If you read my post Your Hormones and You, you know your hormone cycle. This post is about how to plan your schedule around it. As a brief overview, you bleed, you build that wall back up, you ovulate, you prepare for implantation, if you get pregnant the egg implants and begins to build a human. If you don’t get pregnant, you start your cycle over.
Not surprising, the work schedule is built on the male testosterone cycle which is much easier. Testosterone is higher in the morning, and in October. Otherwise it is pretty stable. Obviously you can’t ask your work for one week off every week to bleed, but you can schedule your to do list around it. I have been told I need to read this book about this, but I haven’t yet. If you have, let me know how it is!
The following schedule is based on a 28 day cycle, which most of us do not have. Instead, consider week 1 to be when you are bleeding. The ovulatory window will be about 2 weeks before the end of your cycle, no matter how many days it is. Week 2, then, is just the time in between. So “week 1” for me is 5 days, because that is usually how long I menstruate. Then my week 2 is 17 days long, yup that makes sense.
Week 1
Before ovulation is called the follicular phase. Your estrogen and progesterone this week are at their lowest.
Symptoms:
- Cramping
- Bloating
- Cravings
- Bleeding
Schedule:
Take this time to look after yourself. Allow yourself to binge watch shows, and it really is ok to give in to those cravings. You are literally bleeding from your genitals… If your bleeding stops during this week, get back to work, go back on your diet, and get back on your sleep schedule.
Week 2
This is the next part of your follicular phase. It is the time between bleeding and ovulating. Again, ovulation doesn’t happen until about 2 weeks before the start of your next cycle. Estrogen begins to rise. You begin rebuilding the lining of your uterus that you shed during your period. Estrogen will peak just before ovulation.
Symptoms:
- Depression
- Crying
Schedule:
It is definitely ok to plan things for this week, just remember your estrogen is rising. If you feel like sleeping instead, sleep. If you feel like crying, cry. The point is to remember to put you on your to do list, and schedule some self-care with everything else you have going on.
Ovulatory Phase
This lasts for about 24 hrs around 2 weeks before the start of your next cycle. Estrogen drops. Follicle-stimulating hormone peaks. Luteinizing hormone peaks.
Symptoms:
- Horny
- Agentic
Schedule:
This is it! Time to get those big projects you have been putting off done. Time to fuck your significant other, or vibrator. For the next couple days your will be an absolute rock star.
Week 3
This is the first half of the luteal phase, which will last until the start of your next cycle. Progesterone begins to rise. This is the hormone that makes you a dick, but that is for next week. Right now it isn’t high enough.
Symptoms:
- Anger
- Nausea
- Lowered sex drive
Schedule:
Now that you have gotten your big projects out of the way, it is time to schedule self-care back into your routine. Absolutely still get stuff done, just get your mental health checklist done too.
Week 4
Hell week…for everyone. This is it, your progesterone has peaked, waiting for an egg to implant. Progesterone is what turns you into an absolute bitch the week before your period. It’s not you, it’s your progesterone demon.
Symptoms:
- PMS
- Bloating and weight gain
- fatigue
- depression
- low sex drive
Schedule:
The anger that comes with PMS can actually motivate you to get stuff done. Go for it. However, when you get angry, take a deep breath, and switch tasks. If you get overwhelmed, it is ok to quit and walk away for a bit. Try, try to be nice to people. Thinking of sending that email to your boss telling them what a piece of shit they are and listing off everything they have done wrong? Save it for a week. Chances are when you start bleeding, you will feel differently. The world is gonna feel like it is ending this week. I promise the feeling will end.
What do you think? Does this resonate with you? Has anyone ever talked about planning your schedule around your cycle? Let us know in the comments!