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Living with your cycle, not against it: What psychedelics, hormones and the female cycle have to do with each other
The morning of the ceremony, I wake with abdominal pain. I am on day 38 of my cycle. My period normally arrives around day 30 or 31, but something has been shifting in recent months. My cycles are getting longer, and my period keeps arriving later.
A few hours later, I am lying on a mattress in a warm living room, surrounded only by women. A fellow facilitator guides the ceremony, moving between silence and the sounds of instruments from Eastern musical traditions.
I take the truffles. My body grows heavier, and I slowly sink deeper into the journey. Images, memories and emotions move through me. Yet I keep returning to the same place: my lower abdomen. It feels as if something there wants to be seen.
Halfway through the ceremony, my period begins. Coincidence? Maybe. But that is not how it feels.
At the time, I had already been facilitating psychedelic experiences for several years. I thought deeply about preparation, integration, creating a safe setting and the conditions for a journey. But one question had never crossed my mind: where is this person in her cycle?
That now feels strange. Across a lifetime, billions of women experience a hormonal cycle that can influence energy, mood, sleep, pain and sexuality. Yet the cycle still receives little attention in the psychedelic field.
A historical blind spot
The psychedelic world did not create this blind spot. For a long time, medical research treated the male body as the default, leaving persistent gaps in our knowledge of female health.
Endometriosis is one example. It is a chronic condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside it, causing inflammation and scar tissue. The World Health Organization estimates that it affects around one in ten women of reproductive age worldwide. Yet diagnosis is often delayed, and symptoms such as severe menstrual pain are still normalised or attributed to other causes.
The same blind spot is visible in psychedelic research.
What does the science say?
Research into psychedelics has advanced rapidly in recent years, especially in mental health. Research on hormones, the menstrual cycle and different stages of women’s lives, however, is still at an early stage.
One exploratory study interviewed eleven women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a severe cycle-related condition in which mood and other symptoms emerge before menstruation and interfere with daily life. Participants described less emotional dysregulation and greater self-compassion after using psilocybin. Some consciously timed their sessions around their cycles; several avoided the luteal phase because they found this period more emotionally intense or unpredictable. The study was small, qualitative and based on self-report, so it cannot show that psilocybin treats PMDD.
A second study described three women who reported menstrual changes after using classic psychedelics. One resumed menstruating after a period without menstruation; another began her period earlier than expected; and a third, later diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), reported more regular cycles temporarily. Three cases cannot establish cause and effect, but they show how much remains unanswered.
At ICPR 2026, neuroscientist Grace Blest-Hopley argued that cycle-related changes may shape both a psychedelic’s effects and the mindset a woman brings into the experience. In other words, the cycle may be part of set and setting itself. Her published work with Zahira Ziva Cohen calls for researchers to record menstrual phases and hormonal factors rather than treating female participants as a single, unchanging category.
Blest-Hopley also highlighted the 28andMe project, in which one woman underwent blood tests and brain scans every day across an entire menstrual cycle. Her brain networks were largely stable, but researchers observed temporary reorganisation around ovulation. One person cannot represent all women, but the study makes the research gap tangible: cycle phase can be measured, and it may matter.
Cycle awareness
In recent years, I have noticed a broader movement towards cycle awareness: learning to recognise patterns in energy, mood and physical signals. In my practice, more women tell me that they no longer want to fight their bodies. They want to learn how to work with them.
At the same time, interest in psychedelics is growing. This raises an important question: could psychedelics help some women relate differently to their cyclical bodies?
Microdosing and the cycle
In my practice, some women say that microdosing helps them pay closer attention to their emotions, energy, physical signals and needs. Some choose to microdose only during the luteal phase, the time between ovulation and menstruation, when they feel a greater need for rest, reflection or emotional support.
These are personal reports, not clinical evidence. Scientific research on microdosing across the menstrual cycle is currently lacking, and experiences vary.
Women share similarly mixed experiences online. As one Reddit user wrote, “I think microdosing makes you more conscious of your thoughts and feelings. I see the menstruation phase as a cleansing part of the monthly cycle. Microdosing may help you be more in tune with your emotions, which means you may be more emotional during this time.”
The story of Liza
Liza (29) came to me after being diagnosed with PCOS, a hormonal and metabolic condition that can affect ovulation and make cycles irregular. During the second half of her cycle, she experienced intense mood swings. She felt irritable, emotional and exhausted. For years, she had also struggled with her weight, her relationship with food and the sense that her body was working against her.
