29 Jun Can you guess which week of their cycle your girlfriends are in?
I got an email the other day from a Hormonology fan who was excited to discover that based on what’s she’s learned about hormones and their many effects from my blog posts and the Hormone Horoscope App she can usually tell which week her girlfriends are on in their cycle–much to their surprise.
This reminded of another great use for Hormonology besides making every day of your cycle better: You can also use it to figure out where other women are in their cycles.
Why’s that important? It can help you forge a closer bond with a friend since you’ll be able to understand why she’s being chatty, quiet, impulsive, cautious, generous, stingy or behaving in other hormone-affected ways. And then you won’t have to take whatever she’s doing that you may not like personally, for instance, when she’s too scattered in her Week 2 to focus on a heartfelt sentimental story you’re trying to share with her or when she doesn’t talk for long stretches at a time because she’s in her quiet-zone Week 3.
Plus, it can also help you get things you want, for instance, you can wait to ask a female supervisor for a raise or a sister for a favor till they’re in their Week 2 since that’s when women are more likely to say “yes” to requests.
Are you ready to figure out where other women are currently in their cycles? Here are the clues to look for:
Week 1 clues
Day 1 (first day of period) to Day 7
If your pal complains about having her period, that’s of course an obvious tip-off that she’s in her Week 1. But, if that topic doesn’t come up or her period is over, here are other clues to look for: At the start of your girlfriend’s Week 1, her voice can be gruff, hoarse and/or deep due to fluid retention affecting the vocal cords. As her Week 1 goes on, her voice becomes higher and clearer. A Week 1 gal usually has a bit less energy at the start of her week and gradually gains steam as her Week 1 goes on. Along with that energy rise comes a lift in optimism and mood and a desire to connect socially. You may notice she’s “liking” more Facebook posts, posting more photos and texting you more frequently. At the start of her Week 1, she may feel like being a homebody, but as the days go on, she’ll be tired of being cooped up and start thinking of excuses to get out of the house or office–even if it’s just to run errands. Her desire for romance rises, too, so you may notice she’s talking more about crushes or planning special dates with her current squeeze. She’s likely more patient and forgiving and prone to looking for the silver lining in problems or people. When shopping, she may opt for small, silly purchases, like sparkly nail polish, ranch-flavored snap pea snacks or anything placed remotely close to a cash register.
Week 2 clues
Day 8 to ovulation (which is Day 14 in a 28-day cycle)
During her Week 2, your girlfriend will be more energetic, impulsive, optimistic and daring. She’ll be dreaming up big ideas, making more jokes and trying to drag you all over town to have fun and flirt up a storm with her. She’ll also be wearing more jewelry, makeup and colorful clothes that showcase her figure and she may do something different with her hair. Her confidence will be soaring so she may be standing taller, gesturing more and taking up more physical space. She’ll also likely be smiling more frequently and showing more teeth as she grins. And when she talks, she’ll be spitting out words in a more rapid-fire pace and using more high notes. She’s more prone to upbeat moods, though can turn on someone in an instant (say, a driver who suddenly cuts her off in traffic), but then return to a buoyant mood just as quickly. It’s easy to spur her enthusiasm for new ideas, products, foods, trips and virtually anything else. She’s also more likely to splurge on high-ticket items–like designer duds or a new computer–without worrying (too much at least) how she’ll cover the cost. And, because she’s so open-minded right now and less apt to focus on the negative, she’s far more likely to say “yes” to requests and proposals.
Week 3 clues
Begins day after ovulation and lasts 8 days (which is Day 15 to Day 22 in a 28-day cycle)
Remember all those clues I gave you for Week 2? You can pretty much expect the opposite during your girlfriend’s Week 3. She’ll be tired, slower, cautious and quiet. She’ll likely be opting for familiar and higher-calorie comfort foods–like pasta, cake and chips–over eating anything healthy or new. She may be wearing baggier clothes, more muted colors, less makeup and jewelry and putting less time into her hair than she did in her Week 2. Her smiles are less frequent and when she does grin, it’ll likely be smaller and show fewer teeth. In fact, she’s showing less emotion on her face, in general. When she speaks, you’ll notice she’s tripping over her tongue, may blank-out on what she wanted to say and is speaking in a more monotone way. Since her confidence is dipping a bit, she may be hunching more, taking up less space when she sits or stands and volunteering her opinion less frequently. She can take a far longer time to deliberate about decisions (especially ones to do with spending money) and end up weighing the pros and cons over and over. There’s a good chance she’ll get excited when the topic of food or products that make her living area or work area prettier or more comfortable come up. However, besides these topics, it can be difficult to get her to muster visible enthusiasm about new ideas, projects, people, TV shows, activities or anything else.
Week 4 clues
Final 6 days of your cycle
While lots of folks think they can tell a woman is in her premenstrual Week 4 in an instant because she’ll be breathing fire and angrily swinging a mace in every direction, truth is, not every woman gets premenstrual irritability and for those who do, it’s typically not a constant. So, beside sudden changes in moods, impatience and flashes of anger, there are a few other ways you can tell a woman is in her premenstrual week: She’ll likely be a bit pessimistic, cynical and critical of people, activities, events or ideas. Her humor will be a bit more on the caustic side. She may not put a lot of time into her appearance, preferring clothes and hair that are comfortable, practical and quick to put together. You may notice she’s a tad forgetful, for instance, she may misplace her keys or purse, or she can’t remember the name of a person she’s known for years. Decisions are more difficult to make, so she may ponder which meal to order or product to buy for a long time. Because she’s more prone to anxiety, the blues and a negative mindset, she may worry (sometimes out of proportion for the situation) about bills, school, work, her relationship or other issues in her life or expect an event that’s in the future (like a blind date) to end miserably. And when she gets ticked off, it’s harder for her to let go of the grudge and move on. You may find she’s also more physically uncomfortable–cold one minute, hot the next or she makes you move to a different table at a restaurant because the seats are too hard. When shopping, you may notice she’s putting lots (and lots!) of comfort items in her basket, like candy, a DVD of a favorite movie or bath oil.
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