I always look back at how naive I was when it came time to try to conceive.
We’re told from very young age to fear pregnancy and avoid it as long as you can...that even simply kissing a boy could leave you pregnant 🙄
We believe it’s literally that easy.
We fear it and do everything we can to avoid it, until the time is right, and then we expect it to happen right away...
And for 1 in 8 women, we learn it doesn’t. We learn that a million stars have to align perfectly for us to conceive.
How little we all actually know about our own bodies!
I will forever feel that women are done a disservice by not being taught, from menarche, how their bodies work.
Did you know: It can take 3 months up to 2 years to properly prepare the body for conception...
But by that time, many women have turned to fertility treatments and are simply told to hand their bodies over completely to their doctor.
I believe 2 things:
1. That if women were properly educated on preconception health, infertility rates would dramatically drop.
2. That this same education put into action, along side the use of fertility treatment for those who need it, can dramatically increase the chance of success.
This information alone would dramatically reduce how many women become "infertile" and dramatically increase the success of natural conception.
I truly believe that if I had known this information in my teens and early 20s, that my fertility story and outcome would be quite different...
But, here we are.
So instead, it’s my intention to educate, educate, educate. In hopes that just maybe I can help some women before they reach the point of fertility treatment AND help those in the middle of treatment increase their chances of success.
Therefore, I am officially starting this blog to educate on all things women's health: hormones, menstrual cycle, fertility/infertility, birth control, etc.
With that, it's important to start with the understanding of how our menstrual cycle is linked directly to our fertility. It is essentially one in the same.
Whether you are years away from starting a family, in the middle of trying to conceive, moving forward with fertility treatment, or currently on birth control...this information is empowering.
Because while fertility and having children may or may not be on your radar (now or ever), the menstrual cycle and fertility health are essentially the foundation of a woman's overall health.
In the holistic realm, it is considered a vital sign! VITAL being the key word here! Just like heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, etc....your menstrual cycle should be right along side those measurements as a way of measuring your overall health.
Here is why...
Whether or not a woman chooses to have children, a woman's body is designed to reproduce. It is one of the main, key functions of a woman's body. In fact, if woman stopped reproducing altogether, there would be no next generation, and essentially the human race would become extinct. THAT is how important our fertility and menstrual health is. The continuation of our existence relies on it!
Yet, for something SO important, we are taught, from a very early age to be ashamed of it, to hide it, to never talk about it, to avoid it and suppress it through birth control.
When your menstrual cycle or fertility is "off", meaning it is constantly irregular, it is a sign of imbalance somewhere in your body. For a small percentage, this may be out of their control. But, what we don't realize, is that for the greater majority of us, it is completely WITHIN our control.
It simply requires patience and curiosity.
While your menstrual cycle is a vital sign and provides insight into your overall health and well-being, it is not a life sustaining need. Meaning, when the body feels threatened (such as chronic stress) it goes into a state of fight or flight and naturally suppresses aspects of your cycle. If you are someone who is consistently feeling stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed, your body will shift into preservation mode and shut down fertility.
Your menstrual cycle can also gives insight as to how well it is nourished and whether or not you are being constantly exposed to toxins and chemicals.
When you lack proper nutrition, your body is unable to receive the building blocks it needs to properly function.
When your body is constantly exposed to harmful toxins/chemicals in your foods and your environment, this disrupts the natural production and function of hormones. And when hormones are thrown off, thus your cycle and fertility are thrown off.
Eventually, overtime, this all leads to a decline in overall health.
In future blog posts, we will continue to dive in deeper and deeper as well as provide tools to help you navigate through this journey!
For now, start simple.
*Track your cycle for a minimum of 3 months to get a baseline.
*Track the length of your cycle: Cycle Day 1 (CD1) is the first day of a full bleed lasting until the day before your next full bleed. Average length is 28 days, while normal length is between 25-35 days.
*Track period length (days with full bleed that require a pad, tampon, menstrual cup or menstrual panties), symptoms leading up to menstruation, during and after. Notice color, consistency, and presence or absence of clots. Bleeding should be bright, fresh red in color with minimal to no clots. Average length is 5 days with normal range being 3-7 days.
*Track any and all spotting. This is bleeding that doesn't require a pad, tampon, menstrual cup or menstrual panties. It is normal to have some light spotting around ovulation, a day before the start of your period, and a day after your last full bleed of your period. Spotting more than a day before or after your actual period should be investigated.
*Track cervical mucous (more to come on this topic alone). Notice the changes in your cervical discharge throughout your entire cycle and document them.
Good luck! Get curious about your cycle and document any changes you notice throughout! My favorite period tracking apps are Kindara and Fertility Friend!
Additional Resources:
If you or someone you know is struggling with infertility, please check out my two infertility support programs: The Pineapple Program and Lotus in Bloom
To stay up to date on all things menstrual health, hormones, and fertility as well as blog announcements, join my email list! By joining my email list, you get a choice between 2 FREE guides!
Click the link below for your free guide!
Otherwise you can visit my website at nourishyourrootslv.com or connect with me via social media: Instagram