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Wondering why you’re experiencing luteal phase symptoms? And if your symptoms are normal?
Most symptoms in this phase (like bloating and mood swings) are caused by your rising progesterone levels.
But here’s the tricky plot twist: progesterone rises after ovulation irrespective of whether fertilization has occurred. This is why it can be hard to tell if your premenstrual symptoms (PMS) are a sign of early pregnancy or not.
Keep reading though and you’ll get a much better understanding of what’s really going on in the luteal phase and what symptoms you can expect.
Takeaways
- The luteal phase is the last phase of your menstrual cycle (coming after your ovulation).
- During the luteal phase, your progesterone levels rise to help your uterus support a potential pregnancy.
- Rising progesterone levels can lead to many symptoms. Some of these include: 1) bloating 2) constipation 3) breast tenderness 4) increased urination 5) moodiness.
- Many luteal phase symptoms are similar to early pregnancy symptoms. So if you think you’re pregnant, don’t rely on symptoms alone. Take a pregnancy test instead.
- If your luteal phase symptoms are uncomfortable, you can manage them. Try sleeping more, managing your stress, eating well, and relaxing when possible.
- Having a short luteal phase (less than 11 days), a long luteal phase (16 days more more), or a luteal phase defect can make pregnancy more challenging.
What is luteal phase?
Before we dig deep into all the symptoms, let’s quickly go over what the luteal phase is.
There are four phases in your menstrual cycle: menstrual phase, follicular phase, ovulatory phase, and luteal phase. As you can see from this sequencing, the luteal phase happens after ovulation and before your next period.
Here’s everything that happens during the luteal phase:
- The follicle that released the mature egg during ovulation turns into a structure called the corpus luteum.
- The corpus luteum begins secreting progesterone. This causes your overall
- progesterone levels to climb.
Progesterone keeps rising to help bulk up your uterine lining, aka the endometrium. (This is to support implantation.)
From this point, there are two major outcomes: pregnant or not pregnant.
Here’s what will unfold in the luteal phase if you do become pregnant:
- Implantation will occur most commonly between 8-10 days past ovulation (DPO).
- Your progesterone levels keep climbing (aka you can expect more pesky hormonal symptoms)
- Your body begins producing the pregnancy hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).
Know more: How Long After Implantation Does hCG Rise?
Here’s what will unfold in the luteal phase if you don’t become pregnant:
- The corpus luteum dissolves, starting around 9 DPO – 11 DPO (days past ovulation).
- With the corpus luteum dying out, your progesterone levels will begin to die down.
- Your body prepares to shed your bulked-up uterine lining. (This is what comes out when you bleed during your menstrual period).
Clearly, there’s quite a bit that goes on during this phase of your menstrual cycle. So it’s only natural for you to wonder how long to expect this all to take. More answers on this next!
How long is the luteal phase?
Luteal phase length can vary slightly from woman to woman. But in general, a “normal” luteal phase is about 12 – 14 days long.
If this phase lasts 9 days or fewer, it’s considered a short luteal phase. A short luteal phase can pose additional challenges if you’re trying to conceive. This is due to your body not having enough time to properly prepare for and support a pregnancy.
A long luteal phase may be considered one that lasts 16 days or longer. In some cases, having a long luteal phase may not cause any issues.
But like a short luteal phase, a long luteal phase could be a sign of a hormonal imbalance like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). It could also affect how long it takes you to conceive. So if you’ve been experiencing fertility challenges, it doesn’t hurt to check in with a doctor about your concerns.
Know more: How to Lengthen the Luteal Phase? Fertility’s Game-Changer!
Regardless of your luteal phase length, you’re likely to experience a range of PMS symptoms. Move along to the next section to get a glimpse at what these symptoms are!
Common symptoms in your luteal phase
How you feel at different stages of your menstrual cycle depends a lot on your hormone levels. And remember, most symptoms of luteal phase can be traced back to rising progesterone.
