How do you track your cycle?

Why track your cycle?

Getting to know your natural cycle has a number of benefits. From a health perspective, knowing what is “normal” for you can make it easier to identify when something is off. Cycle-tracking can also help you better understand your fertile (or less fertile) moments.

From a lifestyle perspective, it can help you anticipate (and even plan for) certain symptoms and shifts, such as PMS-y mood swings, food cravings, breakouts, changes in your sex drive, period cramps and much more. Goodbye surprise periods! Plus, you can plan certain events (vacations, big presentations, etcetera) when you know you’ll probably feel good.

Step 1: Understanding your cycle

The first step to tracking your menstrual cycle is understanding how cycles work in general (although, admittedly, there is no real ‘in general’). Starting from your period, your cycle goes through four main phases: from menstruation and follicular to ovulation and luteal. For an average cycle, this takes 28 days. But anything between 21 and 35 days is considered normal.

The four phases of your cycle

Menstruation: The first phase of your new cycle starts on the first day of your period (also known as menstruation). During your period, the last cycle’s build-up of uterine lining sheds through your cervix and vagina – which manifests as period blood. This takes about 2 to 8 days, or until you stop bleeding.

Follicular phase: Confusingly, your follicular phase starts simultaneously with your period, but it lasts much longer (on average between 10 and 22 days). Simply put, this is when your body prepares for ovulation and your follicles ripen. After your period ends, chances are you’ll actually feel quite good and lovely and energised in this phase.

Ovulation: About midway through your cycle, an egg is released from your ovaries. This is when you’re most likely to get pregnant (although you’re also fertile before and after ovulation). Ovulation lasts about 1 to 2 days.

Luteal phase: After ovulation, your body gets ready to support a potential pregnancy and – if the egg is not fertilised – for your next period. The fluctuation in hormones that happens during your luteal phase can cause all those PMS-y feels. It lasts around 14 days, until your next period.

Step 2: Identifying changes in your mind and body

Once you’ve identified your cycle’s phases, you can reflect on all the physical and emotional changes that come along with them. Your cycle can have an effect on anything including your skin, sex drive, mood, appetite, sleep, energy levels, vaginal fluid, aches and pains and much, much more.

Step 3: Noting it all down

So what about actually tracking your cycle? There are various ways to do this, ranging from very simple to incredibly detailed, and from analogue to digital.

You can track your cycle yourself, using a paper or digital calendar. Simply note down your periods, when they start and end, as well as any symptoms you feel throughout the month. You can keep it as simple or detailed as you’d like. Over time, you’ll be able to dissect patterns and identify the different phases of your cycle. You can also use LH tests or thermometers to identify when you’ve ovulated.

Need a little help? Various websites and apps help you track your period. Some of them are free and very simple to use, while others rely on complex algorithms, temperature data and plenty of input to give you a more accurate, detailed overview (and even predictions) of your cycle. It can be helpful to browse around for a tool that fits your needs.

What is a normal cycle?

For clarity’s sake, we’ve talked a lot about ‘average’ and ‘normal’ cycles. But it’s important to note the cycles differ greatly from person to person and change throughout your life (or even from month to month). Take cycle length, for example. Some people have long cycles, others short, some cycles are like clockwork, whereas others are only regular in their irregularity. Occasionally, you have a cycle without an ovulation (this is most common if you just started your period, are breastfeeding or are in your peri-menopause). Different people also experience different symptoms throughout their cycle, or a different intensity of symptoms. It’s all relative, which is why it’s handy to discover what is normal for you.