days 37-41

The end of my luteal phase was characterized by fatigue and other fever-like symptoms. On Tuesday morning, I woke up to my Oura ring telling me “major symptoms radar.” The way Oura determines these symptoms is based off of variability in your resting heart rate, body temperature and other measured biostatistics. Rising progesterone, which happens during the luteal phase, is known to elevate body temperature and increase heart rate due to increased fluid retention caused by the hypothalamus. One thing wearables need to better address are the specific needs of the female body. For people who are less knowledgeable of their cycles and their hormones, an alert like that could cause anxiety that something is severely wrong.

Nevertheless, I was virtually down for the count from Tuesday to Thursday. I am unsure what brought about these intense symptoms compared to normal, but some suspicions lie in my recent travel coupled with job market stress. Another theory of mine is that since aligning my hormones to my routine, there could be a surge due to the novelty for my body followed by long-term ease. While resting, I tried to stay hydrated with electrolytes and eat lots of fruits and vegetables packed with vitamins. I also tried to not think too much about missing days of training and focus on getting back to normal.

Friday morning I was inspired to run, so I did a steady 3 miles at a decent clip. I felt good, but afterwards was needing some rest. The 4th of July weekend is filled with cookouts and family time- I tried to avoid overconsumption of alcohol and non complex carbs to make sure my body did not face another decline. Saturday I played some tennis and got my step count up, and my body feels like its back to functioning properly as I am entering menstruation. I am curious if due to my intense luteal phase if my period will be better or worse. I will be sure to report my findings.