3 Ways to Check In With Your Hormones
You don't need blood work!
On the latest episode of The Cosmic Conceptions Podcast I chatted with Jennifer about her natal chart and the Libra stellium1 that reflected a potential struggle with her hormone balance.
She noted that it was interesting to her because when she’d gotten tests done in the past her hormones didn’t seem to be problematic, and then asked if she should get more testing done.
Although medical testing is a very personal decision, and is always optional, here’s why I don’t press for it:
Testing of any kind is always subject to inaccuracies, and many forms of testing come with known flaws and limitations.
Testing can come back with “negative” results even though you may feel fine, which can deliver emotional and psychological impacts that harm the patient and their trajectory of care.
Testing can come back with “positive” results even though you may feel terrible, which can lead to lazy diagnoses such as, “unexplained infertility” or the infamous, “It’s all in your head.”
Both “positive” or “negative” results can mean very little to the experiences a woman has within her own body, and may even provide information we were never meant to know (for our own good).
Fortunately when it comes to women’s bodies, we have the most accurate health and hormone test already built in—the menstrual cycle.
I didn’t need Jennifer to get blood work done to know that her hormones weren’t optimal—in fact I didn’t even need her Libra stellium!—all we needed to do was review her FAM charts and decode the messages her body was already telling her.
Although there are many expressions that can clue you into your hormonal patterns, I wanted to give you three easy places to start:
1. THE LENGTH OF YOUR CYCLE
The overall length of your menstrual cycle and its regularity is the broadest place to start. For most women, a normal menstrual cycle is going to be 24-35 days long. You’ll want your cycle to be fairly regular, meaning you can count on it to be the same length every month, give or take a day or so. It’s perfectly expected for your cycle to reflect events in your life as well as cosmic happenings, so note whether or not stress, shocking emotional news, or a strong Lunar event may be responsible for a shifting menstrual cycle.
2. OVULATION
A healthy ovulation can occur between day 10 and 23 of your cycle. If you irregularly ovulate or have anovulatory cycles, it can indicate that your body (and your hormones) require your attention. Although there are fancy tools and in-office ultrasounds available to track and test for ovulation, I encourage all women to learn the signals of their own bodies using the Fertility Awareness Method. Resources will be placed below!
3. THE LUTEAL PHASE
The Luteal Phase, or the “Inner Autumn”, is the season of your cycle that takes place between ovulation and the first day of menstruation. This cycle is usually a point of interest for women try to conceive because it highlights the production of progesterone, which is required to carry a pregnancy to term. A healthy luteal phase should last between 12-14 days. This is also something that can be charted through the Fertility Awareness Method from the comfort of your home—and you’ll want comfort and healthfully managed stress in order to maintain your progesterone levels!
RESOURCES
Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health by Toni Weschler
#10: For the Love of the Cervix: Fertility Awareness and Cervical Connection with Chloe Skerlak | The Cervical Wellness Podcast [Spotify]
The Cosmic Conceptions Podcast 05 • How to Use Your Fertile Moon Phase for Conception & Contraception [Access the free bonus content to download Fertile Moon Phase-friendly FAM charts]
AN IMPORTANT NOTE
The use of hormone replacement therapies, birth control, and even supplements only manipulate your body’s cycles and symptoms. They do not correct these expressions nor address what the body is adapting to and asking you to change. If you are interested in getting to know the language of your body, you may consider working with your practitioners in order to wean off these tools so you can clearly see what your body is doing.
This isn’t medical advice! I implore all interested readers to take advantage of the resources and work with practitioners who are informed about female physiology and vitalistic healing principles.
Have a question? Leave a comment!
When a single sign in the chart contains five or more planets.