What is a healthy period?

What is a healthy period & menstrual cycle?

Many women don’t really understand what is happening in their menstrual cycle in terms of what their hormones are doing, and it’s easy to think that common symptoms are ‘normal’. Whilst they may be normal, this doesn’t mean they are healthy. Here is an overview of what a healthy period looks like and how your hormones work together to create your monthly cycle.

How long should a healthy cycle go for?

Let’s start with your cycle length. This can vary from woman to woman, but we work roughly on a monthly or lunar cycle. The average is 28 days, with anywhere from 26 to 32 days being within the healthy range.

If your cycle is shorter or longer than this, you may have hormonal imbalances that may need addressing.

The phases of your period that are created by a beautiful hormonal interplay are called the ‘follicular’ and the ‘luteal’ phases. These are essential to create ovulation, conception and pregnancy, as well as to keep everything in balance.

The Follicular phase

This is the beginning phase of your cycle, starting from the first day of your bleed. During your follicular phase, the hormone oestrogen is very high. It drops off after ovulation, which occurs in the middle of your monthly cycle.

Oestrogens job in the follicular phase is to lay down the lining of the uterus to prepare the body for conception. It’s also essential to create happy moods, which it does by aiding the production of your healthy mood hormones serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine.

The follicular phase lasts approximately 14 days. If it is shorter than this and you ovulate early, problems can arise with fertility and achieving a healthy pregnancy.

Ovulation

When your body is ready for ovulation, there are several signs that can tell you this is happening.

The first one is a change in your vaginal mucous. It will become clear, slippery and profuse, which helps the sperm reach the eggs inside the fallopian tubes.

You may also notice you have a higher libido at this time, which also has to do with achieving a healthy conception.

The 3 days on either side of ovulation are your prime window for conception.

After ovulation, your body moves into the luteal phase of your cycle. 

The Luteal phase

This occurs right after ovulation and is dominated by high amounts of the hormone called progesterone. If conception occurred during the ovulation phase, high amounts of progesterone would help create a healthy pregnancy and keep the uterine lining in place.

Progesterone is also an essential hormone for creating steady moods, healthy bones and a great metabolism.

If conception did not occur, progesterone would drop and allow for the uterine lining to shed, signaling the beginning of your next cycle.

This phase of the cycle also lasts approximately 14 days but can be up to 20 days. If it is less than 10 days long, this can signal low progesterone, which also has implications for pregnancy.

Let’s take a look at what a healthy blood loss looks like.

How much blood should I lose during my period?

During a healthy menstrual bleed, women should lose around 50mls of blood. This equates to 8 fully soaked pads or tampons and no more than 16 regular sized pads or tampons over the course of the bleed.

A healthy bleed lasts around 4 to 5 days. Any longer and it becomes too taxing on the body.

The blood itself is a bright red fresh blood colour, not brown or dark.

The bleed should also be free of clots and pain.

Signs that your menstrual cycle is out of balance

Having severe pre-menstrual tension, mood swings, aching boobs, food cravings, and generally feeling like an up and down yo-yo is not something you have to put up with. We often see periods portrayed like this in media, but it does not have to be your reality.

In fact, the following things are NOT part of a healthy cycle:

·         Blood clots

·         Heavy blood loss – 80ml or more

·         Light blood loss – 25ml or less

·         Cramping and pain

·         Moodiness

·         Tender breasts

·         Sore, aching back or muscles

·         Migraines, headaches

·         Dark or brown blood

·         Spotting during the cycle

They are all signs of hormonal and nutritional imbalances, each one having a potentially different driver.