Did you know there is a way to accurately chart your cycle without taking your temperature at the same time every morning, or buying an expensive device to do it for you? When I was first learning to chart my cycle, I would forget about the thermometer next to the bed and just get up. By then, the opportunity to take an accurate reading had passed.
Learning to pay attention to your body and understand the rhythm of your cycle is a skill all women should learn as soon as they begin menstruating. Unfortunately, our culture has long undervalued this tool, but it is never too late to learn.
I teach you to identify both biomarkers and Traditional Chinese Medicine patterns to interpret your charts. This allows you to see symptoms as your body’s way of leading you back to an optimal state of health. Charting your cycle is a drug-free, low-tech way to prevent or achieve pregnancy. Beyond fertility, it offers an invaluable window into your mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. For this reason, many experts now call the menstrual cycle the fifth vital sign.
TempDrop and similar devices are great tools, especially if you want to track your average body temperature readings for other health reasons. Having a body temperature of 97.8 degrees or higher, along with a strong pulse and steady energy, are important markers for good metabolic health, as well as healthy Spleen and Liver Qi. Since the Liver is responsible for the smooth flow of Qi and the regularity of the cycle, and the Spleen is responsible for transforming food into energy, tracking these markers is certainly worthwhile.
In my experience teaching women to chart, compliance with complicated routines is often low and leads women to give up entirely. When tracking our cycles, we are looking for signs of the approaching fertile window and evidence that ovulation is occurring. The method I teach utilizes your observations of cervical mucus throughout the day to track this. In Chinese Medicine, cervical mucus is an expression of Jin Ye body fluids and the slow, steady building of Yin energy. This transition from dry to moist marks the energetic shift where Yin transforms into Yang energy toward ovulation at the peak of the cycle. Physically, when estrogen reaches its peak, it signals the anterior pituitary gland to secrete LH to trigger this event. LH testing is not required to get the information needed to chart your cycle accurately. However, some women choose to start testing LH either beginning on day 7 or at the “point of change” (the change from dry to moist). The LH surge gives valuable insight into whether ovulation is successfully occurring.
Along with biomarkers and bodily sensations, I encourage my clients to chart their energy levels, moods, and other symptoms throughout their cycles. These observations are key to figuring out hormone imbalances and TCM patterns. Common examples include Liver Qi Stagnation causing PMS and mood swings, or Spleen Qi Deficiency causing fatigue and digestive issues. We can then work on balancing these patterns with herbs, acupuncture, lifestyle adjustments, and diet changes.
Are you ready to accurately chart your cycle in a way that feels easeful? Check out my 1:1 Virtual Support page. I offer personalized, woman-to-woman guidance to help you chart and interpret your body’s signs as a lifelong skill.