Curious to know exactly how your hormones cause so much craziness during this time in your menstrual cycle? Take a look at the table below!
Symptom | Why it happens |
Increased tiredness or fatigue | Once metabolized, the hormone progesterone turns into a neurosteroid called allopregnanolone. Allopregnanolone has been proven to have a sedative effect. Hence why you may feel extra fatigued or drowsy when progesterone increases. |
Bloating and/or constipation | Increased progesterone can lead to a slow-down in your GI tract. When food moves more slowly through your intestines, it can make you feel gassy and constipated. Progesterone is also linked to water retention, a culprit for bloating. |
Cramps and/or abdominal discomfort | All that constipation and bloating can cause you to feel general abdominal discomfort. To top it off, in the late luteal phase, your body produces an increased amount of prostaglandins. This hormone-like substance can lead to increased uterine contractions which is why you may experience mild or painful cramps. |
Mood swings | Allopregnanolone, a metabolized form of progesterone, plays a role in your emotional processing. This is a likely cause for your luteal phase emotions being all over the place. |
Breast pain or breast tenderness | Tender or sore breasts after ovulation is normal. This is from high progesterone levels causing extra blood flow to your breasts. |
Frequent urination | Higher amounts of progesterone lead to more frequent bladder contractions. This is why you may feel the need to pee more often. |
Backache | Increased levels of progesterone make your ligaments become more lax. This relaxing of the ligaments can feel uncomfortable or even painful. |
Changes in vaginal discharge | During the luteal phase, you usually have less vaginal discharge. Due to your decreasing estrogen levels, it’s also likely to be more sticky or clumpy in texture. Know more: Luteal Phase Discharge |
Scratching your head thinking: some of these symptoms sound like early pregnancy signs? That’s because many PMS symptoms do overlap with symptoms of early pregnancy.
So how’s a gal supposed to decipher luteal phase symptoms when pregnant vs. luteal phase symptoms when not pregnant? We’ll talk more about the subtle differences in symptoms next.
Luteal phase symptoms: pregnant vs. not pregnant
Pregnant or not, the symptoms in the table above are possible during your luteal phase.
That said, if you are pregnant, your hCG levels will also begin to rise. Throwing this extra hormone into the mix can cause some additional symptoms.
Here are some potential pregnancy signs to look out for in addition to luteal phase symptoms:
Implantation bleeding
This is light pink or brownish bleeding that lasts 1 – 2 days. Most pregnancies don’t have implantation bleeding, but for the ones that do, it happens within 6-12 DPO.
Implantation cramps
This feels like a dull to mild aching that lasts several days. You would feel it around the time of implantation (again, around 6 – 12 DPO).
Food cravings/aversions and heightened sense of smell
Researchers haven’t quite concluded exactly why pregnant women experience these changes in taste and smell. But it could have to do with cognitive changes in the brain during pregnancy.
Darker areola
The areola is the circular area around your nipple. Higher progesterone and estrogen levels in early pregnancy can lead to darker areolas.
Increased vaginal discharge
When you’re pregnant, you may notice that you have more vaginal discharge than normal. This is caused by your rising estrogen levels.
A word of caution –
While the above symptoms can be seen in early pregnancy, they don’t confirm pregnancy. At the same time, not having the above symptoms doesn’t mean that you’re not pregnant.
It’s good to be aware of subtle changes in your menstrual cycle. But a pregnancy test is the only way to officially confirm a pregnancy.
Symptoms or no symptoms, here are some tips for pregnancy testing:
- Wait to test for pregnancy until at least the day of your missed period. (This is usually 14 DPO or a few days later.)
- Most home pregnancy tests will register a positive result for hCG levels greater than 20 mIU/mL. (This means if you test too soon, your hCG levels may be too low. This would cause you to get a negative result even if you are pregnant.)
- If you get a negative pregnancy test even after your missed period, until one more week. Then test again.
