How was your cycle this year?

The healthy length of the cycle for someone of fertile age who isn’t using any form of hormonal birth control, postpartum, or breastfeeding, is 24-36 days. Some variation is common, but if your cycle is consistently out-of-range, it may be the first noticeable sign that something isn’t right.

Pay attention to any variations in the length of your cycle, even if it’s within the healthy range.

In a healthy period, you should bleed for 3-7 days with at least one day of medium or heavy bleeding. Knowing how much you bleed can give you clues about your hormonal levels and tell you if there is an imbalance.

To objectively measure how much you bleed, keep track of the size or volume of the menstrual product you use, how often you change it during the day, and how full it is when you change it—check the guidelines here.

Sometimes it’s common to see dark or brown spots in the days before your period. Premenstrual spotting can be a sign that your body is not producing enough progesterone, a sign of an underlying thyroid problem, or indicate anovulatory cycles.

An anovulatory cycle is a menstrual cycle in which ovulation, or the release of an egg from the ovaries, doesn’t occur.

Ovulation is a sign of health because it’s thanks to it that we produce estrogen and progesterone, which are essential for our well-being. So we want to make sure it’s happening every cycle.

The luteal phase is the time of the cycle dominated by the activity of the corpus luteum (the tiny gland that produces progesterone after ovulation). It begins after ovulation and ends one day before your next period. It lasts about 14 days, but between 9-18 days is common.

The luteal phase length is important because it tells you if the corpus luteum formed correctly and produced sufficient progesterone levels.

Symptoms like pain, headaches, fatigue, insomnia, weight gain, acne, or mood swings can reflect hormonal or other health issues. The severity of these symptoms can vary depending on many factors, including hormonal imbalance, diet, stress, illness, or exercise.

Pay attention to any symptoms you experienced this year, especially those that appeared frequently.

Every cycle gives you the opportunity to discover new insights about yourself. Tracking your cycle is a great way to unlock your superpowers in each phase and become mindful of your vulnerable moments and needs.

So the end of the year is a great time to put this information together and find patterns.

What would you like to learn about, be more mindful of, or work on next year?

And if learning more about your cycle is calling you this year, I’m here to support you! I’m working on next year’s new online and in-person offerings, so stay tuned!