In today’s day and age, most of us with menstrual cycles are not taught to deeply understand and meaningfully connect with this rhythm within our bodies. If we listen, our cycles can provide information about our underlying health and well- being.
There is an emerging theory among holistic health professionals that menstrual cycle health is the body’s 5th vital sign, along with temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respiratory rate. Cycle health is an important function that interacts with the whole body.
It’s common and easy for this health to be compromised by stressors related to lifestyle, diet, and environmental influences.
Menstrual health is all about ovulation! This is something that many people don’t consider until they want to conceive. However, ovulation matters on many levels besides conception and is related to hormone function. You need to ovulate to make progesterone, which is an amazing hormone that supports mood, metabolism, and bones.
A wonderful way to develop a deeper understanding of your personal rhythm is to chart your biomarkers for fertility. As you connect and listen to the pulse of your cycle, you can become aware of how to best nurture and care for yourself through the hormonal hills and valleys of the sacred menstrual cycle journey.
A Cycle Tracking Practice gives you clues into:
Overall Hormone Balance
Possible Thyroid Imbalance
Adrenal Health
Progesterone Deficiency/Estrogen Excess
Low Estrogen
PCOS
Endometriosis
Inflammation
Effects of Lifestyle Choices
Patterns of symptoms
How medications, supplements, and food are affecting you
Patterns of emotions
Anovulatory cycles
Early miscarriage detection
Transitions into perimenopause and menopause
If you work with a health care practitioner who understands Fertility Awareness, they can guide you in understanding and charting your cycle- something that is of great value to the work you do together. In my practice, cycle charting gives a wealth of knowledge for a fraction of the cost of lab testing. You can learn so much by looking at cycle charts!
Don’t wait to listen and learn about your cycle health! Hormonal imbalances can cause a multitude of problems, and are so common these days. If your intuition tells you there is an imbalance, please take the time to listen to what your cycle health needs. Hormone health can bring a sense of balance to all aspects of life!
I believe that Fertility Awareness and Body Literacy is your birthright and something that should be handed down to all womb carriers. Understanding your fertility can be empowering whether it be for contraception, conception, or in the quest to become body literate for overall cycle health.
Let’s clear up any misconceptions concerning what this is and what it is not. This is not the Rhythm Method! The Rhythm Method is a mathematical algorithm based on a “typical” cycle length. This is how most apps create predictions and this can be very confusing and misleading when wanting to understand your unique rhythm.
I practice and teach the Sympto-Thermal Method of Fertility Awareness which tracks your basal body temperature, cervical fluid, and cervix positioning. This method is OBSERVATIONAL in nature, i.e. based on observation of the body’s signs or symptoms of fertility.
Many of us grew up thinking that we could get pregnant on any day of our cycle. Well, that just is not true! There is actually only a small handful of days during which conception is possible. Using a Fertility Awareness Method, we can pinpoint those days with confidence once you have fully learned the practice.
At the end of the day, most of us who learn this awareness and become body literate will ponder endlessly why this crucial information didn’t get passed down, taught in school, or shared by medical providers.
The answer is simple: MONEY.
We live in a capitalist society with a profit-driven health care system, and there is very little money to be made from Fertility Awareness Based Methods (FABM). Once you learn the method, you gain a sense of freedom and knowledge that no one can take from you (unlike a birth control pill that you become dependent on and need to take everyday).
Can you imagine your doctor taking the time to teach us about our fertility, instead of writing a quick prescription? Probably not!
Most people find that acquiring Fertility Awareness is a revelation, and are amazed (and often angry) that no one had given them this basic information before. Regardless of whether you choose to use an FABM to prevent or achieve pregnancy, it is your birthright to know how your body works.
I invite you to empower your connection to your moon cycle and tap into the depth of wisdom that your unique body contains. Embody and integrate the vital messages that your body sends you; those are the deep words that only you can hear.
I feel a sense of passion and excitement to be able to offer you my assistance on this journey. My upcoming Fertility Awareness/Body Literacy class is currently full. Please reach if you would like to be on the waitlist for the next Class Series.
