How much do you know about menstrual cycles? About half of us are more informed than the other half. The menstrual cycle has great significance, affecting various aspects of health. And more than 90% of people who get their periods experience premenstrual symptoms. However, misconceptions and limited understandings abound, leaving many people in the dark. In today’s episode, we’re joined by Hazel Wallace. She’s a medical doctor, nutritionist, and author of The Female Factor. She’s here to give us an education about the menstrual cycle.  Dr. Hazel Wallace describes how the cycle affects almost every aspect of the body, from heart health and sleep to metabolism. She also explains whether there’s scientific evidence behind “cycle syncing.” Whether or not you’ve had a menstrual cycle, you’ll learn a lot from this episode.  If you want to uncover the right foods for your body, head to joinZOE.com/podcast, and get 10% off your personalized nutrition program. Timecodes: 00:00 Introduction 00:36 Quick fire questions 03:49 What is the menstrual cycle? 05:42 What is the luteal phase? 06:54 When does the menstrual cycle begin? 07:43 How regular are menstrual cycles - Do they change over time? 08:29 What is actually happening during the menstrual cycle? 09:41 What role does oestrogen have in hormonal changes? 10:48 How does the menstrual cycle affect performance in athletes 12:05 How does the menstrual cycle affect women? 16:30 Are cravings real? Why do they happen? 18:21 What is PMS and what do people experience? 20:11 Is there much research behind PMS? 21:40 What is PMDD? 23:16 How do you identify PMDD? 26:17 What is cycle syncing? 27:43 What role does nutrition have in reducing symptoms during the cycle 30:22 Can regular exercise improve symptoms? 33:52 How is sleep impacted by the menstrual cycle? 37:41 How does this impact our immune system? 38:56 Why is there such little research into this area? 41:13 How has the exclusion of women in research impacted us? 44:14 Menstrual cycle tracking - what is it and how can you do it? 46:31 How can tracking help? 47:26 What diet can help symptoms? 49:31 How does the menstrual cycle affect the microbiome? 52:07 How can intermittent fasting affect the menstrual cycle? 54:59 Summary 58:00 Goodbyes 58:11 Outro Mentioned in today’s episode: The Effects of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Exercise Performance in Eumenorrheic Women https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32661839/ Hazel’s book is available to buy here Follow Hazel: https://twitter.com/Thefoodmedic Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ Episode transcripts are available here. Is there a nutrition topic you’d like us to cover? Get in touch and we’ll do our best to cover it.