Hormonal landscapes

By Susan Reznik (text) & Silja Elsener (illustration)

Our body is an extremely sophisticated and complex system. What happens in our body during our monthly cycle illustrates once again how fascinating this mechanism is.

The cyclical phases surrounding menstruation are primarily determined by the two hormones estrogen and progesterone. In the graphic below it almost resembles a roller coaster. If things are visually so wildly haywire, it's no wonder that our cycle has a significant influence on our everyday lives. Depending on the phase of the cycle and hormone levels, our energy level, mood, well-being and emotions are influenced.

Male cycle

Men also have a cycle. However, not monthly, but daily. This also has an impact on the mental and physical state, but this is usually much less noticeable. This cycle is due to the increase and decrease in testosterone levels over the course of 24 hours. Testosterone levels are highest in the morning, which is also reflected in the “morning erection” after sleep. As the day progresses, the testosterone content slowly decreases again.

Female cycle

While the female menstrual cycle is reminiscent of a mountain landscape in Appenzell, the male hormonal landscape is more like the Netherlands. That's why it's absolutely normal and there should be no shame in the fact that our energy stores, moods and emotional states can be very changeable within the cycle and we can and should take them seriously. Unfortunately, our modern society has so far given us little space for cyclical living in our everyday lives. We can hardly respond to our physical and mental needs based on our menstrual cycle. Thus, most of us are cyclical beings who are supposed to function according to a linear system, which does not correspond to our nature.

Live cyclically

So how can we bring more cycle back into this linearity? It's not easy to create this freedom to meet our needs in a hectic, performance-oriented world. However, the more we listen to our body and get to know our cycle phases better, the better we can assess what is really good for us and what our body and mind need at the moment. The better you look after yourself throughout your entire cycle, the less you will be plagued by PMS symptoms in the end. Give it a try!