is ovulation. Somewhere along the way in high school, I became fearful of the dreaded “PMS.” These were the three times in a cycle I knew of, but not about.
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Figuring out the period was supposed to be monthly wasn’t hard, always hearing about “that time of the month.” But what happens in my body when I’m not on my period? I paid no attention. If I wasn’t bleeding (which was almost always), there was nothing to pay attention to. My periods came and went in a way I now think of as oligomenorrhea, or the infrequent or non-existent appearance of a woman’s period. Oligomenorrhea is characterized by having six or fewer periods per year.
It wasn’t until I started listening to a podcast titled “The Hormone Genius” a few months ago that I found out it can take four to six years for a woman’s period and cycle to completely figure itself out and get into a groove. After this, my research led me to learn that medical studies relating to women’s menstruation don’t even study women who have had their periods for less than two years!
According to the podcast and my gynecologist, “normal” cycles consist of four stages. Sources on the internet say three, depending on whether you classify the period as part of the follicular phase or not. The illustration to the left lays out this relationship well.
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In the beginning, there was the period. The period marks the beginning of the follicular phase. Bleeding lasts 3-7 days depending on the woman, while the follicular phase as a whole can vary from 14 to 21 days, before ovulation. Ovulation is the shortest phase, lasting 24 to 48 hours. Some affectionately call this the “main event,” for without it, there is no need for the cycle. The last, dreaded phase is the luteal phase. Something I find fascinating about this phase is the timing; for each individual, the luteal phase is the exact same length every time! Between women, it typically varies between just 13.5 and 14 days. Physiology is cool.
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Hormones
and Their Functions
Image from Sports Medicine: Effects of Follicular and Luteal Phase-Based Menstrual Cycle Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Mass
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“You’re just hormonal.”
“Teenagers being teenagers.”
“Stop being dramatic.”
Estrogen.
Progesterone.
Testosterone.
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This was my foundation for learning about hormones. Somewhere in high school, I learned that hormones are what cause our body to react in certain ways, be that through fight-or-flight or wanting to squeeze a cute puppy. But I needed to research this on my own. I started a few months ago.
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Much of my knowledge on this topic comes from The Hormone Genius podcast, medical papers, my gynecologist, NFP instruction, and my fiancée (a pre-med biomedical engineer who has extensive knowledge on PCOS). Once I heard that the changes in my hormones are the cause for many of my body’s functions (and, if abnormal, dysfunctions), I wanted to know who was in charge of what. There are so many more hormones than just sex hormones, but for the purpose of this, I will only attend to the reproductive-focused ones.
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First, we’ve got the standards, estrogen and progesterone. These female hormones regulate one’s cycle by doing their little dance and fluctuating around each other. During the first two phases, estrogen increases while progesterone decreases. In the latter half, they switch. Estrogen is vital for the development and functioning of women’s reproductive organs. It is the hormone that women tend to love, due to its effects on mood, skin, and objective attractiveness. Studies have shown that women who are ovulating (at peak estrogen) have more attractive voices and demeanor than women at different points in their cycles. Progesterone is the antagonist in this regard. Although necessary for preparing the uterine lining for fertilization and the breasts for milk production, progesterone is associated with PMS, which gives it a bad rap.
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There are a few other hormones you may not know about. I learned about these guys through conversations with my NFP-obsessed friend, as well as some blood tests/lab work I had recently. Meet my new friends LH, FSH, and AMH. LH and FSH work to produce sex hormones like estrogen (testosterone in men), while AMH supports and indicates egg production and reservation. These three also oscillate during a woman’s cycle, doing the jig that lets our bodies work as well-oiled machines.
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And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I know about hormones. They control a whole heck of a lot—including cervical mucus! Boys, proceed with caution.
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Cervical mucus is one of the most normal things I never hear about. What is it? This is the discharge that comes from the cervix, which changes in consistency throughout the menstrual cycle. Its main purpose is to lubricate the vagina and create a path from sperm to the egg.
During a woman’s cycle, the quantity and quality of her visible cervical mucus can tell her about where she is in a cycle. This information can be used to know if or when she is fertile and when she is not. Contrary to popular belief, a woman is NOT always fertile like men are.
The normal pattern of cervical mucus is as such: During the menstrual phase: nothin'. In the follicular phase, wet mucus is common. While ovulating: THE MUCUS’ TIME TO SHINE. Healthy, slippery mucus indicates a few things, the first being fertility. Because the mucus is designed as a sperm path and natural lubricant, it makes sense that the increased quantity and quality make it easier to get pregnant. Quality also tells us that estrogen is high and healthy during this time. The luteal phase is the driest, not usually contributing much visible/external cervical mucus.
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Alright, you can stop the “mucus” drinking game. I’m done.
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