Alisa Vitti and the Woman Code
I first heard about Alisa Vitti on the Expanded podcast. She was diagnosed with some reproductive issues in her late teens but refused to accept the offer to go on the pill to fix it. She started researching hormones and the female body and how to heal her reproductive system, so she did not require medication at all. As a young woman I had bad acne which was assumed to be hormonal, and I was put on the pill. Years later I finally started to understand my body better and that the ‘pill’ was not the answer. I definitely didn’t have as deep issue as Alisa Vitti but as soon as I read the WomanCode I knew I needed to know more, about her, and my own body. Coming to an age where my hormones are changing, the last thing I want to do is HRT.
Alisa Vitti is best known for popularising a framework she calls cycle syncing, laid out most fully across her two books, WomanCode and In the FLO. Together, they argue that many modern wellness, productivity, and fitness recommendations were built around a ‘steady-state’ model of the body that fits male hormonal patterns better than female ones. Her central claim is that people who menstruate are not designed to operate the same way every day, and that better health and performance come from aligning food, exercise, and workload with the four phases of the menstrual cycle. (Cycle Syncing)
In In the FLO, Vitti frames the menstrual cycle as a foundational biological rhythm that deserves the same respect we now commonly give circadian rhythm. She uses the term ‘infradian rhythm’ to describe this roughly monthly endocrine-metabolic cycle, arguing that it influences energy, mood, cognition, and stress tolerance in predictable patterns. (developer.floliving.com) Her ‘FLO’ concept is essentially a time-management and self-care philosophy built on the idea that if you treat the cycle like an internal operating system, you can plan your life to match your biology rather than constantly fighting it. (Amazon Australia)
Vitti’s model divides the cycle into four phases: menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, and luteal. In her writing and in the broader FLO Living ecosystem, these phases are presented not simply as reproductive events, but as shifts in hormonal environment that change what the body is primed to do. (FLOliving) The practical heart of her method is the claim that you can reduce symptoms and increase wellbeing by matching “inputs” (nutrition, movement, scheduling) to each phase’s hormonal “weather.”
In both WomanCode and In the FLO, Alisa Vitti presents the menstrual cycle as a repeating four-phase infradian rhythm, each phase characterised by a distinct hormonal environment that influences energy, mood, cognition, metabolism, and stress tolerance. Rather than viewing these fluctuations as inconveniences, Vitti frames them as predictable internal seasons that the body moves through every month.
The Menstrual Phase is positioned as the body’s true reset. Hormones such as oestrogen and progesterone are at their lowest, and energy naturally turns inward. Vitti describes this phase as a time when the body is prioritising restoration and repair, particularly of the uterine lining but also of the nervous system more broadly. Cognitive focus may narrow, sensitivity may increase, and intuition may feel heightened. In her framework, this is not a time for high output but for reflection, consolidation, and honest self-assessment. Ignoring the need for rest here, she argues, often sets the stage for more intense PMS later in the cycle.
The Follicular Phase begins after menstruation ends and is marked by rising oestrogen. Vitti characterises this phase as one of renewal, creativity, and expanding energy. As the brain responds to increasing oestrogen, many people experience improved mood, curiosity, motivation, and a willingness to try new things. Metabolically, the body tends to handle carbohydrates more efficiently, and mentally there is often a sense of forward momentum. In both books, Vitti frames this phase as ideal for planning, initiating projects, learning, and experimenting, as the nervous system is generally more resilient to stressors during this time.
The Ovulatory Phase is described as the most outward-facing phase of the cycle. Oestrogen peaks and testosterone rises briefly, creating a hormonal environment associated with confidence, verbal fluency, sociability, and assertiveness. Vitti frames ovulation not just as a reproductive event, but as a neurobiological moment of visibility and connection. This phase is often associated with higher energy, quicker cognition, and a desire for collaboration. In her productivity model, it is the optimal time for communication-heavy tasks, presentations, negotiations, and relational work. Importantly, she notes that this phase is relatively short, and that attempting to live at ovulatory intensity all month long is a common source of burnout.
