What Should a Perfect Period look like?
When I was in school studying Chinese Medicine, I learned what a “perfect period” looked like. And, it was very different from what I was taught growing up (or really, it was the lack of being taught). We can’t look at health without looking at the health of the period. A healthy period is crucial to the health of every woman, whether she is looking to conceive or not. And if she is looking to conceive, and has been diagnosed with “unexplained infertility,” we always look to the period to find out the true cause (because there always is one and sometimes you just have to do some investigative work to find it).
So, here’s what a perfect period should look like:
None or minimal cramping
Good flow of red blood (not dark, not full of clots, not brown, not pale, not too bright—just normal blood red)
None or minimal pms symptoms (ideally none, but a few mild/subtle symptoms indicating your period is coming and hormones are shifting can be normal too)
Comes on time, about 14 days after ovulation (12-16 is seen as a normal luteal phase).
Ovulation will be signified by fertile cervical mucus resembling egg whites
Not too light and not too heavy
No spotting before or after the period. The period comes with a gradual flow, being heavier in the first few days and then tapering off. However, I do believe it can be normal to have a day or two of spotting on either side of the period and still have normal hormone function. It just shows a bit of stagnation in the Liver, which is so common these days due to more stress on the body and mind. Contrary to what you read on the internet, spotting is not always due to low progesterone (best to test before you guess and start self-prescribing herbs or topical progesterone)
Period lasts 3-5 days
Cycle lasts anywhere from 25-35 days
No headaches or migraines around cycle
Some mild fatigue, but nothing major
It should feel natural to rest more on your period. You may not have a lot of motivation or energy to do a lot of things. This is okay. Your energy is meant to be more introspective. Rest up.
As you can see, there is some nuance in regards to what is normal. I think when I first learned about the perfect period, the perfectionist part of my brain decided that I HAD to achieve the perfect period with absolutely zero symptoms, just free-falling in la-la-land and feeling happy and wonderful every period. But, alas, we don’t live in a perfect world. We all have stress, we all have imperfections, and we all have various things that will affect our periods every month. So, the goal is not to achieve perfection. It’s just to get close to it. Any symptoms experienced with the period should be mild and not extreme. Anything more than mild is your body screaming that something is wrong.
So, let’s talk about some symptoms that are not normal and should be explored with a health practitioner (An obgyn to get some diagnostic testing and then a functional medicine practitioner/Acupuncturist/naturopath or holistic practitioner to get to the root of the issues).
So, now, onto the list of abnormal symptoms:
Very heavy periods—soaking through a pad or tampon every 1-2 hours is too heavy.
Blood that is thick and full of clots
Blood that is dark red/purple
Severe cramps, can be sharp or dull
Extreme fatigue
Dizziness
Irregular cycles
Cycles that are very short or very long
Lack of a period
Headaches and migraines around cycle
Very noticeable breast tenderness and swelling before or during the period
Bad PMS symptoms—if you dread the time leading up to your period, this is not normal
Extreme mood swings and highs and lows
Weepiness and depression
Anxiety and insomnia
The good news is that many of these symptoms can be healed through diet and lifestyle changes, if done correctly. There are so many trendy diets out there that actually can mess up your hormones even more. Many women think they’re eating a healthy diet, when in reality they are not eating the right diet for a cycling female. Women have different dietary needs than men do.
Check out my nutrition courses to see how to eat to balance your body and heal your hormones. Or you can also book a virtual consultation with me to get an individualized herbal prescription (my favorite remedy for hormonal imbalances) and any supplement recommendations.