Seasons of the Cycle

LEARN | wellness | MENSTRUAL CYCLE

In every menstrual cycle, there are four main “seasons” that we go through, just like the seasons of the year. All of your lifestyle choices, from nutrition to exercise to your social life, can be finetuned based on the “season” that you’re in. Knowing these seasons of our cycle can help us better understand our periods and best care for our bodies and minds during each phase.

Phase 1: days 1-5

Winter (Menstruation)

The first season is winter, which is the most obvious phase of your period: the menstrual phase, when we are actually bleeding. This phase is considered to be winter because your body is really trying to preserve energy for the bleeding. This season lasts from day one of your bleeding until the blood stops. The archetype of this phase is the wise old woman.

This phase is arguably the most underrated part of your menstrual cycle. While many people don’t necessarily look forward to getting their period, it’s a powerful opportunity to tune in to what’s going on in your body.

For your nutrition during the winter phase, you should opt for warm, cooked foods. Try to avoid salads, juices, and smoothies. You really want to focus on warming up the body and keeping that warmth in. Similarly, with movement and exercise, you should preserve energy. Yoga, power walks, and dancing are great options. You want to stay in this space of recovering. 

On a psychological and hormonal level, during winter, all of your hormones drop to their lowest levels of the entire cycle. So, the truth is the opposite of what many people think is happening during your period – that you're “acting hormonal.” While your emotions may be more volatile, or you may feel like there's no filter on what you say, that's actually because none of your hormones are high enough to alter what you're thinking or saying. 

So, the truth is that you're actually expressing with more clarity and you're being more true to yourself in that phase. It's a great phase to really tap into how you’re feeling about people and situations. It's the truest and less filtered phase, which makes it extra powerful.

Phase 2: days 6-14

Spring (Follicular)

The follicular phase, which is from the end of your bleeding until the ovulation phase, is your inner spring. The archetype of this season is the virgin because it's the phase in which your hormones start racing, you’re starting to feel more extroverted, and you have more energy. You want to be out and about and connect with people, but you're not fertile, hence the virgin archetype.

Nutritionally, you want to make sure that you're eating according to springtime. This can mean adding more vegetables and grains; maybe adding some fruits; and most importantly, adding a lot of fiber into your diet so you don't experience excess estrogen symptoms.

Phase 3: days 15-17

Summer (Ovulation)

Summer is the ovulation phase, which is the shortest phase. It only lasts seven days and is your fertile window. You can spot this ovulatory phase with your cervical mucus, which is the fluid produced by your cervix, which changes in consistency and color based on the phase you’re in in your menstrual cycle. When you start seeing clear and slippery cervical mucus, either in your underwear or by checking using your fingers, you know you're starting your fertile window. 

The archetype of this phase is the mother because it’s the only phase during which we can actually get pregnant. So, you’re typically super nurturing, loving, and extroverted, and usually have a lot of energy. Your body has a lot of endurance, so if you like to work out, you can really push yourself and push your limits during this phase. 

Nutrition-wise, you want to eat as if it were summer, which means consuming cooling and fresh foods. If you’d like to eat raw or vegan foods, you can go for it during this summer period. You can experiment a little bit in this phase. 

Hormonally and psychologically, both of your brain hemispheres get to connect a little better, so that's why communication comes so effortlessly in this phase. If you need to do a speech or go to an interview, do it during the summer phase because you're able to express yourself better.

Phase 4: days 18-28

Autumn (Luteal)

The last phase is autumn, which has the archetype of the witch. During autumn, you start to get a little cozier and you start to, again, look for warmer, cooked foods. Slowly, your energy starts to decrease as you come back to the beginning. Your activity levels overall start to slow down.

You probably start feeling a little more introverted, so you want to step back a little bit socially. And it is totally normal if you don't feel as enthusiastic or creative in this phase because your estrogen levels are lower. However, your progesterone levels are higher, which makes you feel calmer. So, it's a great phase to organize and finalize any projects you may have, and to take time to do very organizational tasks. You feel very grounded in this phase. 

Because progesterone levels are higher, your nutritional requirements vary. Your metabolism goes up a little bit. So, you're actually burning more calories than usual, and that's why women get cravings and are hungrier before their period. So, you should be very mindful of what you're putting in your body and allow yourself to eat more. You want to nurture your body before your period starts. 

During autumn, it's suggested to tune in to your body. The first week, you might still feel super energetic. Then, as the weeks and days go by, you'll start to feel a little more tired and honor what your body’s asking for. In the last week, which would be the last week before your period, you can slow down.

The archetype of this period is the witch because it’s during the luteal phase, which is when you didn't get pregnant. (Otherwise, there would be no luteal phase.) So, all the energy that your body has been creating to give birth to another being needs to be transformed and reutilized, so it's like creating magic with everything that you would use for that other being.

Wisdom + insights provided by Andrea Núñez

Andrea Núñez is a women’s holistic hormone health coach in Guatemala. Andrea aims to create a community where people can share ideas and support one another. Learn more about Andrea + her offerings in her interview.