06/26/2025
Before you can sync your workouts, meals, or schedule to your cycle, you’ve got to understand what’s actually happening in your body each month.
Because those cravings, mood swings, and energy shifts? They’re driven by hormones.👇🏼
Here’s what’s going on in each phase of your menstrual cycle:
🩸Menstruation (Days 1–6):
Your period = your body shedding the uterine lining.
➡️ Estrogen and progesterone are at their lowest at the start of menstruation. Estrogen begins to rise
You may feel tired, withdrawn, or craving rest. Totally normal.
⚡️Follicular (Days 1–13)
Your body is preparing to release an egg: your uterine lining begins to thicken, the o***y is ripening follicles to induce one egg to release, and the cervix starts to produce fertile mucus (aka the discharge you experience when you’re ovulating).
➡️ Estrogen continues to rise, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) heads toward a mid-cycle peak, and testosterone gets a little boost
Energy builds, creativity sparks, and your mood usually lifts.
🥚Ovulation (Days 14–18)
Your ovaries release an egg. This is peak fertility.
➡️ Estrogen peaks and luteinizing hormone (LH) surges
You’re often more confident, social, and mentally sharp. You might also want to pounce on your partner 😉
🍫Luteal Phase (Days 14-28)
Your body prepares for a possible pregnancy.
➡️ Progesterone rises and estrogen also has a second lesser peak. If there is no pregnancy → estrogen and progesterone levels drop, causing your next period and the cycle to begin again
You might feel more tired, sensitive, bloated, or experience PMS.
Learning how your hormones work is the first step to living in alignment with them.
Next up: how to track your cycle ✍🏼 so you can get a better sense of your unique signs and symptoms during each phase and learn what’s normal for YOU and what’s not.
