Cycles: The Science of Periods, Why They Matter, and How to Nourish Each Phase

by Amy Hammer, Fátima Bravo (Illustrator)

Reclaim your cycle and support your health with this empowering guide featuring 100+ recipes and practices.

There is no one-size-fits-all guide to your cycle. But family nurse practitioner Amy J. Hammer arms you with a strong foundation in the science of the menstrual cycle while exploring its historical and sociocultural significance. With evidence-based nutrition, movement, and self-care strategies, Cycles provides a detailed guide for living well in your body.

This comprehensive, body-literate guide includes:

-40 nutrient-dense, menstrual-phase specific recipes that support overall health
-The science of menstrual cycles and how the different phases of the cycle affect the brain and body beyond the reproductive system
-How to track your cycle using fertility awareness–based methods
-How to prepare and what to expect during the menopausal transition and beyond
-Detailed movement, self-care, and nutrition tips that optimize overall health throughout the menstrual cycle phases and your lifespan

Become in tune with your internal rhythm, reclaim the meaning of self-care, and cultivate optimal health for every season of life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Science, Feminism, Mental Health, Self Help

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 7, 2023

About the author

Amy J Hammer is the author of How to Grow a Baby and Cycles. Her work focuses on reproductive health, ethical and delicious food, full body movement, and environmental stewardship. She believes that all people deserve access to healthy food, places to move their bodies abundantly and freely, supportive communities, and a clean, healthy ecosystem. Amy is fascinated by how our bodies function and is passionate about empowering others with well-researched information, powerful stories, and always, humor.

Reviews

[Sayani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Period leave is a human right.

I have been an advocate for period literacy and period leaves for years. Unfortunately, we are very much behind in period literacy irrespective of gender. I think we do not talk enough about it.

Cycles is a serious, no-frills, well-researched book written by family nurse practitioner Amy J. Hammer. I have read so many books on menstrual cycles but this comes close to being the most useful book without getting bogged down by academic tone. I remind myself that I am like any other bat or elephant shrew, the only mammals apart from the higher apes who shed their uterus lining. We are rare creatures in the animal kingdom. Menstruation is a vital sign. It's an admixture of genetical, hormonal, psychological, neurological, and environmental factors. Hence, the human menstrual experiences are vastly subjective and cannot be neatly boxed into stereotypical symptoms.

The first part of the book consists of the evolutionary biology, cultural history, and endocrinological aspects of our cycle. Sentences like 'menstrual taboos are at the center of the origins of patriarchy' and 'nonessentialism of species that acknowledges our differences and diversity' make for a very interesting read. Copious references from journals for each chapter. I was impressed by the small sections that work as mythbusters. For example, any supplement or product that promises detoxing or hormonal balance should be met with scepticism (of course, since the internet is rife with supplement peddlers and influencers, the wrong information can do more harm than good).

We have fifty different hormones in our body working tirelessly in a complex manner. Bodies are not machines. There is no quick fix. There are just choices that shape your health throughout your life span including your reproductive health.

The second part of the book discusses all four phases of the cycle complemented with exercises, historical nuggets, biochemistry, and recipes. Though intended for American readers, I can always get behind a slow-roasted chicken and sweet potatoes with garlic and kale with a cup of ashwagandha tea. There is something for everyone. However, I drink Moroccan mint tea during my cycle and it helps immensely.

In her 1998 essay collection A Burst of Light, Audre Lorde wrote, "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare". This abominable culture of being productive has caused havoc on bodies. And I don't write this from my philosophical armchair. Being denied the rest during my cycle at my previous workplace was something I faced over the years. Asking for rest was seen as a weakness. It has taken me years to reclaim rest above all else. And it arrived because the more I read the more I realized how women's bodies are neglected in research. I learnt about PMDD from a thriller novel written by Megan Abbott. No shit! A novel?

When I searched PMDD on NCBI's website I got a handful of results. I read every one of them and realized we must be at least fifty years behind in female reproductive biological sciences. Well, at least I knew the name and told many people about it. Despite being surrounded by many PhDs, I realized nobody knew about it or cared. One reason is that we only know about diseases that are highly profitable for Big Pharma. Those are the ones that make headlines. Hypertension, diabetes, and heart diseases are profitable diseases. Twenty years ago, PMDD was thought to be a psychological disorder only. Then there's the word disorder rather than condition. So much to unlearn and learn anew.

