Stages of the Menstrual Cycle

Medically reviewed by Holly Ernst, PA-C — By Stephanie Watson — Updated

on March 13, 2023

Menstrual Follicular Ovulation Luteal Common issues

Takeaway

The purpose of the monthly menstrual cycle is to prepare

for pregnancy. Menstrual cycles vary in length and
intensity.

 Stages of the Menstrual Cycle

During each menstrual cycle, an egg develops and is released from the
ovaries. The lining of the uterus builds up. If a pregnancy doesn’t happen,
the uterine lining sheds during a menstrual period. Then the cycle starts
again.
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
The menstrual cycle is divided into four phases:
 menstrual phase

follicular phase
ovulation phase
luteal phase

The length of each phase can vary and change over time.
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Menstrual phase
The menstrual phase is the first stage of the menstrual cycle. It’s also
when you get your period.

This phase starts when an egg from the previous cycle isn’t fertilized.
Because pregnancy hasn’t taken place, levels of the hormones estrogen
and progesterone drop.

The thickened lining of your uterus, which would support a pregnancy, is

no longer needed, so it sheds through your vagina. During your period,
you release a combination of blood, mucus, and tissue from your uterus.

You may have period symptoms like these:

cramps (try these home remedies)

tender breasts
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
bloating
mood swings
 irritability
headaches

tiredness
low back pain

Follicular phase
The follicular phase starts on the first day of your period (so there is some
overlap with the menstrual phase) and ends when you ovulate.

It starts when the hypothalamus signals your pituitary gland to release

follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). This hormone stimulates your ovaries
to produce around 5 to 20 small sacs called follicles. Each follicle contains
an immature egg.

Only the healthiest egg will eventually mature. (On rare occasions, a
female may have two eggs mature.) The rest of the follicles will be
reabsorbed into your body.

The maturing follicle sets off a surge in estrogen that thickens the lining of
your uterus. This creates a nutrient-rich environment for an embryo to
grow.

The average follicular phase  lasts for about 16 days. It can range from 11
to 27 days, depending on your cycle.
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
Ovulation phase
Rising estrogen levels during the follicular phase trigger your pituitary
gland to release luteinizing hormone (LH). This is what starts the process
of ovulation.

Ovulation is when your ovary releases a mature egg. The egg travels
down the fallopian tube toward the uterus to be fertilized by sperm.

The ovulation phase is the time during your menstrual cycle when you
can get pregnant. You can tell that you’re ovulating by symptoms like
these:

a slight rise in basal body temperature

thicker discharge that has the texture of egg whites

Ovulation happens around day 14 if you have a 28-day cycle — right in the
middle of your menstrual cycle. It lasts about 24 hours. After a day, the
egg will die or dissolve if it isn’t fertilized.

DID YOU KNOW?

Because sperm can live up to 5 days, pregnancy can occur as a

result of sex 5 days before ovulation.

Luteal phase
After the follicle releases its egg, it changes into the corpus luteum. This
structure releases hormones, mainly progesterone and some estrogen.
The rise in hormones keeps your uterine lining thick and ready for a
fertilized egg to implant.

If you do get pregnant, your body will produce human chorionic


gonadotropin (hCG).
A D V E R TThis isT the hormone pregnancy tests detect. It helps
ISEMEN

maintain the corpus luteum and keeps the uterine lining thick.
If you don’t get pregnant, the corpus luteum will shrink away and be
resorbed. This leads to decreased levels of estrogen and progesterone,
which causes the onset of your period. The uterine lining will shed during
your period.

During this phase, if you don’t get pregnant, you may experience
symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). These include:

bloating

breast swelling, pain, or tenderness

mood changes

headache

weight gain
changes in sexual desire

food cravings

trouble sleeping

The luteal phase lasts for 11 to 17 days. The average length  is 14 days.
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Identifying common issues

Every menstrual cycle is different. Some people get their period at the
same time each month. Others are more irregular. Some bleed more 
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heavily or for a longer number of days than others.
Your menstrual cycle can also change during certain times of your life. For
example, it can get irregular as you get close to menopause.

One way to find out if you’re having any issues with your menstrual cycle
is to track your periods. Write down when they start and end. Also record
any changes to the amount or number of days you bleed, and whether
you have spotting between periods.

Any of these things can alter your menstrual cycle:

Birth control. The birth control pill may make your periods shorter
and lighter. While on some pills, you won’t get a period at all.

Pregnancy. Your periods should stop during pregnancy. Missed

periods are one of the most obvious first signs that you’re pregnant.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This hormonal imbalance

prevents an egg from developing normally in the ovaries. PCOS
causes irregular menstrual cycles and missed periods.

Uterine fibroids. These noncancerous growths in your uterus can

make your periods longer and heavier than usual.

Eating disorders. Anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders can

disrupt your menstrual cycle and make your periods stop.

Here are a few signs of a problem with your menstrual cycle:

You’ve skipped periods, or your periods have stopped entirely.

Your periods are irregular.

You bleed for more than 7 days.

Your periods are less than 21 days or more than 35 days apart.

You bleed between periods (heavier than spotting).

If you have these or other problems with your menstrual cycle or periods,
talk with a healthcare professional.

The takeaway ADVERTISEMENT

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Every menstrual cycle is different. What’s typical for you might not be for
someone else.
SEXUAL HEALTH Sex Qs Mind Body Identity Pleasure How To
It’s important to get familiar with your cycle — including when you get
your periods and how long they last. Be alert for any changes, and report
them to a healthcare professional.

