Sadly, few women understand how their cycle actually works. With the lack of discussion and education, this is not surprising. In fact, we're often taught to just ignore our cycles even when something's clearly wrong. My guest today makes it her mission to reconnect women with their cycle and its role as an indicator of your health.

About Lisa Hendrickson-Jack

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack is a certified Fertility Awareness Educator and Holistic Reproductive Health Practitioner. She teaches women to chart their menstrual cycles for natural birth control, conception and monitoring of overall health. In her new book The Fifth Vital Sign, Lisa debunks the myth that regular ovulation is only important when you want children by recognizing the menstrual cycle as a vital sign. Drawing heavily from current scientific literature, Lisa presents an evidence-based approach to fertility awareness and menstrual cycle optimization. She hosts the Fertility Friday Podcast, a weekly radio show devoted to helping women connect to their fifth vital sign by uncovering the connection between menstrual cycle health, fertility, and overall health.

Your Menstrual Cycle as an Important Indicator of Your Health

More and more experts are recognizing that the menstrual cycle is a vital indicator of a woman's health. Unfortunately, we are often taught to ignore irregularities in our cycles. The birth control pill is a large part of this as it suppresses ovulation and regular menstruation. In fact, there are numerous risks of hormonal birth control. This includes depression, anxiety, and nutrient deficiencies.

Taking Control with Fertility Awareness

To truly take control of your menstrual health and fertility, Lisa recommends fertility awareness. Many of us are taught to believe that we can get pregnant every single day of the menstrual cycle. That's simply not true. In fact, it's more like just six days. Understanding the signs of that window can empower women to take control of their fertility without the need of other potentially harmful methods. This requires close and deliberate observation of signs of fertility. With this observation comes a better understanding of your overall health and wellness.

What can you do to take control of your fertility? Leave a comment on the episode page!

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In This Episode

Discovering fertility awareness and the changes that follow [4:10]
Why the menstrual cycle is an important indicator of overall health [7:38]
The important distinction between menstruation and ovulation [9:45]
Common risks of hormonal birth control [13:55]
The role of properly educating yourself in order to make informed healthy decisions [31:00]
Using the fertility awareness method to help become pregnant or as contraception [33:19]
The benefits of fertility awareness beyond its use in fertility and contraception [40:20]

Quotes

"I discovered that I wasn't fertile every single day….It really changed the way I looked at everything It made me realize that what I'd been taught about my cycle has nothing to do with how my body actually works." [5:13]

"We need to do what we can based on what we know. And when we know more, we can do more; we have other options." [31:24]

"The basis for fertility awareness is essentially understanding that there is a fertile window." [35:29]

"Understanding and knowing how your body works is independent of sexual activity. There's inherent benefits in just knowing that." [42:23]

"We have this incredible biomarker. We don't have to excessively chart it but we need to be aware of it." [51:07]

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Links

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The Fifth Vital Sign

Fertility Friday Podcast

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