Gut Feelings: The Relationship Between Endometriosis and IBS (and Strategies You Can Use to Help Your Health at Home)
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and endometriosis are two chronic conditions that often co-occur in women, leading to significant discomfort and impacting quality of life. While they are distinct diagnoses, emerging research suggests a complex interplay between the two, influenced by factors such as food sensitivities, inflammation, estrogen levels, the gut microbiome, and the immune…
Your Period Is Missing But You’re Not Pregnant. Why?
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and hypothalamic amenorrhea often have overlapping symptoms, with a hallmark of missing or irregular periods. Given this, it can be challenging and confusing to figure out which of the two is going on. After all, they are two distinct conditions affecting women’s reproductive health, each with unique causes, symptoms, and…
Why Does My Period Stop and Start Again?
Usually, we know what to expect from month to month. But what do you do when your period starts behaving differently than usual? In my office, I frequently see women dealing with period problems. Unfortunately, many providers have told these women that their experiences are “normal” even though they are far from optimal. So,…
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…
3 Reasons for Painful Periods (and What You Can, and Can’t Do About It)
Period pain is considered normal for many otherwise healthy women, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, I would even argue that it shouldn’t be. Sadly, the medical system is broken when it comes to women’s health, and taking a deep dive into the root cause of problems like painful periods isn’t the…
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…
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…
