The 5th Vital Sign: Why You Should Pay Attention to Your Period
Let’s start with a question: Why do we menstruate?
Go ahead—take a moment to think about it.
If you’re like most people, your mind might jump to something like “It has to do with pregnancy?” or maybe just a long, uncertain “Uhhhh…”
I love asking this question at the start of my workshops because no matter who’s in the room, the answers always fall somewhere between confusion and an educated guess. And honestly? That’s not surprising.
We’re often taught that menstruation is just what happens when you don’t get pregnant—your body discards the uterine lining, and then the cycle resets. End of story.
Except… that’s not the whole story.
The Truth About Your Cycle
That overly simplistic explanation leads to two major misconceptions:
It makes it seem like bleeding is the most important part of the menstrual cycle.
It implies that if you’re not trying to get pregnant, your cycle doesn’t really matter.
And both of those ideas? Completely false.
It’s assumptions like these that make so many of us feel like our menstrual cycles are just something to tolerate rather than something to pay attention to—let alone celebrate. It’s why hormonal birth control is often handed out like a catch-all solution for any menstrual-related complaint.
But here’s the deal:
Your cycle is about so much more than just bleeding. And whether or not you ever want to have a baby, your menstrual cycle is actually your 5th vital sign.
What Does That Mean?
Your vital signs—things like blood pressure, body temperature, and heart rate—are used to assess your overall health. Well, your menstrual cycle is just as important.
In order for you to have a healthy menstrual cycle, multiple systems in your body need to be functioning well:
Your gut and digestive system
Your nervous system
Your endocrine system (hormones!)
And more…
Which means if something’s off in your cycle—if it’s irregular, absent, overly heavy, or painful—there’s a reason. Your body is telling you something. The question is: Are you listening?
Menstruation & Your Long-Term Health
There’s been some debate about whether modern women menstruate too much or too little compared to our evolutionary past. But one thing is clear:
Abnormal cycles are linked to higher risks of diabetes, autoimmune diseases, some cancers, and even a shorter life expectancy.
Ignoring cycle issues (or simply masking them with hormonal birth control) isn’t just about short-term inconvenience—it’s about your long-term health.
By tracking and understanding your cycle, you give yourself an opportunity to spot potential health concerns early and make choices that support your well-being.
So… What’s Normal?
That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?
What does a healthy menstrual cycle actually look like?
And how do you know if yours falls within a healthy range?
Here’s what you need to know to figure it out:
What’s normal for YOUR body
What’s a normal range across all female bodies
How your cycle patterns shift over time
Tracking your cycle allows you to recognize patterns, notice shifts, and see if something is out of the ordinary for you—not just some textbook definition of “normal.”
But What If You’re On Birth Control?
If you’re currently on hormonal birth control, you won’t be able to track these signs because hormonal contraceptives suppress your natural hormone shifts and ovulation.
That doesn’t mean this information isn’t useful for you—it just means that if you ever decide to stop using hormonal birth control, these insights will be essential in helping you understand your body’s rhythms again.
But learning about these signs and signals may trigger a lightbulb moment that maybe hormonal birth control isn't the solution you thought it was - or that you have a desire to reconnect to this part of your body in order to understand what your body is telling you.
More and more women are choosing to avoid hormonal contraception altogether and instead learning to manage their fertility naturally. If that idea intrigues you, I have good news: You're not alone. That’s exactly what we dive into in the Fertility & Menstrual Health Retreat.
I’m Not Anti-Birth Control AT ALL...but...
I’m not here to tell you hormonal birth control is evil. I truly don't believe that. I'm not anti-modern medicine or anti-science. In fact, the science of it is kind of my whole jam.
I am here to challenge the idea that it should be the automatic solution for every cycle issue.
Because unfortunately, that’s exactly how it’s often used:
Heavy, painful periods? The pill!
Irregular cycles? The pill!
Trying and failing to conceive? The pill (wait… what?)
Feeling moody? You guessed it— the pill.
When we suppress ovulation long-term, there are consequences for our health. And when we silence the signals our cycles are giving us, we miss out on important health clues.
So what’s the alternative?
Learn to track your cycle.
Charting your menstrual cycle is one of the most empowering tools you can have—not just for understanding your fertility, but for tuning into your health as a whole.
If this has sparked your curiosity, I invite you to join me at the Fertility & Menstrual Health Retreat where we’ll go deep into:
How to track your cycle and what it reveals about your health
Signs of healthy ovulation and menstruation
How to manage your fertility naturally (if that’s something you want to explore)
What to do if your cycle isn’t working for you
This is body literacy at its finest. Because when you understand your body, you take back control—whether you want to get pregnant, avoid pregnancy, or simply feel your best.