The Luteal Phase follows ovulation and is governed by progesterone. Vitti describes this phase as one of refinement, discernment, and completion. As progesterone rises, the nervous system becomes more sensitive to stress, inflammation, and blood sugar fluctuations. Energy may begin to taper, and tolerance for overstimulation often decreases. Rather than framing this as a deficit, Vitti emphasises the strengths of the luteal phase: attention to detail, boundary awareness, pattern recognition, and the ability to notice what is not working. She argues that many premenstrual symptoms emerge not because the luteal phase is inherently ‘bad,’ but because the body’s increased sensitivity is ignored or overridden by unrealistic demands.
WomanCode is the earlier, more symptom-facing book. Its focus is on what Vitti presents as the roots of common cycle-related problems, especially PMS, irregular periods, PCOS-like symptoms, low libido, and fertility challenges, and how to address them using a functional-nutrition lens. (Amazon Australia) Where In the FLO says ‘here’s how to use your cycle as an advantage’ WomanCode tends to say “here’s why your cycle may be struggling in the first place, and how to restore it.” Across both books, stress is treated as a main antagonist, not only because it feels awful, but because it biochemically reshapes the hormonal landscape.
This is where her theories connect strongly to the nervous system. Vitti repeatedly positions stress physiology, particularly elevated cortisol, as a force that can disrupt ovulation, worsen PMS, and amplify cycle irregularity. In her framework, cycle syncing is partly a way of reducing the stress load placed on the body by mismatched behaviours, like pushing intense training or over-scheduling during the luteal and menstrual phases when many people feel more vulnerable to fatigue, irritability, or inflammation. That logic also appears throughout FLO Living’s descriptions of the method, which emphasise aligning lifestyle choices to each phase so hormones can ‘work for you’ rather than against you. (FLOliving)
Trauma enters the conversation through a similar doorway: not as a label, but as chronic nervous-system strain. Trauma can contribute to persistent hypervigilance or shutdown patterns, both of which can alter sleep, appetite, inflammation, and blood sugar regulation. Vitti’s work does not position cycle syncing as trauma treatment, but her ‘work with the body’s rhythms’ approach appeals to trauma-informed sensibilities because it asks for tracking, responsiveness, and pacing rather than force. The cycle becomes a monthly feedback signal: if symptoms spike, the body is communicating something about stress burden, nutrient needs, recovery debt, or insufficient support. In that sense, her method frames the menstrual cycle as a kind of ongoing diagnostic story the nervous system is co-writing.
The most distinctive feature of Vitti’s approach is how it extends beyond food and fitness into the realm of planning and productivity. In In the FLO, she encourages organising tasks and social demands around phase-based strengths: lower-demand recovery and reflection during menstruation, renewed momentum in the follicular phase, outward-facing communication during ovulation, and completion and boundary-setting during the luteal phase. (Amazon Australia) Whether one adopts this literally or loosely, it’s an attempt to turn cyclical variability from a problem, into a design principle.
At the same time, it’s worth noting the tension between Vitti’s confident prescriptions and the broader medical conversation. Mainstream clinical sources increasingly acknowledge that hormones and energy can vary across the cycle and that some people find cycle-aware, adjustments helpful, but they also emphasise individuality, the effects of hormonal contraception (which suppresses ovulation), and the reality that not everyone experiences predictable phase-based shifts. (Cleveland Clinic) This doesn’t invalidate Vitti’s framework so much as put guardrails around it: cycle syncing can be a useful interpretive map, but it should remain flexible enough to fit real bodies, real diagnoses, and real life.
Read as a pair, WomanCode and In the FLO form a two-part manifesto. The first argues that many ‘women’s hormone problems’ are not personal failings but physiological consequences of modern stressors and mismatched health advice. The second argues that once you understand the cycle as an infradian rhythm, you can stop treating yourself like a machine built for sameness and start living as a system designed for seasons. Taken together, Vitti’s core thesis is simple but disruptive: the cycle is not an interruption to life. It is a rhythm life can be built around. (developer.floliving.com)
I would recommend that every parent buys WomanCode for their teenage daughter and read it themselves. As well as In the Flo. We are beings of nature and should use our knowledge of nature to heal ourselves.