What can my cycle tell me about my health?
Many of us have treated our menstrual cycle as little more than an inconvenient bodily function, to be dealt with just enough to be ignored - so we can get on with the “more important” parts of our lives or maybe even the “real” medical issues we need to address. But the reality is that our cycles are intricately linked to our overall health. Instead of pushing aside the signals from our cycle, we should embrace them and pay attention! Our menstrual cycle can indicate a lot about our health and our potential to experience other medical events. It serves as both a guide and a key to unlocking greater insights into our well-being.
Human systems - like almost all living organisms on our planet - are regulated by many cycles, not just the ones related to fertility. For instance, our circadian, sleep, and metabolic cycles all serve as part of our biological makeup and help our bodies function, or lead to dysfunction when these cycles are out of balance.
To optimize or make real changes in your health, it’s important to better understand your various cycles, including viewing your menstrual cycle through a new lens. It’s so much more than just a reproductive function, as it can reflect the possibility of having medical events like headaches, colds, mental health issues, or even heart problems.
Some studies clearly show the links between the menstrual cycle to other bodily cycles, such as sleep and circadian rhythm. When one cycle is out of balance so much that it affects our other rhythms, it can become a vicious circle of cause-or-effect that’s hard to escape. For instance, at certain points in a woman’s cycle, if her sleep was disturbed, research has shown abnormal hormone fluctuations, and in some cases hormones simply not shifting as usual, but instead remaining high over time. This could cause changes in the menstrual cycle, suggesting that changes in our periods could tell us that we’re not getting enough of our regular sleep. Disruptions to our sleep can affect our hormones so much that it could even make it harder to become pregnant. Having a regular menstrual cycle tells us that our hormones are likely balanced, meaning a higher chance of conceiving successfully, among other things.
In teenagers whose hormones might be dysregulated, higher than normal estradiol correlated with later bedtimes, higher levels of alcohol or substance abuse, and much higher rates of serious depression. Are high hormone levels causing women to make riskier choices? Or do repeated high-risk behaviors disrupt our hormone levels, and therefore our menstrual cycles? Scientists aren’t completely sure, but many studies indicate that none of this influencing goes in only one direction - instead, the evidence points to how hormones, sleep cycles, and lifestyle choices are all connected and exert influence over each other. Research has shown a greater likelihood of women getting colds or cold symptoms during their luteal phase before their periods. Sometimes it’s referred to as “period flu” since you may be more likely to experience headaches, sore throat, fatigue, or other cold-like symptoms shortly before menstruation. It’s believed to be related to hormonal changes such as drops in estrogen and progesterone, or an increase in prostaglandins, which occurs before and during your period to assist the uterus with cramping and shedding of the uterine lining. But excess prostaglandins can contribute to symptoms like nausea, vomiting, or even fever, in addition to symptoms more commonly thought of as part of PMS and menstruating, like abdominal cramps.
In addition, we know that the immune system response shifts throughout the menstrual cycle, and levels of fighter T-cells drop before your period, actually making you more susceptible to catching a cold before your period begins. A recent study published by the PLoS (Public Library of Science) suggests that certain lifestyle choices like cutting back on caffeine can help alleviate symptoms of “period flu.”The intricacies of our hormones and the delicate, precise symphony that plays out continually to support and regulate our mind and body systems is truly amazing. So it’s important to realize that increases in certain hormones don’t always spell bad news. Research has shown that, likely due to estrogen and progesterone levels, women’s heart function is actually improved during the luteal phase and menstruation. In fact, women are most likely to have heart attacks right after their periods end, during the follicular phase, meaning they’re also less likely to experience heart issues in the luteal phase, the other half of their cycle.
Beyond physical cycles, changes in mental health and well-being can fluctuate with the menstrual cycle and correspond with changing hormone levels, too. A study documented by the Harvard Review of Psychiatry noted that changes in reproductive hormones throughout the cycle correspond to changes in stress hormones as well (such as cortisol), and can lead to the worsening of psychological issues at specific points in the menstrual cycle. Anxiety, stress, and binge eating tend to occur more frequently during the luteal phase, when estrogen and progesterone typically decrease. Changing estrogen levels can also affect transmission of the “feel-good” hormone dopamine, further linking our menstrual cycle to our mental well-being, and explaining why many women can feel sad, depressed, and even suffer from decreased self-esteem, at certain times of their cycle. PMS is not just “in your head.”
While many women may think their menstrual cycles are just an isolated part of the female experience, the truth is that our cycles can tell us a lot about our overall health. Fluctuating hormone levels often overlap with changes in our health that we may learn how to expect, or even predict. It’s important to track your menstrual cycle even if you’re not trying to conceive, because understanding where you are in the cycle can give you insights into other events that impact your overall well-being. For example, serious events like a heart attack, asthma attack, diabetic coma, or seizure could all be more likely to occur at a certain point in your cycle. If you have insights into how these events might correlate with your menstrual cycle, then you can empower yourself by planning ahead to better manage your health. Whether that be through lifestyle changes (your environment or geographical location, food or alcohol choices, the amount of sleep you get, when you choose to rest), medication or secondary medications, or other factors, tracking your cycle and finding patterns is crucial for your overall well-being. Your life could depend on it!
ReferecnesRahman, Shadab et al.
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