Downloading … all the info you need to know about your luteal phase.

A luteal phase, is the period of time in the menstrual cycle between ovulation and your period, also known as the second half of your menstrual cycle.

In Chinese Medicine the luteal phase is dominated by ‘yang’ otherwise known as progesterone. When you ovulate, a surge in LH (which is released from your pituitary gland) stimulates the ovaries to produce the corpus luteum - the progesterone will rise until it falls to lower levels of pregnancy does not occur (which then results in a period bleed)

A standard luteal phase will go for 12 - 16 days.

When your luteal phase is 12 days or less - you can have what is called in medical terms a ‘luteal defect’. In this time it can unfortunately mean that it is harder to conceive and ‘hold a pregnancy’. Essentially, you could have ovulated- but not made enough progesterone OR you could not have ovulated at all. Something else during that time could have lowered all your hormone levels dramatically which resulted in an earlier period.

Some underlying causes that can shorten your luteal phase include:

• Dysfunction in your receptors (endometriosis / CNS sensitivity seen in PMDD / kidney + heart disharmony in TCM)

• Excess prolactin

• PCOS (damp, phlegm conditions)

• Extreme exercise (blood deficiencies)

• High or low body weight (damp or qi deficiencies)

• Thyroid disorders (spleen deficiencies)

• High stress levels (liver qi stagnation / heart qi deficiency)

• Peri-menopause (kidney yin / yang / essence deficiency)

Some symptoms you can experience during a ‘luteal phase’ are pretty generic, and may not always mean you have a ‘luteal defect’, however they do include:

• Headaches

• Mood swings

• Spotting between periods

• Bloating

• Breast swelling, pain or tenderness

• Weight gain

On a basal temp chart, you will see a sudden drop in temperature, as bleeding begins ‘earlier’ than the 12 day timeline