Menopause Ended My Periods – But Did It End My Cycle?

Do we still have a cycle in menopause?

I’ve been pondering this over the last few months.

I’ve been told both yes and no by different professionals, so when this happens I do what I always do.

I research.

I read.

And then…

…I turn inwards, listen to my own body, and see what comes up.

So this is a reflection of what I’ve found.

You may or may not be aware that there are 4 parts to the monthly cycle we experience as women.  And whilst we know what’s physically happening in our bodies at menstruation and ovulation, there’s something that lies beneath the surface, which I was never taught (and I’m guessing most of you won’t have known either).

🩸  Menstrual:

• What’s happening: Shedding of the uterine lining – your period.

• Hormones: Estrogen and progesterone are low.

• Energy: Rest, retreat, reflection.

• Emotions: Introspective, quiet, more inward.

🌱  Follicular:

• What’s happening: The body prepares to release an egg; the uterine lining begins to rebuild.

• Hormones: Estrogen starts rising.

• Energy: Rising, light, hopeful.

• Emotional tone: Motivated, creative, inspired.

🥚  Ovulation:

• What’s happening: Hormones: The ovary releases an egg. This is the fertile window.

• Hormones: Estrogen peaks, followed by a rise in luteinising hormone (LH).

• Energy: Outward, magnetic, vibrant.

• Emotional tone: Confident, sociable, expressive.

🍂  Luteal:

• What’s happening: The body prepares for pregnancy; if no fertilisation occurs, progesterone rises then drops.

• Hormones: Progesterone dominates, then falls.

• Energy: Slowing down, turning inward.

• Emotional tone: Sensitive, intuitive, sometimes irritable.

Where you are in your menstrual cycle affects your energy and your emotions.

Yes, I knew I got annoyed leading up to my period, but I certainly never knew that closing down and turning inward would help.  I just always battled through.

What if I’d known this from an early age though?

What if society accommodated this?

Wouldn’t we all function better if we listened to our bodies during our cycle.

From the moment I started my period (known as Menarche), I experienced a pretty regular monthly cycle consisting of a build up to ovulation followed by menstruation.

In the two years leading up to the point in time called menopause (when I had not had a period for a full 12 months) my periods were slightly erratic as my body changed.  Some periods were longer and heavier than normal, some less so.

I’ve now been post menopause for almost 3 years and my body is no longer governed by the external biological rhythms I was used to, so it was natural for me to assume my cycle had ceased.

But what if it hadn’t?

What if the cycle is still there?

Perhaps no longer showing me the external monthly signs, as my ability to conceive no longer serves me.

But maybe it’s quieter…silently leading me to live a gentler life now.

My journey through and beyond menopause has been one huge lesson in slowing down and listening.  Not in the loud noise I was so accustomed to.  Not in the constant doing.  Not in the way I was living before.

Everything, and I mean literally EVERY change in my life that has come out of my journey through menopause has come to me gently and slowly.

It’s not forced, it’s not loud, it’s as if it was whispering to me and waiting for me to stop and listen.

And when your body has been in fast ‘do’ mode, it takes a while to shift into a lower gear, because your nervous system has been operating in what’s called fight, flight or ‘get things done’ mode.  When you’ve been living in that high-alert state, your body gets used to the adrenaline, and then shifting into rest can feel unfamiliar, even unsafe at first.  It takes time to teach your body that slowing down is safe.

I’m slowly starting to realise that it’s not a race, I no longer have to rush, I can take my time…it’s helping me appreciate and feel grateful in the present moment.

But there’s no denying that there are still some times in my life when my energy and creativity feel intense…in complete flow…when I feel I’m living in true alignment.

And there are other days when it just feels heavy.

I thought it was nothing…just part of life…but maybe I can learn something from this.  By listening to when it’s happening to me.

You know, the more I step into trusting what I’m here to do in life, the more I see opportunities, people and information fall into my world, and the more I listen in to the message.  And just like that, the other day I came across Natal Moon Phases.

I feel like I’ve only dipped my toe into the moons in the past, never really understanding how they work to any degree.

But now I’m sat in the wondering…that place where an idea sits…just percolating…just waiting for me to follow it and see where it leads me.

So that’s what I’m going to do.

I’m going to track my ‘cycle’ over the next 3 months and see what transpires.

Because if there’s one thing I’ve discovered through menopause, it’s that our bodies are messengers.

But we have to listen.

If you’re in post menopause like me and no longer have a monthly bleed, have you experienced any kind of cycle in your body?

Please do let me know 🙏

With love 💫

Caroline x

#menopause #coach #accountant #cycle #menstruation #ovulation #slowingdown