Cheers to Friday!💪🥳⁣ ⁣ Currently admirin' these gainz...⁣😍 2 weeks down, X more to go! Even though the scale hasn't moved much, if at all, I definitely feel a little different.⁣ ⁣ I wasn't sure I wanted to share much about this particular subject, considering how personal it is but, I said I would be more open with you guys, so why not?⁣ ⁣ Since I was in highschool, I have been taking daily hormonal birth control. So for the past 12 years every, single month, I have been giving my body a pill that does so much more than just shut down ovulation. It messes with your whole body, including your brain! I've read women are more likely to be prescribed antidepressants after starting the pill and I can understand why.⁣ ⁣ I've decided I am no longer going to let this pill do any more harm to my body. I care so much about my health that I just can't do it anymore. And I couldn't live in fear any longer of 'what might happen to me if I stopped taking it'. ⁣ ⁣ After some research, we decided it was time for me to give it a shot! So it's been 4 weeks since my last birth control pill and I feel way better than I expected. I have had a few mood swings but overall, nothing really seems too out of the ordinary😆 I will soon be getting my blood work done just to confirm that my hormonal levels are near a normal range. ⁣ ⁣ Coach says it looks like I'm still on track for prep this season so I'm just gonna keep pushin' like the little engine that could!🚂💪👧 #selflove #beyondthepill ⁣ #birthcontrolproblems ⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ @fittedfhysiques ⁣ @austincarterfitness⁣ #lynsielove #fittedfhysiques (at Fitted Fhysiques) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9IjJqKhLEA/?igshid=1cugps96y8i2u

What does a "normal period" look like? Is there a normal?⁠ ⁠ Yes, there is a normal and it is a range.⁠ Here's what I explain in #BeyondthePill:⁠ While many of have been taught that a period should arrive every 28 days, that's actually not the norm. Yes, there are women who have their period every 28 days, but then there are women who get them every 26 or 32. Also normal.⁠ ⁠ This was a question that a reader sent my girl @dr.carriejones and as she is currently deep in a cortisol convo on her page she passed it to me to answer. Let's go!⁠ ⁠ Cramping - None to light cramping is normal. You may even have a moment where it's more moderate. You are shedding the lining of your uterus, which is a muscle that is flexing 💪 during this time. 😉⁠ .⁠ Bleeding - If you feel like it is a scene straight out of Carrie or that you can't leave the house then it is too much. Normal periods last 3-7 days.⁠ .⁠ Clots - There may be clots, which can be normal or indicative of hormone imbalance or nutrient deficiencies. Clots bigger than a quarter are not normal.⁠ .⁠ Spotting - Totally normal to kick off that period party with some spotting and finish with it too. Also, that thing where you're bleeding, bleeding, then not bleeding, then bleeding again is normal. ⁠ .⁠ Color - It should be red. Not black or brown, not orange, not pink. Yes, all of these colors can show up and they can indicate a possible issue. Pink at the beginning is less of an issue BTW and if you have brown, it's probably showing up beginning or end and is due to oxidized blood. You can NOT diagnose a hormone imbalance, infection, or any other medical condition by period blood color alone. It is one piece of data that needs to be considered and then lab testing needs to follow with a licensed provider.⁠ .⁠ Fatigue - Girl, you're about to shed tissue that you spent close to a month growing. Of course you're going to be a bit tired! You may want to take more time to yourself. Also normal. Not being able to function or get out of bed? Not normal.⁠ ⁠ Got Period problems? This article Is from @drjolenebrighten⁠ (at Centre of Balance Acupuncture Clinic in Hamilton & Cambridge) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3VDltuAlGk/?igshid=j2oxqdijcw8i

I really need for #Cysters to read and hear this message. It is so frustrating to be in #PCOS support groups, especially the #ttc ones and read as woman after woman is being prescribed birth control. You're trying to conceive and your doc is putting you on birth control?! What part of that makes sense?! #Repost from @drjolenebrighten with @regram.app ... Told hormonal contraceptives don't mess with your fertility? That's not totally accurate. In fact, there are several ways the pill & other forms of birth control can & do mess with fertility. Today, let's chat about your endometrium.⁣⠀ .⁣⠀ The endometrium is the lining of your uterus. It's where a baby burrows in & makes a home. When there is no baby your body sheds this lining & you have a period.⁣⠀ .⁣⠀ Your endometrium has to be a certain thickness for baby to want to nestle in. Think of it like a big down comforter on a comfy bed vs sleeping on the floor. Which makes you want to get all snuggly?⁣⠀ .⁣⠀ Hormonal contraceptives, like the pill, have been celebrated in medicine for reducing endometrial cancer. But as it turns out, the same mechanism that offers protection may also be subtly sabotaging your fertility.⁣⠀ .⁣⠀ It has been observed in studies that women who are long term users of the pill can have thinner endometrial lining making it difficult to maintain a pregnancy. In these cases, sperm & egg meet, but the uterus can't support baby & a miscarriage occurs. The worst.⁣ What's longterm? Some have reported as little as 5 years & others have stated 10+ years. Truth is, we don't know🤷‍♀️.⁣⠀ .⁣⠀ Before you pop that pill, place that patch, insert that ring, or get yourself an IUD, take the time to read up on what these hormones are doing in your body. If they are strong enough to shut down your fertility & stop your body from ovulating then they are strong enough to do some serious damage. Explore #beyondthepill & get yourself educated about the risks, & long term consequences associated with the pill.⁣⠀ .⁣⠀ You deserve a true informed consent.⁣⠀ .⁣⠀ Continue reading on @drjolenebrighten's original post! https://www.instagram.com/p/BwupuiMAvgy/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1b1y331tzb6q4