This 25 year old woman has never given birth and has no history of STIs. Each photo was taken at approximately 10:00 pm every day starting the first day of her menstrual cycle. For the duration of this project, she used condoms as her birth control method so as not to introduce semenal fluid into the photoshoot. She did not use tampons or mooncups during her menstruation either.
This cycle is of normal/average length for her, about 33 days. Her cycle’s follicular phase (variable number of days preovulation) lasts until about day 20 or 21. Her fertile phase lasts from days 13 to 21 with ovulation on day 20. Her luteal (postovulation) phase is 13 days long (12-16 days is the norm and is not variable in a normal cycle).
This is a graph of her basal body temperature for this cycle. As you can see, after ovulation on about day 20, her temperature began to rise due to the heat-inducing hormone progesterone produced by the corpus luteum. This temperature shift signifies that ovulation has already occurred. The coverline would be drawn at 97.4 F. Check out more information about the Fertility Awareness Method of birth control to learn more about cyclical temperature changes.
You may notice on the right side of some photos, some jagged looking skin, which is the remnants of her hymenal ring. Her os (opening in the cervix) is round because she has never given birth; the os becomes more of a slit after childbirth. On the sides of the photos, you can see her vaginal rugae, which are the ridges that make the elastic muscular canal of the vagina able to open/expand dramatically during arousal and childbirth.
She also tracked the depth/movement of her cervix in her vagina. These gradual shifts are not really distinguishable in the photos, but was a tangible change as the depth she needed to reach a finger inside to touch her own cervix varied slightly each day. She also noted the firmness of the cervix and openness of the os – again a change she was feeling with her finger.
Her uterus is tipped backward (retroflexed), so you may notice that the cervix is pointing upwards in some photos. The body of the uterus lies more towards her back than over her bladder as it does in most women. Much scientific literature states that a retroflexed uterus is an anatomical variation that is present in about 20-30% of the population, and sometimes considered a genetic trait. Another perspective is that proper alignment of all the pelvic organs can help tonify a woman’s fertility, ease menstrual cramps, and allow the proper flow of blood, lymph, nerve & chi energy. Attention to posture, Mayan abdominal massage, and addressing underlying inflammation or injuries might help right the uterus into an anteverted position.
Day One
Blood – red , clotty and heavy flow
Cramps – mild
Breasts – de-swelling
Feeling – very sexual and tender
Day Two
Blood – Dark red, medium/light flow
Breasts – normal
Basal body temperature – 97.2 F (and remains between 97 F and 97.4 F until day 20)
Day Three
Blood – Brown and watery dark red, low flow
Day Four
Brown Spotting with some dark red flecks (note fresh blood at os)
Day Five
Light brown discharge; very low flow
Tender, heart-achey
Tired
Day Six
Very light brown discharge
Sticky cervical fluid when touched between fingers
Day Seven
Cervix in low closed position
Cervical fluid sticky
Day Eight
Cervix low and closed/firm
Cervical fluid white and sticky
Day Nine
Cervix low and closed
Dry sensation
Day Ten
Cervix low and closed
Notice blood spot near os and brown clot near cervix (right). This is not mid-cycle spotting as she is not ovulating yet. This woman has been diagnosed with an endometrial polyp that occasionally causes bleeding mid-cycle, usually unrelated to intercourse.
Day Eleven
Cervical fluid is creamy
Day Twelve
Cervical fluid white and wet, milky
Feeling particularly sexual
Day Thirteen
Copious watery cervical fluid
Cervix softening and moving upwards
Day Fourteen
White/clear watery cervical fluid, dripping
Day Fifteen
Cervical fluid changed to more eggwhite texture
Cervix is soft, open and high
Day Sixteen
Cervical fluid alternately wet and eggwhite consistency
Cervix soft and high
Day Seventeen
Cervical fluid is very gelatainous (here seen covering os) and streaked with whitish yellow
Sensitive, sensual breasts (not painfully tender)
Stringy Fluid when stretched between fingers (above)
Day Eighteen
Eggwhite fluid
Day Nineteen
More white-tinged eggwhite fluid
Very stretchy and strong Fluid (above)
Day Twenty
Mild back pain and cramp on left side (mittelschmerz)
Ovulation suspected!
Feeling very sexual
Cervical Fluid gelatinous and egg-white (right)
Os very open
Day Twenty One
Drier/chunkier cervical fluid – drying up pattern
Nipples very tender and painful
Basal Body temperature beginning to rise, today 97.7 F, confirming ovulaiton
Day Twenty-Two
Tender nipples
Cervical position is middle
Day Twenty-Three
Very tender nipples
Dry feeling
Day Twenty-Four
Very tender nipples
Dry feeling
Cervix feels hard and high again
Day Twenty-Five
Headache and tired
Dry/tacky
Day Twenty-Six
Breasts swelling
Tacky cervical fluid
Basal Body temperature now very noticeably higher than preovulation by about 1 degree Farenheit. It is now 98.1 F and ranges from 98.1 F to 98.6 F for the rest of this of cycle
Day Twenty-Seven
Tender nipples, swollen breasts
Tacky cervical fluid
Day Twenty-Eight
Dry feeling
Day Twenty-Nine
Dry feeling
Day Thirty
Dry feeling
Breasts feel heavy
Day Thirty-One
Feeling bloated
Dry fluid (note fresh blood at os, sign of impending menses)
Feeling emotionally tender
Day Thirty-Two
Very light brown spotting
Cervix low and open
Feeling tired
Day Thirty-Three
Pink spotting
Lower back ache
Menses begins tomorrow upon waking, 13 days after ovulation (luteal phase)
Feel free to comment below. Please know that we ‘censor’ the comments, so you needn’t bother saying something mean, derogatory, pornographic, or sexist as posting such comments does not further the vision of this project or the health of the world.