Cycle hub
Your cycle: phases, symptoms, weight and training
Your menstrual cycle affects more than your period. Across the month it can shift your weight by a kilo or two of water, your appetite, your sleep and how training feels. These guides explain what is normal in each phase, what the research actually shows, and when to talk to your GP.
Key facts
A normal cycle is 21 to 35 days. It has four phases: your period, the follicular phase, ovulation and the luteal phase. Weight often rises temporarily before and at the start of a period because of water, not fat, and research does not support strict "cycle syncing" rules for training: how you feel on the day is a better guide.
Start here
New to tracking your cycle? Read these in order: the phases first, then what they do to the scale, then how to train around them.
Menstrual cycle phases
The four phases day by day, luteal phase symptoms, and why weight and energy shift across the month.
Period weight gain
Why the scale jumps before your period, how much is normal, and when period weight goes away.
Cycle syncing
What cycle syncing claims, what the studies show, and a simpler "train by how you feel" approach.
PCOS diet plan
No single best PCOS diet: what the evidence supports, a sample 7-day plan and what helps with PCOS weight loss.
Best period tracker app
What to look for in a period tracker: privacy, predictions, contraception, symptom logging, export and cost.
Data: the period symptoms women log most
What more than 500 Turtle members chose to log, from cramps to cravings.
Data: training across the cycle
Workout days and logged food, phase by phase, compared with each woman's own average.
Your cycle in one table
| Period and follicular | Luteal (after ovulation) | |
|---|---|---|
| Hormones | Oestrogen rises after your period | Progesterone rises, then both fall before your period |
| Scale weight | Often drops as water goes | Often rises by up to a kilo or two of water |
| Appetite | Often steadier | Often hungrier, more cravings |
| Training | Train as normal | Train as normal; adjust to how you feel |
Patterns vary a lot between women and from cycle to cycle. Logging your own cycle is the only way to know yours.
Turtle members' own logs show the same thing: in our data, women kept training through every phase, and logged calories barely moved. See does training really change across the cycle? and the period symptoms women log most.
Know your own pattern
See your cycle and your weight side by side
Log your period in Turtle and see how your weight moves across your own cycle, so a luteal-phase jump stops being scary.
4.6★ on the App Store · 100,000+ members · Free to download
When to see your GP
See your GP if your periods are very heavy or painful, you bleed between periods or after sex, your periods stop or become very irregular, or premenstrual symptoms affect your daily life. If you are in your 40s and your cycle is changing, read our perimenopause and menopause guides.
What the research says
Each study below was checked against its PubMed record, or read at source for NHS, NICE and government pages, on 7 October 2026.
The NHS says cycles commonly range from 21 to 35 days, and a period lasts 2 to 7 days, usually about 5.
NHS. Periods. NHS website. Accessed 7 October 2026. www.nhs.uk/conditions/periods/
In 612,613 tracked cycles, the luteal phase averaged 12.4 days and the follicular phase 16.9 days, with the follicular phase varying more.
Bull JR, Rowland SP, Scherwitzl EB, et al. (2019). Real-world menstrual cycle characteristics of more than 600,000 menstrual cycles. NPJ digital medicine. 2:83 doi.org/10.1038/s41746-019-0152-7
A meta-analysis of 78 studies found only a trivial dip in exercise performance during the early follicular phase, and recommended a personal approach.
McNulty KL, Elliott-Sale KJ, Dolan E, et al. (2020). The Effects of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Exercise Performance in Eumenorrheic Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.). 50(10):1813-1827 doi.org/10.1007/s40279-020-01319-3
Questions women ask
How long is a normal menstrual cycle?
Anywhere from 21 to 35 days is common, according to the NHS, with a period lasting 2 to 7 days.
What phase of my cycle am I in?
Count from the first day of your last period (day 1). Your period and follicular phase come first; ovulation is usually 12 to 14 days before your next period; the luteal phase is the stretch before your next period. A tracker makes this easier.
Why does my weight go up before my period?
Mostly water. Hormone changes in the second half of the cycle affect how your body holds fluid, and it usually comes off once your period starts.
Should I change my workouts with my cycle?
You don't have to. Research finds only small, inconsistent differences between phases, so let how you feel on the day guide you.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. It isn't tailored to you and doesn't replace advice from your GP or another qualified professional. If something's worrying you, speak to your GP. LeanShield™ is a trademark of ParrotPal Ltd: it rates the habits linked to protecting muscle, is not a medical device and doesn't measure muscle.