A vital sign is a medical sign that indicates the status of a persons essential bodily functions. When you go to the doctor's office you may recall that they take your blood pressure and pulse rate - these are two of the vital signs! The other 2 major vital signs are respiration rate and body temperature. These vital signs indicate the general physical health of a person.
The menstrual cycle is referred to as a 5th vital sign because it acts as a significant barometer of health for uterus-owners. While doctor's offices often don't make use of this vital sign beyond asking, "when was your last period?", reputed medical journals validate its importance.
The menstrual cycle has several biomarkers that can be tracked to help someone interpret this 5th vital sign. These signs include:
Basal Body Temperature: Optimal = A distinct temperature rise around Peak mucus that is sustained for 11-16 days
Cervical Mucus & Vaginal Sensation: Optimal = 3-6 days of cervical mucus production
Luteal Phase Length: Optimal = 11-16 days in length
Number of Bleeding Days & Amount: Optimal = 3-7 days of bright red bleeding with minimal clotting, pain, and less than 80 mL of blood loss
When any of these biomarkers are outside the optimal range, it can indicate a deeper health issue such as thyroid dysfunction, blood sugar imbalance, nutrient deficiencies, poor immune response etc. This isn't meant to scare you, rather, to empower you to take your health into your own hands!
You have all the information you need to understand your health within your bodily signs.
The Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) is a method of tracking the menstrual cycle using several of these biomarkers. FAM can be used to avoid pregnancy with up to 99.6% effectiveness, consciously conceive and ding ding monitor your health.
But how do you interpret what these signs mean?
I teach how to track and understand these biomarkers of the menstrual cycle in my FAM classes and 1:1 coaching. Learn more here.
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