You can leave your makeup at home during Week 2 of your cycle—high estrogen is triggering changes in your face that make you appear naturally more beautiful to both men and women, according to a study in the journal Biology Letters.
To test this, researchers showed male and female study participants pairs of photos of women in neutral, non-smiling poses without makeup—one photo was taken between Days 8 and 14 of the women’s cycles (when estrogen is high), the other photo was taken between Days 17 and 25 (when estrogen is lower and progesterone is high). None of the study participants were aware that the photos were taken at different phases of the women’ s cycles. Yet, when asked to rate the attractiveness of the women’s faces, most participants chose the photos taken during Days 8 and 14.
You can thank evolution for the hormonal make-over, the researchers say. As you approach ovulation at the end of Week 2, estrogen prompts subtle changes in your body that help you attract a mate.
[photo: Mercedes.. Life as I Pictured]
Have a high-pitched voice? Chances are, you prefer masculine men with deeper voices over guys who use mid-range or higher notes when they speak, say researchers from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. In their recent study, women with the highest-pitched voices who listened to recordings of men saying “I really like you” or “I really don’t like you” were 20% more likely to believe the men with the deeper voices were probably attractive regardless of what they were saying than women with lower-pitched voices.
It’s not in your head! A recent study out of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland shows that 25% of women with irritable bowel syndrome (characterized by stomach pain, constipation, bloating and diarrhea), 18% with fibromylgia (characterized by pain and tenderness throughout the body) and 9% with interstitial cystitis (a painful bladder condition) report that their conditions worsen just before or during menstruation. This adds to the the growing body of research that shows other ongoing health conditions, including migraines, also worsen during these days. What’s more, 15% of women in the study reported increased discomfort at menopause. The common link? Low estrogen. Right before your period, estrogen plunges and, while it begins to rise after menstruation, during the first few days it’s still at a relatively low level. During menopause, estrogen also dips significantly. That’s key since “estrogen is a pain preventative,” says lead study author Thomas Chelimsky, M.D. And while going on an estrogen-containing birth control pill appears to help some women, Dr. Chelimsky cautions against getting a prescription for this reason. Instead, he advises doing regular exercise, which has been shown to safely reduce symptoms of many chronic illnesses.
When you turn your clocks forward and “lose” an hour on March 14 to observe Daylight Saving Time, you may find yourself running behind. But, that’s not the only day you could be running late. You may also want to keep your eye on the clock around 8 am during the first two weeks of your menstrual cycle and around 8 pm during the third week of your cycle. The reason? Fluctuating hormones make your internal clock run slower at those hours, so you feel like you have more time than you really do, according to a study in the journal Neuroscience Research.
As estrogen plunges during Week 4 of your cycle, you may notice that your skin gets drier. Coupled with cold winter air, you could end up with itchy, flaky, chapped skin that hurts or cracks easily. To get relief, it’s not only important to use moisturizer regularly, but to use the lotion that’s right for your skin type. Mayo Clinic skin experts say that if your skin is normally… 
