We have been conditioned to believe that it is normal for us to experience things like an irregular period, painful period cramps, super heavy or super light flows, to name a few. But guess what? None of these things are "normal"and your period shouldn't be a time of the month that you dread. And the good news is that if your hormones are balanced and happy, your period can actually be a breeze!
Your period is always communicating your hormone health to you. If your hormones are healthy, your period will give you a lot of signs to support this and visa versa. So if you are wondering how your hormones are doing, here are some key indicators that will tell you the status of your hormone health based on your period.
1. If your period is consistently between 28-33 days long, your hormones are happy and healthy. However, if your cycle is shorter or longer than 28 days or 32 days, this is a sign of underlying hormonal imbalance.
2. If the color of your blood is the color of deep red cranberry juice or dark cherry juice from start to finish this is an indicator that your hormones are happy and in balance. On the contrary, if your period blood is pale pink or brown in color, this is an indicator that you may have a hormone imbalance, specifically low estrogen or low progesterone.
3. If your period is between 4-7 days long, this is an indicator of happy and healthy hormones. If your bleed is shorter, longer, or not happening at all. This means there is an underlying hormonal imbalance or another underlying condition.
4. If your flow is strong and without clots, and also not inconveniently heavy, this is a sign that your uterine lining is shedding as it should and your hormones are happy and healthy. If your flow is heavy to the point that you are constantly having to change menstrual products, or it is barely flowing at all. You guessed it, an underlying hormonal issue is present. If you experience clots in your blood, this is an indicator that your estrogen levels are too high. High levels of estrogen are what result in PMS symptoms, mood swings, anxiety, and more severe issues like endometriosis, breast and/or ovarian cancer.
5. If you can feel sensations of your uterus moving, but it isn't painful or uncomfortable enough that you need to reach for pain pills or a hot water bottle, this means you are experiencing healthy uterine shedding and....your hormones are happy and balanced! If you are experiencing painful cramps, this means there is an underlying hormonal imbalance.
So as you can see, your period is a big indicator of what is actually going on in your body at a hormonal level. If you are experiencing any of these irregularities, please know that a painful period does not have to be a life sentence. All it takes is giving your body and your hormones some tender loving care to go from period purgatory to period bliss! I can speak from personal experience on this one. I used to experience extremely heavy flows, debilitating cramps, periods that lasted longer than 7 days, and overall so much discomfort when I was bleeding. And guess what? My hormones were in a complete state of disarray. But now that I live my life in sync with my cycle and make sure to eat hormone-balancing foods, move my body in ways that support my cycle and my hormones, and listen to the needs of my body instead of pushing myself, my period is an absolute JOY. I'm not kidding when I say that my bleed is now one of my favorite times of the entire month. It is such a beautiful and peaceful time of introspection, self-nourishment, and rest. Sometimes, I even forget that I am on my period because it is that easy. I am saying all of these because I want you to know that your period doesn't have to be a terrible time of the month, you don't have to suffer, and you can absolutely do something about it.
Syncing with your cycle is one of the most sure-fire ways to start experiencing period bliss. The foundation of cycle syncing is that you sync your food, your movement, and your lifestyle to the four phases of your menstrual cycle. Your hormones are changing during each stage of your cycle and so it's important to eat the right foods and support your body in ways that will promote good hormone health. I would also recommend starting to pay attention to your blood when you are on your period. What color is it? Is it changing color? What is the consistency like? Since as you just learned, these are all indicators of hormone health. (P.S Stay tuned for another blog post soon about what the colors are telling you!) I use the menstrual cup when I bleed so that I can easily examine my blood every time I empty the cup. I've tried quite a few, but the Saalt menstrual cup. It's comfy, leakproof, and easy to get in and out.
So to sum it all up, your period experience is a very powerful indicator of your overall hormone health. The symptoms that we have so casually deemed as normal and unavoidable, are absolutely not normal and they are unavoidable. If you are ready to start taking matters into your own hands, "Woman Code" by Alisa Vitti is an excellent book that teaches you about your hormones and how to better understand them. And of course, if you want to deep dive and have personal guidance along the way, I'm your gal!
Until next time...
Love Your Cycle Sycning Sis, Jess
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