The menstrual cycle is your body’s natural way of preparing for a possible pregnancy each month. It’s regulated by hormones from the brain and ovaries and affects both your body and mood. A typical cycle lasts around 28 days, but anything between 21 and 35 days is normal.

The cycle begins on the first day of your period, when the uterine lining is shed. Over the next few weeks, a new egg matures in one of the ovaries, and the uterine lining thickens again to prepare for a possible pregnancy.

Around day 12–16, ovulation occurs — the ovary releases a mature egg that can be fertilized by a sperm. If fertilization doesn’t happen, hormone levels of estrogen and progesterone drop, and the lining breaks down — that’s when your next period starts.

The cycle can be influenced by stress, changes in weight, illness, or hormone fluctuations, so some variation is completely normal. Learning your body’s rhythm helps you understand yourself better.

Alma’s tips:

• Use an app or note down your cycle — patterns become clearer over time.
• Discharge, mood, and temperature changes can give clues about where you are in your cycle.
• Small variations are completely normal — your body isn’t a clock, it’s alive.