Raw Foods and Menstruation

Going raw is an undeniably important lifestyle change. Just be prepared for changes in your period, as in every other aspect of your life, when you go raw.

Menstrual Cycle Overview

The monthly menstrual cycle begins in adolescence and continues throughout a woman’s childbearing years. Estrogen and progesterone are the two female hormones most commonly recognized. Estrogen is responsible for the development and continuous upkeep of the reproductive system, most importantly the endometrial lining of the uterus. Progesterone, released during ovulation, get the womb lining ready to receive an egg. Its most important contributions come into play just when the egg is fertilized, because it is responsible for milk production and for other steps necessary to producing a viable fetus carried to full term.

Importance of FSH and LH

The average woman’s knowledge stops with estrogen and progesterone. Many do not grasp the importance of FSH and LH to a healthy female system. FSH (Follicle Stimulting Hormone) causes the round follicle that contains the eggs from the ovaries to fill with fluid, maturing several eggs. LH (Luteinizing Hormone) further ripens the follicles and starts the process of ovulation. Estrogen is essential to cause the follicle to release the egg. It is also responsible for producing other hormones that will start the menstrual cycle when the egg is not fertilized. After all this intense preparation, if a woman does not get pregnant, all this hormonal hard work gets kicked to the curb. Everything gets flushed out of the system in a menstrual cycle lasting 3 to 5 days, every 28 days or so.