How to Survive The Mirena Crash
If you’ve been on social media lately, you might have come across the term “Mirena Crash.” If you’ve ever considered a Mirena IUD or another type of IUD, orT you already have one in place, you might (understandably) be wondering, what is the Mirena Crash and How do I prevent it from happening to…
How to Get Pregnant Naturally with PCOS
When it comes to our cycles, ovulation is everything. PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome, is a common reason for diagnosed “infertility,” which is rising faster than ever in the US. One of the hallmark signs of PCOS is ovulatory dysfunction, meaning that a woman has irregular periods or anovulatory cycles which are menstrual cycles…
Three (Non-Hormonal) Reasons You Might Not Be Ovulating
When it comes to our cycles, ovulation is everything. We tend to think that our periods—the monthly bleed—is the main event of the menstrual cycle but really that is just the after-math or the by-product. Honestly, it isn’t even the piece that affects our lives the most! Instead, ovulation is the “big deal” aspect…
The Postpartum Health Risk That Nobody Talks About (Postpartum Thyroiditis)
When my son was about 4 weeks old, I started noticing pain while swallowing. It wasn’t the usual type of sore throat, on the inside by my tonsils and tongue. Instead, it felt like a big sore lump at the front of my neck. It was tender to the touch (especially when his little…
Basal Body Temperature 101 (How to Track Your Cycle)
The two most common questions I get about women’s health are with regards to contraception and its opposite, getting and staying pregnant. There are so many birth control options out there (with risks/benefits to each) and so many conflicting pieces of advice for women who are trying to become pregnant. Amid that sea of…
Progesterone Deficiency (the delicate relationship between stress and fertility)
Progesterone is a tiny molecule that plays a big role in the hormonal picture. When levels start to go awry, our health and well-being suffers. Understanding how our hormones affect wellness is not only an important tool for self-care, but this knowledge also gives us the power to advocate for ourselves so we can…
Estrogen Dominance (what it is and what you can do about it)
Women’s health concerns tend to follow predictable patterns. In healthy women, cyclic changes in sex hormones throughout the month make it possible to track fertility—everything from ovulation, to an expected period, to optimal days for conceiving or avoiding pregnancy. In the same way, dysfunctional cycles tend to follow predictable patterns according to measurable imbalances…
What Your Period Reveals About Your Health (it’s way more than just fertility)
Your period might be something you prefer not to think about. Maybe you even feel uncomfortable talking about it. (I know I did for a long time!) I thought it was gross, or embarrassing, or impolite, and I’d always feel my face flush when the subject would come up—even in the doctor’s office! When…
5 Ways to Balance Your Hormones, Naturally
Hormonal balance is a buzzword in today’s wellness culture. For about $50, you can subscribe to anything from a “hormone balancing” workout, to a juice cleanse, to an expensive regime of supplements. But the only thing you can be sure about with these sorts of programs is that they are gimmicky and ineffective, and…
The Root Cause of Hypothyroidism
I was talking with a colleague a few weeks ago about functional medicine, and what that looks like in practice. “So, how would you treat someone with hypothyroidism, for example?” He asked me. My answer was far from simple, and that’s because no two cases of hypothyroidism are exactly the same. In the world…
