4 things that your menstrual cycle affects
If you’ve ever wondered why certain thoughts come and go at certain times of the month, that’s because they’re influenced by your cycle! We might not think it, but because of the hormones that govern the cycle, it’s not really possible to separate our lives from our cycles, or our cycles from our lives.
Here are just four things that your cycle affects:
- How you feel about your body
- Whether you want sex or not
- Motivation to go to the gym
- Whether you crave salad or pizza
And much more besides. If you notice certain ebbs and flows, repetitive thoughts, feelings or even arguments with your partner, then it might be worth looking at whether your cycle is playing a part in it all. The truth is, we are not linear. Society might like us to behave the same way each day, to always please and be pleasable, but the truth is that we just aren’t made this way. When you look at this (simplified) graph showing the rise and fall of your hormones, it becomes clear.
As you can see, there are big peaks and valleys in our hormone levels across the cycle. Consider oestrogen, a so-called feel-good-hormone that’s responsible for ovulation and the associated feelings of happiness, joy and high energy that can come around that time of the cycle. At the very start of the cycle, it’s at it’s lowest, which explains why you might feel the opposite until it starts to rise. Your enthusiasm for seeing people and presenting the best version of yourself could be much, much less than towards ovulation where oestrogen peaks.
Oestrogen is also a huge player in terms of libido and whether or not you want to have sex — so if you find that you can take it or leave it at other times of the month but really want it in the middle, that could be why!
When you see how oestrogen spreads itself out across your cycle, you might start to realise that, rather than pack out your social calendar for the entire month, you can take advantage of those feel-good-vibes and go for that mid-high ovulation time instead.
This goes for so much of the things affected by our cycles — how you show up at work, whether you prioritise admin over creativity that week, whether you choose a soft yin yoga class or opt for lifting weights. Consistent doesn’t mean having to do the same each day, it can also mean doing things in a similar way month to month instead, which can lead to more energy overall, not to mention a ton more self-kindness, compassion and self-acceptance.
This post was first published at www.nataliekmartin.com on 24th September, 2021
