Deconstructing the Follicular Phase
The follicular phase is the first phase of the menstrual cycle, and the last phase we’re deconstructing. In terms of hormones, there are actually only two cycle phases: the follicular and the luteal. We further break this down, adding in the two “events”: menstruation and ovulation. The follicular phase would technically begin on day 1 of our cycle, or with menstruation. This is when the estrogen begins rising (remember in the luteal phase when we talked about progesterone? while the progesterone peaks in the luteal phase, estrogen peaks in the follicular phase, or the first half of our cycle. That’s not to say it doesn’t exist in the other half of our cycle, or that they don’t work together. Its just to say the female body has the highest amount of estrogen in the follicular phase, just prior to the event of ovulation)
The body needs to metabolize estrogen. We also live in a world where a lot of toxins and chemicals that can act like estrogen in the body, or are synthetic forms of estrogen. So what we’re metabolizing isn’t just a normal amount of estrogen, it’s amplified by what we’re consuming. Take a wild guess at one of the main pieces to the metabolization puzzle. (If you guessed the liver, you’re right)
Estrogen dominance is an issue in our society, mainly for the reasons I listed above. Consuming synthetic estrogen and being unable to properly metabolize it. Excess estrogen has been linked to increased cancer risks, endometriosis, infertility… To metabolize estrogen, we need functioning livers. It reminds me of a vicious cycle, how one seemingly tiny thing can snowball until there is a list of health issues a mile long (it’s also part of the reason I’m so passionate about holistic health, and treating root causes versus symptoms).
Part of the liver’s role is breaking down and grouping these things we need to metabolize, and then sending them to the gut to be eliminated. Estrogen is mainly moved via the bile, which moves to the gut and then out (one of the many reasons why poop is important!) I also am drawing a connection here between my plethora of bile duct issues. We know now I’m missing a genetic component in detoxing and eliminating bile, which is another story for another time, but as we were looking into this and I got so sick, one of the main symptoms was I would throw up. When something in the gut isn’t sitting right, it’s coming out one of two ways (Which you’ll know if you’ve ever had the stomach flu or food poisoning. If it’s not going down and out, it’s going up and out).
When the liver is burdened, or traumatized or injured, what happens is the estrogen goes to the liver but it doesn’t all leave via the elimination pathway. When it’s not eliminated, it goes back into the body, and estrogen dominant symptoms appear. (I also want to note here while I’m talking about estrogen in the female body, this isn’t happening only to females. Testosterone, which is more prominent in males, can also be converted into estrogen in the body in situations of extreme stress or liver damage)
So we have a liver, such as one who has undergone a transplant or surgery or is just overburdened. And then we pile on more environmental toxins and synthetic estrogen. With the liver working so hard, it can’t do things like manage blood sugar, or mitigate hormones, or decrease inflammation. So more symptoms pop up, which we treat with more medications that the liver has to detox and metabolize, and we wonder why there is a health crisis.
I also want to add that like everything in the body is connected, everything in the cycle is connected too. So if the body is burnt out, under nourished and not cared for in the follicular phase, it will show up in the luteal phase.
The follicular phase, or inner spring, can be a really rich time, if we let it be. When we think of spring in the cycles of the earth, we think of planting, growing, maybe you think of mating season (this was a joke when I went to college. Spring would come and all of a sudden everyone was coupling up). When thinking of planting a garden, like I am right now, I think of things like soil conditions, fertilizer, picking weeds. The actions I do now matter for the crop I want later. The follicular phase is like that. Society seems to give off this message that it’s business as usual as soon as the bleeding phase of your cycle ends, but that isn’t true. Remember the cycle, not event, and this idea that the body is an ecosystem. What we do now matters.
So what do we do? Especially if you’re on tacrolimus, our famous transplant anti-rejection drug, which actually hinders the metabolization of estrogen, the key is watching what you’re bringing in, and moving out. We can support our body’s natural detox pathways by doing things like moving our bodes, getting enough sleep, eating well (I’m coming to the realization that a lot of nutrition isn’t about how much you eat necessarily but eating the right things. A big Mac isn’t going to nourish my body like fruit will. Also, especially now in diet culture and the glorification of skinny, so many people are under nourished. What does the body do when it’s undernourished? It doesn’t metabolize properly, hormone production isn’t optimal, symptoms arise and the body actualyl holds on to fat).
Another step is eliminating those hormone disruptors and xenoestrogens. Those are found in parabens, fragrences, pesticides, plastics, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. I’ll give you a hint where these are: makeup, skincare, shampoo, so much food, storage containers, household cleaners…
So are we doomed? Cause that seems pretty daunting. The answer is no, there are definitely things we can do. Swap your chemical cleaners for non-toxic ones (I use the thieves household cleaner from Young Living and good old vinegar and baking soda in our house), choose glass storage options over plastic, ditch the makeup and opt for cleaner brands (some of my favourites when I do wear makeup are BeautyCounter and Savvy Minerals), note polyunsaturated fatty acids (or PUFAS) in your food and personal care products (if it’s canola oil, vegetable oil or a seed oil, it’s a PUFA) and use things like coconut oil, ghee or tallow instead.
Even the little things we do add up. And liver metabolization isn’t just important for those with transplants or liver disease. My transplant woke me up, and made me more sensitive to these things, but they matter for everyone.
