How to calculate my luteal phase
The luteal phase is one of those that make up the menstrual cycle and it is important to know it in order to seek pregnancy.
The menstrual cycle in women involves a series of hormonal and physiological changes that prepare the body and especially the reproductive organ to host a fetus in the event of insemination. This cycle is repeated every 28 days in the same way, unless there is some change that makes it irregular, either because the happy news of pregnancy happens or because there is a problem related to hormones.
The normal development of a menstrual cycle is divided into several phases: pre- ovulation or follicular phase, ovulation and post- ovulation or luteal phase, in which we will know if the pregnancy has taken place. At PregDream we are going to tell you a little more about this last phase , the most unknown of the entire menstrual cycle.
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HOW DOES THE LUTEAL PHASE DEVELOP?
As we have mentioned, the luteal phase is the third phase within the menstrual cycle, and it lasts from just after ovulation until the first day of bleeding, when the new cycle begins. The development of the luteal phase will vary depending on whether they have had sexual relations that have resulted in the fertilization of the ovum. As a general rule, this fertilization is not carried out, so the luteal phase is characterized by being the moment in which the premenstrual syndrome occurs , where we can contemplate mood changes, breast enlargement and irritability, depending on the effect that the change of hormones produces in each woman.
In case the ovum has not been fertilized, the follicle will detach and the levels of progesterone in the body decrease and the endometrium begins to lose corpulence and its walls stop being taut. The blood vessels in the area break and the thickness of the lining of the womb is shed, giving rise together with the blood to the beginning of the menstrual period or what we know as menstruation.
On the contrary, if the ovum has been fertilized and we are facing a pregnancy , this phase is characterized by the formation of the corpus luteum , known thus for being yellow in color. This tissue is responsible for forming large amounts of progesterone, the sex hormone responsible for preparing the endometrium for the formation of the new being before this task is carried out by the placenta.
THE DURATION OF THE LUTEAL PHASE
The luteal phase has an average duration of between 10 and 16 days. It all depends on the duration of the woman’s menstruation and its regularity. It can be calculated taking into account the first day on which our rule should take place and counting back this period of time. In the event that the luteal phase lasts less than 9 days, we should go to the doctor for an examination, since the imbalance may be due to ovarian dysfunction problems or other health problems that are related to thyroid hormone, which may be hypothyroidism or hyperpolactinomy.
Knowing the luteal phase will allow us to have greater control of the exact moment of ovulation and therefore the most fertile moment if we are looking to get pregnant. There may be disorders in the luteal phase preventing the correct development of the pregnancy from taking place, since our body is not producing the necessary hormones for the fetus to have a correct growth. A sign of this are the cases in which fertilization does occur but there is a continuous process of natural abortion in the first months of pregnancy . In most cases, these disorders are due to hormonal imbalances that can be treated in a specialized way, so we must have continuous control with annual visits to our gynecologist.
Dr. Tabriella Perivolaris, Sara's mother and fan of fashion, beauty, motherhood, among others, about the female universe. Since 2018 she has been working as a copywriter, always bringing to her articles a little of her experience and experience as a mother and woman.