Besides knowing when you might need some absorbent protection, there is much more to the importance of knowing your cycle. And when I say knowing your cycle, I mean each phase of your cycle too, not just when to expect your period.
I’m a bit embarrassed to say that I have only recently begun to really know my entire cycle. I owe it in part to a small little “Q & A” blurb I read in Cosmopolitan (March 2008, p. 238). It talked about how you know when you are ovulating. Such information can be useful if you are trying to conceive or to help prevent conception, and it’s so simple.
What tipped me off was this thing that Cosmo called mittelschmerz. I felt a little twinge in my abdomen, so I made a note of it on my calendar. Then I started making note of other things that were cycle related, a lower back ache, abdominal cramping, menstruation, discharge changes, etc. Lo-and-behold, the twinge I felt fell about midway in my total cycle. I am still amazed by it. There really is a time frame for each little phase of a woman’s cycle. Understanding and knowing the time line of your
So I want to continue to keep track of this. I just think it’s neat. I imagine that this would be an easy way for me to 
Of course, it’s nothing to rely on for
In the mean time, do you know the stages of your menstrual cycle? Should I go over them here? Feel free to comment, leave suggestions, etc. I’d love to hear from you.
Take care,
Sheilah
