Period myths: we reveal all

Still too often repeated, this claim is of course completely false! The menstrual cycle is a cascade of events and hormonal secretions that are essential from every point of view.

On the fertility side, it is oestrogens that enable ovarian follicles to reach ovulation — an essential step when trying to conceive. Without ovulation (and therefore oestrogens), there is no progesterone secretion, the hormone that is crucial for the implantation of a fertilised egg.

However, it is worth remembering that the hormones secreted during the cycle are not only useful when trying to conceive — they also act on: 

However, the same does not apply to bleeding between pill packets. These are known as "withdrawal bleeds" as they are caused by the cessation of the synthetic hormones that suppress hormonal secretions. This type of bleeding has no proven medical purpose.

This misconception is surprisingly persistent, and with good reason — menstrual pain is unfortunately all too common. But common does not mean normal! It is therefore important to shift our perspective on this pain, which is signalling an imbalance. Periods are not supposed to hurt to the point of preventing you from carrying out everyday activities. That said, it is normal to notice some sensitivity in the lower abdomen — a sign of the work taking place. This sensation should remain moderate and be limited to the first days of your period. Chronic or severe pain should prompt you to see a doctor, who will be able to provide a proper diagnosis.

Menstrual pain is often linked to a state of deep inflammation as well as a potential imbalance between oestrogens and progesterone. In both cases, adopting an appropriate lifestyle can be a great help in easing your pain and experiencing your periods in a more balanced way.

Of course, the fluid that flows during your period owes its red colour to the blood it contains, but that is far from being its only component. It contains lymph, antibodies, nourishing cells, stem cells, and also many nutrients such as vitamins, trace elements and minerals. This flow is an excellent source of nutrients, which explains why certain traditional cultures use it as fertiliser for plants [1].

Periods are the result of a succession of stages during the menstrual cycle, such as ovulation. When you take the pill, your body receives synthetic hormones that prevent it from producing its own at the level of the ovaries. You could describe it as a kind of standby mode, as there is little or no ovarian activity, no ovulation, and therefore no periods as such.

The bleeding between pill packets is caused solely by the withdrawal of these synthetic hormones. This bleeding occurs every 28 days to mimic the regularity of your cycles. However, this duration is linked only to the number of pills in your packet and not to the sequence of events of a real menstrual cycle, which itself lasts approximately one month. For this to be called a period, the stages of the cycle described above would need to have taken place — which is not the case when taking hormonal contraception. This bleeding serves more to reassure the woman than to support her health.

To summarise, when you take the pill, you are not addressing any potential hormonal imbalances — you are stopping (or significantly reducing) your ovarian activity and triggering false periods. This can be a problem, as it does not resolve the reason for your irregular cycles and delays any potential treatment.

Moreover, from a hormonal perspective, being on the pill and being pregnant are not the same thing. The argument used to reassure women about the absence of a menstrual cycle whilst taking the pill is simply not true. The synthetic hormones in the pill bear no relation to the "real" hormones produced during pregnancy — and the side effects are not the same either.

Heavy or very heavy periods frequently cause iron-deficiency anaemia, that is, anaemia linked to a lack of iron. The significant blood loss causes a drop in red blood cell count, and women are often advised to eat red meat or liver to raise their iron levels. Good news if you can't stand the idea — you can find sources of iron elsewhere.

Haem iron, found in animal products, is generally far more easily absorbed than that found in plant sources. If your diet allows, you can perfectly well turn to fish, seafood or white meat.[2] Depending on the degree of deficiency, a doctor may recommend taking a iron supplement.

A women's dietary supplement, containing iron, may be useful in certain cases.

There are many reasons for a long cycle and PCOS is not the only one. Most of the time, they are linked to difficulties with ovulation, which makes the pre-ovulatory phase long, sometimes very long. A growing number of doctors now base their PCOS diagnosis on the criteria set out by the Androgen Excess and PCOS Society, which states that to be diagnosed with PCOS, a woman must meet the following criteria:

- an ovarian dysfunction with long cycles for example and/or polycystic ovaries (the two often go hand in hand)

- an excess of male hormones identified either by a blood test or physically through hirsutism for example, as well as the presence 

of long cycles or polycystic ovaries.

- that other causes of androgen excess are ruled out: conditions affecting the pineal gland or adrenal glands, medications, elevated prolactin... [3]

Having long cycles alone can result from recently stopping the pill, stress, lack of sleep, jet lag, undereating and many other factors. Note that in each case, the ovaries may have a multi-follicular appearance due to multiple ovulation attempts.

We all have it in mind that a cycle should last 28 days. In reality, this is an average, and a "normal" cycle is considered to last between 21 and 35 days. When cycles are shorter, they are referred to as short cycles linked to a brief post-ovulatory phase, and when they are longer, they are referred to as long cycles linked to multiple ovulation attempts that extend the pre-ovulatory phase [4].

Every woman is different, and the same applies to her cycles. While it is true that we generally ovulate around a fortnight before our period, this does not always mean ovulation occurs on day 14. Depending on the length of the cycle, the day of ovulation can vary. In the case of a particularly long cycle, the pre-ovulatory phase, also known as the follicular phase, can last several weeks or even several months.

To find out more, take a look at our article on how to calculate your ovulation. 

While it is true that a new possibility of pregnancy occurs roughly every month, this does not apply throughout the entire cycle. A woman's fertile window actually lasts less than a quarter of the cycle, approximately 5 to 6 days. During this time, an egg is produced, cervical mucus changes in character, and the cervix opens. The symptothermal method takes these three indicators into account to identify the fertile period, in order to avoid pregnancy or, on the contrary, maximise the chances of conceiving [5]. Even the best female fertility supplement does not act on this point. 

Ovulation is THE key moment of the cycle. Depending on the woman, it can be more or less difficult to trigger, as it is sensitive to many factors. Diet, stress, lack of sleep, and excessive exercise are all factors that can put the body under stress and interfere with hormonal secretions.

Depending on the context, some cycles are anovulatory — meaning there is no ovulation, and therefore no luteal phase and no progesterone.
 

However, bleeding can occur that is not considered a period, since a period is the result of a succession of steps during the menstrual cycle — including ovulation and the secretion of progesterone.
 

In an anovulatory cycle, only oestrogens are present, and bleeding can be very heavy or last more than a week, when a period is normally expected to last between 2 and 5 days.