I didn’t get my period until I was 16 and spent most of my teens worrying I was behind. When it did arrive, it was super irregular and long. And very badly timed because I just got my first long-term boyfriend 🙄 (thanks, body).

I continued to get checked out, got diagnosed with PCOS, and was prescribed hormonal birth control to help suppress the symptoms and get rid of the cysts on my ovaries. I felt let down by my body and went onto hormonal birth control, feeling defeated.  And I stayed on it for about 10 years, until right after I got married.

The birth control had been acting as a band-aid for the hormonal issues I was dealing with throughout my cycle. And the thing is, I didn’t have any issues with birth control while I was on it…

I felt great mood-wise. My weight was stable. Everything seemed good.

I later realized it was causing chronic yeast infections and I was getting sick all the time. There were issues I’d never connected to my birth control at the time.

When I came OFF the birth control, aged 27, I had TERRIBLE PCBS (Post Birth Control Syndrome).

I was having panic attacks, bouts of depression, and even irrational fears. I was even afraid to drive.

No doctor knew what to do with me.

So I was told just to “go back on birth control.”

I felt betrayed by the medical system and knew in my gut that going back on birth control wasn’t the answer.

That’s when I found a sketchy thread on Reddit where women were sharing similar experiences to my own after coming off birth control.

They’d also tried talking to doctors and this Reddit thread was the only place they felt they could share their experiences without judgement.

And I realized then that I wasn’t crazy.

I went back to my doctors armed with all this knowledge and stories of other women’s experiences. And none of them were willing to dive deeper and try to find a solution.

They didn’t even test my hormones because they said what I was going through “WASN’T REAL!”

Carly was going through a similar experience but dealing with different symptoms, and it felt like we were in it together. That was our saving grace but so many women aren’t so lucky.

I went the functional medicine route and did so. much. Research.

I got a Dutch test and the right hormonal panel was done. And found out I was producing very little estrogen and progesterone.

I made big changes to the way I was eating and nourishing my body, the way I was exercising.

I began aligning my life with my cycle and prioritized slowing down and healing

I’ve worked with naturopaths and acupuncturists, functional nutritionists, energy healers, therapists and continue to research what’s going on inside my body.

But the happy ending is..

I no longer have cysts.

I’m ovulating consistently.

And I was able to have 2 beautiful healthy babies, without the help of medication.

My health isn’t perfect but I’ve never been more connected to my body and more empowered to take control of my health.

And now I love that we get to help other women through these same experiences.

I went on the pill back when I was 15 or 16 because I had a boyfriend and my mom was a little nervous about me getting pregnant.

It felt like a safe choice ‘cause everyone I knew was on hormonal birth control too.

I was fine for a while. But when I went to college, I started experiencing all these symptoms that were weird for a healthy athlete.

I was suffering from depression, anxiety, mood swings, low libido, vaginal dryness, and irritability. I was content with my life but I’d even cry at commercials because they had a dog in - which seems crazy but I was just so emotional, all the time.

At the time, I had NO idea this was related to my birth control.

But when I decided to come off it after 10 years, I went cold turkey and it wreaked havoc on my body. I started experiencing PBCS (Post Birth Control Syndrome).

My estrogen levels were alarmingly low, and I wasn’t ovulating or producing progesterone either. I felt like crap.

I felt like I was going through menopause. There were nights when it was -15 degrees outside and I’d have the windows open ‘cause I was overheating. And my poor husband would be freezing next to me.

My hormones were a mess and I didn’t have my period for another 5 months. At which point, I went to my gynecologist to get checked out.

She told me my uterine lining had become paper thin and told me the best solution would be to go back on birth control to regulate my period.

I was adamantly against it and felt so let down and scared.

I stood my ground and said no, despite everyone advising me of the same thing. Around this time I started working with a functional medicine doctor and she pinpointed some problems in my body that had been caused by my birth control.

I was prescribed a bunch of supplements and advised to alter my workout routine. I basically overhauled my life. And I was blown away by the results these small changes made to my health.

The small changes added up and started to make me feel really good. They built into habits and became an integral part of my lifestyle.

At my next check up with my gynecologist, I was told my uterine lining had actually doubled in size! Which was a positive sign and motivated me to keep going.

And a couple of months later, I experienced my first period in over a decade.

I was overwhelmed with emotion and cried so hard.

Learning to understand my cycle and body’s natural fluctuations meant when I wanted to get pregnant, I was able to on the first try because of all that work I put into understanding my body.

This lifestyle is so amazing for your fertility. But even if you’re not trying to get pregnant, it works to regulate your cycle and reduce PMS symptoms and cramps.

Adopting this lifestyle changed my life and helped me get pregnant. And I just want to shout it from the rooftops and help other women live in sync with their cycles too, so they can change their lives.

When I first got my period, I honestly had no idea what was going on. Even though I’d seen Alaina and Carly go through it before me.

I think the older generation had this view that you could get pregnant any day of the month (spoiler alert: not true), so as soon as I was in my first real relationship, I was encouraged to get on birth control to stay safe. So I did.

I was on it for 12 months and let me tell you, I did not feel like myself. At all.

I felt off. And I was in a weird headspace.

I remember bringing it up to my gyno and getting the dose reduced. But I still felt weird so decided to ditch birth control altogether.

That’s when I experienced my first real period and realized I had no idea what a period really was.

I knew that one minute I was bleeding and the next I wasn’t. But I had no idea there were different phases of your cycles, different ups and downs, energy shifts… I felt clueless.

I was also kinda afraid of tampons so I rocked pads for a while!

It feels weird that for the longest time I just had no idea about my own body and my own cycle. 

Throughout college, I was lucky and didn’t really experience any crazy PMS symptoms or cramps. But after college, work stress and real life hit and caused all kinds of symptoms - I was dealing with PMS, cramps and bloating regularly and it threw me off.

Eventually, me and my sisters found a passion for women’s health and hormones.

And since learning about women’s cycles, hormone fluctuations, and how it links to our overall health, I don’t struggle with those things any more. We all have ups and downs because we’re human and don’t always follow things perfectly - but for the most part I no longer suffer throughout my cycle and I’m so grateful.

Now I LOVE helping other women who are struggling and in the dark about their own cycle. It’s wild how long we went without knowing any of this stuff and I’m so fortunate to be able to share this with other women and change their lives too.