When hormones are in control, it can sometimes feel like the body is going crazy. As the entire menstrual cycle is characterized by different changes in hormones, the effects of this can be felt in different ways. These can often get on your last nerve. Menstruating people, for example, find PMS particularly unpopular. Did you know that it can be quite useful if you have your menstrual cycle figured out? Not only for pregnancy planning, but also for a promising workout or to be prepared when the next period starts.

Every cycle, menstruating women are visited anew by their period. Sometimes expected and sometimes unexpected - and then menstrual products have to be used again. The new menstrual cycle then begins on the first day of bleeding. You've probably heard that not only blood but also the lining of the uterus is expelled during this time. But how long does the period last? Of course, this varies from person to person, but as a guide you can remember that menstruating women menstruate for an average of 4-8 days. Did you know that only around 10-15 percent of all menstruating women have a 28-day cycle? Maybe you've already been unsure yourself because your cycle was longer or shorter than 28 days. But there's no need to worry, because menstrual cycles of 24-38 days are normal! The perfect 28-day cycle is therefore an illusion - sometimes longer and sometimes shorter cycles can occur. If you are still unsure about the length of your cycle, we recommend talking to your gynecologist at this point.

Have you ever heard of the 4 phases of the menstrual cycle? The topic may have been covered in biology lessons at school. But if the times when you had to go to school are already in the past, then it certainly can't hurt to brush up on this knowledge. So let's take a look at the four cycle phases and the effects of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone together.

Menstrual phase:

As a menstruating person, you no doubt know this phase only too well. The lining of the uterus is shed and the blood vessels located there open up, allowing menstrual blood to flow out of the vagina. In this context, have you ever wondered why you have cramp-like pain during your period? This is because the muscles in the area of the uterus tighten and relax so that the mucous membrane and blood can be expelled. To get through this unpleasant pain better, it can be helpful to try out relaxing sports such as yoga. Here you can find suitable yoga exercises that can help you with menstrual pain. Of course, heat is also a well-known remedy for abdominal pain. But do you know that nerve-wracking situation when the hot water bottle just won't stay in place? Then you should definitely take a look at our Taynie heat belt. Thisgame changer can be placed exactly where it hurts. Whether on the stomach or back.

Follicular phase:

During the follicular phase, the lining of the uterus is actively built up again with the help of the hormone oestrogen. Follicles also grow in the ovaries, but only one of them fully matures. Have you just stumbled across the term follicle? You can think of a follicle as a protrusion that contains fluid. Each follicle contains an egg cell. The follicular phase lasts around 10-14 days.

Ovulation phase:

The follicular phase is over and now the cycle reaches its peak. As the name suggests, the ovulation phase marks the ovulation of the menstrual cycle. The egg, which has matured in the ovary and has been waiting so eagerly for this phase, now finally has its "time to shine". Have you ever noticed a pulling sensation in your lower abdomen during this phase, even though it wasn't yet time for your period? Then this is probably what is known as mittelschmerz. Some menstruating women can feel their ovulation. Find out more about this here.There are even some menstruating women who experience ovulation bleeding during ovulation. Of course, it can be a little surprising if you suddenly have to reach for your menstrual products in the middle of your cycle. However, you will notice that ovulation bleeding is much weaker than menstrual bleeding. Ovulation bleeding can occur not only with mid-cycle pain, but also increased libido and heart rate, sensitive breasts/nipples and egg white-like discharge before ovulation. Our Taynie models with light absorbency are particularly suitable for light ovulation bleeding. But also for dischargewhich also occurs during the ovulation phase, Taynie panties are also helpful. Our Taynie Brazilian for example, clings to the skin without pulling or cutting into it.

Luteal phase:

The luteal phase is often indicated by the body temperature. This is because shortly after ovulation has taken place, the body temperature rises by around 0.2 degrees. The hormones in the body also change during this time: while oestrogen decreases, progesterone increases. If pregnancy occurs, progesterone remains high, but if this is not the case, it decreases and menstruation begins. The luteal phase can sometimes be a stress test for menstruating women, as aching breasts and exhaustion are often on the agenda. The key word here is clearly PMS. A lower energy level can be particularly noticeable during sport, so you can take a more relaxed approach to your training during this time. In general, it can be useful to adapt your training plan to the individual phases of your menstrual cycle. This way, you can exercise throughout your cycle without getting a hangover or having to drag yourself through a strenuous training program with severe abdominal pain. Here you can find tips for training throughout your cycle.

Have you ever heard that your libido can change depending on your hormones? Oestrogen is considered to be the absolute pleasure booster and progesterone the pleasure inhibitor. Libido can increase in the first half of the cycle in particular, as this is when the hormone oestrogen is increasingly at work. The build-up of the uterine lining during this phase ensures that the implantation of a fertilized egg is possible. When the next cycle phase begins, the desire for sex usually decreases again. This is because the pregnancy hormone progesterone is in the foreground here. However, if there is no fertilized egg, the production of progesterone also decreases again. So if progesterone is no longer a pioneer, then the libido-reducing effect is of course also a thing of the past. This means that oestrogen is the main driver of libido. This means that women may suddenly have more desire for sex during menstruation. The motto here is clearly period sex! Want to find out more about period sex? Then take a look here.

You've probably heard that menstruating women are only fertile on a few days of their cycle. If you want to get pregnant, it can be useful to keep a cycle calendar so that you know approximately when you ovulate. You are fertile around 14 days after your period, but of course this can be different for every menstruating person. The highest fertility occurs in a period of 72 hours before ovulation and 12 hours after. Did you know that sperm can even survive in the body for 6 days? Contraception is therefore particularly important at this point if you want to avoid pregnancy. By the way, you can find information about hormone-free contraception here.

Have you ever heard of people getting pregnant during their period? Although it is very unlikely that a pregnancy will occur during your period, it is possible, for example, that you have your period for 7 days and have sex towards the end of your period. As the sperm can survive in the body for several days, this can result in the fertilization of an egg. However, menstruating women sometimes confuse their bleeding with their period, as bleeding can actually also occur during pregnancy. In general, you can have various periods during your menstrual cycle. It may therefore be useful for you to read more about intermenstrual bleeding here.

A menstruating person can expect to bleed a full 500 times in their lifetime. We are totally amazed by this number, are you? The age at which the period slowly decreases and finally stops also varies, but the age range 45 to 55 can be used as a guideline.