3 reasons why you’re struggling at ovulation
Image: via Unsplash
Ovulation, also known as Inner Summer, is the time of the cycle where we’re ‘supposed’ to feel vibrant, energetic, magnetic, alive and pleasure-filled. But this isn’t the case for everyone. For a lot of people (myself included), ovulation can feel pretty awful. You might feel overwhelmed, fatigued, anxious, unwilling to be seen and asexual.
The clients who come to me with issues around ovulation typically feel a sense of overwhelm, a lack of creative and/or sexual energy, as well as feeling ‘less than’ because their cycle isn’t how it ‘should be.’
It’s worth remembering before reading on, that everyone’s cycle is different. This might be a place where you can find the tools and practices to help turn it around (like I did), or it might be a place where you will always have a little struggle. The aim is not to have a perfect cycle - which, by the way, doesn’t exist. Instead, it’s to help you see and understand where there might be room for improvement, to move from where you currently are (struggling) to where you want to be (ease).
So here are three reasons why your Inner Summer might be the place you struggle most with in your cycle:
Oestrogen sensitivity
Since so many people like to look straight for a sciencey answer that can solve their problems with the snap of their fingers, let’s talk oestrogen. Oestrogen is the hormone that triggers the release of your egg for ovulation. It rises oncde you' stop your period and has to hit a high enough level in order for that trigger to happen. Just like progesterone (the hormone that kicks in after ovulation in the premenstrual phase) can stir up feelings we call PMS, oestrogen can do similar things.
Technically, oestrogen is called a happy hormone, but that doesn’t mean everyone will feel happy on it! For some women, the level of oestrogen needed to trigger ovulation can leave them feeling edgy, exhausted and emotional. Imagine one too many shots of espresso and experiencing that jittery, nervous energy. Or, if you’ve ever taken chemical drugs, having too much and being left feeling wretched.
There will be some people who love the feeling, and others who hate it. Just like some will love the adrenaline hit of jumping out of a plane, while others won’t.Not resting enough on your period
What does your period have to do with ovulation? They’re the poles of your cycle, a bit like the north and south poles of the earth. Both are anchor points that rely on each other and are vital signs of health. Without ovulation, you can’t have a period (because in extreme easy language, the casing of the egg released at ovulation turns into an organ which will then produce the progesterone needed to thicken the lining of your womb that will eventually break down and be released in your bleed). And, not only that, but the type and quality of oestrogen affects how much progesterone you make.
Basically, everything is connected. Your period is a reflection of your ovulation, and your ovulation a reflection of your period. And both take enormous physical, mental and emotional energy to happen. Powering through your period means an extra drain on those energy resources at a time when hormones are low, like trying to drive your car when it’s already running on empty.
Being able to rest on your period (and I don’t mean simply sleeping) gives your energy enough of a boost to see you through until ovulation, instead of scraping yourself through it by the time you get there. This is especially important if you’re someone who tends to feel ‘good’ or ‘normal’ on your period, because the need to rest might not be that present. Personally, this was the biggest game-changer for me and within literally one cycle, I was able to see the difference in how my Inner Summer felt.
Ignoring YOUR own cycle
Lastly, the biggest and tragic thing I see with clients who struggle with ovulation is this: they’re trying to squeeze themselves into the stereotypical framework of what Menstrual Cycle Awareness ‘should’ look like. MCA can be so mindblowing when you first learn it, because it makes so much sense! And the principles of cyclical living can resonate so easily because you are a cyclical being, whether you’ve been aware of it or not. And, of course, there needs to be a framework in place for you to be able to understand the whole thing - which usually says ovulation/Inner Summer should be your power place.
This isn’t always the case! Your power place might be your period, the days afterward or your premenstrual phase, and that is okay. What isn’t okay, is to try and force your life to something that doesn’t fit for you. If your body doesn’t respond well to weight-training at ovulation, even thought its technically when you ought to feel strongest, it’s okay! And if you rarely feel sexual arousal during ovulation but feel it more in the days before your period, that’s also okay!
The practice of MCA is adapting to your own cycle once you’ve figured out that that is. And when you can do that, you can actually then see an improvement in your ovulation/Inner Summer, because you’re taking off the extra load you’ve been forcing onto it and simply letting it be.
If you’re struggling with your Inner Summer and would like to see how coaching can help, schedule your free 30min call with me or check out my coaching space.