Welcome to the Four Seasons of the Menstrual Cycle: Part 1

This is a four part series on your menstrual cycle of what is happening within your body and how to complement your hormones with diet and exercise.

You can find the introduction here

Part 1: The Menstrual Flow (Winter)

The Menstrual Flow (Winter), starts when you bleed and can last for around 1 to 5 days, but like I said in the previous post of Cycle Syncing, every woman is different. Moreover, oestrogen and progesterone are at their lowest. However, on the first day of your period, oestrogen begins to rise but progesterone remains low.

The reason why we bleed, if you do not know, is the lining of the uterus called the endometrium is shed which causes the bleeding. If you were to fall pregnant the blood that is stored in the endometrium will be used to help grow a foetus. But when there is no pregnancy the lining tears away which is called a shed. Isn’t nature extraordinary!

When we bleed we are also losing iron. In addition, prostaglandins at this time that causes the horrendous cramping you may experience, may be peaking. Prostagladins are the hormone-like substances that cause pain and inflammation. Their purpose in menstruation is to cause contraction and relaxation of smooth muscles, thus constricting the blood vessels in the uterus to make the muscle layer contract and expel its lining. Sometimes, some prostaglandins may enter the bloodstream and this is when you will experience headaches, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

In this stage, you typically feel more inward, slow and restful, no different to when it’s winter outside and you don’t feel like doing much, just remaining indoors, staying warm, resting and being nice to yourself.

How to best support this phase: Focus on food that nourish, foods that build iron, foods that assist in iron absorption and are anti-inflammatory to fight off any cramps. Keep up with your hydration as you are losing water when you are bleeding. This is the time to increase your carbohydrate intake as your body will be producing more fuel, especially after your workouts.

Iron Recommendations: For women aged 19-50, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is 18 milligrams per day. You can find the Iron Fact Sheet here From Nutrition Australia.

What to hydrate on: Herbal teas, warming fluids and Luke warm water. The warming fluids will keep the blood flowing which assists with any cramping and clotting. In addition, kombucha may help with any gut issues you may have at this time.

Carbohydrates to consume: Potatoes, corn, peas, sweet potato, pumpkin, carrots, (other starchy vegetables) rice, pasta and oats.

Animal Sources of Iron: Beef, fish, eggs and poultry. PS: liver is also a fantastic source of iron.

Anti-Inflammatory spices & herbs: Turmeric (Blog link here), ginger, cinnamon, cayenne, cardamom, cumin, garlic, parsley, curry.

Plant Sources of Iron combined with vitamin C: Spinach, chard, kale, collard greens, broccoli, mushrooms, beets, capsicum, lentils, pinto beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, citrus fruits and strawberries. NOTE: Iron from plant sources is only bio-available when combined with vitamin C.   

Exercise: At this stage our pain tolerance increases, and muscles recover from DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) faster. If you don’t suffer from period pain, this would be a good time to take your exercise to a higher intensity and if you lift weights, try lifting heavier. Unbelievably, this is the time your body is performing at its peak, so it’s a great time to really embrace your performance. However, if you are experiencing cramping than please do take this time to go easy, do gentle exercise such as going for a brisk walk, yoga or lifting lighter weights, as this will circulate the blood more efficiently which helps reduce cramping and discomfort.

Check out my Comforting Beef Stroganoff recipe that complements this time of the month. One serving offers 3mg of Iron.

And keep tune for next weeks blog post on Part 2. The Follicular Phase (Spring)

Until next time

Theresa Gray

---

References

Julian, R., Hecksteden, A., Fullagar, H. H. K., & Meyer, T. (2017). The effects of menstrual cycle phase on physical performance in female soccer players. PLoS ONE, 12(3), 1–13. https://doi-org.ezproxy.sl.nsw.gov.au/10.1371/journal.pone.0173951

Oosthuyse, T., & Bosch, A. N. (2010). The Effect of the Menstrual Cycle on Exercise Metabolism. Sports Medicine, 40(3), 207–227. https://doi-org.ezproxy.sl.nsw.gov.au/10.2165/11317090-000000000-00000

Pallavi, L. C., Souza, U. J. D., & Shivaprakash, G. (2017). Assessment of Musculoskeletal Strength and Levels of Fatigue during Different Phases of Menstrual Cycle in Young Adults. Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research, 11(2), 11–13. https://doi-org.ezproxy.sl.nsw.gov.au/10.7860/JCDR/2017/24316.9408

Sipavičienè, S., Daniusevičiutè, L., Klizienè, I., Kamandulis, S., & Skurvydas, A. (2013). Effects of Estrogen Fluctuation during the Menstrual Cycle on the Response to Stretch-Shortening Exercise in Females. BioMed Research International, 2013, 1–6. https://doi-org.ezproxy.sl.nsw.gov.au/10.1155/2013/243572

Sung, E., Han, A., Hinrichs, T., Vorgerd, M., Manchado, C., & Platen, P. (2014). Effects of follicular versus luteal phase-based strength training in young women. SpringerPlus, 3, 668. doi:10.1186/2193-1801-3-668