If you menstruate and have ever experienced pain or discomfort associated with your cycle, you’ve likely been told that it’s normal, and to take hormonal birth control as a treatment option. While this is certainly a viable and beneficial option for some, for others this answer can feel dismissive, especially if you’re looking to avoid hormonal birth control or want to dig into WHY you’re experiencing these symptoms.

These experiences can leave those seeking to better understand their bodies feel as though they have no control, and in a society where access to reproductive care (and even information) is increasingly hamstrung, this loss of control is especially disempowering.

Enter Lisa Hendrickson-Jack. She’s a Holistic Reproductive Health Practitioner and Fertility Awareness Educator, and in 2019 she sat down with Erin to get into the nitty gritty of everything you ever wanted to know about your period. Tune in to hear Lisa highlight why your cycle is a vital sign, the role blood plays, what’s considered “normal” with periods and PMS, how to know your fertile window, differences in birth control options, and how cycle tracking can not only give you insight into your reproductive and overall health, but also help you plan your life.

Whether you’re trying to get pregnant, trying to NOT get pregnant, or just trying to understand your body better, this is an especially relevant episode that offers up powerful information to take charge of your fertility. Reproductive health affects EVERYONE, so share this episode with anyone you care about!

In this episode:

-When things feel out of control [1:29]

-Additional fertility resources [5:09]

-All about Lisa [15:24]

-The power of cycle tracking [17:05]

-What is a vital sign? [19:02]

-What does it mean when you skip periods [23:03]

-The Female Athlete Triad [24:03]

-Osteoporosis risk factors [25:40]

-What a normal, healthy cycle looks like (and why you need to know) [28:06]

-Why PMS is NOT NORMAL [30:22]

-What to do if you have severe cramping and bleeding [37:11]

-How your diet and personal care products contribute to your PMS symptoms [41:00]

-How to start paying attention to your cycle [47:03]

-The best ways to track ovulation [54:16]

-The best ways to track your hormones [56:46]

-3 main signs of fertility [57:57]

-Rhythm Method vs. Fertility Awareness Method [1:01:46]

-IUDs and Copper IUDs [1:07:43]

-Using your cycle to plan your life [1:15:44]

FOR OUR FULL LIST OF LINKS + RESOURCES, HEAD TO: https://www.thefunktionalnutritionist.com/podcast/213-understand-your-cycle