Take Charge of Your Cycle: 4 Period Books That Every Woman Needs to Read
4 books about your period that you need to read
okay, ladies, now let’s talk ‘bout menstruation.
(sing to beyonce’s “formation,” obv.)
If you’ve been hanging around The Foundation Blog, you’ll know I looooove all things women’s health—specifically our menstrual cycle, hormones, and all the ways we can capitalize on this natural, empowering part of womanhood.
Have you ever wondered…
At what part of my cycle am I most fertile?
What color should my period be?
What is the normal length of a period? 4–6 days?
Why does my energy fluctuate throughout the month?
What are natural remedies for period cramps? Headaches? Bloating? Moodiness?
Why do I crave food during my period?
Why do I feel bloated and puffy during my period?
Should I be on birth control? How can I prevent pregnancy naturally?
Should I use tampons? Pads? Menstrual cups?
What is the normal length of a menstrual cycle?
If you’re like many females, you really don’t know that much about your cycle. I mean, you know the basics—when you’re bleeding and when you’re not. You know that the arrival of your period means that you’re not pregnant. But beyond that? What about the other 3 weeks of the month? Do you know that your hormones are fluctuating, ebbing and flowing, and having impactful shifts on your mood, metabolism, body, fertility, and energy when you are (and aren’t) bleeding…?
Your cycle is sooooo much more than just your period and non-period. There is the follicular phase, ovulation, luteal phase, menstruation…and don’t feel bad if you have never heard these phrases or have any idea what they mean. That’s why I wrote this post. :) Long story short: within your monthly cycle, there are four distinct “seasons”—from the inward, emotional “winter” energy of your period to the confident, energetic, outgoing “summer” energy of ovulation, your monthly hormonal fluctuations cause changes in your mood, energy, metabolism, personality, athletic ability, appetite, sleep…everything.
shouldn’t i have been taught this?
And, yet, we are never taught how to track or watch for these gradual (yet impactful) shifts, and I want to help change that. Especially in an age where women’s health is politically volatile, I want to make sure that I am educated, secure, and confident in my own personal cycle + fertility. Body literacy is so important and allows us to harness the biological power of being a woman, take charge, and take advantage of these cyclical hormonal tides + changes.
These books have been so eye-opening and, at risk of sounding dramatic, life-changing. Not only have these books taught me the basics of my cycle—but they have taught me how to transition off of hormonal birth control, track my fertile window/prevent pregnancy, how to manage symptoms of PMS and my bleed (psssst: your period isn’t supposed to be miserable, friend), and ultimately how to understand my natural cycle.
Beyond a body/physiology standpoint—they taught me how to find beauty in my cycle, track my unique rhythms, take advantage of the various “stages,” understand my hormones and how they fluctuate. Long story short: they have 10000% completely changed my relationship with how I know and understand my cycle.
These books are for you, IF you are ready to learn how to….
Track your cycle
Decipher what’s really going on with different forms of birth control
Prime yourself + plan for a successful pregnancy
Avoid pregnancy (naturally or on birth control)
Manage period/PMS symptoms (acne, bloating, mood swings…)
Track and recognize your fertile window
And ultimately, feel empowered and understand this beautiful, natural cycle and reconnect to your feminine energy
To be clear—these are not just random books that I Googled + am recommending without much thought. These are tried-and-true books I have referenced time and time again, underlined, highlighted, taken notes, dog-eared the pages…and to be real with ya, this is stuff you didn’t learn in 10th grade health class, but it will change you how you view your cycle, hormones, and womanhood for the better. Ladies, I cannot recommend enough how important (and empowering) it is to learn + understand + capitalize on your cycle.
HOW I WROTE THIS POST: Each book is for a specific woman—take a look at the bolded sections and see which one calls to you. Are you looking to learn the basics? In-depth? A scientific reference guide? A more lighthearted introduction? Take a look at the books below, pick out 1 or 2 that call to you and DIG IN. Even if you have never, ever bought a “science” health book before—I encourage you to take charge of your menstrual cycle. Learn it, understand it, harness it.
Ya ready? Let’s go!
#1: if you are looking to understand the bodily processes happening during your cycle, find the right birth control method, and get tangible resources on hormonal acne, mood swings, PCOS…
The Period Repair Manual by Laura Bride, ND is a must read. If you’ve been hanging around The Foundation Blog, you’ll know that I consider the Period Repair Manual my absolute bible of women’s health. This guide walks you through alllllll the different types of birth control, what is right for you, considerations of hormonal birth control, etc., THEN it goes into common period woes (acne, bloating, mood swings, etc.) and tangible action steps you can take to improve these.
Topics include… (*drumroll please*): how to come off hormonal birth control, what your period should be like, what can go wrong, how to talk to your doctor, and some various recommendations for common period problems including PCOS and endometriosis. Think of it an easy-to-understand reference textbook—you can search up whatever topic about your cycle is interesting/relevant to you and you’ll be able to find concrete hacks + tips. Full disclosure: this book is not as “fun” as the others, but it is worth its weight in gold. Like I said, I truly consider it my women’s health bible. Basically, if you have a period, you should read this book. (Yes, you.)
