Shown here are the most common questions we get about The Venus Week. Click on each question to link to the answer, or scroll down to see all of the Q&A.

 

How do I know I am having a Venus Week?

If you are having a regular cycle, and you are not on hormonal birth control, such as the pill or the ring, then you are probably having a Venus Week. Most of my patients recognize that there is a group of days where they feel more ideal each month. When I ask them to track or journal it, they discover it is remarkably consistent—typically cycle day 7 through 14 of their cycle (with day one being the start of their period). For more scientific proof, the best test is a temperature chart showing a distinct difference in the Venus Week (cooler) than the Minerva phase (warmer). An easy, but more expensive trick, is to do a urine ovulation detector kit. The peak of the Venus Week usually occurs when the test shows an LH surge. Blood work is not as helpful but may be needed if you are not ovulating or if you are irregular in your bleeding pattern.

How can I have the hormonal balance I feel during my Venus Week all month?

This is, of course, the most common question I am asked in my practice. It is also the most challenging, as our hormonal cycle has distinct priorities directed toward achieving pregnancy, which is not a constant goal for most of us. The best approach to extending the effects of the Venus Week is Venus Maximus (Chapter 3, The Venus Week). It boils down to a healthy lifestyle including regular exercise (mandatory) and taking the supplements listed, specifically phytoestrogens (plant-derived estrogen compounds such as soy and red clover) during the low-estrogen parts of the cycle—the Minerva phase and the reset (or pre- and menstrual) days. If PMS is a more severe Venus interrupter for you, more aggressive strategies can be tried, such as prescription medications for specific symptoms. Let me remind you, too, that you cannot extend your Venus Week to an entire month. You can, however, optimize your Venus Week and use the knowledge provided here to maximize every week of your cycle.

So does my Venus disappear with menopause?

The Venus Week ends, but not the Venus effect. Menopause happens when the eggs, or follicles in the ovary, are depleted. This is unavoidable, and planned, as Nature designs us to end our pregnancy years at about age fifty so we can raise our youngest offspring before our expected death. But the vitality of the Venus Week—the estrogen and testosterone combination—continues, as hormones are still secreted from the ovary and adrenal glands, minus the dominant Minerva phase hormone: progesterone. The freedom from progesterone’s effects can be very liberating.

A great deal depends on the individual, and again, a healthy lifestyle is the key. Estrogen can be generated in many tissues such as skeletal muscle and fat. Maintaining a good ratio of skeletal muscle to fat (nonabdominal fat) can help contribute to hormonal balance after menopause. Eating foods that are high in polyphenols, antioxidant compounds that may have some estrogenic activity such as cinnamon and dark chocolate, (see the supplements and diet in Chapter Three) can help maintain some of the positive metabolic aspects of estrogen and contribute to the postmenopause Venus effect.

 

What if I'm on the pill? Do I still have a Venus Week?

The peaking of estrogen is definitely muted with hormonal contraception, but most women can feel it shining through, depending on the pill or the formulation. Many women report having a “mini-Venus” week. The NuvaRing birth control option is an extremely low-dose formulation and may not suppress testosterone as much as oral forms of birth control, allowing the Venus Week to be more apparent. The progestin-only pill, or “mini-pill” as it is called, suppresses ovulation much less than the combination, or standard birth control pills. Just as the Venus Week is not completely knocked out by the pill or ring, neither is PMS. The mini-pill may allow a woman to experience more of her Venus, but with that blessing comes a clearer Minerva phase than for those on combination contraception.

Can knowing when I'm in my Venus Week help me get pregnant?

Absolutely! One of the gifts of the Venus Week is to encourage you to find romance. When you want to get pregnant, recognizing the peak in your feel-good sex hormones can only help your timing. The most fertile days in your cycle, the ones I call Aphrodite Days, are the two days or so when estrogen is soaring, resulting in a peak of the pituitary signal: LH (luteinizing hormone). This is the chemical signal from the brain (pituitary) that is usually detected in the urine with ovulation predictor kits. The peak in estrogen causes the normally sticky mucous in your cervix to become slippery and clear. This allows for ready passage of sperm and is a very important function of high levels of estrogen. At the same time, the ovary is sending out a nice dose of testosterone meant to spur on your desire. Getting in touch with these rhythms (see the guidelines in Chapter Two) can improve your timing and help you achieve pregnancy. Avoiding Venus interrupters (see Chapter Four) can help ensure that you ovulate and again help with the goal of pregnancy.


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