The life-changing advice a menstrual coach gives her clients about periods
The 'woke' world is becoming period-literate (meaning no more scurrying to the toilet, tampon stuffed up-sleeve), but how much do we really know about the whole cycle and the menstrual stages? How it affects our bodies, emotions and lives? For many of us, the answer is, well, not a lot.
Claire Baker is a menstrual coach who founded her platform This Is Lifeblood in 2012. Her approach is underpinned by the idea that we should all develop a connection with our whole cycle in order to find ‘flow’ in life and work.
After a decade on the pill feeling steady, she explains, she came off it only to find she felt different week to week. 'Just before bleeding I’d be exhausted, whereas two weeks later my energy and libido would be sky-high. I noticed I was more positive and resilient at times, and then more self-critical at others. I started tracking how I felt, what my body was doing, everything.'
Claire was working as a life coach at the time and realised she could ground her teaching in her new learnings. 'At sessions, clients would be in completely different moods for no particular reason. It was a recurring pattern, so I asked them to start tracking, too.
'Women understand they’re on a rhythm, but they don’t know how to work with it. We can use how we’re feeling at different times in our cycle to live and work in an optimum way; with our bodies rather than against them. I sync my life, where possible, to my cycle.'
Claire uses a 'seasons' analogy to explain the stages of a typical cycle. 'Winter' (days one-six) is the period, when we feel like hibernating. Then we move into 'spring' (days seven-13), when hormones are steadily on the rise and most women feel more energised and positive. 'Summer'(days 14-21) is mid-cycle, at ovulation, and we feel more sociable and our libidos are at their highest. Then, we enter 'autumn' (days 22-28), the week before menstruation where, generally, women feel moodier, but perhaps more grounded and creative, too. Then the 'year', or menstrual cycle, begins again.
So how do you work out which stage you're at in your cycle? Claire says: 'When you start your period write "day 1" next to the date in your diary, then do the same counting up for the next month. You’ll know where you are in your cycle on any given day, and can plan according to your seasons.'
These are the four 'seasons' of a woman's menstrual cycle, according to Claire:
WINTER: DAYS 1-6
Winter is menstruation and starts on the first day of bleeding, or a day or two before. For most women, this is a dark, cavernous time of resting, resetting and letting go.
Our hormones – oestrogen and progesterone – are at their absolute lowest on day one so we don’t have the physical resources we do at other times of the month. In the first day or two, it’s natural not to feel at your peak. But oestrogen starts to rise as soon as you start bleeding, which will begin to make you feel better.
SPRING: DAYS 7-13
You’ll have more energy, feel more playful, and be ready to come back out into the world. This is the follicular phase and, personally, I feel productive during the time.
For some women who find bleeding painful, spring is a brilliant time. For others, it’s more tender. Emotions generally aren’t as temperamental as they can be later on, either, because hormones are on a steady increase.
SUMMER: DAYS 14-21
Summer is characterised by ovulation. If you have a 28-day cycle, you’ll ovulate around day 14. This is ‘superwoman’ season: oestrogen is at its peak when you’re ovulating, and a bump in testosterone makes us feel strong and resilient.
Because our body wants to procreate, we have more cervical fluid and higher libidos, and more tolerance for people. Once the body has realised it isn’t going to conceive, however, progesterone is high and oestrogen dips up and down, before they both start a steady decline. This is called the luteal phase. The end of summer can be challenging for some women; they’ll stop feeling like that superwoman.
AUTUMN: DAYS 22-28
With progesterone and oestrogen declining, we feel slower and more tired. Dreams tend to be at their most vivid now.
Some women – including me – also feel creative in autumn. But as we move back down to menstruation, we might feel moodier and less willing to be around people. Some women like this part of the cycle because feeling like ‘superwoman’ doesn’t suit their personalities; they enjoy moving back in towards themselves again.
To find out more, visit thisislifeblood.com, where you can also download Claire's Adore Your Cycle ebook. Follow Claire on Instagram.
This feature originally appeared in the June 2018 issue of Red.
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