Your Menstrual Cycle Is More Than Just Your Period

Discussing your period shouldn’t be taboo—your entire menstrual cycle provides key health insights about your body. So let’s dive into exactly how it works.

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The period goes by many names: that time of the month, the Crimson Tide, and Shark week, just to name a few. It gets a lot of attention in health class, and it must be said, the period has gotten a pretty bad rap—but these days, more people are cluing into the entire menstrual cycle, rather than just the most visible part of it. Because as it turns out, there’s a LOT about it to discover and celebrate.

You know, periods may often be seen as an inconvenience. Like we discussed in our last episode, those without a menstrual cycle have long been considered the health ‘norm’, while those with a menstrual cycle have to compensate for it, like it’s a weakness we have to work around. But that’s changing.

But before we can talk about how you might be able to ‘hack’ your menstrual cycle...what is it, exactly?

#womenshealth #menstrualcycle #health #wellness #seeker

Read More:

Everything You Need to Know About Period Tracking
https://www.outsideonline.com/2416326/clue-fitrwoman-period-tracking-apps-performance
“While recognizing monthly fluctuations can be useful, period tracking isn’t a silver bullet. There isn’t enough high-quality research to create evidence-based guidelines, especially given women’s highly variable experiences with their period.”

Pandemic periods: why women's menstrual cycles have gone haywire
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/mar/25/pandemic-periods-why-womens-menstrual-cycles-have-gone-haywire
"Persistent stress leaves us suspended in fight-or-flight mode. In threatening situations, a hormonal pathway in the body called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which links the brain with the adrenal glands, encourages the release of the stress hormone cortisol – preparing us to respond to the threat.

However, if the brain is telling the body it needs to “respond” all the time (to anxious thoughts, changing circumstances, the stress of home schooling, the impact of loneliness, illness or bereavement), unregulated cortisol can suppress the normal levels of reproductive hormones in the body. This can lead to abnormal ovulation, which will disrupt the cycle – or even pause it altogether."

Covid vaccine: Period changes could be a short-term side effect
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-56901353
“And, though the link is unproven, there are logical reasons the vaccine could be causing changes to periods - but these changes are not anything to worry about, reproductive specialists say. While painful or unexpected periods can be distressing, they're not a sign of any long-term harm.”

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Editor's Note: At Seeker, we recognized that people of many genders and identities have vaginas and uteruses, and are affected by the topics that fall into women’s health.

Series Description:
Body Language is Seeker’s latest series diving into the world of women’s health, and their bodies. For so long, the medical field only used men to conduct research, creating a gap in terms of what we know about women’s bodies. So in this series, we'll be talking to experts to get a better understanding of some of these issues, and what we actually know about them. So join us as we discover how incredibly cool the female body is and how much more we still have to learn about it.