Cycle health
How the menstrual cycle works, what is normal, and when patterns warrant attention.
cycle health
Your Cycle Is a Vital Sign: What Length, Variability & Flow Tell a Clinician
ACOG calls the menstrual cycle a vital sign. Here's how to read your own cycle data the way a clinician would — what counts as normal, what to flag, and what to bring to your next appointment.
Apr 18, 2026 · medically reviewed
cycle health
Hypothalamic Amenorrhea: Why Your Period Disappeared
Hypothalamic amenorrhea causes missing periods through energy deficit, over-exercise, or stress. Learn how it differs from PCOS, how recovery works, and what it means for fertility.
Apr 2, 2026 · medically reviewed
cycle health
Postpartum Period Return: When Cycles Come Back After Birth
When your period returns after birth, how breastfeeding delays it, the LAM method's actual effectiveness, and when to be concerned about postpartum bleeding patterns.
Mar 17, 2026 · medically reviewed
cycle health
Perimenopause Cycle Changes: STRAW+10 Staging in Plain English
What happens to your cycle from age 35 onward, the STRAW+10 staging system, hormonal changes in perimenopause, and when irregular is normal vs concerning.
Mar 8, 2026 · medically reviewed
cycle health
Stress and Missed Periods: When It Is Actually Stress
Stress can delay or cancel ovulation through HPA axis suppression of GnRH. Here is when stress explains a missed period and when something else is going on.
Feb 19, 2026 · medically reviewed
cycle health
Thyroid and Menstrual Cycles: When and How to Test
Hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism both shift menstrual cycles. Here is how each one changes your pattern, when to ask for a TSH, and what the labs mean.
Feb 14, 2026 · medically reviewed
cycle health
Endometriosis and Your Cycle: What Patterns to Notice Early
Heavy painful periods are not normal. Endometriosis takes 7 to 10 years to diagnose on average. Here are the cycle patterns and red flags that should prompt earlier evaluation.
Feb 9, 2026 · medically reviewed
cycle health
Secondary Amenorrhea: Why Your Periods Stopped and What to Investigate
Workup for periods that stopped after being normal: pregnancy first, then PCOS, hypothalamic, thyroid, prolactin, and POI. When to refer.
Jan 27, 2026 · medically reviewed
cycle health
Heavy Menstrual Bleeding: When It Is HMB and What to Do
Defining heavy menstrual bleeding with PBAC and product soak-through, iron-deficiency screening, and the evidence-based evaluation pathway.
Jan 25, 2026 · medically reviewed