Understanding Your Menstrual Cycle: A Guide to Your Hormonal Rhythm & Power
We often grow up learning about the menstrual cycle in a way that focuses on just one thing: the period. But your cycle is so much more than just a few days of bleeding — it’s an entire hormonal ecosystem that affects your energy, mood, motivation, focus, and how you show up in life every single day.
Once you begin to understand your hormonal rhythm, you can work with your body — not against it. This is one of the most powerful things I teach through EverWell, and something I believe every woman deserves to know.
Let’s break it down.
Your Menstrual Cycle: The 4 Phases
The average cycle lasts around 28–32 days (though it can vary), and it’s divided into four distinct phases, each with its own hormonal profile.
1. Menstrual Phase (Days 1–5)
This is when you bleed — your uterine lining is shedding.
🧠 Hormones: Oestrogen and progesterone are at their lowest.
- You might feel more tired, introverted, or slower. This is a natural time to rest, reflect, and conserve energy.
* Tip: Honour your energy. Think slow movement, journaling, nourishing foods, and kindness toward yourself.
2. Follicular Phase (Days 6–13)
Your body begins to prepare an egg for ovulation.
🧠 Oestrogen starts to rise.
- You’ll likely feel more energised, focused, and optimistic. Creativity and motivation often peak here.
* Tip: This is a great time for goal setting, strength training, social events, or starting something new.
3. Ovulation (Around Day 14)
The egg is released. This is the peak of fertility.
🧠 Oestrogen is high, and testosterone gives you a surge of confidence and libido.
- You may feel your most magnetic, social, and physically capable.
* Tip: Use this high-energy window to your advantage — present, create, connect, lift heavier, or have those big conversations.
4. Luteal Phase (Days 15–28)
After ovulation, progesterone rises to prepare for a potential pregnancy.
🧠 You may feel more inward, sensitive, or irritable if hormone levels drop sharply toward the end.
- PMS symptoms often show up here if your body is under stress or imbalance.
* Tip: Focus on self-care, stress management, stable blood sugar, and grounding activities. This is a time for productivity, but not over commitment.
Your Cycle Is a Vital Sign
Your menstrual cycle isn’t just about reproduction — it’s a vital sign of your overall health. Irregular cycles, missed periods, painful cramps, extreme PMS, or intense mood swings aren’t things you should have to "put up with" — they’re signals from your body that something may need attention.
That’s why learning your cycle is a powerful form of self-awareness and self-advocacy.
You Are Not the Same Every Day — And That’s a Strength
One of the greatest myths in modern wellness is that we should feel the same every day, train the same, eat the same, and push through — no matter what. But women’s bodies operate on a monthly rhythm, not a 24-hour one like men’s. And when we start honouring that rhythm, everything begins to shift.
You stop blaming your body.
You stop fighting your mood.
And you start living in alignment with your own biology.
Let’s Talk About Your Cycle
If you’ve struggled with:
PMS or irregular periods
Fatigue or mood swings you can’t explain
Hormonal acne, bloating, or brain fog
Or you just want to understand your cycle better...
I’d love to support you.
Through my 1:1 coaching and hormone-focused wellbeing programmes, we’ll create a personalised plan that helps you understand your body, manage symptoms naturally, and build a routine that respects your needs — not ignores them.
