How to Calculate Your Menstrual Cycle

At Guud Woman, we're happy to tell you all about tracking your cycle. Knowing your cycle is important, whether you're trying to conceive or not. It provides valuable information about your mood, energy levels, sleep, and more. And if you're trying to conceive, tracking your cycle is crucial for calculating your fertile periods. In this blog post, we'll explain how to track your cycle.

Understanding your menstrual cycle

Let's start with the basics. What is your menstrual cycle and how long is it? Your menstrual cycle begins on the first day of your period (the day you start bleeding). It lasts until the day your next period begins. An average, standard menstrual cycle lasts 28 days, but anything between 22 and 40 days is considered normal.

If you're trying to conceive, it's important to track your cycle. It doesn't have to be complicated. It can be as simple as simply noting when your period starts. Or you can use an app that lets you track more details, such as how you feel and if you're experiencing any symptoms. There are many apps on the market, and this blog post lists our favorites .

Throughout the month, a lot is happening in your body, including major changes in hormone levels. About halfway through your cycle, one of your ovaries releases a mature egg. The egg then travels to one of your fallopian tubes, where it awaits fertilization. At this point in your cycle, the uterine lining thickens, which promotes the implantation of a fertilized egg. If the egg isn't fertilized, your body sheds the uterine lining. This is the start of your period.

Calculate your cycle in 3 steps

1. Mark the first day of your period each month on a calendar (or use an app). The number of days between the first day of your period and the start of the next is the length of your menstrual cycle.

Your cycle length can vary each month, but it should always be roughly the same. If you have irregular periods, we don't recommend the calendar method. You can support your cycle and hormonal activity by adding the right vitamins and minerals to your diet. Contact our experts if you'd like to learn more.

2. If you know when you menstruate , you can roughly calculate when you ovulate. Your monthly ovulation occurs between 12 and 14 days after your period.

What's always certain is that the period between ovulation and the start of your period (the premenstrual phase) is always 14 days. This is due to the breakdown of the corpus luteum, a process that predictably occurs after ovulation. After the egg is released, the corpus luteum forms, which produces progesterone. This hormone prepares the uterine lining for the possible implantation of a fertilized egg.

If fertilization doesn't occur, the corpus luteum stops producing progesterone after about 14 days and dies. This leads to the shedding of the uterine lining, or menstruation. This ensures that the luteal phase always has a relatively fixed length, usually between 14 and 16 days. What is variable is the number of days before ovulation (the follicular phase). This can vary between individuals and is responsible for some women having a longer or shorter cycle than the standard 28 days.

3. Your fertile window is five days before ovulation , the day of ovulation itself, and the day after ovulation. So, about a week in total.

How do you know when you're ovulating?

If you're trying to conceive, it's important to know when you ovulate. This is the time when your egg can be fertilized.

You can calculate your ovulation by tracking your cycle. This way, you can determine your fertile window. While having sex during ovulation doesn't guarantee pregnancy, it's the best time to try.

And, if you don't want to get pregnant, it's just as important to know when you're ovulating. Remember: even if you're absolutely certain of your fertile window, you still need to be careful if you want to avoid pregnancy. Sperm can live for 2 to 5 days, and an egg has a lifespan of about 24 hours.

But how do you know when you're ovulating? There are several methods for determining when you're ovulating: the calendar method, the cervical mucus method, and the basal body temperature method. Read more about it in our blog post: How to calculate ovulation.

Can I have my period without ovulating?

Technically not, but you can bleed even without ovulation. Your body releases an unfertilized egg (your period). If no egg is released, you technically can't menstruate.

But you can still menstruate because the uterine lining, also called the endometrium, builds up and is then shed by your body, regardless of whether an egg was present. This causes bleeding. This bleeding is also called withdrawal bleeding.

What should you do if you have irregular periods?

If your period is irregular, please contact us. We can help. It can be as simple as making a few small lifestyle changes to get your cycle back to normal. Still have questions about calculating your menstrual cycle? Get in touch. We can help!

PS. I hope this blog has been helpful. Just a quick note to close. Why are we sometimes so cautious with our wording? Because we want you to understand that there's no magic pill that solves everything (unfortunately!). Supplements can help support your health, but other factors also play a role, such as genetics, sleep, exercise, and diet. Do you have questions about your specific situation? Chat with us – we're happy to help, with no obligation!