What is the Menstrual Health Timeline?

The Menstrual Health Timeline is a sequence of events linked to DNA and time. Menstrual Health orchestrated by the ovaries and the brain.

When someone is born with ovaries and a uterus they will take their first step on the menstrual health timeline when their ovaries switch on, which we know to be around the age of 8. From this point, the estimated time frame of ovarian activity is 40 years, before the ovaries switch off again.

The Menstrual Health Timeline v Reproductive aging

From the point of ovaries switching on, to switching off, is medically defined as reproductive aging.  I don’t like that term because it places the role of the ovaries and uterus exclusively in the reproductive system category. What if you don’t want to reproduce or find yourself unable to, does that mean they have no importance? I have chosen to use the term the menstrual health timeline to reflect a journey that links, menstrual health and ovarian aging, to overall health and well-being.

What happens next?

• There are 100s of hormones. We know a lot about the actions of many but you will hear mostly about the top 20. There are 3 main hormones at the top of the list, particularly when we are talking about menstrual and menopause health.
• These 3 very important hormones, referred to as sex hormones, are made in all humans.
• They have a vital role in all 11 systems of the body.
• There are 11 different functional networks in all humans. They work together to keep us alive. One of the key parts keeping them operating well is the method of communication between them – hormones.
• Hormones have no gender. No hormone is exclusive to one gender over another. It’s a huge misconception, and even today our children are taught the wrong kind of language about hormone health.

Do Sex hormones need a re-brand?

Calling the top 3 (oestrogen, testosterone & progesterone) sex hormones is a very old nomenclature based on the fact that they are part of the development of secondary sexual characteristics in humans. Technically, progesterone doesn’t really qualify but gets grouped into it by default because of menstruation and pregnancy.

There are only 2 pages in a school textbook about these hormones and they are placed on gender pegs, which creates a smoke screen around hormone health moving forward. Scientists have known for decades that sex hormones play a role in all 11 systems of the body. Since I discovered this I have never understood why it is not in textbooks at school or university education. Speaking as someone who taught the A Level Biology curriculum, who now knows about this massive hole in our education system, I just don’t understand why there has been no upgrade in what we teach.

I will explain more about The Menstrual Health Timeline in future blogs, but for now, here is an illustration of what it looks like.