Our menstrual cycle
is a sophisticated dance of hormones.

28 day cycle

Generally women have about a four week or 28 day cycle. We all know that variations may apply here : ). Some women have cycles that last as long as 34 days or as short as 26 days.

Day 1
of our menstrual cycle, when we get our periods, is the day when our estrogen and progesterone levels are their lowest. This may explain why we usually feel so poorly. The endometrium separates from the uterus, disintegrates, and leaves the vagina as menstrual fluid. A period generally last 5-7 days with bleeding heavier at the start, and easing off towards the end. Many girls and women believe that they lose a lot of blood, but this is not true. Some girls shed only 1 2/3 tablespoons of menstrual fluid each month, and others as much as 4 tablespoons. Contraceptives can affect the heaviness of a period. For example, women taking the pill can expect to have lighter periods, while women fitted with an IUD (intrauterine device) will have heavier periods. At this time in your cycle you may get cramps, a headache or backache and tire easily and your skin may break out- or you may have no problem at all.

First 12 days

Many women have said they feel great after their periods begin. This is because their estrogen levels start to rise. During the first week of our cycle days 1-7 our estrogen levels are creeping up. By day 9 of our cycle the endometrium (uterine lining) starts to thicken.

For the first 12 days of the cycle FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and estrogen levels are rising. FSH is produced by the pituitary gland or the "master gland". FSH encourages follicles in the ovary to develop. A follicle is an egg, surrounded by a layer of hormone producing cells. The developing follicles are getting ready for ovulation. Ovulation is the monthly releasing of an egg from our ovary. As the follicles develop they secrete estrogen. Only one follicle will mature to ovulation. It is called the Graafian follicle.

Midcycle - the LH spike

Once the estrogen level is high enough the pituitary gland receives a signal to stop making FSH and to start secreting LH (leitinizing hormone). The pituitary gland is a busy place ! This midcycle blast of LH causes the egg to be released from the Graafian follicle. This is called ovulation and happens around day 14. A mature egg is released from your ovary. You may feel a slight twinge in your abdomen. One in ten women will see a light spotting of blood in her underwear. The twinge and spotting occur when the ovary ruptures and releases the egg. This is the time when pregnancy is the most likely to occur.

The now empty follicle is called the corpus leuteum or " yellow body". It secretes its own estrogen and progesterone. Progesterone is the hormone that matures the uterine lining created by the estrogen and prepares it for pregnancy. When the progesterone reaches a adequate level it signals to the pituitary gland to stop making LH. Even though FSH and LH are not being produced, the corpus leuteum keeps secreting out estrogen and progesterone until about day 22, when it stops.

By the way, according to Dr. Reichman in her book "I’m Too Young to Get Old", it is the increase in progesterone that is responsible for all those fun symptoms of PMS (premenstrual syndrome)! If fertilization has occurred the fertilized egg begins secreting hormones of its own. If not, both estrogen and progesterone levels drop.

Since the blood vessels of the uterine wall are not getting estrogen and progesterone, they go into spasm and contract causing the uterine lining to break down and shed. This is when the bleeding starts- this is day 1 of our cycle.
And so it goes...

How can birth control pills
help symptoms of perimenopause?
There is a whole new group of BCPs like Loestrin that were created especially for women over 35 years of age.  Not only do they function to help with the often disruptive symptoms of perimenopause, they work as an effective means of birth control.  They contain just enough estrogen and progesterone to prevent pregnancies and help with perimenopause. Find out more.

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The HRT Solution:
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by Marla Ahlgrimm, John M. Kells, Christine Macgenn

The authors' three-part strategy tailors the benefits of hormone replacement therapy to individual needs and includes a saliva test to determine which hormones a woman needs; supplementation with natural, bio-identical hormones in custom doses; and monitoring of hormone levels and bone metabolism