What a normal menstrual cycle looks like

A healthy cycle is a critical component of both fertility and overall health in women. But what does a normal cycle look like, and does your cycle fit in those parameters? We’ll explore that below.

The 5 Main Cycle Events

Normal activity of the reproductive system occurs cyclically and involves a series of events whose goal is to trigger ovulation. Here’s how this interplay of hormones and the reproductive system works during your cycle every month:

1. Growth and development of a follicle that houses an egg - FSH, a hormone in the brain, triggers this and estrogen begins to rise

2. Ovulation; i.e. the mature egg is released from the ovary - estrogen peaks and LH, another hormone in the brain, triggers the follicle with the egg to erupt.

3. Formation of the corpus luteum - after ovulation, the follicle is transformed into the corpus luteum, which secretes progesterone. Progesterone helps with the potential implantation of a fertilized egg to the uterine wall.

4. Disintegration of the corpus luteum - If implantation does not occur, progesterone and estrogen levels drop, preparing for menstruation.

5. Menstruation - Shedding of the uterine lining; the sex hormones begin to rise and start the cycle all over again.

Ovulation occurs when the follicle bursts, due to the LH surge and high estrogen.

As you can see, ovulation is the most important event (and the purpose) of each cycle. For these events to occur, an orchestra of hormones must rise and fall in a sequential order and reach optimal levels.

What a normal & healthy cycle looks like

How do you know if each of these cycle events are occurring, and your body is producing optimal hormone levels? Our bodies give us clues in the form of biomarkers. Here’s what those should look like, and at which points during your cycle: 

• Cycle length - day 1 of your period to the day before your next period should be anywhere between 24-36 days. If it’s longer or shorter, your hormones may not be reaching optimal levels and you may not be ovulating regularly as a result.

• Menstrual bleeding - your period should last between 3-7 days, with at least one day of medium or heavy bleeding. The blood should be a deep cranberry red color, and you should experience minimal cramps or pain. Your energy will naturally be lower during this time.

• Cervical mucus - a few days after your period ends, you should begin to feel moistness when you wipe. You’ll start to see cervical mucus at your labia, which can have stretchy, clear, cloudy qualities, and you may feel a slippery sensation when you wipe. You should notice cervical mucus for approximately 5-6 days - ending around the middle of your cycle. This indicates increasing estrogen and fertility, as well as approaching ovulation. The last day you notice cervical mucus is considered peak day, and indicates that ovulation has occurred. Your energy is high during this time, and you should be feeling more social and creative.

• Dryness - After ovulation has occurred, you’ll notice an abrupt change to dryness at the labia. A count of 3 days of dryness after the last day you noticed cervical mucus (aka peak day) confirms that ovulation has occurred, and you have passed the window of fertility. Progesterone rises during this time, which creates the drying effect, and lasts from peak day +1 through the day before your next period. This phase should last between 9 and 18 days. Your energy may slowly start to wane as you approach menstruation.

Here’s what a healthy cycle looks like, as indicated by healthy biomarkers:

Example of FEMM cycle charting. Red indicates bleeding, gray is dryness, and light and dark blue indicate moistness and cervical mucus.

Indications that something in your cycle is off

Now that you know what a normal and healthy cycle looks like, here are some things that indicate something may be off:

• Cycle length is less than 24 days or longer than 36 days 

• Cycle is irregular and you never know when your period is coming (i.e. varies more than a couple days)

• Brown bleeding at the beginning or end of your period

• Spotting or bleeding on days outside of your period

• Period bleeding is very heavy, or very light

• Debilitating pain before or during your period

• PMS - symptoms like mood swings, pain, intense fatigue or anxiety, etc.

• No cervical mucus 

• Too much cervical mucus (outside of your fertile window)

These symptoms—in isolation or in combination—could point to a variety of things, such as not ovulating, hormone levels being insufficient, or underlying health concerns such as PCOS, endometriosis, thyroid issues, fibroids, cysts, and polyps, to name just a few. 

*Note that I said that these may indicate that something is off – depending on your life stage, this may not be the case! Postpartum, breastfeeding, and perimenopausal women may notice symptoms that they do not experience during their normal reproductive years. Also, women using hormonal birth control do not ovulate due to hormone suppression, so issues you experience while on the pill should be directed to your doctor. Check with your doctor to understand what’s normal in all of these life stages!

What to do when you have any of the abnormal symptoms above?

Luckily, having knowledge about your cycle is the first step to finding a solution and the path forward. Here’s what you can do: 

1. Get trained to chart your cycle using a fertility awareness-based method. There are many types of science-based methods, so you should choose the one that works best for you and your lifestyle. See FABM Base for a database of instructors and methods.

2. Find an aligned medical professional who is able to read your chart (your instructor should be able to direct you). Hit me up if you live in Austin or Dallas for my own recommendations! 

3. Bring your chart to your appointment, ask about labs that may help to dig into the root cause of any irregularities.

4. Find a hormone coach to work with and apply lifestyle changes to support your cycle and overall health. 

If you’re interested in either learning how to chart your cycle or hormone coaching, you’re in the right spot! I offer both FEMM charting instruction (a science-based fertility awareness method) and 1:1 hormone coaching. Reach out if you are interested!