I am SO glad the world of period health is being spoken about more and more just now – let’s keep the momentum and shout this stuff from the rooftops!
More and more ladies aren’t using hormonal birth control anymore and are listening to their bodies and doing things naturally, which, for many reasons, fills my heart with joy – it isn’t for everyone, I know that, but the more we can simply learn to work with what our bodies naturally want to do, the better – surely?
So, first things first, get downloading those period apps! They’re fabulous to track your cycle, get to know it, start dates, signs, symptoms, alerts when you should be nearing the beginning of your cycle – all that jazz.
Periods are NORMAL guys, why has it taken us until now to realise this and start talking more openly about it?
You might wonder WHY talking about it is important, well, let me tell you.
Period health is a really good indication of overall underlying health, not always, but our cycles (or lack of!) can tell us a story about what may be going on under the hood.
Abnormal menstrual patterns MAY highlight health concerns so it’s really important that we get to know what is normal for us as individuals.
It baffles me when doctors, personal trainers, in fact, all health professionals aren’t talking about periods with the people that they work with, it’s such a pivotal indicator of health.
Someone might come to me with zero mention of their menstrual cycle for nutrition guidance or personal training and you can bet that I will ask them about it – it determines where we go with nutrition coaching or training programming moving forward!
A lot of the time we see women working on their health and their troublesome periods fix themselves as a result – this still amazes me every time, the human body is truly incredible.
General practitioners often use hormonal contraception, most often the pill, as a ‘catch-all’ solution, for some, it works in the short term but time and time again we often see it in research that it simply is like putting a plaster on rather than fixing the issue at its route cause.
A ‘real’ period if you like, happens as a result of a series of hormonal changes indicating healthily functioning ovaries. A ‘bleed’ when on the pill is not a ‘real’ period as it doesn’t happen as a result of ovulation but rather as a result of the pill stimulating the lining of the uterus while effectively shutting the ovaries and natural hormonal cycle down.
Regular and healthy cycles for you, mucus production, rise in body temperature and an increase in the hormone progesterone (which can be measured during a blood test), are all signs of ‘real’ ovulation. A period isn’t always a sign, even if you don’t take hormonal birth control. A period without ovulation is called an anovulatory cycle.
You know what is ‘normal’ for you better than anyone, you know how you’re feeling better than any health professional can tell you, trust your intuition and your body – however, there may be times when you need to concede to tests or more professional help, it’s important to notice changes, recognise these times and go for it for the good of your health and well-being.
THAT is why you need to understand your period.
Peace and love, A x
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