The phases of your menstrual cycle, and how you might feel in each

Ever had a week where everything feels harder, then realised your period was due? You’re not imagining it. Your hormones rise and fall through your cycle, and many people notice changes in their mood, energy, skin, appetite and sleep that follow the same pattern each month. Knowing roughly where you are in your cycle won’t change how you feel, but it can make it easier to understand, plan around and be kind to yourself about.

How long is a cycle?

Your cycle starts on the first day of your period (day 1) and ends the day before your next one. The NHS says the average is about 28 days, and anything from 21 to 35 days is normal. Periods usually last between 2 and 7 days.

Cycles can change from month to month. They often change after having a baby, while breastfeeding, after coming off hormonal contraception, or with stress or illness. So the stages below are a guide, not a timetable.

The stages at a glance

Your cycle is usually described in two halves, split by ovulation:

The first half (the follicular phase) starts with your period. Oestrogen rises as an egg gets ready, and the lining of your womb thickens.
Ovulation is when an egg is released, usually around 10 to 16 days before your next period.
The second half (the luteal phase) follows ovulation. Progesterone rises to get your womb ready for a possible pregnancy. If you don’t get pregnant, oestrogen and progesterone fall, and your period starts again.

In the Dearbump app we split this into five stages so it’s easier to follow: your period, the days after it, around ovulation, the second half, and the days before your period.

1. Your period

What’s happening: your hormone levels are at their lowest, and the lining of your womb comes away.

How you might feel: tired, crampy or achy in your tummy, back or thighs. Some people feel low or want to stay in; others feel relieved, especially if the days before were hard. Period pain usually lasts up to 3 days.

What can help:

A warm bath or shower, or a hot water bottle wrapped in a tea towel on your tummy.
Gently massaging your tummy and back.
Gentle movement like walking, swimming, yoga or cycling, if you feel up to it.
Painkillers. If you’re trying for a baby, might be pregnant or are breastfeeding, paracetamol is usually the better choice: check with a pharmacist before taking ibuprofen.
If your periods are heavy, foods with iron in them, like red meat, beans and lentils, dark green vegetables and fortified cereals. Heavy periods can lead to low iron (iron deficiency anaemia), which can make you tired and short of breath.

2. After your period (the follicular phase)

What’s happening: oestrogen rises as an egg gets ready, and the lining of your womb builds up again.

How you might feel: some people notice more energy or a brighter mood in this stretch. Plenty of people don’t notice any difference, and that’s normal too.

3. Around ovulation

What’s happening: an egg is released, usually about 10 to 16 days before your next period. In a regular 28-day cycle that’s around day 14, but it’s earlier or later with shorter or longer cycles.

How you might feel: you might notice your discharge becomes clearer, wetter and stretchy, a bit like raw egg white. Some people get a mild twinge on one side of their tummy. Many notice nothing at all. Read more in Signs you’re ovulating, and whether you can feel it.

If you’re trying for a baby: this is when you’re most likely to get pregnant. Sperm can live for up to 7 days inside the body, so the days before ovulation count too. Having sex every 2 or 3 days through your cycle means you don’t need to pin down the exact day. Read more in How long does ovulation last? Your fertile window explained.

If you might be pregnant and you have pain low down on one side of your tummy, bleeding or brown watery discharge, or pain in the tip of your shoulder, contact a GP or NHS 111.

4. The second half (the luteal phase)

What’s happening: progesterone rises after ovulation, getting your womb ready in case you’re pregnant.

How you might feel: it varies a lot. Some people feel much the same; others start to notice tiredness, bloating or tender breasts as their period gets closer.

5. The days before your period (when PMS can show up)

What’s happening: if you’re not pregnant, oestrogen and progesterone both fall.

How you might feel: this is when premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms can appear. The NHS says they come in the weeks before a period, and lists mood swings, feeling low, irritable, upset, anxious or emotional, tiredness or trouble sleeping, bloating or cramps, breast tenderness, headaches, spots, greasy hair, and changes in appetite or food cravings. You might have a few of these, all of them or none, and they can be different each month. They often ease once your period starts.