The book was provided by NetGalley for review.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned more from this book than in any health class. The writing is accessible and entertaining. My only issue is the author's fatphobia, which is rampant throughout each section, and some reductive nutrition science attached with that.

[Rosh (_soap_box) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for giving me an e-arc, my thoughts are not impacted by that.

Follow my blog here for more reviews.

*I only read the parts I found to be relevant to where I am in my life meaning I skipped the parts for cis women in menopause and such*

This book would serve the most good in the hands of a teenager ( let's face facts our education systems have zero deaire to teach teenagers the truth about periods) simply because of how surface level it felt. That isn't a bad thing, because I felt it did a very good job of explaining periods to people who experience them, also liked the use of inclusive language, it just didn't gonas indepth as I would have preferred. I completely understand that that isn't what it was trying to accomplish though so I'm reviewing it based on the content I got.

Overall I enjoyed my time with it I just have two small gripes with it:

It tried to include some conversations that it never went deeply into or try to explain with any nuance. That made it feel at times like we were off track. The things it wanted to talk about concerning race, misogyny and patriachy would have been good to read about if the author had put more time into them and fully developed those ideas.

The choice of colours for the font and background made it really had to read the e-book. The white text on purple background put a lot of strain on my eyes. Hopefully it's more clear in the physical book.

Don't let this deter you from picking it up for yourself or the teen in your life. It's a good read and the illustrations are beautiful. The illustrator also did a fantastic job with that cover it is stunning.

[Lauren Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, fun, informative read. Great info for the layperson, yet delightfully more in-depth than what you learned in school. Beyond the monthly cycle, it's been a nice advice guide for the stages of female life.

[Eliza K · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad I grabbed this from the library shelf! I’ve been on a menstrual cycle-book binge and I feel this one is the most balanced, informative, and approachable one yet. This book balances science and listening to your own body intuition without pushing too hard one way, since it’s important to consider both when making health decisions. I loved the sections on menopause as well. I would readily return to this book for a refresher!

My one critique is the recipes included - they looked tasty but tended to be based on more expensive or non-staple goods that the average reader may not have access to.

[Cynthia Lohnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read this cover-to-cover, but it has been my bathroom companion for several weeks now, flipping around through the different sections, so I feel I have formed enough of an opinion to write a review.

This is a lovely little book that I highly recommend for anyone with periods. But it's not just about periods - this book, as the title suggests, embraces the entire cycle. We are given movements, recipes, attitudes, and science surrounding each stage. It also gives you solid advice on things to avoid. I've found myself flipping through each section as I experience it myself, and I have found this book to be a comfort and a validation.

I have not tried any of the recipes yet, but they look delicious! As someone who has already been practicing healthy living, it's refreshing to see accurate science reflected in the food and exercises recommended in this book.

I also really appreciate that this isn't another "periods are beautiful and you should embrace it teehee" kind of book - we get acknowledgements on painful periods, and this book highly encourages you to recognize what you're really experiencing and what your body needs in every stage.

Honestly, I'm removing a star just for the art style. Yes this is personal nitpicking, but I absolutely cannot stand the minimalistic tiny-head drawings all over this book. It looks cheap and rushed, and kind of creepy, and reminds me of that corporate art style you see everywhere because companies don't want to pay a real artist for their skill and time. The art is why I will stick to a library copy and not purchase my own.

However, I still highly recommend this title and it really is a comfort to pick up at all stages of your own cycle.

[Rosh (_soap_box) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the perfect introductory book into the topic of periods and I feel that it would do the most good in the hands of a teenager. The author has a really nice way of explaining the Biology inolved with getting a period. I loved the use of inclusive language because this book does acknowledge the fact that cis women aren't the only people that get periods.

Still there was some informational that will be useful to you irrespective of what phase of life you're in. I'll definitely be stealing those recipes and adding them to my repertoire because they sound really delicious. I liked the reminder about finding ways to naturally incorporate movement into your day because that's something I'm going to have to think about going forward.

All in all it was a good read.

My only gripe with it is that it's very hard to read for those of us with poor eyesight vecause of the use of purple and blue ink. I'm hopeful this isn't as big of an issue in the physical copy but the e-book was challenging to read. The white writing on purple background had my eyes watering from the strain of trying to read this.

