Missing the forest through the trees:

Why ovulation matters

Michal Schonbrun, MPH

April 2025

While Fertility and Cycle Awareness is an amazing tool for connecting to one’s body and identifying a fertile window, it is so much more than just a tool for planning or avoiding pregnancy. Our menstrual cycle is actually a window into understanding our overall and long-term health.

There are times when our menstrual cycle and hormones are temporarily thrown off kilter, for example, during travel abroad, illness and taking medications, trauma/war/grief or periods of stress, transitions during breastfeeding, coming off hormonal birth control, and even lack of sleep. These are normal, episodic disruptions.

There are other times, in today’s reality, where women’s cycles are being permanently thrown off kilter, for a variety of reasons. These are abnormal and potentially harmful disruptions.

Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) educators are the first to notice that fewer women seem to be ovulating on a regular basis. Ovulation is not viewed as a health priority or value among most women and the physicians who treat them. Somehow, our entire culture has the impression that ovulation only matters when a woman tries to conceive and is unsuccessful.

Millions of females take synthetic, hormonal birth control (HBC) (often for decades) for reasons other than contraception. HBC is the easiest thing to prescribe, especially when conventional medicine lacks the tools for addressing the roots of these problems and when Big Pharma reaps huge profits. While HBC can alleviate the symptoms of a problem (pain, irregular cycles and bleeding), it suppresses ovulation, causes a fake period (or no period if one uses consecutive pills), yet doesn’t fix the root cause; it only masks and hides it. Why is this the accepted approach? When women go off HBC in pursuit of a natural cycle and a natural method (for avoiding pregnancy or conceiving),” they end up discovering that their cycles are wacky once again, leading to frustration and disappointment.

Medical mindset and a dismal reality

Most women and their health care providers see the trees but miss the forest. They believe that cycle length and regularity are the core yardsticks for “normal” and “healthy.” This is incorrect. Ovulation is the main event of the cycle and regular ovulation is the yardstick for normal and healthy. Ovulation is the key event for how our bodies thrive. And just because there’s a bleed doesn’t mean that ovulation occurred. A woman who charts her fertility signs can know if or when she ovulates.

Our cycles mirror more than just our fertility status. Our hormones and cycle patterns are related to our overall health; they are symptoms and signals of broader health issues. It is no coincidence that estrogen receptors are found in nearly all cells and tissues in our bodies! Our cycles and fertility charts can serve as an early warning system. When these symptoms (like irregularity, pain, prolonged bleeding, no period, etc) become patterns, (not a one-off event), the body is begging for attention. This may sound like a strange idea, in light of the fact that the medical default to “shut the whole system down” has become the preferred way to “treat” cycle and hormone issues.

Hormonal Intelligence

Regular ovulation is what enables our bodies to produce vital hormones and communicate with every organ, gland, tissue and cell in our bodies! Ovulation is not just for having babies! Ovulation is vital for health because it:

Impacts our mood, memory, cognition and brain health
Supports metabolic function
Supports bone health
Supports thyroid health
Supports heart health
Supports sleep
Increases our longevity!

The Body Speaks Truth

When a fertility chart shows annovulation or irregular ovulation- it is a sign of imbalance and should be seen as a “red light.” It can be evidenced by:

Short (less than 23-24 days) and long cycles (more than 34-35 days)
Missed periods, heavy or light bleeding, painful periods, prolonged or unexpected staining and bleeding
Low basal body temperature (near and below 36.00 throughout most of the cycle)
Short luteal phases (under 10 days between ovulation and next period)
Absence of fertile-quality secretions and a “window of fertility”
Lack of sync between secretion and temperature changes
Long follicular phases

The Consequences of Annovulation and Hormonal Imbalance

If someone experiences irregular cycles- know that this is not a sign of optimal health, because this can impact not only your fertility but your chronic disease risks in the future, including your mortality/longevity. Scientific studies have shown that irregular cycles are linked to:

Annovulation and hormonal imbalance can also affect mental health and quality of life:

Mood swings, anxiety, depression, brain fog
Fatigue, sleep issues, low energy
Body image, self-esteem, sexual well-being

The Menstrual Cycle is a Vital Sign

Our fertility charts reveal patterns of irregularity that invite our attention! While some physicians view the menstrual cycle as a “vital sign,” akin to heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature, most females and their doctors narrowly view the cycle through the lense of fertility and reproduction.

While conventional medicine and lab testing are good for diagnosing hormonal imbalances, the responsibility is on us to find strategies to support hormone health. Functional, integrative or holistic physicians, naturopaths and nutritionists have the knowledge, skills and experience for reaching this goal. . Whole foods and maintaining a healthy body weight are the most important hormonal medicine. Other tools include: regular physical exercise, adequate sleep, stress reduction, and nurturing relationships..