If you’re anything like us, you didn’t particularly understand what the teachers were telling you when you were 12 years old in Biology class, and to be perfectly frank the idea of getting pregnant and how fertility worked was not top of your priority list. Wind forward to today and the TTC struggle is real.
It’s staggering how many of us don’t understand how our menstrual cycle actually works until we’re trying to conceive. But, the reality is, this is very common. So let’s break the four phases of our 28 days cycles so we can better understand the mechanics of our bodies and when our best chances of conceiving are.
PHASE 1 - MENSTRUATION
This is when you actually get your period. A period happens because the egg from your previous cycle hasn’t been fertilised and the two hormones of oestrogen and progesterone, which were there to support the beginnings of a pregnancy, suddenly drop because one hasn’t taken place.
When we bleed, the thickened lining of the uterus which there to support and cushion a pregnancy is no longer needed, so it sheds. This is our ‘period’ which is made of up blood, mucus and tissue from the uterus.
PHASE 2 - FOLLICULAR PHASE
The follicular phase overlaps with phase 1. It begins on the first day of your period, but goes a little further, ending when you ovulate.
It all starts with a hormone called Follicle Stimulating Hormone, which is as it says on the tin - a hormone to stimulate the production of follicles. This hormone is released by the pituitary gland in our brains and works to produce (ideally) between 5-20 immature follicles, each of which contains an egg. The healthiest will then grow to become the dominant follicle and will be released in the next phase of ovulation, while the rest are reabsorbed back into the body.
Once the body detects a maturing follicle, a surge of oestrogen is released which causes the lining of the uterus to thicken, getting ready for implantation. Think of this lining as a beautiful, nutrient-rich bed ready for your embryo to snuggle into.
PHASE 3 - OVULATION
When you’re trying to conceive, this is the phase we all obsess over. When am I ovulating? Quick, let’s have sex! Let me put my legs up … will that help implantation? We get it. We’ve been there.
The actual definition of ovulation is the ovary releasing the dominant follicle, or egg. The rising levels of oestrogen trigger the pituitary gland to next release Lutenising Hormone which starts the process of ovulation and the development of the corpus luteum. The corpus luteum is part of the follicle which releases progesterone, essential for maintaining the endometrium and the future development of your baby. The egg then travels down the fallopian tube towards the uterus to be (hopefully) fertilised by the sperm.
Ovulation is the time YOU CAN GET PREGNANT🤰You might even be able to tell when you’re ovulating. Many women have a thicker egg white discharge and some can detect it by measuring their basal body temperature*.
Ovulation normally happens around day 14 if you have a 28 day cycle, but don’t be put off if you’re a few days before or after. The truth is, your ovulation date is unique to your own menstrual cycle. But as a guiding point, think of ovulation as happening bang in the middle of your entire cycle.
Ovulation lasts for around 24 hours, after which, if the egg hasn’t been fertilised, it will dissolve back into the body.
PHASE 3 - LUTEAL PHASE
If the egg hasn’t been fertilised, the corpus luteum stops producing progesterone and becomes something else called corpus albicans. The corpus albicans gradually moves away from the spotlight and is reabsorbed back into the body. Our hormone levels of progesterone and oestrogen begin to drop, lasting between 11-17 days, and we prepare ourselves for another period.
After which, we’ll start again 💛
*Natural Cycles has a great thermometer that we’ve tried - available here
