Periods

Your Period Explained .

Periods are a completely natural and normal part of a woman’s life, yet for years, society has attached a social taboo to menstruation, and so the topic has not been discussed openly enough. This includes conversations about the impact of period symptoms and how women feel.

Through our Better Days. Period. campaign we want to help facilitate conversations around periods & change the narrative around period symptoms, including menstrual fatigue.

This guide will help you make sense of your menstrual cycle and symptoms.

The Menstrual Cycle .

The menstrual cycle is one of the most remarkable events within our bodies. It displays a fine-tuned interplay of hormones and physiological responses. Understanding our periods begins with understanding the menstrual cycle as a whole.

Our period gets all the attention because it’s the part of our menstrual cycles that is the most obvious and, for many, unpleasant. But, in reality, our periods are just one small part of an ongoing physical story. The less apparent events during your menstrual cycle dictate your period symptoms, timing, and even whether you get a period at all. While the menstrual cycle is intricate, we can easily understand it by learning its two phases.

The Follicular Phase

Also known as the oestrogenic phase. According to the Cleveland Clinic¹, the first part of the menstrual cycle begins on the first day of your period and lasts until you ovulate. In the days leading up to your period, the uterine wall (or endometrium) has thickened to about 8-13 millimetres to provide the best conditions to nurture a fertilised egg. When pregnancy does not occur, the unfertilised egg and thickened uterine lining pass out of the body via the vagina.

From day 1 of your follicular phase, your body has already started to produce small but ever-increasing amounts of a hormone called Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH). This hormone causes around 15 to 20 eggs, each encased in its follicle, to
mature in your two ovaries. These follicles produce the hormone Oestrogen, which is necessary for ovulation. When it’s time to ovulate, the egg from the largest and most dominant follicle will be released, and the remaining eggs will disintegrate.

The follicular phase’s duration can vary considerably from woman to woman. On average, your Follicular Phase lasts about two weeks, but it can range anywhere from 8-21 days or longer.

The Luteal Phase

Also known as the secretory phase. According to the Cleveland Clinic², after ovulation, your body and hormones switch gears and enter the Luteal Phase. This second phase marks the length between ovulation and the last day before your period. Unlike Follicular Phases, Luteal Phases usually have a finite lifespan of about 12 to 16 days.

After one of your ovaries releases an egg, the follicle that held the egg collapses on itself, becoming what is called the corpus luteum. The corpus luteum remains on the ovarian wall and releases the hormone progesterone.

Progesterone is a critical hormone in a woman’s menstrual cycle, and it leads the charge during the Luteal Phase. Among many things, it is responsible for preventing the release of all other eggs during the rest of your cycle. Progesterone also causes the uterine lining (or endometrium) to thicken and sustain itself until the corpus luteum disintegrates about two weeks later.

If the released egg does not become fertilised, progesterone (keeping the endometrial wall nourished and in place) plummets. This hormonal shift causes your period and day one of your next cycle.

Period Symptoms Worth Knowing About

As you get closer to the first day of your period, your body will most likely start sending you signals that it is coming. Period symptoms, or premenstrual syndrome (PMS), are very typical. In fact, according to a survey by Active Iron³, 99% of women have experienced period symptoms, and 97% experience them frequently. The duration and severity of these symptoms vary from woman to woman, but here are the most prevalent symptoms:

Tiredness & Fatigue

Stomach Cramps

Mood Changes

Bloating

Back Pain

Breast Tenderness

Headaches

Skin Breakouts

Consult your healthcare provider if your period is causing you to:

Experience severe pain.
Feel depressed
Miss work/school/college etc.
Feel exhausted all the time.
Have intense mood swings.
Struggle to take part in your usual daily activities.

How much Bleeding is Typical During a Period .

While each woman’s period is different, the average amount of blood lost during menstruation is typically 30-40ml (about 6-8 teaspoons).

According to the NHS⁴, if you are losing 80ml or more in each period, having periods that last longer than seven days, or both, you have heavy menstrual bleeding.

Changing your sanitary products every hour or two, passing clots larger than 2.5cm, bleeding through your clothes or bedding, or using two types of sanitary products at once are all reasonable indications that your periods are heavy.

