How do you track your menstrual cycle?

Female cycle, menstrual cycle, hormonal cycle—different terms to describe the cycle that governs the lives and bodies of women of childbearing age. From puberty to menopause, all women experience this cyclical, repetitive phenomenon: the female hormonal cycle. Wondering how the menstrual cycle works? Check out our series of in-depth articles on the menstrual cycle:

• The menstrual cycle. Menstruation
• The menstrual cycle. The follicular phase
• The menstrual cycle: Ovulation
• The menstrual cycle. The luteal phase

Our complete, no-taboo guide to the menstrual cycle can also be a huge help in understanding your body better. Keeping a period calendar and tracking your cycle can be a great way to get organized, plan ahead, maximize your chances of getting pregnant and also know if your period is late. It’s also important to observe your cycles to see whether they’re more or less regular, and whether they’re shifting. In short, tracking your cycle is important and actually quite simple. No complicated math, we promise – we explain everything!

First of all, remember that a woman’s cycle is made up of four different phases:

• Periods or menstruation, always managed calmly with a pretty, clean, affordable and reliable Louloucup menstrual panty or an ultra-soft Loulou menstrual cup;
• the follicular phase, or pre‑ovulatory phase, during which the follicles mature;
• during ovulation, a mature follicle ruptures and releases an oocyte ready to be fertilised by a sperm cell;
• the luteal phase, the last phase of the cycle, prepares the endometrium either for possible implantation or for the next period, depending on whether fertilization occurs or not.

The female cycle lasts on average 28 days. However, it is not a precise phenomenon. It is influenced by a whole range of external factors that can disrupt it: stress, eating disorders, high-level sports, but also certain illnesses or treatments. So from one cycle to another, the duration can slightly vary (28 days, 30 days, then 27 days, etc.). No panic if you notice a very slight shift forward or backward. It's perfectly normal.

Governed by **hormones** (oestrogen, progesterone), the menstrual cycle is a finely tuned system that can still experience the occasional hiccup. There’s no need to worry if the variation in days is small and there’s no pain or other unusual symptoms with your period. Your menstruation can also depend a lot on your type of birth control. 

Yes, why bother calculating your cycle? For several reasons.
Getting pregnant, knowing when you’re more or less fertile, knowing your fertile days and roughly the day of ovulation helps you increase your chances of getting pregnant more quickly. It also works the other way around: if you don’t want to get pregnant, it’s useful to know your fertile window in the cycle or in the month, so you can avoid any unprotected sex and therefore avoid the risk of an unwanted pregnancy. Calculating your cycle ultimately means having control over your cycle and your body, understanding it better, and clearly identifying the various changes that occur throughout the month.

Are you having strange, inexplicable cravings, or feeling more irritable, weaker, or more down than usual? You’re probably in the luteal phase and dealing with the well-known PMS, Premenstrual Syndrome.

Noticing fairly thick, stretchy, clear discharge that looks like raw egg white? You’re probably right in the middle of ovulation. That’s why it’s so useful to know your cycle and which phase you’re in! To sum up, it’s useful to know how to calculate your cycle if you want to have a baby or, on the contrary, if you want to avoid pregnancy. It’s also obvious that tracking your cycle helps you estimate the date of your next period. Very handy, for example, to plan ahead for washing your Loulou period panties.

No need to panic if you’re terrible at math, calculating your menstrual cycle is easy. First you need to know how long your cycle lasts. No idea? No problem, just start with 28 days, the average length of a menstrual cycle.

The first day of your cycle is the first day of your period. Simple so far. You then count 28 days, which should bring you to the start of your next period. Of course, every woman is different, and every cycle is different.
A hormonal cycle generally lasts between 25 and 35 days. Cycles are considered short if they last less than 20 days, and long if they last more than 35 days.

Make sure to note the first day of your period on a calendar, in your planner or in your bullet journal. Then add 28 days. That will give you the start of your next cycle.
At first, if you’re not sure of your average cycle length, it may not be very precise. After your first cycle, adjust with the exact number of days in that cycle. It will better match your own personal rhythm.

After several months and several cycles, if you don’t have irregular periods, you should normally be able to know exactly when your next period will be. Love bullet journals, highlighters and colorful pens? Create your own personal period tracker to log your period days. You can easily find templates and inspiration online, on Instagram or Pinterest.

To find out the dates of your next periods, there are plenty of handy, well-designed tools. Apps available on the Play Store or App Store and downloadable to your smartphone or tablet are very well thought out. Often free, they let you enter important information. The app then estimates the date of your next cycle and can notify you a few days beforehand. With some of them, you can log certain symptoms. Finally, they’re very useful for women trying to conceive, as some apps indicate your fertile window or fertile period (the days before and after ovulation) to increase your chances of getting pregnant. Be careful though: counting cycle days has never been a reliable contraceptive method, especially knowing that sperm can survive for up to 5 days and that many disruptions can delay ovulation.

Finally, we couldn’t end this article without reminding you about our menstrual products. Louloucup is a French brand of sustainable, reusable menstrual products. Our goal? To offer real alternatives to disposable tampons and pads—healthy, organic solutions so every woman can experience her period more comfortably. 

Today, Louloucup offers several types of products:

- menstrual panties or washable period underwear,
- menstrual cups made from medical-grade silicone,
- menstrual swimwear so you don’t have to miss your pool session.

We also offer more specific ranges so that every woman can find what suits her best: 

- a range of period panties for teens: a selection of our best styles in size XXS,
- a range of plus-size absorbent panties: a selection of beautiful period panties in XXL, XXXL and XXXXL,
- a range of seamless, invisible panties: a selection of completely invisible, seam-free underwear,
- a postpartum range perfect for new mums dealing with lochia and other heavy bleeding after childbirth,
- a menstrual tanga range for anyone with light periods or vaginal discharge.

Don’t forget, shipping is free with Louloucup. The more products you add to your cart, the more you save! From 5 products, you get one panty free! So go for it!