Menstrual Cycle Survey Results
The ladies telling it like it is
First of all, thank you so much for participating. This was a really interesting exercise and I am so grateful to all of you for taking the time to think about this thing that happens to us and for all the conversations that you started. Let's keep the discussions going!
We had some surprising and some not so surprising results. They really illustrated how different everyone's experience is, even though there was plenty of cross-over.
While this was a statistically significant quantity of responses, the group is not necessarily representative of the whole population. If you fall in smaller categories of the below, it does mean that your experience isn't "normal". There are so many factors at play.
As usual, if you do experience any type of extreme symptoms or there is a marked change in your symptoms, please go and see your healthcare professional right away.
The Results
Cycle Length
Period Duration
What are your Symptoms?
The top four symptoms you experienced appeared with almost the same frequency. Almost all of you showed at least 1 or more of the top 4 in your responses.
1. Mood Swings, irritability, short temper, anger, anxiousness and feeling emotional
2. Fatigue, low energy, general tiredness
3. Cramps, ranging in severity from mild to foetal-position-extreme
4. Loose bowels, diarrhea, nausea, upset stomach and increased frequency of needing to go
After that we had tender breasts, breakouts, bloating, headaches and back pain.
In short: there were a lot of different symptoms.
It was very interesting to see digestive issues being on par with cramps. These symptoms included mostly loose bowels. And you thought you were the only one!
It was less surprising to see mood changes be a big factor but what was interesting was the detail with which you understood the change. Responses included irritability, short temper, anger. emotional and anxiety. It is certainly a good idea to try to avoid having to make big decisions during that part of the cycle although life, of course, has other ideas.
On a much brighter note, some of you were aware of times during your cycle where you feel really energised, particularly just before your period.
When do you experience your symptoms?
87% Just before your period
65% During the period
19% During Ovulation
Severity of Symptoms
Tips and facts from respondents
CBD oil was helpful for mood and cramps
The pill drastically changed the experience of the symptoms
PCOS and Menorrhagia were featured for several respondents
The Implant or IUD was a common factor and it took a long time for some of your cycles to return to normal
Symptoms increased and decreased in severity after childbirth for some of you
Stress is a factor in the duration of the cycle and severity of symptoms for some of you
Fitness levels and regularity of training decreased severity of symptoms on several respondents
Check out our other articles on periods and menstruation.
