Cycle
The menstrual cycle is a major driving force for women’s health and well-being throughout their reproductive years and well beyond. Even so, researchers have only recently started to take periods into account when designing studies; and in every-day life we are only now beginning to distance ourselves from the stigma associated with menstruation. To reclaim periods as a normal and even empowering experience, new approaches to how we view the menstrual cycle are emerging. For example, likening the phases of the menstrual cycle to the seasons of the year.
Cycle
As hormone levels begin to drop after ovulation, most women experience some changes in their physical and mental state such as tender breasts, bloating, or moodiness. Such symptoms are often linked with Premenstrual Syndrome, or PMS. For those of us who suffer from Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, or PDD, the symptoms—especially those having to do with emotions—are noticeably more severe.
Cycle
The average menstrual cycle lasts 28 days. Our lives impact our hormones, and therefore our cycles—for example, stress can delay your period. Some variation is to be expected, but bigger fluctuations are reason to investigate.
