Cycle mapping is something what in my opinion every woman should do. It doesn’t take long, it doesn’t cost anything. All you need is either a small notebook or a cycle tracker app and a few minutes towards the end of each day. Let’s see why it is a useful tool and and what you should be focusing on while you are doing it.
When I was about 10 or 11 years old, we had some people coming to our school giving a few hours presentation about female and male health. For us girls they had a presentation about our menstrual cycles, why we have them and what we need to look out for.
These presentations are meant to help little girls to understand better their bodies, especially if they haven’t had this type of conversation at home. It is meant to be helpful for girls too, who are already menstruating. Although these lessons not always giving you enough knowledge or they can be misleading. I haven’t learned properly how to read my menstrual cycles up until my early twenties, and when I did I was a bit angry, why no one ever thought this to me? Talking to other women, I realised that there are not so many women who actually knows what to expect each month, what is normal and what is not.
It is not our fault because we didn’t listen enough, nor our female relatives fault because they didn’t explained it to us, they might know less than you do. It is the education system which talks about female health in small details, like it’s something to be ashamed of.
I have met woman in her forties who thought that having discharge, always means infection. So every time she noticed something she rushed to the doctor and asked for a cream or medication to help with her infection. And every time the doctor gave it to her without questions. When she learned that having discharge (no smell no itchiness or pain and healthy colour) certain points of the month actually means a healthy cycle she was furious, that she had to live in anxiety for so many years, thinking that she is just simply prone to infections, and never having one doctor exam her properly and saying to her that she do not need to worry IT IS NORMAL.
Unfortunately talking about female health is always an uncomfortable topic for some reason. People are scared to use certain words related to female anatomy, and women are scared to talk about their symptoms to their doctors, which can lead to delayed diagnosis. In fact, many times when woman seek attention, their complaints are being overlooked or ignored in the beginning.
Let’s talk about why cycle mapping is important
Cycle mapping is useful to notice in time if there are any changes happening in your body, but it also can be helpful if you want to get pregnant. Your cycle tells a lot about your overall health.
Most women don’t track their cycle or if they do they only write down when they started to bleed and when they stopped. While this is important too, and it can show you how regular your cycle is, it is not enough to give you the whole picture of when you are ovulating, noticing symptoms which can indicate hormonal imbalances, hormone related disorders, infections. By tracking your cycle you will also learn what is normal for you and what is concerning and might be time for a doctor’s visit.
If you have no concerns you can include in your cycle mapping only your period and your cervical mucus changes but if you feel, something is different or doesn’t feel right you can include as many symptoms as you can to give you a better picture. Sometimes you don’t even know how irregular your cycles are or that you don’t even ovulate until you start paying attention for the small details.
How a detailed cycle mapping looks like
First let’s see how your cycle should look like. There is no perfect cycle, everyone’s going to have something what is unique to their body, but there are things you should look out for.
Cycle mapping points:
- Cycle length
Menstrual cycles vary between 26-34 days. During your teenage years longer cycles are completely normal, while towards menopause it will slowly become shorter. Having each month the same length of cycle is rare. Your cycle can be shorter or longer in certain months due to stress, travel, change in your environment and other factors. About 4-6 days change in length is completely normal. Although if you notice bleeding in between two cycles, or having skipped months, or your cycles becoming too long or too short, it can mean that your hormones got out of balance and you should ask for help to see if there’s no any other underlying condition for example PCOS.
- Bleeding
– Bleeding length can vary between 3-7 days. Usually the second day you will have the heaviest flow.
-Having heavy bleeding means you changes your tampons or pads every one or two hours and having heavy flow for most of the days.
–Blood clots can be present sometimes, although if they are bigger than a coin that could be due to endometriosis, fibroids, oestrogen dominance, PCOS…
–Light coloured period and or watery period can be due to low iron.
–Dark period can mean heavy periods but also the longer it exposed to air the darker it gets.
–Brown colour or in the beginning or end of your period is normal.
-If you have light pink and or brown spotting without any blood clots and occasionally with mild pain for 1-3 days before your period due (about 6-10 days after ovulation) which doesn’t turn into normal red bleeding, that can also indicate implantation bleeding.
You should never bleed after or during intercourse.
- Pain
Mild cramping can be normal due to your muscles contraction to expel the endometrial lining. Too much pain, which interferes with your day to day activities can be a sign of hormonal imbalance, endometriosis, fibroids, PCOS…
If you have cramping, pelvic or abdominal pain during any other time of your cycle, during sex, or when you have a bowl movement or urination, please seek help, as it can mean you have an underlying condition.
- Cervical mucus /discharge
After menstruation you will have a few dry days, than slowly leading up to ovulation the cervical mucus will become pasty than creamy, white maybe bit yellowish.
Before ovulation it changes to a more watery texture. During ovulation you will see a clear, stretchy and slippery cervical mucus which looks like egg white.
After ovulation it becomes again thick, which helps prevent sperm to make its move upwards than you’ll notice again a bit more stickier.
Before menstruation usually you will see minimal paste like or no discharge. In case of pregnancy this discharge might continue.
Changes in color and smell can indicate infections.
White or yellow, thick cottage cheese like fermented or sweet smelling discharge, itching can be a sign of yest infection. (very sweet smell also can be due to diabetes)
Gray, thick and fishy/ ammonia odour discharge, itching can be a sign of bacterial vaginosis.
Green, yellow, thick pus like discharge with a strong foul/fishy smell indicate STI’s such as gonorrhoea or other.
- Breast pain
Towards the end of the cycle your breasts can get a bit more full, heavier more sensitive due to hormonal changes.
Additional symptoms to include in your cycle mapping if they are concerning are:
-bloating
-bowl movement (even appetite)
-energy level, mood
-sleep
-acne
-libido
-if you’re trying to get pregnant than BBT, intercourse
Mild changes will happen throughout the month due to changes in hormones. You will see, that for example during period or before period you might want to relax more, and pay attention to self love, eat more comforting foods, while during ovulation you are more motivated, energetic, have less appetite, these symptoms all depends on which hormones are declining or peaking. But if any of the above symptoms are affecting your life quality, becoming persistent, or you notice they are getting worse that can be a sign of hormonal imbalance.
By using cycle mapping techniques you can see if something changed, and to know when is time to see a medical provider.
Keep in mind that using certain medications can make changes in your monthly symptoms.
Also when you are using oral contraceptive, it alter your hormones, prevent ovulation, so some of the above mentioned normal monthly changes will be different too. OCP also can have side effects such as digestive discomfort, mood, weight and breast changes.
If you are unsure about something, you feel something changed even if you can’t explain what, tracking your cycle and taking your cycle mapping notes with you to see a medical provider, nutritional therapist, herbalist will help them to get a better picture of your symptoms and to assist you the best possible way. And whenever you have questions, don’t be ashamed asking, or if you don’t feel confident with your current support, look for someone else with who you can openly talk about every concern of yours, because you deserve to be heard!