A period generally lasts between three to eight days. If your period lasts longer than eight days, it is considered prolonged menstrual bleeding. If you have abnormally heavy or prolonged bleeding routinely, it is recommended that you consult your GP.

Fatigue & Your Period .

Ever wonder why you feel so tired during your period? After ovulation, oestrogen levels fall quickly, causing you to feel tired or sluggish. Oestrogen levels continue to fall during your period, causing your energy levels to dip further during your time of the month.

Inadequate iron levels resulting from menstrual blood loss can cause lower energy levels. 49% of women experience tiredness and fatigue, according to our survey of 2,400 women in the UK and Ireland⁵. 18% of women experience tiredness and fatigue for more than seven days of their cycle.

Monthly periods are the most common cause of iron loss worldwide, and research shows that women of childbearing age need twice as much daily iron as men⁶. Routine iron supplementation can help support iron and energy levels. Active Iron is clinically proven to increase iron and fight tiredness and fatigue⁷.

Other factors, including the foods you eat, your quality of sleep, your water intake, and how often you exercise, also play a role in how tired or energetic you feel during your period. Researchers would recommend that women sleep between 7-9 hours each night, so prioritising a good night’s sleep, if you can, may help to boost your energy levels.

Period Cravings

Did you know that cocoa reduces inflammation, produces happy feelings, and eases PMS symptoms? According to Active Iron’s survey³, 21% of women change their eating habits to help themselves feel better during their period.

Our chocolate cravings can help us see that sometimes our bodies know what they need more than our minds do, so listen to your body’s cravings during your menstrual cycle!

Healthy Foods That Can Ease Period Symptoms

There are ways to satisfy your food cravings with healthy options. Focus on providing your body with iron, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids from whole foods, like the following:

- Magnesium-rich foods like leafy green vegetables, seeds, nuts, whole grains & legumes.

- Red meat, seafood, poultry & leafy green vegetables can help you boost your iron and energy levels, which are known to dip during your period.

- Make yourself a comforting quinoa bowl to curb your carb cravings. Rich in iron, protein, and magnesium, quinoa is healthy for your body during your period.

- As previously mentioned, there is a reason we crave chocolate during our periods. Try to stick with dark chocolate, which contains a much higher amount of cocoa.

- Omega-3 fatty acids found in foods like fish, nuts, and seeds can reduce inflammation, which can aid in decreasing menstrual cramps.

- Drink. Plenty. Of. Water! This can help ease any bloating or headaches caused by dehydration during your period.

- Ginger tea (has anti-inflammatory effects) to soothe achy muscles and reduce nausea.

Period Advice from 1,000 Women

All women have received period advice at some point in their lives, whether from a parent, friend, teacher, or even just a well-meaning stranger. Like all advice, some tips are better than others, and every woman will have a unique experience with their period.

Active Iron was interested in learning about the period advice given to women who regularly menstruate, so we surveyed 1,000 of them, aged between 25-45, to collate what women find as the best and worst advice regarding their menstrual cycle.

Among the responses are the expected regulars, taking pain killers or utilising hot water bottles, as well as some less common suggestions, including jumping on the bed and indulging in greasy foods.

Most Common Period Advice
• Take pain relief (85%)
• Use a hot water bottle (82%)
• Keep active/do exercise (52%)
• Have a bath (48%)
• Keep hydrated (48%)
• These symptoms will pass in a couple of days (48%)
• Don’t worry and just get on with your day (41%)

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References

¹Cleveland Clinic - Follicular Phase https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/23953-follicular-phase - Accessed 12/11/2025
²Cleveland Clinic - Luteal Phase https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/24417-luteal-phase - Accessed 12/11/2025
³Active Iron survey 2024. N=1500
⁴NHS - Heavy Periods https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heavy-periods/. Accessed 16/10/2025
⁵Active Iron survey with 2,400 women.
⁶https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/iron/#:~:text=The%20amount%20of%20iron%20you,day%20for%20women%20over%2050
⁷Ledwidge, M. et al. PRECISION Study. Int J Clin Pharm (2023). Iron contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.