Your Fifth Vital Sign

When we think of vital signs, we typically think of heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and respiratory rate. But did you know that your menstrual cycle is just as important? Both the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have officially recognized the menstrual cycle as a key indicator of overall health—your Fifth Vital Sign.

Just like an irregular heartbeat or abnormal blood pressure can signal underlying health issues, changes in your menstrual cycle can provide early warnings about hormonal imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, and even chronic conditions. If your cycle is not working right, there is something else that is off, too. Instead of being dismissed as just another part of being a woman, your cycle deserves attention and care—because it’s a window into your body’s inner workings. Or, as I often remind my patients: your menstrual cycle is a mirror of your health.

Why Is Your Menstrual Cycle a Vital Sign?

Vital signs serve to tell us how well our bodies are functioning on a very basic and foundational survival level. If your blood pressure is too high, it could indicate stress or cardiovascular issues. If your respiratory rate is abnormal, it might have something to do with your lungs. And the same applies to your cycle—irregularities can tell us a lot about your reproductive, metabolic, and even mental health. Here are just a few things we can learn from carefully evaluating your cycle:

• Hormonal Balance: Your cycle, (the entirety of it, not just menstruation) is a reflection of how well your hormones are functioning. Estrogen, progesterone, FSH, LH, thyroid hormones, and stress hormones all play a role in a healthy cycle. In turn, hormonal imbalances lead to a cascade of issues that affect every system in the body.

• Metabolic Health: A healthy menstrual cycle is linked to balanced blood sugar, proper insulin function, and a well-regulated metabolism. A very rigid metabolism (aka lack of metabolic flexibility) goes hand in hand with insulin resistance, obesity, diabetes, and microbiome imbalances.

• Nutritional Status: Deficiencies in key nutrients like iron, magnesium, and B vitamins can manifest as irregular, heavy, absent, or painful periods. For instance, menstrual pain or endometriosis often points to low Vitamin D or Omega 3 levels.

• Reproductive Wellbeing: Ovulation is crucial not just for fertility but also for long-term bone, brain, and heart health. Unless you track your cycle using the Symptothermal Method, take LH tests, or get intravaginal ultrasounds regularly, you cannot confirm ovulation. Far too many women come to me claiming that they are sure they are ovulating because they “feel it.” And while there are many signs that point to ovulation (alterations in cervical mucus, an increase in sexual desire, changes in energy levels, and even some mild discomfort) none of those signs can confirm 100% that one of your teeny tiny eggs was in fact released from the ovary.

• Stress & Mental Health: Chronic stress, burnout, travel, past trauma, and even slight diet or lifestyle changes can alter your cycle, making it irregular, anovulatory, painful, or even causing it to disappear altogether (amenorrhea).

I hope you can now clearly see how your menstrual cycle is truly a monthly report card for your overall health. By paying attention to what it’s telling you, you can take action early and prevent potential health issues from becoming bigger problems down the road - even issues that you may not initially think are connected to your cycle.

~ Everything is connected to your cycle. ~

Pretty powerful, huh?! This is why I created VITAL. Because I firmly believe that every woman deserves to understand the power of her own cycle. Too often, we're left in the dark about how our bodies work—handed quick fixes instead of real knowledge. My mission is to change that.

This 6-week deep dive into fertility awareness will equip you with everything you need to confidently track your cycle, optimize your reproductive health, and take control of your fertility—whether you’re trying to conceive (TTC), avoiding pregnancy (TTA), or simply looking to live in sync with your body.

Here’s what you’ll gain from VITAL:

👉🏽 How to track your cycle and create your own graphs

👉🏽 A deep understanding of your anatomy and physiology

👉🏽 Mastering basal body temperature, cervical mucus, and cervix position—how they evolve through your cycle and what subtle changes reveal

👉🏽 Chart interpretation skills—spotting patterns, identifying irregularities, and truly understanding your body's signals

👉🏽 TTC & TTA strategies—timing, rules, and the details that make fertility awareness a reliable method

👉🏽 3 additional months of personalized support— 1:1 guidance to review your charts, answer questions, and refine your tracking

👉🏽 A nurturing community—connect with like-minded women on the same journey

👉🏽 A comprehensive library of resources—nutritional guides, worksheets, journal prompts, graph templates, and all program notes

If you're looking for a natural way to conceive, prevent pregnancy, regulate your cycle, or simply reconnect with your body—this program was made for you.

Note: spots are limited!

What Your Cycle Might Be Telling You

Let's look into what some common menstrual irregularities could indicate. I will share these to emphasize the importance of this matter, and so that you can begin to evaluate whether any of these could contribute to your symptoms. But please remember to not diagnose yourself and check with a professional who can carry out a proper evaluation and design an individualized protocol for your specific needs.

🩸 Light, short periods (less than 2 days)? → This could signal low estrogen levels or nutrient deficiencies (especially iron and B vitamins). Low estrogen can also be linked to excessive exercise, under-eating, or perimenopause.

🩸 Heavy periods (needing to change pads/tampons/menstrual cup frequently or soaking through)? → This might indicate estrogen dominance, low progesterone, fibroids, or even thyroid dysfunction. These, in turn, could be linked to your vaginal and intestinal microbiome, chronic inflammation, liver dysfunction, poor detoxification capacity, or another underlining condition.

🩸 Irregular cycles (longer than 35 days or shorter than 21 days)? → It could be tied to stress, elevated cortisol levels, nutrient deficiencies, PCOS, thyroid issues, or insulin resistance. Stress can delay ovulation, PCOS often results in anovulation, and nutrient deficiencies can hinder the development of the uterine lining.  Also, thyroid and insulin resistance are closely associated with metabolic rigidity and improper weight management.

🩸 Menstrual pain? → This isn’t normal! Your period should not hurt. Some mild discomfort is normal, but severe period pain is a sign of inflammation, excess prostaglandins, endometriosis, or hormonal imbalances - and you should not delay in addressing it. Look at inflammation markers and the health of your microbiome, and evaluate your diet, your habits, your exercise, your sleep, and your mental and emotional health. Every aspect of your lifestyle matters and the correct changes can significantly reduce the pain or eliminate it completely.

🩸 Spotting between periods? → While occasional spotting the 1-2 days before could be normal, persistent spotting might indicate low progesterone, stress-related hormone shifts, luteal deficiency, or even cervical inflammation. If it’s happening frequently, it’s worth investigating-especially if motherhood is in your future plans.

I could go on and on with examples, but you get the point: never underestimate the power of your cycle and learn to listen to it, it holds an immense amount of invaluable information about your overall wellbeing.

~Taking ownership of your health starts with understanding your menstrual cycle.~