to a particularly bad argument with my boyfriend. But although I’ve long suspected that my hormones have been the prime suspect in plenty of mental and physical complaints, I’ve usually prescribed myself with nothing more than a night in feeling sorry for myself. Cycle syncing is the idea that we could be doing more – fundamentally improving our quality of life by taking note of how our hormones change throughout the month.
Vitti isn’t the only one who thinks that cycle tracking can be a game-changer. The idea of making lifestyle adjustments based on your period is rapidly gaining traction in wellness communities, with followers arguing that it can help alleviate everything from low energy levels to symptoms of peri-menopause. The US women’s soccer team even basearound when their bodies are most primed for physical activity, all according to their period.
A quick scroll through social media also reveals that cycle tracking has taken root online, with thousands of women sharing stories of syncing everything from theirto their sex life with their menstrual cycle. On TikTok the #cyclesyncing hashtag has 4.6 million views, with content creators enthusing about how their lives were transformed by eating sunflower seeds in the week before their period or focusing on creative tasks during the time that they’re bleeding.
Aligning your love life or workout habits to your period might sound extreme, or perhaps even a little like pseudo-science. But there is evidence to support the trend. “Hormone levels are low during the first fourteen days of your cycle,” says Dr Samantha Wild, interimand primary care physician at Bupa Health Clinics.