what is a standard healthy cycle?

Within modern gynecological practices, there is no clear definition of what a standard healthy menstrual cycle is. There is however a “range of normal” that’s given as a quick checklist to help women identify if there is something array within their monthly cycles that ought to be explored further. Those guidelines go as follows:

• Regularity — The cycle (from day 1 of the period to day 1 of the following period) lasts anywhere from 21 to 45 days

• Duration — Menstruation (the bleed phase) is 8 days in length or less

• Volume — Normal menstrual bleeding does not exceed an amount that “disrupts emotional or social life” and will be classified as “light, medium, or heavy” — 5mL being considered a “light flow” and 80mL considered a “heavy flow”

Women are also often told, “If it’s normal for you, it’s normal.”

But what we see within these guidelines and widely varying “healthy ranges” is every type of imbalance.

How can we consider a cycle “healthy” or “normal” when there are symptoms present such as pain, excessive bleeding, absence of bleeding, even infertility?

From a menstrual cycle analysis standpoint, we do have a clear definition of a “standard healthy cycle.”We know when a cycle is healthy because, upon assessing the details of the cycle as a whole, there will be no imbalances present. I know that sounds so obvious, but the reality is that women every day around the world are being told that having an absent period is normal, that cramping, or PMS, or nausea during menstruation is “normal”, or that prolapse is “common” and their “only option to resolve this is a hysterectomy”— and they’re accepting this as an answer. But the truth is, these are all clear signals that there is imbalance (or several imbalances) present.

Becoming aware of imbalances gives us the opportunity to adjust accordingly in order to create balance. Imbalances most often can be corrected. Correcting imbalances thus prevents extremes, such as pathologies and disease.

“The period, when it comes to women’s health, is the most efficient diagnostic tool in determining what’s going on with our bodies as a whole.” - Keli Garza

I must add that this is not just another thing for us to “pass” or “fail” at — I know how critical women can be of themselves. The intent with menstrual cycle analysis is to learn to read the messages our bodies are giving us, thus making us able to respond to those needs. Our bodies are dynamic, ever changing, and incredibly responsive to our life experiences.

She will tell you, if you have the ears to hear. We then have opportunity to stay within a truly healthy rhythm, dancing and adjusting as we go, in order to prevent extremes such as cysts, fibroids, abnormal endometrial growth, infertility, and cancers. This takes away the thought of “I have no idea how this happened” when being given a diagnoses, and offers us a felt sense of connection and confidence in our body’s ability to recover and respond to both our internal and external environments on a daily (or monthly) basis.

Just because we don’t always like what our body is saying, doesn’t mean it’s not true.‍ So if you’ve ever felt annoyed, disappointed, or frustrated at what your body is doing — it may be time to consider her messages with compassion, as you would have gentleness for a friend sharing the same story.

what defines a cycle as healthy and normal?

• When a cycle is healthy (without imbalance), it generally will sync with the moon and fluctate between 28 and 30 days in length, with an average length of 29 days — the same amount of time (and variation) it takes for the moon to complete a full cycle.

• Menstruation will last for 4 days.

• Menses will have a medium, even flow. A nice visual is the arch of a rainbow — starting light, rising to a medium peak, and then ending light again. (No clots, stringiness, hesitancy, spotting, starting/stopping, etc.)

• Menstruation will be beautifully rich red in color.

• Ovulation will occur between day 14 and 16.

• Vaginal discharge is clear in color and has a sweet aroma.

• A healthy cycle has both fertile and nonfertile days that are identifiable by BBT (basal body temperature), cervical mucous (that beautiful vaginal nectar), and cervical placement.

• There will be no pain or any type of imbalance present.

Of course, there are as many variations to this as there are women in the world — but what we see is that when we attend to the imbalances, women’s cycles regulate to what we call “the standard healthy cycle.” Any variation outside of this definition will likely have imbalances, unfavorable symptoms, and potentially pathologies or disease.

So while it may be “your normal” to only bleed every few months, this is not normal or healthy.

Let’s not mistake common for normal, or normal for healthy.They are not synonymous with one another.

If you’re curious about your own cycle and the messages it provides, I’d love to do a cycle analysis with you. If you’re unsure of where to even begin, I can help you with that too. Having a guide as you explore the wise terrain that is your body may just be the missing piece you’ve needed. This is some of the basic information that every little girl should be taught, that every young woman should practice, and every wise woman should be able to hand down to her own. This is the goal with my Auntie Circles — to light the torches of the women around me, that they may pass their flame on to the women next to them, and so on.

Do you have any questions? Reach out, I read and respond to every message and would love to see where the conversation leads.