Know more: How Long After Ovulation Can You Test for Pregnancy?
Pregnancy aside, if your luteal phase symptoms are causing you extra discomfort, don’t despair. There are some ways you can cope with these pesky symptoms.
How to manage luteal phase symptoms?
You may not be able to totally eliminate your luteal phase symptoms.
But here are some relatively simple things you can try to get at least a little relief:
- Make small changes to your diet. Eating lean proteins and whole carbohydrates can help with regulating your hormone levels. Here are the best foods to eat during your luteal phase!
- Engage in gentle exercise and stretching. Stretching and moving your body can improve your blood flow and reduce some of your luteal phase pain.
- Try relaxation techniques. Try deep breathing, a warm bath, or mindfulness exercises to lessen your discomfort.
- Get enough sleep and manage stress levels. Getting adequate sleep and reducing stress are vital to avoiding hormonal imbalances. When possible, it’s a good idea to avoid scheduling stressful appointments or events during this time in your cycle.
Of course, if you’re not able to find relief during your luteal phase, talk to your doctor. They can offer additional suggestions based on your unique medical history.
And just so you know! One factor that could worsen luteal phase symptoms is having a luteal phase defect. Keep reading to learn more about what a luteal phase deficiency is.
What is a luteal phase defect?
The name sounds a bit ominous. But really, a luteal phase deficiency simply means that your body has challenges with either making progesterone or properly reacting to progesterone.
A luteal phase defect may pose extra struggles if you’re trying to get pregnant. This is because the lack of progesterone doesn’t support your uterus for pregnancy the way it needs to.
There are a variety of conditions that can cause luteal phase defects. So if you have concerns, take a look at the article linked below. And know that you’re not alone!
Know more: Your Guide to Luteal Phase Defects
How to track your luteal phase?
Knowing the patterns of your unique cycle can be helpful when it comes to TTC and staying on top of your overall health.
A great way to do this is to take note of your symptoms and track your cycle length. A fertility app like Inito allows you to do exactly this.
And if you want an even more complete picture of your cycle, the Inito fertility monitor can help. Inito’s monitor gives you precise numerical values of your fertility hormones (LH, estrogen, PdG and FSH) all on one test strip to track and confirm ovulation.
And since Inito can confirm if you ovulated, you’ll also get accurate data on your luteal phase length. No more guestimating and worrying about having a short luteal phase. You’ll know for sure.
FAQs
Your luteal phase, the last phase of the menstrual cycle, begins after you ovulate. The luteal phase lasts until your next menstrual period begins.
Your progesterone levels are still a bit higher at the start of your period. And increased progesterone can cause your digestion to slow down. When food is moving more slowly through your digestive tract, it can lead to gassiness.
The best way to increase how long your luteal phase lasts is to make changes to your diet. Here’s a good place to start – Consume adequate healthy fats, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, and antioxidants. Take a look here for specific suggestions on what to eat during your luteal phase.
Know more: How to Lengthen the Luteal Phase? Fertility’s Game-Changer!
Usually, ovulation nausea will only last for a few hours up to a few days. So while it’s no fun to feel nauseous, have hope in knowing it will soon be over.
Know more: Is Nausea During Ovulation Normal?
Bloating during ovulation and bloating after ovulation are pretty common. During ovulation, you may feel bloated due to hormonal shifts and the rupturing of the ovarian follicle. After ovulation, your progesterone levels rise. This increase in progesterone slows down digestion and makes you retain more water. Both of these can lead to feeling bloated.
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- The Normal Menstrual Cycle and the Control of Ovulation
- Progesterone – Friend or foe? – ScienceDirect
- HCG (Urine) – Health Encyclopedia – University of Rochester Medical Center
- Pregnancy | FDA
- Olfaction in pregnancy: systematic review and meta-analysis – PubMed
- A prospective evaluation of luteal phase length and natural fertility – PubMed
