Episode Details

 Your menstrual cycle requires the coordination of a number of different systems in the body. We've all heard of the hypothalamic pituitary ovarian axis, AKA the HPO axis. But the system is embedded in and reactive to many other systems in the body, including the uterus, and particularly the uterine lining, the immune system, metabolic and energy sensing networks, stress axis, the thyroid adrenal axes, circadian timing systems, autonomic nervous system, liver, bone, vascular system, and the gut. 

Ovarian estrogen and progesterone act as whole body signals. Using menstrual cycle characteristics like cycle length, like variability of cycle length, like the heaviness or lightness of bleeding as signals of vitality or distress, may be an opportunity to better understand both our own fertility and our own overall health. 

We'll get into some of the details about what is being done now and what the future looks like for using the menstrual cycle as a vital sign.