How to Track Your Period
Your period relies heavily on your hormonal production in order to be regular each month. We have to produce our hormones in different amounts every day to create the 4 phase menstrual cycle. Due to this, your period can give you important clues about your overall health when you track your period and any related symptoms.
When you track your period, check in with:
1. Period Length
Period length is one of the first things to look at when you track your period. The period should length should be counted as the first day of a full period, not spotting, and the last day is when you stop bleeding. A normal, healthy period length lasts 3-7 days. Less than 3 days is considered a short period. More than 7 days is considered long. Long or short could indicate an imbalance in the body.
Source: NIH
2. Cycle Length
The cycle length is the next thing to look at when you track your period. This is the length of time from day 1 of your period until the day before your next period. 28 days is average, but not everyone has the same cycle length. A normal cycle is about 24-35 days as long as it is consistent give or takes a couple of days for you. Anything less than 24 or more than 35 should be looked into because this can be indicative of a hormonal imbalance.
Source: NIH.
3. Period Color
Period color is the next thing to look at when you learn how to track your period. Bright or dark red blood is the gold standard for period color. This is what you want, with minimal clots, and a maple syrup-like consistency – this is a sign of a healthy period. If it is purplish or blue, this color plus clotting or looking like crushed blueberries can be a sign of estrogen dominance (either high estrogen + low progesterone, high estrogen + normal progesterone, or normal estrogen + low progesterone). Light pink colored blood coupled with a cycle of 3 or fewer days can be a sign of low estrogen. Brown blood turns this color due to oxidation (or exposure to oxygen), this can be old blood that did not leave from your previous cycle or could indicate low progesterone levels. Orange blood could mean it is time for a trip to the doctor because this color indicates a possible infection. If your period blood is gray, this also means it is time for a trip to the doctor due to possible bacterial vaginosis. Clear, creamy, or watery period blood can be a sign of a nutrient deficiency.
Source: NIH
4. Did I Ovulate?
Realizing if you are ovulating is another crucial question to ask when you learn how to track your period. Ovulation takes place around halfway between 2 consecutive menstruations. You can still have a period, but not ovulate, though this bleeding is not technically the shedding of your uterine lining; instead, it is just excess blood that you shed. Ovulation relies on hormone balance so it is important to track ovulation as well as track your period. To track ovulation you can take your temperature in the morning every day and when your temperature rises, that day you will ovulate. You can also buy ovulation predictor strips which can sense ovulation from your urine. Tracking cervical position can also indicate when you will ovulate. Lastly, you can track your cervical fluid each day to see when you are ovulating.
Source: NIH
5. Cervical Fluid
Observing your cervical fluid is one of the ways to track your period. Cervical fluid (also called cervical mucus, or vaginal discharge) is a completely normal part of your menstrual cycle and typically follows a pattern throughout the month. It is influenced by estrogen levels in the body. It’s an important method to track your period and ovulation. Cervical fluid’s role is to either prevent or promote sperm from entering the uterus depending on the time of the month. During your menstrual phase (on your period) and the days directly following after, your cervical fluid is usually dry. As estrogen levels start to rise in the follicular phase following your period, your cervical fluid changes from a sticky or glue-like consistency to more of a creamy/lotion consistency. As you approach ovulation your estrogen levels are climbing to their peak. Fertile cervical fluid can be the creamy/lotion-like consistency but the egg white consistency that would stretch between your fingers is what we’re typically looking for. Things that can affect cervical fluid: birth control pills: reduce amount, antibiotics and certain meds: can change the quality, PCOS or irregular cycles, missing period, hydration: more hydrated, the better quality, and stress.
6. Basal Body Temperature
As mentioned, to learn to track your period and ovulation, you can utilize your basal body temperature. Basal body temperature or BBT is one of the easiest ways to confirm ovulation. There is a distinct temperature increase after you ovulate due to progesterone increase. To test this out every morning before getting out of bed take your temperature and write it down for a whole month. Of course, take into consideration if you have the flu or another illness that caused a fever, but if you didn’t have any illness you will notice a trend throughout the month. The temperature will stay plateaued but on the day you ovulate that temperature will rise a degree at most and will stay at the heightened value for several days. Using this method is a great way to learn how to track ovulation, but remember that the day you ovulate one month will not be the same as the next month.
Source: University of Michigan, 29313033
7. Period Pain
Period pain is another one of the ways to track your period. Period pain can come in many forms like headaches, cramps, breast tenderness, and even back pain. While period pain may be common, it is not normal when it becomes debilitating. Usually, period pain comes in the days leading up to your period and during your period. Some things that can cause your period pain are poor estrogen detox, high prostaglandins, estrogen dominance, gut issues, stress, and nutrient deficiencies.
Source: 28944048, 28944048, 32069859, 27135720
8. Heaviness
Paying attention to the heaviness of your blood, and regularity of changing feminine products is another way to track your period. Heavy means blood loss more than 80 mLfor the entire cycle = 16 fully soaked regular tampons or 8 fully soaked super tampons. A normal period shouldn’t last more than a week, so if your period is heavy & long it’s time to do some digging. It’s important to understand the root cause when it comes to heavy periods. For some, heavy periods can be linked to underlying conditions like hypothyroidism, fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, and iron deficiency. For those without these conditions, heavy periods can be too an excess of estrogen called estrogen dominance. The DUTCH hormone test helps you identify your hormone levels and how you are metabolizing them. You want to support healthy estrogen detoxification, promote ovulation to produce progesterone to balance estrogen and correct any other underlying hormone or nutrient imbalances.
Source: 26695831
9. Symptoms
Noticing any and all symptoms you endure throughout your cycle is important to learn to track your period. It is important because every symptom you experience has a root cause that could develop over time to worsen your health and symptoms down the road. With period symptoms, they are due to hormonal imbalances that can be caused by a number of factors. These factors include gut issues, nutrient deficiencies, alcohol or caffeine consumption, and stress.
