I get this question all the time: ‘How do avoid pregnancy if I'm not on hormonal birth control?’ I often joke and say just do anal it's the only safe way.....KIDDING!!! ?We encourage women to avoid hormonal birth control, such as the pill as it shuts down ovulation and thins the uterine wall. This isn't great news for your metabolism because you're not ovulating and when you're not ovulating you're not making progesterone. Progesterone is amazing! Its pro-thyroid, it balances estrogen and it helps you sleep.So when women come off their hormonal contraception I always get asked what other birth control options are out there. Many women don’t fully understand the menstrual cycle and its importance in the female body (I didn’t for a long time either). But knowing how your cycle works and tracking it can help you determine how your metabolic function and health is doing. The menstrual cycle is like your monthly report card and because it's not essential to your survival its often the first thing to show signs of stress like under-eating, overtraining and life stressors. There have been many times on my journey when my cycle has completely stopped for periods of 6 months and the rest of the time it was painful and irregular and I had all the crazy PMS symptoms. In this podcast, Jessie and I talk about:➡️ How the menstrual cycle works and what a healthy cycle looks like➡️ What not having your period truly means➡️ Why ovulation is so important ➡️ Tracking your cycle with specific apps➡️ How you can use the symptothermal method to avoid pregnancy → And so much more!So many nuggets in this one ladies!! And the good news is with the right diet and lifestyle changes you to can experience regular and pain-free periods.LINKSFollow Kitty Blomfield @kittyblomfieldFollow Jessie Brebner @fertilitycharting https://fertilitycharting.com.au/