This is the second part of a four-part series on how to cycle sync to improve menstrual issues (if you haven’t read part one, go check it out!). This section focuses on how to cycle sync during your ovulatory phase, which can leave you feeling fabulous or funky depending on what’s going on with your hormones.
Have you ever wondered why you might feel extra good around a certain time of your cycle? Maybe you notice you’re a bit more fun, flirty, and energized? Well, that’s no accident. Your ovulatory phase is a time of increased energy, boosted sex drive, heightened communication, and an overall sense of well-being (woo-hoo!). 1
Doesn’t sound like you? Many folks begin to experience cycle symptoms around this time that snowball into their luteal and menstrual phases. These symptoms are often a telltale sign you’re experiencing hormonal imbalance, but don’t worry, cycle syncing is a great way to start addressing these issues naturally (and eat some tasty food while you’re at it!).1
Read on to find out more about your ovulatory phase and how to put those cycle symptoms to rest!
What Your Body is Doing During Ovulation
Ovulation happens directly after your follicular phase and before your luteal phase. Though this part of your cycle is relatively short (3 to 4 days), it packs a punch. Your estrogen levels rise dramatically, which causes a sudden release of luteinizing hormone (LH). This LH peak stimulates a mature follicle to release an egg into one of your fallopian tubes (ovulation!). 2 The egg makes its way through your fallopian tube to your uterus, where your uterine lining has thickened due to increased estrogen levels. Alongside the rise in LH, testosterone levels surge to increase your sex drive, then rapidly drop right around ovulation.2
Physically and emotionally, ovulation is a pretty fun part of your cycle (if your hormones are balanced). The benefits of the follicular phase continue and amplify as your estrogen rises, resulting in maximum energy levels, a stable mood, heightened communication skills, and an overall magnetism that others pick up on.1 During this phase, you’ll likely feel extra social and communicative, and put more effort into looking your best in an unconscious attempt to attract a partner (red lipstick, anyone?).1 Think: it’s summertime, everything’s in bloom, you’re in the mood, and you’re feelin’ yo’self!
Ovulatory Phase Cycle Symptoms
Although ovulation can have a lot of fabulous side effects, it can also be a phase in your cycle where unwanted symptoms crop up, such as bloating, cramping, spotting, anxiety/unstable moods, cravings, headache, and breast tenderness. Chances are that if you’re experiencing cycle symptoms during your ovulatory phase, you’re also experiencing symptoms during your luteal and menstrual phases, such as PMS and painful periods.1
These issues are due to the excess estrogen swimming around your bloodstream.2 Although elevated levels of estrogen can have positive impacts, too much of a good thing can push your hormones out of whack. If your body isn’t metabolizing estrogen efficiently or your levels are too high (or both), this can cause an imbalance resulting in estrogen dominance and unpleasant cycle symptoms.2 The goal, then, is to tackle excess estrogen levels by helping your body generate, process, and eliminate estrogen; cycle syncing will show you how.
Core Nutrients & Power Foods for the Ovulatory Phase
Not surprisingly, ovulatory foods help your body metabolize and eliminate estrogen to balance out the spike in this hormone and ward off estrogen-driven symptoms.1 Foods such as veggies (red bell pepper, tomato, leafy greens) and fruits (raspberries, strawberries) contain high levels of the antioxidant glutathione, which helps your liver process excess estrogen more efficiently. 2 These foods also contain a healthy amount of fiber, which supports regular BMs and helps eliminate estrogen (this hormone exits the body through stool and urine).2
Your metabolism is still slower in this part of your cycle, so you won’t need as many calories and will prefer lighter meals and grains such as quinoa.1 Ovulatory foods also provide antioxidative support to the ovaries and promote blood flow in this area of the body to create the healthiest egg possible.2 The foods in the phase are all about summer love: sun-ripened tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries right off the vine, and fresh, leafy greens; feel the sunshine in each bite and get back to feeling like your summery best self!
A quick note about eating organic…
We all know that refined sugar and processed foods aren’t good for us (they lack nutrients, cause our blood sugar to skyrocket and crash, and cause systemic inflammation in the body – for starters).1 But what about conventional vs. organic foods? Does organic really make a difference or is it a marking ploy?
It all comes down to pesticides. Non-organic foods contain pesticides that wreak havoc on your hormones.2 These chemicals congest your liver, which plays a huge role in metabolizing your hormones, and often act like estrogen in your body (aka xenoestrogens).2 These effects impair your body’s ability to establish hormonal balance, and can cause or exacerbate menstrual symptoms as a result.
Although an all-organic diet is ideal for happy hormones, organic foods aren’t always super accessible (don’t even get me started on this…). That said, some foods are worse than others when it comes to pesticides. Generally speaking, these chemical-laden foods consist of fruits, root vegetables, leafy green vegetables, and animal protein (meat, eggs, and dairy). 1 Check out the Environmental Working Group (EWG) for the most up-to-date lists on which produce contains the most pesticides and which runs on the cleaner side (aka the “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean Fifteen” lists). Conventional animal products also include antibiotics and growth hormones, in addition to pesticides from non-organic animal feed, so it’s best to stick to organic, pasture-raised, and wild-caught here.