She decided to take part in an individual ceremony with a full dose of psilocybin mushrooms. During preparation, we discussed not only her intention for the journey, but also her cycle and how her experience of her body changed throughout the month.
Together, we planned the ceremony for shortly after menstruation, when she usually felt most physically and emotionally stable.
During her inner journey, she connected with the women in her family: her mother and grandmother. She recognised beliefs about womanhood and the female body that had passed through generations: being strong, always carrying on, not feeling too much and meeting other people’s expectations.
She saw how long she had treated her body as something to fix, rather than something to listen to. Her PCOS did not disappear after the psychedelic experience. That was never the expectation.
What changed was her relationship with her body. She began tracking her cycle more consciously, making more room for rest during its second half and listening more carefully to her needs.
The cycle as part of preparation
In the psychedelic world, we often talk about set and setting: a person’s mindset and the environment in which an experience takes place. The body belongs in that conversation too.
A woman’s body does not feel the same every day. The phase of her cycle may create a different context for a psychedelic experience, although there is not yet enough evidence to prescribe a “best” phase. A more useful question may be: which phase of my cycle best aligns with the intention I am bringing into this journey, and what support might I need?
The phases below are a guide, not a schedule. Cycles vary, and menstruation is technically the beginning of the follicular phase rather than a separate hormonal phase.
Menstruation
During menstruation, some women feel a greater need for rest and time inward. For them, a psychedelic experience in this part of the cycle may feel especially introspective. Themes such as letting go, grief, forgiveness or closing a chapter may come to the foreground.
If menstruation brings severe pain or marked emotional symptoms, postponing the experience and seeking appropriate support may be the more caring choice.
Follicular phase (after menstruation, before ovulation)
During the part of the follicular phase after bleeding, oestrogen usually rises towards ovulation. Some women feel more stable or energised at this time. In my practice, some experience it as a supportive period for intentions related to personal growth, creativity, new direction, or breaking old patterns.
Around ovulation
Ovulation is when an ovary releases an egg. Hormone levels shift around this time, and fertility is at its highest. Some women also report more energy or a brighter mood. In my practice, some find it easier to connect with themes around femininity, sexuality, intimacy and relationships.
If you are sensitive to PMS or PMDD, it is worth looking ahead as well. Integration unfolds over the days and weeks after an experience. If that period overlaps with a time when you usually have more symptoms, consider what additional support you may need.
Luteal phase
After ovulation, progesterone rises and then falls again before menstruation if pregnancy does not occur. Some women notice little difference, while others experience mood changes, PMS symptoms, fatigue or greater emotional sensitivity.
A psychedelic experience during this phase may feel more intense for some women. It may bring attention to something that needs care, but intensity is not automatically insight. For women with severe PMS, PMDD or significant mood changes, postponing the experience or discussing the timing with a qualified professional may be the wiser choice.
A female perspective on the future
My hope is that the female cycle and women’s health become a natural, recognised part of the psychedelic field. I believe the question “Where are you in your cycle?” should become as normal as asking about medication, mental health history or the intention behind a journey.
For women, this means making space for every stage of life. Not only the menstrual cycle, but also fertility, pregnancy, motherhood, the postpartum period, perimenopause and menopause. Each stage brings physical and emotional changes that may shape a psychedelic experience and the support around it. In several of these stages, especially pregnancy and breastfeeding, evidence about safety is extremely limited.
When you are considering a psychedelic experience, it is therefore worth asking about the person who may guide you. Do they understand the menstrual cycle, hormonal health and the different stages of a woman’s life? Do they also know the limits of their expertise and when to involve a medical or mental health professional?
Knowledge about women, hormones and psychedelics is not yet standard in psychedelic support. Women therefore have every reason to choose thoughtfully. Look for someone who focuses not only on the psychedelic experience, but sees you as a whole person. As a woman.
Conscious preparation also begins with you. Ask yourself: where am I in my cycle, and how does my body feel in this phase? Are there hormonal themes or symptoms I need to take into account? What stage of life am I in, and what themes are present for me now?
Perhaps the most important question is not only, “What do I want from this experience?” but also, “How could this experience help me build a deeper relationship with my body and my cycle, rather than living against it?”
Lotte Boekhout: https://lotteboekhout.nl/en/
