Lara Briden - The Period Revolutionary
Leading the change to better periods and hormones
Ovulation is the main event of the menstrual cycle.
This is my open letter to every clinician, personal trainer, and blogger who offers health advice without thinking about the importance of ovulation and natural ovulatory menstrual cycles.
Dear Sir,
Your restrictive dietary advice may cause young women to stop ovulating which is a problem because ovulation is how women make hormones.
That makes ovulation an essential part of human physiology and not just for making babies. Ovulation is not optional. Thank you.
A menstrual cycle is, by definition, an ovulatory cycle in which ovulation is the main event and progesterone is made. Any other kind of bleed is either an anovulatory bleed or a pill bleed—neither of which is a real menstrual cycle.
Furthermore, an ovulatory cycle is the only way to make progesterone, which is important for general health and not just for making a baby.
Ovulation is beneficial because it’s how women make hormones.
Every month, as the ovaries get ready to release an egg, they pump out estrogen. Estrogen, in turn, stimulates serotonin, which is why women can be more outgoing and energetic in the few days leading up to ovulation.
Every month, after ovulation, one of the ovaries releases a huge amount of progesterone—the calming, soothing, anti-inflammatory hormone.