Nicole Bendayan is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist and menstrual health educator. In this episode, she explains what a woman’s natural menstrual cycle is supposed to be like. While hormonal birth control has empowered women to control their fertility, it has done so at the expense of the natural menstrual cycle. Most women do not understand that there are 4 distinct phases in a menstrual cycle. By leveraging your body’s natural phases, you can actually predict and prepare for the hormonal fluctuations instead of fighting them. Nicole is passionate about empowering women through education because it is life changing when you live in tune with your menstrual cycle.    Takeaways: [4:15] Life after birth control: The four phase cycle [6:40] Understanding your body’s natural rhythm   [9:15] Most medical research is conducted on men, completely excluding women. [11:50] Ovulation is the main event of your cycle, without it you really aren’t having a full cycle. [13:20] Fluctuating hormone levels affect more than your mood. It also changes your skin: Estrogen brightens your skin while progesterone is responsible for the oily skin. [15:41] By understanding your patterns, you can predict and prepare for them. [17:00] Severe symptoms are signs from your body that something might be askew. [17:40] Syncing your nutrition to align with the phases of your menstrual cycle to heal yourself [22:20] Your gut microbiome supports your hormonal health and is how we metabolize estrogen. [23:36] Supplements are a great tool to support your nutrition and gut health [24:30] By leveraging your natural cycle, instead of fighting it, you can proactively avoid burnout. [27:00] Symptothermal method of fertility awareness takes more responsibility but is so empowering. [29:10] If you are on hormonal birth control it is essential to add multivitamins to your regimen  [31:30] Repair your system by doing a post birth control protocol to avoid post birth control syndrome   Mentioned in This Episode: https://www.instagram.com/nicole.bendayan/ https://www.tiktok.com/@nicole.bendayan getsynced.com enroll.thesyncsociety.com Twitter: “A lot of women don’t even know that they are only fertile for about 6-7 days out of the month.”  [6:55]   “There are people who teach women how to act like a man having a heart attack because that’s when they will actually be seen and be heard by healthcare professionals.”  [10:30]   “Have difficult conversations in their Ovulatory phase...because of the effects of estrogen on your brain you’re probably going to be a lot more clear.” [15:43]   “Your body is a symphony, so your gut health is going to affect your reproductive health as well as your brain health and vice versa.” [24:05]   Podcast Disclaimer:  https://resources.thespadr.com/the-womans-doctor/#disclaimer