LINKS: Book / Kindle / Audio
#2: if you are looking for an easy + entertaining read that will teach you to understand and appreciate your cycle + hormones in a new way…
Okay, I can’t believe I am saying this about a book with 885947938759873 scientific citations, but this book is an absolute JOY to read. I absolutely flewwww through Hormonal and read it cover-to-cover in one weekend. Leading women’s health researcher Martie Haselton struck the perfect balance between making a fun, easy-to-read book that is backed with science that walks you through how your hormones affect you through a “real-world” lens. Examples: how our cycle dictates who we are attracted to (prepare to LOL), and why men are more attracted to ovulating women (cue me citing research about my “ovulation scent” to Adam whenever he seems particularly fond of me).
I’m talking laugh-out-loud funny, “oooooh, THAT’S why I feel like a crazy person during PMS” aha! moments, and super tangible explanations of how our hormones work, make us feel, and affect our bodies. From reproduction, sex, relationships, friendships, moods…this book teaches you how to track your cycles and take charge of your hormonal shifts. The book’s description says “above all, Hormonal is a clarion call to appreciate and embrace the genius of female biology.” This book is straight-up FUN to read—and the information really stuck. I now have a wayyyyy stronger understanding of what my hormones do (and how to harness them for my benefit). I read this in one weekend with some wine and it was blissful.
#3 if you are looking to slow down, reconnect with your feminine energy, and understand how your cycle impacts your productivity…
If you are ready to bring a sense of rest, peace, and ease back to your life, please get this book. It looks at your monthly cycle through more of a lens of energy, femininity, and harnessing the innate wisdom of being a woman. It’s a bit more woo woo than the other books I mentioned and dives into things like lunar rhythms, self-worth, and empowerment in our female cycle. I’ll give it to ya straight, I definitely recommend getting Period Repair Manual or In the FLO before this book—simply because they are more comprehensive, scientific and cover some of the same topics. BUT this book holds soooo much value in terms of harnessing the innate wisdom and patterns of your cycle.
This book is a great read if you are looking at (realistic) ways to schedule your work, productivity, and motherhood around your cycle. This book’s main message is about DOING less and working/living from a place of ease and intention, while still chasing down your goals. I finished this book quickly and instantly felt like I could breathe easier. I love how this book emphasizes getting more done with less effort simply by being in the flow with our cycle. A beautiful read all around that will empower you to chase down your biggest goals in a way that is sustainable and empowering as a modern woman.
#4 if you are ready to take charge of your cycle’s rhythms, patterns, and hormones to maximize health, productivity, and happiness…
From biohacking to nutrition to scheduling, this book is an A to Z guide on how to make the most of your menstrual cycle. If you are looking to cover alllll things woman health, tracking cycles, and biohacking your cycle for maximum health, productivity, weight management, etc., do NOT skip this book. Alright, here is the thing: Alissa Vitti is better known for her book WomanCode (which is a great read if you are a total beginner with your cycle, but truthfully, WomanCode left me wanting a bit more substance…) BUT THIS BOOK. Wow wow wow. I am blown away.
From different foods/functional nutrition tips that empower each phase of your cycle, easy-to-understand charts on the different phases of your cycle, hacks to align your cycle with your energy/mood/etc, biohacking tips for period problems, birth control options. Again, WOW. this book is overflowing with goodness and really looks holistically at your cycle. Because, here’s the thing, our cycle effects soooo much more than just our reproductive parts. Our mood (duh), our fertility (duh), but also our immune system? Gut health? Brain chemistry? Metabolism? Athleticism? YUP YUP YUP. This book walks you through the true power of your cycle and how to best capitalize on it.
In the FLO is a very easy read, simple to understand, and verrrrry tangible, which I always appreciate. It is full of natural hacks that will help you optimize your time, diet, fitness, work, and relationships around your cycle to maximize your health, productivity, and happiness. From what to eat during certain times of the month (this was sooo eye-opening to me), different projects to take on (and when), best exercises to do during your cycle (also game-changing), losing stubborn weight, regaining energy, clearing skin, and minimizing PMS. Again, WOW. This is a tangible guide on how to take charge of our monthly rhythm. If you read this book, you will 1000000% understand how to take advantage of each of your unique four hormonal phase. Honestly, this is like 5 books in 1 with how much knowledge is packed in. 10000000% recommend it!
LINKS: book / kindle / audible
let’s talk about it!
Alright, here’s how I feel—I find it weird that something HALF THE WORLD experiences monthly is not often talked about. I am passionate about normalizing periods and helping women find resources to better understand their cycle. Reminder: there is absolutely NO shame in menstruating and ovulating—it is quite literally the basis of humanity and there is so much beauty in the process. :)
The most beautiful thing? Your hormones are fluctuating in perfect harmony during your cycle with intention and purpose, and YOU can find POWER in these little stages when you know these patterns and what to expect. Let me tell ya, it is a whoooooole lot easier to be productive, work, exercise, get pregnant, avoid pregnancy, plan social activities, study, eat, EVERYTHING when you know and understand your monthly cycle.
But the truth? As modern women, we really aren’t given the tools to fully capitalize on this beautiful process. We aren’t really taught much about our period in life. In the doctor’s office. In health class. But that’s not an excuse—we have a world of resources at our fingertips and we need to take charge of our cycle, and I hope these books help you to better understand, befriend, and feel empowered in your cycle. Let’s do this thang, sister!
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