The Menstrual Years
Cycle literacy + hormonal patterns
Most of us got one health class + a pamphlet if we were lucky. Nobody sat us down and said here is what your body does every month, why you feel the way you feel + what to do about it if anything. It was never a you problem. It has always been a lack of teaching problem.
This is the first chapter of the Four Transitions + this is the place I start with every woman. Cycle literacy is the foundation for everything that comes after. Pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, all of it begins to click a lot easier once you can read your own cycle. Take what fits, leave the rest, + walk out with something you can use this week.
Start here
The fastest way to learn your cycle is to watch it. For the next three months:
- Write down day 1 of every period.
- Each day, jot down 1 word for energy, mood + sleep.
- At the end of each month, circle what repeats.
That is your pattern. It is yours, not a chart’s. If your periods are very painful, very heavy, or have stopped, bring your notes to your provider. Notes are data + data gets taken more seriously than “I just feel off.”
Go deeper
- Cycle Fluent: The guided path through your cycle -> Cycle Fluent
- The Winter Arc for Women: Why Mine Is a Slow Cooker
- Coming Jan 13: Cycle Syncing for Women with Real Jobs + Real Lives
- Coming Feb 10: What Your Luteal Phase is Trying to Tell You
Your next chapter
Pregnancy + Birth are next. Pregnancy Birth Guide
See the whole arc The Four Transitions
Start with your cycle
Questions
Is this the same thing as Cycle Fluent? No. This page is the free map: Where to start + what to read. Cycle Fluent is a guided path when you want someone walking it with you.
My cycle is irregular. Is this something that can still work for me? Yes. Tracking is how you find out what irregular means for you. If it is irregular + something feels wrong, take your notes to your provider.
Want more? Every cycle + lifecycle post on the Journal