Ep #5 | Birth Control Awareness
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Women often shy away from sharing conversations about their period and birth control, because its perceived to be a taboo subject. Well today we are breaking down those B.S barriers, because it is something that isn’t talked about enough.
Did you know that the period you get when you are taking the pill is not a real period, just bleeding from chemical withdrawal?
Yup.
Todays podcast episode is about the history of a woman’s body. The webinar that I am sharing in this episode is about hormones and birth control awareness. Lots of women have asked me different questions about this topic and this is the best way I’ve found to reach you all in one safe space.
This conversation among women is for us to break the barriers that are making us feel alone and ashamed. Many different symptoms begin after stopping birth control pills — physical, hormonal and emotional. Many women don’t even know how their bodies work normally since they have been on the pill even before they got normal cycles.
Puberty can take from 2 to 12 years from a woman’s body to fully develop. When you got your first menstrual cycle, you just started, that is why taking the pill at this time is very harmful to your body, because synthetic hormones are nothing like yours. No matter what the reason why a doctor recommends a pill, it is only masking the symptoms, not really balancing them or helping you out in the long run.
Today I’m sharing my personal story — I started the pill at 15 years old and lasted 7 years on birth control. I experienced a roller coaster of symptoms and mood changes and I just didn’t know how critical was this for my future hormonal health. When I was 22 I started my journey to health and stopped the pill. The changes were unbelievable and this inspired me to be here addressing this topic with you.
All your menstrual cycle problems are symptoms, most women on the pill are taking them to treat these symptoms and they end up missing these powerful messages from their bodies.
In this episode I will explore these topics and more..
- Have you heard about estrogen dominance?
- Do you know that endometriosis is fed by an excess of estrogen?
- How do you get rid of the extra estrogen?
- Importance of bowel movements everyday.
- How to take care of your liver.
- Did you know that the pill makes you three times more likely to have leaky gut syndrome?
- How thyroids affect everything in your body, weight, sex drive, autoimmunity, gut health…you name it!
- What others anticonceptive tools can I use? How to track your cycle and understand your rhythm.
What should you do now? Start from the inside, following the 7 Pillars of Hormonal Health:
- Optimize Digestion and Elimination.
- Improving the nutrients you are putting into your body. (Which? Listen to this show!)
- Stabilizing your blood sugar.
- Establishing your personal hormonal balance.
- Supporting the liver and the kidneys
- Addressing your adrenal care.
- Metabolic repair.
There is no general recipe, you need to find your personal compass to help you find what works for you. You will learn guidelines and a way to educate yourself about your body, your health and finding the best version of yourself.
Get comfortable, take notes, you won’t find quick fixes here, be patient and get ready to grant yourself the time to heal.
Learn more about Jenn’s work:
The Hormone Project
The Simplicity Project Shop for books, DVDs, programs and much more!
Products and Interesting Sites
Take care of your liver: Saint Francis Liver Hepato DR
Books you should check out
Taking charge of your fertility, Toni Weschler.
The Period Repair Manual, Lara Briden
Ditch the Pill, Jolene Brighten
Quotes:
“The pill shuts down your pituitary gland so you don’t ovulate.”
“It is a lie that you can be on the pill for your entire life while you have a menstrual cycle.”
“The period you get when you are taking the pill is not a real period, just bleeding from chemical withdrawal.”
“If your goal is to have optimal hormonal health you need to be more patient with your body, you have to start to let those natural rhythms to get back into place.”
“The period you get this month is a cumulative effect from the last couple of months.”
Additional Information About Jenn:
Jenn studied and graduated with honors in Human Anatomy and Physiology with such a passion that it propelled her to continue her education over many years. Jenn is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Medical Exercise Specialist, Registered Yoga Instructor and Faculty of the Toronto Yoga Conference, Pre & Post Natal Yoga Expert, STOTT Pilates trained instructor, Twist Sport Conditioning Coach, Spin Instructor Crossfit Level 1 Coaching, among other certifications she got along the way. She is also a guest Holistic Expert for Breakfast Television, Global, CHCH, Rogers Tv and writes columns for STRONG Fitness Magazine, iRun magazine, Savvy Mom and contributes to Inside Fitness Magazine, The Toronto Star and Sun. She is also a proud educator and ambassador to Genuine Health, Nature’s Emporium and Juice Plus.
Jenn is a proud mama to two beautiful souls and her best teachers of life. She resides on Lake Simcoe in Keswick with her husband and two children.