Ovulation is how we make hormones, particularly the really beneficial post-ovulation surge in progesterone which helps our mood, our sleep, our bones, our heart and more. Ovulation is also associated with living longer, according to a recent BMJ study; and knowing when you ovulate is key to tracking your cycle.
1. Ovulation is how we make hormones
First things first, ovulation is how we as women make our hormones – oestradiol* and progesterone and a small amount of testosterone, all of which have so many benefits. But it is progesterone that relies most upon ovulation for its synthesis. After we ovulate, progesterone is secreted by the corpus luteum, the empty follicle that remains after your egg exits the follicle and makes its way down the fallopian tube. Yes, you may have heard this is produced to prepare your body for pregnancy until the placenta eventually takes over, but progesterone is so much more than just your pregnancy hormone. It is a stress-protective, mood-stabilising super hormone that helps us sleep better(1) and can even be converted into other hormones as needed.
Research finds that progesterone reduces inflammation (2), protects against heart disease (3), is important for building muscle (4), and helps buffer the negative effects of our stress response. (5). A 2020 study even found that progesterone noticeably changes the shape of our brains throughout our cycle! (6)
It is so crucial to understand that we only ovulate when we are cycling naturally. In the class, Lara Briden stated emphatically that, "progesterone is the hormone that is stolen from us by the Pill." For the most part, hormonal birth control shuts off our ovulation, which means we do not receive all of these protective benefits of progesterone if we are suppressing our hormones with hormonal birth control.
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*Side note: On the other hand, progesterone only refers to naturally-occurring progesterone. Many progestins, which are progesterone-mimicking medications, are often called progesterone, yet they do not have the same benefits or act the same way in our bodies as natural progesterone does, so it is important to differentiate here too. |
2. Ovulating is associated with living longer!
The long-term nurse's health study published in the British Medical Journal in 2020 noted that a history of regular natural ovulatory menstrual cycles is associated with living longer. There are a lot of different factors at play in these long-term observational studies, so of course this could just be a correlation; but it is an interesting one nonetheless. And as this field of biohacking and longevity medicine increases, I'd love to see some research focused on women and how we can live longer, healthier lives, thanks to our menstrual superpowers! (7)
Ovulation, and pregnancy and breastfeeding are really beneficial for us as women, largely due to the natural hormones that they create and that our bodies so vitally need. Lara described every time we ovulate as being like a deposit in a bank account for our long-term health.
We often hear that we cycle a lot more than our ancestors because they generally had so many more pregnancies; but remember, in pregnancy and while breastfeeding we produce huge amounts of hormones in varying amounts at varying stages, including lots of progesterone. But these natural long periods of time without ovulating or bleeding while pregnant or breastfeeding aren't comparable to the long periods of time we go without ovulatory periods when we take hormonal birth control and suppress our progesterone production for years on end.
3. Ovulation can help you track an irregular cycle
As someone who had irregular periods for a large part of my life, it was an absolute revelation to me that the irregular part of our cycle is the first half of our cycle, the follicular phase. And that once we ovulate, the luteal phase almost always lasts between 10-14 days. When I discovered this, I realised that finally I could start to plan my life around my cycle, and to know when I am due to bleed!
All you need to do is learn how to track your basal body temperature. The basal body temperature is your body's internal temperature, your lowest resting temperature when you're sleeping; and this rises after you ovulate. All you need is a thermometer, ideally with 2 decimal points for accuracy. Then you measure your temperature first thing in the morning when you wake up, before you check your phone, or have a glass of water, or go to the bathroom. Your temperature will rise about 0.3 to 0.6 degrees just after you ovulate and it'll stay elevated until your next period. If your temperature doesn't go up then it's a sign you likely aren't ovulating or getting the progesterone surge, which is of course absolutely brilliant feedback as well.
You can learn more about how to track your menstrual cycle in my blog: 3 Simple Ways to Track Your Menstrual Cycle.
I hope I have convinced you of the importance of ovulation today! If you have any questions, as always, please let me know! I would also highly recommend you check out the work of Lara Briden ND, my inspiration for today's blog. If you are dealing with any period-related issues, her book Period Repair Manual – Natural Treatments for Better Hormones and Better Periods – is an absolute must-read.
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