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amy J. Hammer wrote the book on nurturing new life, How to Grow a Baby, so naturally she is the perfect person to write a book on the science of the menstrual cycle and how to nourish and nurture our bodies through each phase. I really enjoyed reading this book and even as a grown woman I was able to make connections between the wisdom shared in these pages and the inherent wisdom of my own body. This book is an incredible psycho-educational resource for young girls coming of age and women of every generation as Amy speaks to every life cycle stage, our hormonal changes, and the impact each stage has on us mentally, physically, biologically, and emotionally. There are also recipes and wellness practices shared throughout the text to encourage readers to think deeply and intentionally about what our bodies need, to reconnect us to our bodies, and to help us honor the changes our bodies experience. I cannot wait to get my hands-on a hard copy of this book. A wonderful addition to any home library and any professional who works directly with women.

Thank you to the author and the publisher for the e-arc copy!

[niskichlotow · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Pomimo tego, że jest przepełniona faktami dobrze się czyta.
Niekiedy schodzi na tematy polityczne co dla mnie jest trochę dziwne, pomimo tego, że w większości zgadzam się z poglądami autorki to i tak nie przychodzę do tej książki po to, tylko raczej po biologiczne fakty, ciekawostki i porady. Z drugiej strony ciekawie jest poczytać o menstruacji jako czymś więcej, otwiera to oczy na różne problemy dotyczące całej otoczki produktów i reklam. Myślę jednak, że takie wypowiedzi powinny nam być zapowiedziane na przykład w opisie książki.

Przepisy to jakiś żart. Większość rzeczy nie jest łatwo dostępna, i nie da się tych przepisów zrobić, na przykład 'curry z jagnięciną od jagniąt karmionych trawą' albo małże xdd.
Polskie wydanie ma dużo literówek, tekst nie jest wyjustowany a czasem randomowo pojawiają się linie w środku tekstu. Dodatkowo tabele są dziwne i nieintuicyjnie rozmieszczone: na stronie jest tekst pod którym jest połowa tabeli, na następnej stronie jest tekst i druga połowa tej tabeli xd. Przydałaby się porządna korekta.

Ogólnie ciekawa pozycja.

[sinag · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book contains a lot of information regarding menstrual cycles and hormones, and I appreciate the intricate details included to explain them well. My only gripes with this book is how hard it is to read, even for someone who is familiar with the terms and jargon. If you are already familiar with science terms, you'll definitely understand this book easily.

[Nikita Sivakumar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Skimmed through the book. It covers the stages of menstruation, both as a season in a month and as it changes throughout the life. Non-gender Essentialism is a term I learnt in the book which means we don’t affirm that gender needs to look or be a certain way and I like that it was made clear in the beginning of the book. Overall, not too engaging but conveys the idea of looking at ones period holistically.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

FANTASTIC BOOK!! Highly recommend for any and all menstruating people who want to better understand how their cycle impacts their body and their brain. Also really good information on how your overall health and lifestyle affect your cycle as well.

[Johanna Bascom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extra star for being really accessible and palatable. Books about health can get tricky and hard to follow but this breaks everything down in a way that’s very easy to follow and I think that’s extremely important for education.

[Isa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Women are highly powerful and spiritual beings and this book enlightened me on how to look at my cycle as a guiding force in my life. I can't believe that society tries to keep women in the dark out of fear of us accessing our powers.

[Maris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay. I found myself skimming long portions that focused on social commentary instead of actually explaining female hormones and the menstrual cycle. But, I did walk away more knowledgable.

[Ew Lake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost makes me wish I was just entering puberty so I could approach the experience so differently. But enough is in store ahead with my new stage - plenty of gentle encouragement to lean into here.

[Loretta Sisler · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

Obviously biased but did have a few takeaways I didn’t know before reading the book and comes with recipes to try that I’m excited for.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super interesting and so much information! A great guide for anyone at any stage of their cycle

[Jill Prouty Coombs · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a mom of two daughters, I'm so grateful that this well-researched resource is on my bookshelf. I learned way too much!

[Breana Nehls · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I wish I would have learned in health class. This book made me feel so seen and answered questions that I didn't even know I held.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who is eager to learn more about how her body works, this was an easy and digestible entry to body books about the menstrual cycle.