This is a question that I get asked a lot, and it’s an important one.

Many of you are on the pill or have a coil in place and you’re wondering if The Cycle Strategy (the four-seasons framework that I outline in my book, Period Power) still applies to you.

The quick answer is that, for most of you, it won’t apply BUT I do have an alternative for you.

Whether or not it applies all depends on the type of hormonal birth control you’re using and whether you still ovulate. If you’re on the pill and taking it properly, it will prevent you from ovulating and you won’t experience the four inner seasons. If you have a hormonal-based intra-uterine device (IUD/coil) in place such as the Mirena®, then you *might* ovulate.

How hormonal contraception works

Hormonal contraception works in several ways. It can prevent you from ovulating, thicken your cervical fluid to prevent sperm from entering your uterus, and thin the lining of your uterus to make it unsuitable for an embryo to implant.

Periods vs. withdrawal bleeds

When ovulation is suppressed, as it is when you’re on the pill, then you don’t produce the ebb and flow of hormones that are associated with having a menstrual cycle. Instead, your hormones are kept at a similar level all ‘cycle’ long. Except you’re not experiencing a cycle when ovulation is suppressed. And because ovulation ain’t happening, you don’t have a period either. You just have what’s known as a withdrawal bleed, which is the bleeding you experience whilst taking the dummy pills in your pack or taking none during your 7-day break.

What about hormonal IUDs?

If you’ve had a hormonal IUD in place for a while then you might experience ovulation but its other contraceptive actions will continue to prevent pregnancy. And if you’re ovulating, then you could find yourself experiencing the four seasons of the cycle, in which case The Cycle Strategy will work for you.

And if you’re not ovulating?

If you’re not ovulating then you can work with the lunar cycle instead (you can also use it in addition to the Cycle Strategy if you are ovulating).

Working with the lunar cycle is particularly advantageous during phases of life when periods cease; in bouts of amenorrhea, using hormonal birth control, pregnancy, breastfeeding, during perimenopause when cycles become less frequent, and post-menopause when you’ve stopped bleeding. The lunar cycle is also a wonderful tool if you’ve had a hysterectomy or if you’re a transwoman who wants to work with a cycle.

In each phase of the lunar cycle, there are qualities and actions which mirror those of the seasons of the menstrual cycle, as Sarah Gottesdiener, author and publisher of the Many Moons workbook, explains:

‘During the New Moon we set intentions, during the Waxing phase we take practical steps to move forward, during the Full Moon we celebrate, affirm, aim even higher; during the Waning Moon we release, work through blocks, and get rid of that which is no longer serving us; and the Dark Moon is a time for finality. While the Moon is from New to Full, the focus is on growing, building, and protecting. While the Moon changes from Full to Dark, our work centres on releasing and letting go.’

What to do if you aren’t menstruating and want to work with the moon

This is how the seasons of the menstrual cycle correspond to the phases of the lunar cycle:

•      Menstruation/Winter is the time of the New Moon.

•      Pre-ovulation/Spring is during the Waxing Moon.

•      Ovulation/Summer is the time of the Full Moon.

•      Pre-menstrual time/Autumn is during the Waning Moon.

•      The Dark Moon is the void time before and at the start of Winter.

Paying attention to the phases of the lunar cycle and living in tune with them allows non-menstruating people to benefit from the containers created by cyclic living, the most beneficial of which is often time dedicated to rest and rejuvenation.

Sarah Gottesdiener creates and publishes the cult classic workbooks Many Moons, and she generously allowed me to use her words to describe the phases of the lunar cycle in chapter 8 of Period Power. You can find them on page 213 and I heartily recommend following her on Instagram and signing up for her emails, which always seem to arrive precisely when I could do with her guidance the most, like this one. (I’m a Sagittarius, in case you were wondering)