The menstrual cycle is increasingly becoming recognized as the fifth vital sign of health, and for good reason. While hormonal imbalances and "period problems" are common, they are a sign that something is not working optimally in the body. The hormonal interplay that happens over the course of a month is quite an amazing feat, and it requires a lot of energy from the body. When we fall into a state of chronic health, one of the first things the body wants to dial down is reproduction. After all, when the body is stressed, it is not a good time to have a baby. 

If we want to gauge the overall health of our menstrual cycle, where do we start? First, we might need to learn the basics about what constitutes a healthy cycle in the first place. A healthy cycle begins with menses, which is a time when hormone levels are naturally lower. Then Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) rises as the follicular phase of the cycle kicks off to help a group of eggs mature in the ovaries. Estrogen increases, and when one of the eggs is fully mature, a spike in Luteinizing Hormone (LH) allows that egg to release from the follicle in what is truly the main event of the entire cycle: ovulation. From here, we enter the luteal phase, and the now empty follicle transforms into a temporary gland called the corpus luteum which secretes progesterone. The egg travels through the fallopian tubes to the uterus, and if it is not fertilized during this process, it is excreted during menses where the process begins all over again.

That is a lot of steps, and I only covered the simplified version. An issue in one part of the cycle will affect the rest of the cycle as well. Heavy bleeding, spotting before or between periods, pain, and going longer than 40 days between periods are all signs that something is not working correctly, and the body is asking for help.

Unfortunately, most women seeking help from their conventional medical providers for cycle related problems are only offered one solution - hormonal birth control. This is merely a band aid for cycle health problems and will not address the root cause. Hormonal birth control works by causing a hormonal imbalance, so it cannot correct one. Instead, it shuts down the cycle entirely with synthetic hormones that contribute to many negative side effects, such as an increased risk of breast cancer, depression, and osteoporosis. 

So, what can we do instead? We can learn to chart our cycles and understand what is happening in the body and what it is trying to tell us. We can go back to the basics of eating the mucusless diet as Dr. Christopher told us. We can use herbs and lifestyle changes in a targeted way that addresses the underlying causes of what we are dealing with. For example, experiencing a short luteal phase can be a sign of elevated prolactin levels. Seeing this on a chart, we might opt to start taking chaste tree berry because we know that it can help correct high prolactin levels. Or perhaps we noticed a very choppy temperature pattern, which is a signal that the adrenals are under stress, so we grabbed a few bottles of Dr. Christopher's Adrenal Formula. The beautiful thing about cycle charting is that we'll know fairly quickly if something is working because we can literally see the changes happening in the charts as the body gets healthier.

Olivia Chasteen is a Certified Master Herbalist, Certified Lactation Consultant, and Certified SymptoPro Fertility Education instructor. She sees clients through her business, Mama Earth Wellness at www.mamaearthwellness.net. Olivia loves to work with women to help them better understand their cycle health and fertility patterns so that they can take an individualized approach to improving hormonal health.