As women, many of us have been taught that the symptoms either pre-, during, or post-menstruation are just a normal part of being a WOMAN.

At Madre, we have complete belief that our menstrual cycles aren’t here to cause us pain or discomfort, but rather are blinking lights to things that are going on under the surface and can highlight places in our life we’re living out of alignment with our body.

Remember middle school? You'd think they'd teach us about this fascinating dance of hormones, but nope, not a peep! Well, buckle up for a quick crash course:

• Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH): This hormone is the brain's early bird. It signals your ovaries to wake up and start growing a follicle. Once that follicle has started to sprout, it's like a green light for the next hormone.

• Estradiol: This hormone is produced by those growing follicles. Estradiol sends a message to the brain saying, "Hey, things are getting exciting down here!" Too much estrogen and the brain gets the message loud and clear.

• Luteinizing Hormone (LH): When estrogen hits its peak, a switch flicks on the "LH Surge." Ideal scenario? This hormone sets the stage for the main event - ovulation!

The LH surge from the brain signals your ovary to release the Queen Follicle. It's usually the superstar egg of the cycle. After its grand exit, the egg's "corpus luteum" shell takes over, producing the next hormone, progesterone.

Progesterone: This is the hormone that everyone raves about in the fertility world. But here's the scoop – you can't have progesterone if all the earlier hormonal dominoes didn't play nice! If the egg and its shell are top-notch, they'll keep the progesterone party going for about 12-14+ days (or the first 10 weeks of pregnancy if conception occurs). If not, the shell vanishes, leaving you with a progesterone gap and a thin uterine lining, making embryo implantation difficult.

FACT: There is another round of estrogen production in the luteal phase. This estrogen is a critical cheerleader for a healthy pregnancy. When there is an imbalance with too much estrogen compared to progesterone, it can potentially lead to complications including increased risk of miscarriage, implantation issues, hormonal imbalance symptoms, and other issues.