5 facts you probably didn't know about the female cycle

Surprisingly, most women know surprisingly little about the female cycle. However, every woman probably remembers her very first period. Many of us were surprised by it in the school toilet. In the worst case, without being prepared. Or was it at the pajama party with your best friends and suddenly the pajama party turned into a “now I’m a woman” ceremony? While ice skating in the middle of a pirouette jump? Or less spectacularly on a Sunday as a primetime moment? We’d like to share with you 5 facts you probably didn’t know about the female cycle.

The female cycle usually covers a period of 28 +/- 3 days. However, only a few women have a 100% regular cycle and it is rarely exactly 28 days. Cycles that are longer or shorter and show minor fluctuations are also considered normal. Cycles of 23 to 35 days are considered normal from a medical point of view. In fact, only about 3.3% of all women experience no or non-significant cycle length deviations; in almost 58% of women, cycles fluctuate by eight days or more! If you do not have a fluctuating cycle, you can count yourself as an exception that proves the rule. Literally 😉

Considering this, a cycle outside this range is defined as an irregular cycle. Therefore it is recommended to discuss this with your doctor. Often causes such as stress, eating habits and sport are responsible for cycle irregularities.

Especially if you wish to conceive this could become a problem. With an irregular cycle, the fertile phase is also postponed and it will be very difficult to find out when ovulation actually occurs. That’s because you don’t know whether the next cycle will be even more irregular or if it will be similar to the previous one. The chances of getting pregnant are, therefore even lower if you experience irregular cycles. But by no means impossible! Thus, it’s a good idea to start listening to your body’s symptoms and get to know them with breathe ilo as early as possible. Then, when you want to start trying for a baby, you will know your body well and you’ll know exactly when you’re in your fertile phase.

Not exactly the most promising outlook, but it’s about creating life, so it doesn’t have to work out right away. All age groups of women fall into this statistic. Especially now that education and a career are prioritized by many women, the probabilities drop on average. That’s because it does make a difference whether you get pregnant at 35, 39, over 40, or over 50. The chances, unfortunately, decrease with age. The biological clock has not yet adapted to us getting older than ever before and to women’s life goals of what they want to accomplish before having a child. Nevertheless, no couple should be denied the opportunity to start a family whenever they want to. For this reason, there are also many types of research and companies that make falling pregnant with ease possible even in middle-aged groups.

 

The basic requirement for successfully conceiving is the union of egg and sperm within a short window of time. A lot of things have to fit together perfectly and sometimes all you can do is hope for luck in the next month.  What many people do not know is that ovulation does not necessarily occur each and every cycle. Of course, it is also possible that ovulation occurs regularly in every cycle. However, it is much more likely that one or the other cycle is anovulatory, i.e. there is no maturation of an egg.

 

Up to 15% of such anovulatory cycles in a healthy woman are within the normal range. Another common misconception is that menstruation always indicates that ovulation has occurred in the previous cycle. Menstruation also occurs during anovulatory cycles. Menstruation is therefore not an indication of ovulation.

 

Now that we’re already talking about it, you are probably also very interested in what the fertile phase and ovulation are all about.

It is actually the case that the probability of fertilization is not necessarily highest on the day of ovulation itself. As already mentioned, you should use the days before ovulation, because the sperm are already in position and waiting to fertilize the egg at the right moment. 

It is actually the case that the probability of fertilization is not necessarily highest on the day of ovulation itself. As already mentioned, you should use the days before ovulation, because the sperm are already in position and waiting to fertilize the egg at the right moment.

During the menstrual cycle, the concentration of the hormones estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone changes, which affects the texture of the skin. During menstruation, it is usually drier and easily irritated, around the time of ovulation the pores become smaller and the skin texture clears up, after ovulation, the skin can become oilier.

 

In the days before menstruation, the skin is more sensitive to light than usual, this is due to the fluctuating hormones. Low estrogen levels before menstruation affect the pigmentation of the skin. During menstruation, the skin is more sensitive to sunlight as well. Therefore: apply sunscreen, avoid the sun and drink lots of water.

 

Good to know: Vitamin D is a hormone that is produced in the skin by sunlight. Few foods contain relevant amounts of vitamin D, so most of it must be produced by the body itself. In 2017, studies were again presented showing that vitamin D is very important for fertility – both in men and women. It was already known that vitamin D can increase testosterone levels in men if they previously had underlying vitamin D deficiency. However, the new research revealed further links between the ‘sunshine vitamin’ and human fertility. Therefore, vitamin D levels should always be considered if fertility problems occur.

Let’s talk about libido. Pretty much everything, from the perception of reality to the dream world, takes place in our brain. The more we learn about the human brain, the more we understand that we actually know very little.  It is probably the most complex organ known to us. The place of cognitive and neural processes that control, among other things, not only our locomotor system but also our feelings and emotions.

 

This also applies to our libido. Basically, it’s a game of chemistry. The sex hormones testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen play the main role here. In men, the sex drive is said to be more pronounced due to high testosterone levels; in women, the hormone balance changes during the course of the cycle depending on the cycle phase, and so does the libido. At the time of ovulation, libido is said to be strongest in women and increases with advancing age. Even during pregnancy, the desire for sex can increase.

 

Disorders around libido, such as a lack of desire for the other person, can have a few causes and have different treatment options.

 

Erectile dysfunction in men and women, however, in most cases has nothing to do with a lack of libido. Often the desire is there, but it just won’t work. The causes can then be physiological and should best be looked at by a medical professional.

Who hasn’t experienced it: feeling bloated, suffering from cramps, and sometimes even nausea. These are the most common symptoms during menstruation and are certainly familiar to most women. All of us suffer from these symptoms from time to time. But did you know that weight gain during menstruation of up to 5 kilos is completely normal?

Fear not: this is not body fat. The hormone progesterone is responsible for it. When we do not get pregnant, progesterone levels decrease again, and due to the decrease in progesterone our body stores more water in the cells. As a result, we weigh more and very often also feel very bloated. That can make us feel very uncomfortable in our bodies. However, this is just the body’s reaction to the decrease in progesterone, which is important to remember. Honestly, it’s best for our body and mind to just avoid the scale during this phase. After all, who needs a higher number on the scale in addition to the already annoying symptoms shortly before and during the period?

 

To counteract the bloated feeling in this phase make sure to drink plenty of water and eat foods low in salt. If you eat too much salt during this phase, the body will store even more water in the cells.

 

Would you like to get to know your body and your cycle better? The breathe ilo cycle tracker can help you to get to know your body better and to adjust to the different cycle phases.