VIDEO | Make the Most Out of Your Ovulatory Phase

Today we're going to be going over our Ovulatory Phase.

Did you know you have strengths (and weaknesses) in each phase of your cycle?

Did you know that there are four phases in your menstrual cycle?

Did you know you can use this knowledge of the phases of your cycle to your advantage?

Enjoy,

Victoria

Irregular Cycles, Are You Ovulating?

The first thing I always think, and often ask, when people ask about their irregular cycles are:

+ have you been charting your cycle?

+ do you know if you’re ovulating?

So many people think that they can’t and shouldn’t chart their cycle if they think it’s “irregular” but there is so much insight that comes with having a chart to look at. 

I definitely believe it can help figure out what’s going on. And it definitely won't hurt the cause. 

And the next thing I wonder, which helps if you're charting is whether you’re ovulating. Because often, not ovulating means really long, messed up cycles. 

So, if you’re not already charting, I suggest starting. 

If you want to learn how to properly and effectively do it I’ve got a course you can check out. 

If you’re not going to be using it as birth control the two important things to chart are your basal body temperature and cervical fluid. 

So, grab yourself a basal thermometer and start taking your temperature when your first wake up at the same time each day. 

I recommend an app like Kindara to input all of your data. 

And you can start checking your cervical fluid a few times each day when you go to the bathroom. Before you go take a minute to “swipe” across the opening of your vagina and take note of what you feel and see. 

You’ll want to look for a spike in your temperature that is higher than the previous six temperatures to signify that you have ovulated. You can also look up chart examples of those with a regular cycle and those with an anovulatory cycle. 

And charting your cervical fluid is good because you can see whether there is a pattern or if your fluid is all over the place. 

Now, obviously there is a lot more that goes into charting, even to just track your cycle (and especially if you’re going to use it as birth control), but that’s a good place to start. 

And another tool you can use to see if you’re ovulating are ovulation test strips. You can get a big pack of cheap ones off of Amazon pretty easily. And you can start testing around day 10 of your cycle. This tests for a surge in LH, and a positive test is when both lines are the same darkness. Unlike with a pregnancy test, a faint line on an LH test is actually a negative. 

If you see that you’re getting two lines but not a positive for an extended period of time means that you’re probably not ovulating. 

So, this post isn’t about fixing your irregular cycles. No, it’s about that first step into figuring out what might be going on. And there’s no one size fits all fix for irregular cycles. And there are many different things that could be causing them. But keep learning, keep charting and keep asking questions. 

The Power in Our Four Phases

First a quick refresher of the four phases of our menstrual cycle:

1.  menstrual phase 

2.  follicular phase 

3.  ovulatory phase

4.  luteal phase

Next, let's move into why I'm a fan of each phase. 

I love the menstrual phase because:

     + it’s a chance to slow down

     + rest, renew, reflect

     + it has taught me to listen to my body

     + i’ve learned to let myself sleep more and I'm loving the benefits

I love the follicular phase because:

     + starting around the end of my menstrual phase into my follicular phase I get this burst of energy (if I slow down during my period)

     + it’s kind of like coming out of hibernation. I’m ready to go each day

     + it also reminds me of my love for Mondays as a fresh start

I love the ovulatory phase because:

     + I’m most social and outgoing in this phase

     + I’m best at interacting during this phase

     + I love the process of the fluid getting more fertile, waiting for that spike in temperature

I love the luteal phase because: 

     + there’s not a bunch of spotting like there was at the beginning of this year

     + knowing how many days it’s going to be and when to expect my period 

     + the decline in energy reminding me to start slowing down

     + It's when I’m most in tune with my emotions

Knowing about the different phases has opened up this whole new world:

+ I’ve learned to love my cycle

          - learning about what’s going on inside your body, as well as your mind just makes it all click and make sense

+ How you feel makes sense

          - if you are feeling tired, or emotional you can point to why

+ I can use this knowledge to my advantage

          - can schedule around this, don’t load a bunch on your plate during your menstrual phase. schedule big meetings around ovulation. 

A book I love on this topic that taught me so much is “The Optimized Woman”. So, if you liked today’s post I recommend going and picking this book up.