5 Surprising Period Facts You Need to Know for Better Fertility | Boost Your Chances of Conception

Hey, it's Dr. Obama, host of Egg Me Sperm. And this is the best podcast to get all of the vital information that you need to support your fertility journey holistically for you and your partner, because fertility takes two.

lesser-known period facts that you absolutely must know about. Hey, welcome back to our channel. If you're new here, I'm Dr. Oma'atma. I'm a board-certified naturopathic doctor and endocrinologist in practice for almost 20 years. And we offer world-class fertility education designed to help women just like you get and stay pregnant. So today, we are talking about something that I think doesn't get enough attention, but should. Your period. It is essential to fertility that you have a healthy period, but most women don't know what that means. So let's get into it. I know we've all been having periods for years, but trust me, there are some lesser-known facts that could seriously help you if you are trying to conceive. So grab a cup of tea, get comfy, and let's dive into the five lesser-known period facts that might just change your fertility journey.

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or you've been trying for a while, understanding how your cycle works is key. But what if I told you that there are some surprising period facts that not even doctors talk about, but they could make all the difference when you're trying to conceive?(...) All right, let's go. Number one is your period is not just about ovulation.

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Okay, fact number one, your period is more than just tracking ovulation, right? Most women think that their period, the time that they actually bleed, and if they're trying to conceive, then their ovulation is really the only two things that are important when it comes to your cycle. But most of us focus on this really narrow window of ovulation because, well, that's where conception happens. But here's the thing, your entire menstrual cycle, not just the ovulation, gives you important clues about what's happening with your fertility.

Every part of your cycle from period to the luteal phase gives us information about your hormone balance, uterine health, and even the quality of your eggs. So don't just focus on ovulation, pay attention to the whole cycle. Irregular periods, meaning the length of your cycle changes from month to month or changes on occasion, light spotting, or even painful cramps, whether they're with your cycle, with ovulation, or at some other random time in your cycle, are all signals that something might be off with your hormones, or conditions like endometriosis, which can really impact your ability to conceive.

Fact number two, the color of your period blood can tell us a lot about your health and your fertility. Did you know that? It's not just about having a period, it's the color that can be an indicator of what's going on inside your body.(...)

So what we really want to see is

bright red blood, which typically indicates a healthy flow, while dark brown blood could indicate older blood being shed, which can be common, but also might suggest hormonal imbalances.

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If you have dark brown or dark red, cloddy blood in the first day or so of your cycle, that can be totally normal. You're shedding old blood, you're shedding old uterine lining, but if that continues for your entire cycle, that could be an indicator that something is out of whack. On the other hand, pale or light pink blood could also be a sign of hormone imbalances, specifically low estrogen, which is critical for maintaining a healthy uterine lining for implantation. I know that most women know about the benefits of progesterone, but we also very much need estrogen to grow a healthy baby.

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So the estrogen in your luteal phase is actually responsible for that healthy uterine lining that is going to be shed in your period if you don't get pregnant, and it should be a bright red flow that will indicate a healthy uterine lining was actually produced in the previous cycle.

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If you notice any of these symptoms, it might be worth checking in with your healthcare provider, especially if you're trying to conceive.

Number three, heavy periods could signal a deeper issue. Let's move on to fact number three, heavy periods might be telling you something important.

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Yes, periods can vary from person to person, but consistently heavy bleeding can be a sign of something deeper like fibrofibroids, endometriosis, or even thyroid problems. These conditions can impact your fertility in different ways. Endometriosis, for example, can cause inflammation that makes it hard for an embryo to implant.

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If you're soaking through pads or tampons every one or two hours, or if your period lasts longer than seven days, it's a really big red flag, and you should definitely talk to your provider about this.

fact number four, spotting between your periods might not be normal.

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A lot of women experience light mid-cycle spotting, which can sometimes be harmless. It's important to know when it could be a sign of something more serious. Mid-cycle spotting can be caused by hormonal imbalances, polyps, or even early signs of pregnancy loss. If you notice spotting around ovulation, it sometimes may be due to a dip in estrogen, but if that's happening regularly or unpredictably, you'll want to explore this with your healthcare provider because that drop in estrogen potentially, or even the presence of polyps, could be a problem if you're trying to conceive.

Last but not least, number five, your luteal phase length is crucial.

The length of your luteal phase is crucial when you're trying to conceive. Ideally, your luteal phase should be between 12 to 14 days.

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A shorter luteal phase can make it harder or more challenging for an embryo to implant, even if fertilization has occurred. Meaning the fertilization is part one that happens in the fallopian tube where the sperm swim up, they find the egg, they fertilize that egg, and then that egg has to travel down the fallopian tube into the uterine lining for implantation to happen.

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If the embryo doesn't have enough time to travel before the uterine lining is already shedding, that can be very unfortunate because the fertilization happened, but unfortunately the embryo didn't have enough time or the right circumstances to help that implantation happen.

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This short luteal phase is sometimes called a luteal phase defect, and it can be treated with hormone therapy as a conventional approach. But in my approach, it's really important to understand that a luteal phase defect often has to do with a deficiency of progesterone, which is an indicator of poor egg quality to begin with.

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So if you have a short luteal phase, really you want to A) test your progesterone levels. Those are really easy to test. You want to test that 7 days post-ovulation, and that progesterone should be ideally higher than 15, which would indicate a good, healthy production of progesterone. But we don't want progesterone at 15 for just one day. We want that high level of progesterone for the majority of the luteal phase, and really we want that 12 to 14 day luteal phase.

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So if your cycle is short, if your luteal phase is short, really think about the quality of the egg, which is what is supporting progesterone production. And if you want more information about this, make sure to check out my video on egg quality, because there I talk about how that progesterone is actually linking to the quality of the egg and how you can support egg quality. So there you have it, five lesser known period facts that can have a big impact on your fertility journey. Remember, your period is one of the most important signals that your body gives you about reproductive health.

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