Cycle Syncing: Does it Still Resonate?
I was one of its earliest champions. What does it mean to me, and our culture, in 2024?
Eight years ago, a PCOS diagnosis, mysterious health issues, and a right time/right place scenario led me to cycle syncing—a concept I discovered through a recommended book on natural hormone balancing.
My period was irregular,
I’d gained some weight,
and I was incredibly fatigued.
One of my many posts on cycle syncing in my LFA days:
Cycle syncing felt like a magic solution to all my problems. The book said that all my problems were—gasp— HORMONAL—(a concept new to me!) and that we, as women, were grossly uneducated on just how important a role hormones play in our health. (Eight years ago it was hormones. Now, we’re all obsessing over sleep. I smell something fishy…and it’s not tinned fish.)
I discovered this female-forward approach to life around the time of the January 2017 Women’s March and the rise of fourth-wave feminism, which emerged as a direct response to the political landscape shaped by the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Cycle syncing is a way of living that aligns your lifestyle—diet, exercise, and habits—with the natural phases of your menstrual cycle. The book said I was the one who could control my health—while the cries at our political rallies all mirrored the same plea — keep your hands off my ovaries. Don’t trust men.
Cycle syncing was only about three years old when I began singing its praises. Instantly, I latched onto cycle syncing’s languid philosophy and shared it with my followers.
I was endlessly intrigued by its teachings as it resonated with what I’d already felt in my bones— that mainstream health fads were working against me because they were designed with men in mind (think bulletproof coffee, intermittent fasting, high-protein diets).
I was looking for a new way to live, and cycle syncing came into my life at *just* the right time.
The principle teachings of cycle syncing:
We live in a fast-paced, masculine-driven world that thrives on high-stress work, intense exercise, and packed schedules. This keeps cortisol levels elevated, disrupting our hormones, bodies, and overall well-being—leading to anxiety, depression, weight gain, poor sleep, and more (cue every woman’s worst fears).
Women have unique biological needs, and honoring our natural rhythms is essential. The go-go-go mentality of a masculine-driven world throws us off balance, leading us to rapid aging, weight gain, you know the drill.
If I followed it, I’d never get into a food rut since I’d always be switching up my meats, vegetables, and fats.
I’d also get stronger and more toned since I’d always be balancing out my workouts.
I’d have the perfect period and the PERFECT egg drop each month. My hormones would look SO hot!
Cycle syncing even said if I did it perfectly, my skin would glow. I’d never get a pimple. (And if I did, it was my fault.)
There are even specific seeds, teas, herbs, and cacao percentages in chocolates tailored to support your hormones throughout each phase of the cycle.
Advocates even suggest aligning your social calendar with your cycle—like scheduling dates during ovulation when your body releases calming pheromones [source] and your appearance is naturally more attractive to potential mates [source]. Yes, our faces subtly change throughout the cycle, enhancing our appeal during fertile phases (wild.)
Gen-Z has rebranded cycle syncing on TikTok, but it’s just a 2024 version of the same advice, like creating content during your energetic ovulatory phase and limiting social media use during menstruation.
Keep in mind that some Indigenous and Native American tribes used moon lodges during menstruation—sacred spaces where women could sit, reflect, and reconnect with their intuition. Is staying off social media during our bleed the 2024 version of moon lodging? It really makes you think.