Hormone Disruptors – Gluten, Dairy, Caffeine, & Sugar
Ok, get ready, I’m about the rip the band-aid off: most people with periods suffering from cycle symptoms will greatly benefit from removing gluten, dairy, caffeine, and sugar from their diets.1,2
Here’s why:
Gluten & Dairy
Gluten (a protein in many grains, including wheat) and casein (the main protein in dairy) cause an inflammatory response in the small intestine regardless of whether you’re allergic to them.1 The body can handle occasional consumption of these proteins because it neutralizes the inflammatory response with antioxidants from food. However, we typically consume an excess of dairy and gluten in our diets, and our small intestine is constantly inflamed as a result.1 This impairs our ability to absorb the nutrients from the foods we eat (which we need to make and balance our hormones) and also disrupts our microbiome, which is a key player in hormonal balance.1
Dairy is also jam-packed with estrogen. Roughly 60-80% of the estrogen consumed in the US is from dairy (that’s bonkers!).1 Excess estrogen is behind most cycle symptoms, so the last thing you need is to add more estrogen to the mix by eating dairy.
Finally, both dairy and gluten can slow down transit time in the large intestine, meaning you’re not eliminating your stool quickly enough.1 This issue also contributes to estrogen dominance because one way the body expels estrogen is through stool. When you don’t have regular BMs, estrogen is absorbed back into your body from your large intestine, creating further excess of this hormone.1
Caffeine and Sugar
Both caffeine and sugar can trigger your stress response, which negatively impacts hormonal balance and can delay or even prevent ovulation.2 Caffeine increases cortisol levels (ever get the coffee jitters?), and your body perceives blood sugar spikes and crashes as a stressor, which also increases cortisol (our stress hormone).2 The two combined (hello, coffee and a donut) can create hormonal chaos, especially when consumed regularly and your system is already out of whack. Frequent spikes in cortisol can impair blood sugar regulation, disrupt ovulation, decrease progesterone, change the length and timing of your period, and can cause you to miss a period.1 The insulin released by the body to compensate for high blood sugar levels can also prevent your hormones from triggering ovulation. Without ovulation, you can’t produce progesterone, which results in estrogen dominance and hormonal imbalance.2
Unfortunately, sugar can further contribute to estrogen dominance by being stored as fat. When we consume excess sugar, whatever the body doesn’t use as fuel is converted to fat, which is a hormonally active tissue that secretes estrogen. The more sugar you eat, the more fat cells you create, the more estrogen is pumped into your body, adding to the already high levels you’re likely experiencing from hormonal imbalance.2
In addition (yes, there’s more!), caffeine can: 2
- promote the development of cysts in your breasts and ovaries
- deplete your body of essential nutrients necessary for hormonal balance
- negatively impact your microbiome (especially coffee)
- decrease fertility
- increase the risk of miscarriage
So, I’m afraid these foods just aren’t worth it when it comes to regaining your hormonal health. However, cycle-syncing your diet offers a healthy and delicious alternative to getting your hormones back on track!
Key Takeaways
- Ovulation comes after your follicular phase and before your luteal phase; it’s your “inner summer”
- Estrogen, LH, and testosterone spike, resulting in abundant energy, an increased sex drive, elevated mood, and the release of an egg into one of your fallopian tubes
- Cycle symptoms during this phase are typically due to estrogen dominance
- Symptoms can include bloating, cramping, spotting, anxiety/unstable moods, cravings, headache, and breast tenderness
- Ovulatory foods help process excess estrogen and promote optimal egg health
- Call it quits with gluten, dairy, caffeine, and sugar to regain hormonal balance
Resources & Recipes for the Ovulatory Phase
For a complete list of foods that support your ovulatory phase, check out Alisa Vitti’s books WomanCode or In the Flo.
I also recommend getting a period tracking app (there are many out there) so you know which cycle phase you’re in. If you want to take things further, check out the Inito device, which tracks your reproductive hormones in real-time (it’s awesome!). If your hormones are super out of whack, firstly, I feel you – hang in there – and secondly, consider working with a holistic nutrition therapist and/or functional medicine practitioner for more in-depth support.
Ovulation-friendly Recipes
Related Articles
Up Next
Interested in learning more? Up next, we’ll discuss your luteal phase or “inner autumn.” This is the part of your cycle before menstruation and is often associated with the dreaded PMS. Don’t panic – cycle syncing will teach you how to beat these symptoms for good!
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Are you inspired by nutrition and want to help people feel their best throughout their cycle? Then becoming a Nutrition Therapist Master is the perfect way to do just that! Our Nutrition Therapist Master Certification is science-based and the most comprehensive nutrition training program available today. Get in touch with our admissions team to learn more today!
About the author: Jennifer Gartner is a certified Nutrition Therapist Master and specializes in nutritional endocrinology. She is a graduate of NTI’s Nutrition Therapist Master Program and has dedicated her career to helping people create happy hormones.
Medical Disclaimer
This blog provides information for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment by a qualified medical professional. The information provided should not be used to diagnose or treat a medical condition. Consult your doctor or other qualified medical professional regarding a medical condition or treatment.
References
- Vitti A. WomanCode. New York, NY: HarperCollins; 2013.
- Vitti A. In the Flo. New York, NY: HarperCollins; 2020.
Images: Woman Surrounded By Sunflowers by Andre Furtado on Pexels; Tray Of Strawberries by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels; Delicious donut and takeaway coffee placed on wooden surface by Tim Gouw on Pexels
