Imperfect Progress with Anne Guzman Tracking your menstrual cycle can empower you, help you manage symptoms and help to normalize periods: Episode 14 with Dr. Lynae Brayboy MD
Have you ever asked yourself, “Why should I track my menstrual cycle?” If so, I’m sure you’re not the only one, but it turns out, this is a pretty empowering thing to do.
Are you suffering from cramps and bloating? Is your energy, mood or libido fluctuating? Do you have heavy bleeding some months and not others? When asked to explain this with your physician or coach, are your answers vague? Can you precisely connect times within your cycle? How well do you know your reproductive system?
Tracking your menstrual cycle is empowering and today’s guest Dr. Lynae Brayboy walks us through many important reasons why we should start.
Dr. Lynae Brayboy is an MD focused on reproduction and infertility. She is also the Chief Medical Officer at Clue, an inclusive app centered around educating women about their bodies across the lifespan at every reproductive stage, from puberty to menopause. She is a medical doctor who specializes in reproduction and infertility, with a passion of teaching young people and girls about their reproductive system. She is also an egg biologist, focused on egg quality and the effect of a women’s eggs and pregnancy on her future health.
What you’ll learn about when you listen:
This conversation had so much depth. Here’s what’s inside:
- Menstrual cycle: What’s a typical cycle? Phases?
- What milestones should you look for when using Clue?
- How can tracking your cycle empower you?
- How can you benefit from Clue as a coach or physician?
- How tracking can open lines of communication.
- How Clue is working to normalize periods.
- What the media bans from being shown in relation to periods (I had no idea! This has to change.)
- Fertility and how you can measure ovulation (cheaply)!
- The Female Athlete Triad, RED-S and bone health
- A natural period vs a withdrawal bleed -why this matters
- Inclusivity and why this value is so important at Clue.
- Adversity: Dr. Brayboy’s incredible story of how she’s arrived to where she is today (this was no cake walk). If this doesn’t inspire you, nothing will!
It’s about YOU, the patient and athlete:
Dr. Lynae Brayboy always has the client and patient top of mind during our entire conversation. Her passion for fighting against the taboo surrounding periods rings through loud and clear. I was really surprised with some of the challenges she shared within the industry an in particular in media.
Most of all, Dr. Brayboy and the Clue team are passionate about helping people and women gain the most control over their reproductive health as possible, through simple technology and clear, easy to understand education via Clue.
I hope you enjoy and learn as much during this episode as I did. Note the extra bit of conversation after the podcast ends as we continued chatting after and decided to record another 5 minutes to expand on bone health in the Female Athlete Triad and RED-S.
Resources:
You can find Hello Clue and Clue app here: https://helloclue.com/ and all of the incredible resources under the “Encyclopedia” tab on the site.
Dr. Lynae Brayboy CMO at Clue: https://helloclue.com/articles/about-clue/introducing-clue-s-first-ever-chief-medical-officer-dr-lynae-brayboy