Modern medicine now recognizes the menstrual cycle as the fifth vital sign. By simply paying attention to what our periods are telling us, we greatly increase our body literacy and quickly regain the deep self knowledge that is our birthright. Whether you want to avoid pregnancy, optimize your chances for conception, or gain insight into the state of your health, cycle charting and fertility awareness is a safe, effective, and empowering choice. IN THE INTRO: Why rest is vital for bleeding bodies IN THE INTERVIEW: How Naturopathic medicine synchronistically found Dr. Elizabeth How getting pregnant despite being on hormonal contraceptives (HC) brought fertility awareness (FA) into her life Root cause healing v masking symptoms The deceptive history of the pill (it’s not your period, it’s a “withdrawal bleed” calculated for a specific psychological purpose) What HC actually does in the body is completely shut down communication between the ovaries and the brain, which has many consequences Millions of women have been told that the pill tricks the body into thinking you’re pregnant, but women’s bodies aren’t that dumb IUDs and inflammation There isn’t one hormone in the body that HC doesn’t effect; it creates full body dysregulation Common side effects of HC- including changing your physical anatomy down there (!) The adverse effects build the longer you’re on HC Dr. Elizabeth blows my mind and connects a lot of dots for me by explaining what happened to me when I got the depo provera shot at age 17 The menstrual cycle is now recognized by modern medicine as the fifth vital sign, and FA gives crucial insight into our overall health FA is *not* the rhythm method, and is 99.4% effective when used correctly A deep dive into what happens in the body each month during the menstrual cycle How FA both frees and empowers female bodied folk When our periods are used against us Tuning into and honoring our natural cycles of creativity and rest Breaking down the two key tracking methods of FA: cervical mucus and basal body temperature How long to chart before you rely solely on FA for birth control We aren’t raised to trust ourselves How charting your cycle and fertility signs can alert you to health problems that might otherwise go unnoticed, shine light on whether infertility is caused by lack of conception or by recurrent miscarriage, and help you know right away if you’ve gotten pregnant LINKS: Dr. Elizabeth Wade’s website Dr. Elizabeth on Instagram Medicine Stories Patreon (podcast bonuses!) My website MythicMedicine.love  Episode 20 of Medicine Stories- Herbalism, Menstruation, and Innate Knowing w/ Kami McBride Take my fun Which Healing Herb is Your Spirit Medicine? Quiz Medicine Stories Facebook group Mythic Medicine on Instagram Music by Mariee Sioux (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes) (If you're seeing this on an app that doesn't support links, find this episode at https://mythicmedicine.love/ to get them)