What can help:

Eating smaller meals more often, every 2 to 3 hours, and a healthy, balanced diet.
Regular exercise, any kind you enjoy.
Plenty of sleep.
Something calming, like yoga or meditation.
Painkillers. If you’re trying for a baby, might be pregnant or are breastfeeding, paracetamol is usually the better choice: check with a pharmacist before taking ibuprofen.
Not smoking, and not drinking too much alcohol.

If you often feel bad and can’t work out why, it’s worth checking where you are in your cycle. Realising “it’s my PMS week” doesn’t make the feelings go away, but it can help to know there’s a reason, and that they’ll pass. Read more in PMS: the symptoms, why it happens and what helps.

Eating and moving through your cycle

A healthy, balanced diet, regular movement and enough sleep matter all month. On top of that, lots of people like to match what they eat and how they move to each stage of their cycle. Here are some ideas to try, and you can take or leave any of them. There’s no need to fast, count anything or cut foods out, and if you might be pregnant or you’re breastfeeding, keep eating regular meals.

During your period

Iron-rich foods, like red meat, lentils, beans and dark leafy greens, especially if your periods are heavy.
Warm, comforting meals like soups, stews and porridge.
Gentle movement like walking, stretching or yoga, and rest when you need to.

After your period

Fresh, lighter meals with lots of leafy greens and colourful veg.
Fermented foods like yoghurt, kefir or sauerkraut, and plenty of fibre from whole grains, beans and veg.
If your energy is up, this can be a good time for harder workouts, like running, HIIT or strength training.

Around ovulation

Leafy and cruciferous veg like broccoli, kale and cabbage, plus seeds, nuts and berries.
Going easy on alcohol, especially if you’re trying for a baby.
Many people feel at their strongest now, so it’s a good time for a workout you enjoy.

The second half

More slow-release carbs, like sweet potato, squash, root veg, oats and fruit.
Regular meals, so hunger doesn’t build up.
Steadier exercise like walking, swimming, pilates or lighter weights.

The days before your period

Comforting slow-release carbs, like sweet potato, oats and wholegrain bread.
Magnesium-rich foods, like dark chocolate, nuts, seeds and leafy greens.
Smaller meals more often, and trying not to skip meals.
Gentle movement like yoga, walking or stretching.

Most of all, go with how you feel. If you’d rather rest on a day you planned a hard workout, that’s a perfectly good reason.

Tracking how you feel

Logging how you feel for two or three months is the easiest way to see your own pattern. The Dearbump period tracker shows anything you log that tends to come on the same days of your cycle. If you see a GP about PMS, the NHS suggests taking a symptom diary covering at least 2 cycles.

After having a baby

Your periods can take a while to come back after a baby, especially if you’re breastfeeding, and your stages may not settle straight away. You can get pregnant from 3 weeks after the birth, even if you’re breastfeeding and your periods haven’t come back. Read more in Sex, contraception and your periods after birth.

When to see a GP

See a GP if:

your symptoms make everyday life hard, or self-help hasn’t worked
your periods become more painful, heavier or irregular
period pain stops you doing your usual things
you have pain during sex, or when you pee or poo, or your peeing or pooing habits change
you bleed between periods or after sex
you have a swollen tummy, lose your appetite, or lose weight without trying
your periods are heavy: changing a pad or tampon every 1 to 2 hours, periods lasting more than 7 days, clots bigger than a 10p coin, or bleeding through to your clothes or bedding

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or contact NHS 111 if period or pelvic pain is severe or worse than usual and painkillers haven’t helped.

Questions people ask

Why do I feel so emotional before my period?

Feeling low, teary or irritable in the days before a period is one of the most common parts of PMS. The NHS says it may be linked to the changes in your hormone levels through your cycle. It’s very common, and it often eases once your period starts.

Can I work out my stages if my cycle is irregular?

Roughly. Ovulation usually happens 10 to 16 days before your next period, so counting back from when your period is due gives a rough guide. If your cycle varies a lot, the stages in the app are a rougher guess.

Do I still have these stages on the pill?

Some hormonal contraception, like the combined pill, stops ovulation, so you don’t go through the natural stages in the same way. The bleed you have in a pill-free week isn’t a true period.

Is it PMS or am I pregnant?

Early pregnancy and PMS share a lot of symptoms. Read Pregnancy or PMS? How to tell the difference.