This is one I love to debunk.

The textbook cycle is 28 days.

It’s a “textbook” cycle because it’s the number that was written into medical textbooks. And, that’s the ONLY reason.

True, the lunar cycle is 28 days and, true, many, many women end up with their cycles synced up to that.

But a very large number of women aren’t – and never will be – synced to the lunar cycle. They’ll never have a regular 28-day cycle.

Yet, that says nothing about their ability to conceive a healthy baby.

Two of my patients come to mind.

One was Debbie. She’d been diagnosed with PCOS. 38 years old, she was – at most – very slightly overweight. Her cycles were between 38 and 45 days long.

The entire time she was working with me (which was about 5 months), her cycle was never less than 38 days and she never ovulated earlier than cycle day 24.

Yet, on the 4th menstrual cycle after starting with me, after ovulating on cycle day 28, she conceived her son.

Another is Susan. She came to me after 6 months of not having a period at all. She had what is commonly called “thin PCOS” meaning that she was in no way shape or form obese. Yet, she was lucky to have two periods a year.

We worked together for 6 months. During that time her persistent cystic acne (a common symptom for women with PCOS) virtually disappeared. Her lagging energy levels picked up considerably. And, her facial flushing went away completely.

But she never had a period.

She decided to take a break, which I agreed with. About two months later I got an email from her. She’d noticed some increased cervical mucus and decided to take an ovulation test and, sure enough, it came up positive. She wanted to let me know.

Then, about 2 weeks later I received another surprise. She got a positive pregnancy test. She now has a healthy baby boy.

Technically, Susan ovulated on cycle day 240 or so (8 months x 30 days).

And, she conceived a healthy, beautiful baby.

So much for that egg being “overcooked” as so many bloggers and other “experts” would have you believe.