4 Shades of You: How Your Body Changes During Your Menstrual Cycle Phases

Do you ever feel like you’re hormonal before your period, on your period, after your period? Well, that’s because you might very well be. You might think your period is synonymous with your menstrual cycle but it’s not. Your menstrual cycle actually encompasses your period days and then all the days leading to your next period. And your body goes through innumerous changes during different phases of each cycle. Hence the seemingly never ending mood swings. Let’s understand your menstrual cycle phases in more detail so you can better know what your body goes through each month.

Covering The Basics: What Is The Menstrual Cycle?

The menstrual cycle is typically 28-29 days long, starting on the first day of your period and ending a day before your next period. During each cycle your ovaries release an egg and your uterus builds a lining in order to prepare your body for a potential pregnancy. But if the pregnancy doesn’t happen, your uterus gets a signal to shed its lining, resulting in you getting your next period and the cycle starting anew. This cycle is further divided into 4 menstrual phases, each of which lead to certain changes in your body.

Your menstrual cycle starts when you get your first period, also known as menarche, around the ages of 13-14, and ends when you reach menopause, around the ages of 45-55. As such, the menstrual cycle is a major part of our everyday lives and something we have to go through for the prime years of our lives. This makes it essential for us to delve deeper and learn more about our own bodies so that we can better understand exactly what is happening on the inside, and thus also be better equipped to handle all the changes we experience. Moreover, this knowledge is especially handy if you either want to prevent a pregnancy or on the other hand are trying to conceive.  

With that said, let’s learn all about the various stages of the menstrual cycle.  

Breaking It Down: 4 Phases Of Menstrual Cycle

The four main phases of the menstrual cycle include menstruation, the follicular phase, ovulation, and the luteal phase. However, one can also view the menstrual cycle as broken into two smaller cycles, the ovarian cycle, which affects the ovaries, and the uterine cycle, which affects the uterus. Each of these cycles are further divided into various pre-ovulation and post-ovulation phases, some of which sometimes overlap with each other but are differentiated by the organ that they affect, i.e., the ovaries or the uterus. Sounds quite confusing? Let us declutter these concepts below.

Uterine Cycle Before Ovulation: Menstruation Phase

When: The menstruation phase lasts from the first day of your period to the last day. An average period lasts 5 to 6 days.

What: It involves your uterine lining, also known as endometrial lining, shedding in the form of blood, mucus, and some tissues or cells.

Hormones: During this phase, the hormones estrogen and progesterone shoot down to their lowest, which is what allows the endometrium’s top layer to shed. 

Symptoms: The hormonal changes can also lead to such menstrual symptoms as period cramps, tender breasts, bloating, mood swings, irritability, headaches, migraine, tiredness, and low back pain

Pro Tip: You can use Azah’s wide range of period care products such as rash-free sanitary pads, ultra-absorbent XXXL night pads, overnight period panties, or menstrual cups to absorb your period blood. 

Ovarian Cycle Before Ovulation: Follicular Phase

When: The follicular phase actually overlaps with the menstrual phase as it too starts on the first day of your period and lasts for 13-14 days till you start ovulating. 

What: 5-20 small sacs called follicles start growing on the surface of your ovaries. Each follicle contains an egg in it. Eventually, one dominant follicle out of these will mature and the egg inside it will release during ovulation.

Hormones: The pituitary gland in your brain releases the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which is what signals your ovaries to produce follicles. As the dominant follicle grows, it produces estrogen, whose level peaks just before ovulation. 

Symptoms: You are likely to feel happy, energised, and clear-minded during this phase due to a rise in serotonin levels. 

Uterine Cycle Before Ovulation: Proliferative Phase

When: This phase can be thought of as a stage within the follicular phase. 

What: During this phase, the rise in estrogen causes the uterus to ‘proliferate’ or quickly grow a thick lining in which a potential fertilised egg is supposed to implant and grow. 

Ovulation

When: This typically occurs midway through your period or about 13-15 days before your next period. It only lasts for about 16-32 hours, which is why you have a very small window to get pregnant: during the 3-5 days leading to ovulation and during ovulation itself.

What: The dominant follicle matures and eventually bursts to release an egg, which moves along the fallopian tube to the uterus to be fertilised by sperm. The egg can only survive up to 24 hours, which is why you can only conceive if the sperm also reaches the uterus within this timeframe (which can happen even if you have sex 5 days before ovulation, because sperm can live up to 5 days). If the egg is not fertilised, it will die or dissolve.  

Hormones: As the estrogen levels peak, the brain gets a signal to cause a dramatic spike in the levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), which is what causes the egg to release.

Symptoms: During this phase, you will experience a slight rise in basal body temperature, thick ‘egg-white’ discharge, and a softer, more open cervix, all meant to welcome sperm into the body. Other potential symptoms include heightened senses, especially of the sense of smell, breast soreness, mild pelvic or lower abdominal pain, an increased sex drive, and light spotting in rare cases.   

Ovarian Cycle After Ovulation: Luteal Phase

When: This phase lasts from ovulation, after the egg has been released, till the next period, for about 9-16 days.

What: This is when the dominant follicle, after the release of the egg, turns into something called a ‘corpus luteum’, which is a temporary collection of cells on your ovaries supposed to prepare your uterus for pregnancy. If you don’t get pregnant, the corpus luteum will shrink away and dissolve around days 9-11 after ovulation. 

Hormones: The corpus luteum produces estrogen and progesterone, which are supposed to support pregnancy. If pregnancy does not happen, there is a peak and then a drop in progesterone levels. 

Symptoms: The hormonal changes, if pregnancy does not happen, lead to premenstrual symptoms or PMS mood changes, headaches, acne, bloating, and breast tenderness. Eventually, the drop in the hormones described above lead to menstruation. 

Uterine Cycle After Ovulation: Secretory Phase

When: This phase can be thought of as a stage within the luteal phase. 

What: This is when the endometrial or uterine lining gets ready to either support pregnancy or break down to shed during the period.  

Hormones: There is a rise in progesterone levels, which stops the uterine lining from thickening further as it starts preparing for a fertilised egg. If pregnancy does not happen, hormone-like substances called prostaglandins cause the uterine muscles to cramp, which helps start the period.

And thus the next menstrual cycle starts.

It’s Not Like Clockwork: Variations In Your Cycle

Your menstrual cycle is ultimately not like clockwork. Not only will your menstrual cycle differ from other women's, but your menstrual cycle might also differ month on month. Having some idea about an estimated timeframe for all events in the cycle is helpful but remember not to rely on it too much as things can change. 

Your menstrual cycle will also change during certain moments of your life - for example, it will start getting irregular as you inch closer to menopause. Some other things that can alter your menstrual cycle include:

• Birth Control Pill: Either making your periods shorter and lighter, or halting them altogether.
• Pregnancy: Your periods stop for the duration of your pregnancy.
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): This is a hormonal imbalance that prevents eggs from developing as they would normally, thus causing irregular or missed periods.
• Uterine Fibroids: Noncancerous growths in the uterus that can make your periods longer and heavier.
• Eating Disorders: Anorexia and bulimia can disrupt or halt your periods.

Coming Full Circle

Getting familiar with your menstrual cycle phases and how they change your body is important so that you can better manage all your symptoms or prepare for or avoid a pregnancy. It also helps you know when something is normal and when it is not, so that you can be aware of when things are smooth-sailing and when you might need to see a healthcare professional if something feels amiss. If you are better informed about your own menstrual cycle, the myriad of menstrual symptoms that you experience every month would start feeling a little less overwhelming.