Hormone tracking
💭 Why I Started Paying Attention to My Hormones
One of my biggest personal goals after having my last baby was to understand my hormones and how they affect my body, mind, and emotions. For so long, I felt overwhelmed—one week I’d be energized and motivated, the next I was drained and emotional. I wanted answers.
So I decided to start learning. I wanted to know what was going on inside my body each month, and how my menstrual cycle could explain so many of the ups and downs I was experiencing.
What Is the Menstrual Cycle, Really?
The menstrual cycle is a monthly process our bodies go through—usually lasting around 28 days, though it can be a little shorter or longer. It prepares our bodies for a possible pregnancy, but it also affects way more than just our reproductive system.
Your hormones shift throughout the month, and those changes can influence everything from your mood and energy levels to your mental health and skin.
🔑 Meet the Hormones Behind the Cycle
Let’s keep this simple. Here are the four main hormones that guide your monthly period cycle:
💖 Estrogen – Your Confidence Booster
Rises after your period and helps you feel more energetic, confident, focused, and emotionally steady.
🌙 Progesterone – Your Calm-Down Hormone
Rises after ovulation. It helps you relax but can also make you feel sleepy, bloated, or a little more emotional.
🧬 FSH (Follicle-Stimulating Hormone)
Starts at the beginning of your cycle and helps your body prepare to release an egg.
⚡ LH (Luteinizing Hormone)
This one causes the egg to release—aka ovulation.
The 4 Phases of Your Cycle (and How You Might Feel)
1. Menstrual Phase (Days 1–5)
Your period starts. Hormone levels drop. You might feel tired, emotional, or crampy. This is your body shedding the old to make room for the new.
2. Follicular Phase (Days 6–13)
Estrogen rises. You start to feel more alive again—more motivated, more clear-headed, more you.
3. Ovulation (Around Day 14)
Estrogen peaks and your body releases an egg. You might feel extra confident, social, or energized. It’s your natural “glow-up” time.
4. Luteal Phase (Days 15–28)
Progesterone increases. This is the PMS zone—where you may feel sensitive, bloated, tired, or moody. Try to rest and be kind to yourself here.
Why This Knowledge Changed My Life
Once I began noticing how my energy, mood, and emotions shifted with my cycle, everything started to click. I wasn’t crazy. I wasn’t lazy. I wasn’t “too emotional.”
I was just a woman going through her hormonal rhythm.
And once I understood that rhythm, I could plan better, show myself grace, and stop feeling so lost. This knowledge helped me with my mental health, my self-care, and even how I show up for my kids and my partner.
