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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Harness Your Hormones and Get Your Cycle Working For You
Period Power by Maisie Hill is a guidebook for understanding, managing, and enjoying periods. It offers insight into the biology and psychology of the menstrual cycle, and practical advice for dealing with symptoms and optimizing your health.
If you want to harness the power of your period, first you need to understand what the heck is going on with your body every month.
Let’s start with the basics. Your uterus, or womb, is the star of your menstrual cycle. It sits inside of you, at the top of your vagina, and looks like an upside down pear with two arms. These arms are your fallopian tubes. At the end of each fallopian tube are your ovaries, which consist of cell clusters, called follicles, that contain your eggs.
At the beginning of your cycle, your brain tells your ovaries to start producing follicle-stimulating hormone, or FSH. FSH helps the follicles select and groom an egg to be fertilized, which is why this first half of your cycle is called the follicular phase. As the egg grows, levels of the hormone estradiol rise. Estradiol is a form of the hormone estrogen that, among other things, causes the inner lining of your uterus to thicken in order to prepare for hosting a baby.
When your egg is “good to go,” it’s released by the follicle. This event is called ovulation, and apart from menstruation, it’s one of the two pivotal moments of your menstrual cycle. If sperm is present in the vagina around ovulation, the egg can be fertilized, and you can become pregnant. Sperm can live in your vagina for about five days, and a released egg lives up to 24 hours; in order to conceive, you’ll have to have sex a few days before, during, or shortly after ovulation.
After the egg is released, the follicle that released it turns into a temporary gland called the corpus luteum, which starts producing the hormone progesterone. Progesterone rules the second half of your cycle, the luteal phase. It’s there to help your body slow down and regroup in case of pregnancy.
If the egg is not fertilized, however, the corpus luteum can only produce progesterone for about 14 days. After that, your levels of progesterone and estradiol dip, and the drop causes the cells of your uterine lining to die and fall off.
This is what comes out of your vagina as your period: a flow of blood and some tissue that typically lasts around three to seven days. As soon as you get your period, your menstrual cycle begins anew. In a textbook cycle, this would happen after 28 days – but a healthy cycle can last anywhere between 25 and 35 days.
Period Power (2019) is your ultimate guide to periods, hormones, and reproductive health. Menstrual health practitioner Maisie Hill explains how your menstrual cycle influences your mood, sleep, and energy and shows how you can harness the power of your hormones to get the most out of each stage of your cycle. Drawing on science and personal experience, Hill equips you with the tools and knowledge to turn your “women’s problems” into period power.
Period Power by Maisie Hill (2019) is a comprehensive guide to understanding and harnessing the power of our menstrual cycles. Here's why this book is worth reading:
[I]ts time to take advantage of what our hormones can do for us.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
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Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Get startedBlink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
What is the main message of Period Power?
Understanding and harnessing the power of our menstrual cycles for a happier and healthier life.
How long does it take to read Period Power?
The reading time for Period Power varies depending on your reading speed, but it typically takes several hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is Period Power a good book? Is it worth reading?
Period Power is a must-read for anyone wanting to explore the wonders of their menstrual cycle. It offers empowering insights and practical tools for optimal well-being.
Who is the author of Period Power?
Maisie Hill is the author of Period Power.