HEALTHLINE RESOURCE

Interested in exploring products for menstrual

symptoms?
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Last medically reviewed on August 17, 2018

How we reviewed this article:

SOURCES HISTORY

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we
update our articles when new information becomes available.
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
Current Version
 Mar 13, 2023

Written By
Stephanie Watson

Edited By
Alina Sharon
Aug 17, 2018

Medically Reviewed By
Holly Ernst, PA-C

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All About the Follicular Phase of the

Menstrual Cycle
Medically reviewed by Valinda Riggins Nwadike, MD, MPH — By Stephanie
Watson — Updated on August 18, 2018

What happens Long phase Short phase Temperature Takeaway

Phases of the menstrual cycle

Your menstrual cycle is the series of hormone-driven events that prepares
your body to get pregnant and carry a baby. This cycle follows a process
that’s divided into four distinct phases:

Menstruation

This is the first, but also in some ways the last, phase of your menstrual
cycle. It’s when the thickened lining of your uterus sheds during your
monthly period. Menstruation can last from three to seven days,

depending on the length of your cycle.
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Follicular phase

This starts on the first day of your menstrual period and ends when you
start to ovulate. During this phase, the egg-containing pods called follicles
ripen and one of the eggs matures.

Ovulation

This phase happens when the ovary releases that mature egg down the
fallopian tube on its way to fertilization. This is the shortest phase of the
cycle, lasting just 24 hours.

Luteal phase

In this phase, the follicle that released the egg produces hormones that
thicken and ripen the uterus to ready it for pregnancy.

Every woman’s menstrual cycle is unique. The length of each cycle and its
phases can vary based on your age and other factors.

If you’re trying to get pregnant, it can help to know whether your follicular
and luteal phases are long or short, and when in your menstrual cycle
they happen. Problems with these phases could affect your fertility. Let’s
take a closer look at the follicular phase.
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
What happens in the follicular phase
The follicular phase starts on the first day of your period. Typically, it takes
up the entire first half of your menstrual cycle.

This phase begins when your body’s hormone control center, the
hypothalamus, sends a message to the pituitary gland at the base of your
brain. The pituitary then releases follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).

FSH stimulates your ovaries to produce 5 to 20 tiny pods called follicles.

Inside each follicle sits an immature egg. These follicles grow during this
phase of your cycle.

Eventually, one of these follicles becomes dominant. The other follicles

start to wither away and are reabsorbed into your body.

The follicle with the ripening egg increases your body’s production of
estrogen. Higher estrogen levels make your uterine lining grow and
thicken. The lining becomes rich in nutrients to prepare for a possible
pregnancy.

Rising estrogen levels also send a signal to your pituitary gland to slow
FSH production.

Meanwhile, levels of another pituitary hormone called luteinizing hormone

(LH) surge. The rise in LH halts estrogen production and starts the
process of ovulation, the next phase in the cycle.

Longer follicular phase

The follicular phase is often the longest part of your menstrual cycle. It’s
also the most variable phase. It begins on the first day of your period and
ends when you ovulate.

The average length of the follicular phase is 16 days  . But it can last
anywhere from 11 to 27 days depending on your cycle.

The length of your follicular phase depends in part on the amount of time
it takes one dominant follicle to emerge. When the follicle is slow to 
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mature, this phase will last longer. Your whole menstrual cycle will also be
longer as a result.
A long follicular phase means that it takes more time for your body to
ovulate. Using birth control pills for a long time can lengthen your
follicular phase. Low vitamin D levels  have also been linked to a longer
follicular phase.

Women with a long follicular phase are just as likely to get pregnant as
those with a statistically more normal follicular phase. Having a longer
cycle shouldn’t affect your fertility.
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Shorter follicular phase

Having a short follicular phase could impact your likelihood of conceiving,
though. It may be a sign that your ovaries are aging and you’re getting
closer to menopause.

The follicular phase may start to get shorter when you’re in your late 30s,
even if you still get a monthly period. Hormone levels change during this
time. Your FSH levels still rise, but your LH levels stay low. This causes a
follicle to ripen too quickly. The egg inside that follicle may not be mature
enough or ready to fertilize. This makes pregnancy more unlikely.

Temperature during the follicular phase

Tracking your basal body temperature can help you figure out on which
days of the month you’ll have the best odds of conceiving. Your basal
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body temperature is your lowest temperature when you’re at rest.
To measure basal body temperature, keep a thermometer at your
bedside and take your temperature upon waking, before you even get
out of bed. This should be done at the same time each morning.

In the follicular phase of your cycle, your basal body temperature should
be between 97.0 and 97.5°F (36°C). When you ovulate, your temperature
will rise and remain higher during the luteal phase, confirming that the
follicular phase is over.
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The takeaway
The follicular phase is the stage of your menstrual cycle when your body
is preparing to release an egg. This is a necessary process for pregnancy.
Once the egg is released, the follicular phase is considered over. For
many women, this generally happens halfway between the first day of
one menstrual period and the first day of the next menstrual period.

Menstrual cycles follow a general pattern, but the length and duration of a
woman’s cycle can vary. If you’re tracking your cycle and you don’t
ovulate when you think you should, don’t panic. Talk to your doctor. They
can diagnose any potential issues with the follicular — or any — phase of
your cycle.

HEALTHLINE RESOURCE
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
Interested in exploring products for menstrual
symptoms?
Discover our recommendations for medically-verified CBD creams, oils,
gummies, and bath salts that may reduce menstrual cramps and other
related symptoms.

SHOP NOW

Last medically reviewed on August 17, 2018

How we reviewed this article:

SOURCES

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READ THIS NEXT

All About the Luteal Phase of the Menstrual

Cycle
Medically reviewed by Valinda Riggins Nwadike, MD, MPH

During the luteal phase, several events take place to prepare the body for
pregnancy. The egg travels down the fallopian tube, where it may be…

READ MORE

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