Women’s bodies are complex — our hormones, our fertility, our periods, the way our bodies function and change depending on what point we are at during our cycles, as well as throughout our lives, as we go through perimenopause and menopause. All this can impact our health, energy, sleep, libidos, mood, and more. Yet many of us know so little about our own bodies and cycles, as well as the way all kinds of things can impact our hormones, cycles, and periods — from the birth control we use, to what we eat, to things like the chemicals in cosmetics and plastics. In order to learn more about all of this, I spoke with Nicole Jardim, also known as “The Period Girl” — a health coach and all ‘round expert on women’s hormonal and reproductive health, over the phone this week, about everything from ovarian cysts to PMS to menopause and more.

To learn more about Nicole’s work, visit her website at nicolejardim.com, and check out her podcast, The Period Party, on iTunes. To learn more about Essure, as mentioned during this episode, visit Dr. Shawn Tassone’s website: tassonemd.com.