Having a healthy menstrual cycle is about far more than just how regular it is and how long it lasts.
And unfortunately, the vast majority of women don’t know what to look for to figure this out.
The common myth is that if your cycle is about 28 days and fairly regular, and if the pain isn’t unbearable or flow too heavy, that everything is fine. In reality, there’s a lot more to it.
The good news is that it’s really easy to figure out once you know how!
Here’s what a healthy cycle looks like.
Length:
- about 27 to 35 days
- too much variation (or “missing” periods) is a sign of a hormone imbalance
Menstruation:
- lasts about 4 to 7 days
- isn’t too long/short or heavy or painful (that’s right, pain is not normal!)
- doesn’t have any spotting before your flow starts
- doesn’t have PMS (some signs of hormonal change are normal, but it shouldn’t be distressing or impact your quality of life)
Mucus:
- about 3 to 6 days of cervical mucus around ovulation, and at least one day of peak-type mucus
- mucus dries up after ovulation
- too much mucus or not enough is a sign of a hormonal imbalance
Luteal phase (time after ovulation to next period):
- lasts about 12 to 16 days, and be consistently about the same length
- less than this is a sign of a hormone imbalance
The good news is you can easily figure all of this out on your own without any hormone tests! The beauty of menstrual cycle charting is that you can see exactly what each phase of your cycle looks like, and then start to take steps to improve your health if something seems out of balance.
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And yes, you can make changes to improve your cycle health through diet, lifestyle, and supplements!
Don’t believe me? I know most women think they are stuck with what they’ve got and their body just is the way it is, but that’s not true.
I’ve had clients with a consistent luteal phase of 9 or 10 days change it to be consistently 12 or 13 days. I’ve had clients who regularly had their Peak Day on cycle day 24 to 28 change to be regularly on cycle day 18 or 19. I’ve had clients who had way too much mucus (every day for over two weeks straight) start having only one week of mucus. And I know of women who have reduced their PMS and reduced their pain from what was previously unbearable.
It all comes down to the fact that your body needs certain vitamins and minerals to function properly, and part of this function means producing hormones that are in a healthy balance. If you are missing certain nutrients you can change what you eat and how you are living to create a pattern of healthier hormones.
This is one of the reasons I love menstrual cycle charting, since it gives us so much insight into our hormonal health and allows us to see improvements as they happen. If you’re interested in learning more, check out one of my programs and we can get you on the path to improved menstrual cycle health.
Are you worried your cycle isn’t healthy? Want to learn how to chart to improve your hormonal health? Contact me or check out one of my programs.