Home > Author > Lara Briden
101 " The average day of ovulation is day 14, but don’t worry if it doesn’t happen then. If you have a longer cycle, then you have a later ovulation. To estimate when your next ovulation might occur, count back approximately two weeks from the first day of your next expected period. "
― Lara Briden , Period Repair Manual
102 " After your egg is released, it’s swept up into one of your Fallopian tubes, where it can be fertilized if sperm is present. The other follicles that lost the race to ovulation are reabsorbed by your ovary. "
103 " After ovulation, things start to get interesting. That’s when your emptied follicle restructures itself into a progesterone-secreting gland called the corpus luteum. "
104 " The corpus luteum is a temporary endocrine gland that forms from the emptied ovarian follicle after ovulation. "
105 " The luteal phase of a menstrual cycle is the 10 to 16 days between ovulation and the bleed, and is determined by the lifespan of the corpus luteum. "
106 " Your corpus luteum forms rapidly, and it’s an amazing feat. The tissue grows from virtually nothing to a fully vascularized, 4-centimeter structure in less than one day. "
107 " Progesterone counterbalances estrogen. It is the yin to estrogen’s yang. For example, progesterone thins your uterine lining, while estrogen thickens it. Progesterone prevents breast cancer, [65] while estrogen promotes it. Progesterone boosts thyroid hormone, while estrogen suppresses it. Progesterone’s stimulating effect on thyroid [66] is how it raises your body temperature in your luteal phase. "
108 " Progesterone has many other benefits (I call them superpowers): reduces inflammation [67] builds muscles [68] promotes sleep [69] [70] protects against heart disease [71] calms the nervous system and makes it easier to cope with stress [72] Progesterone calms the nervous system because it converts to a neurosteroid called allopregnanolone (ALLO). "
109 " If you become pregnant, then your corpus luteum will survive three months until your placenta takes over the job of making progesterone. If you do not become pregnant, then your corpus luteum has the tiny lifespan of a butterfly. It will survive only ten to sixteen days, which is what defines your luteal phase. That is why (unless you are pregnant), your luteal phase can never be longer than sixteen days. "
110 " Menstrual fluid contains some blood, but also cervical mucus, vaginal secretions, and bits of the uterine lining (endometrial tissue). Interestingly, two-thirds of your endometrial lining is not shed but is reabsorbed by your body. "
111 " As your uterine lining breaks away and sheds, your body releases natural anticoagulants to thin it and help it to flow more easily. If you flow heavily, then you may form a few clots because the anticoagulants do not have time to do their job. Menstrual clots are normal, but they should be few and fairly small: about the size of a dime "
112 " Blood turns darker when it’s exposed to air, so your period will be light to bright red when you’re flowing quickly and darker when you’re flowing slowly or just spotting. Your menstrual fluid can look almost brown when it has been on your sanitary pad for a while. "
113 " Fertile mucus usually occurs two to three days before ovulation, but it can occur anytime when there is very high estrogen compared to progesterone. It can happen earlier in the cycle if you have higher than normal estrogen. It can even happen after ovulation if you do not have enough progesterone. It is therefore possible to see fertile mucus more than once in a cycle. "
114 " You should lose a total of about 50 mL (or three tablespoons) of menstrual fluid over the days of your period. "
115 " One soaked regular pad or tampon holds 5 mL, or about one teaspoon. A super tampon holds 10 mL. So, 50 mL equates to ten fully soaked regular tampons or five fully soaked super-tampons, spread over all the days of the period. If your menstrual product is not filled, simply adjust the count. For example, a half-filled regular tampon equates to about 2.5 mL. "
116 " Most women flow for three to five days, including a day or two of light spotting as it finishes up. "
117 " An anovulatory cycle is like a continuous follicular phase followed by breakthrough bleeding. You know you’ve had an anovulatory cycle if your temperature does not go up in the two weeks before your period. It’s okay to have the occasional anovulatory cycle because they’re actually pretty common even in healthy women. [75] An anovulatory cycle is only a problem if that’s all you have—in other words, if you never ovulate. "
118 " Emotional or physical stress, illness, trauma, or surgery are all common reasons to miss a period or two. It happens when your hypothalamus, which is the command center of your hormones, makes the executive decision to temporarily suppress reproduction and halt your period. It’s a smart strategy because stress could mean you’re in a dangerous situation such as illness or war, which would not be a good time to make a baby. You’re probably not in a war, but your hypothalamus doesn’t know that. "
119 " Unless you’re pregnant, your luteal phase can never be longer than sixteen days. "
120 " When you see a rise in temperature for at least three consecutive days, then you ovulated at the start of that rise. With a healthy corpus luteum, you will then see between eleven and sixteen high-temperature days between ovulation and the first day of your period. If you do not see a consistent rise in temperature, then you did not ovulate. If you go on to bleed, then you had an anovulatory cycle. If you see a temperature rise, but it does not last at least ten days, then you had a short luteal phase. "