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#35 Everything you weren't taught in Sex Education about your cycle
13 Plays3 hours ago
The Bean Talk - Episode 35: Everything you weren't taught in Sex Education about your cycle
TW: this episode mentions eating disorders and body image.
This week’s episode is all about education. Riannon sits down with Mungbean naturopath Brittany to chat about the things Sex Ed didn’t teach you about the menstrual cycle and hormone health.
We discuss the four cycle phases, why ovulation is the real star, how to match movement, sleep and nutrition to each phase, and what PMS is trying to tell you.
We also unpack anovulatory cycles and PCOS, safer period products, carb needs through the luteal phase, the role of magnesium, and simple lifestyle shifts to support hormone health.
If you’re wanting to learn more about your body, what these phases mean or how to use them to your advantage, this episode has everything you need.
Connect with us on Instagram & Tik Tok @mungbean_health or visit mungbeanhealth.com for expert support.
Products mentioned in this episode:
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Transcript
Introduction to The Bean Talk
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to The Bean Talk with me, Rhiannon, your fertility fairy godmother, joined by my trusted partner in life and in the mission of Mungbean Health, Jeremy. Here at Mungbean Health, we're on a mission to unlock the secrets of fertility and natural wellbeing one episode at time.
Brittany's Journey with Mungbean Health
00:00:24
Speaker
Hi and welcome back everybody to the Bean Talk. It is so lovely to have you all here. We also have one of our amazing naturopaths, Brittany, who's been with us for a while now. it must be, but how many years now? think this will be my second. and Next year will be my third, yeah.
00:00:44
Speaker
Third, yes. So have we, we would have hit, oh, it's November, I think is when you started, right? Yeah, I vaguely remember. It's honestly hard to keep up ah now. I'm trying to keep the dates and things when everyone started and it's hard. It's really hard. But I know you're one of the OGs. So nice to have
Balancing Work and Breaks
00:01:04
Speaker
you on here. I'm sure everybody has seen your beautiful face on our Instagram already and will love to hear from you. Yeah, let's...
00:01:11
Speaker
dive into it. How's the week been in clinic for you? It's been good. We've been busy, which has been nice. everything It just feels like this last bit of the year is going so quick. I know. It's crazy. it flies.
00:01:23
Speaker
Especially after the public holiday the other week. Yes, I know the short weeks. I think there's two short weeks. isn and I don't know how long ago that was, but for Queensland, there's like those two short weeks, you guys. oh Maybe that was Easter. God, the time does fly.
00:01:36
Speaker
And you guys have the short one and then it's like the next week you had a public holiday as well. I feel like we do have a lot of public holidays. I know. Good for you guys. Not so amazing for me.
00:01:49
Speaker
But so good. Anyway, nice to have a break. And I remember like when I was younger and working for someone else, like having a public holiday is just one of the best things. You get paid and you get have a long weekend and you get to enjoy it. It's the best thing.
00:02:04
Speaker
Unfortunately, when you have your own business, very different because you never really get to switch off. Yeah. yeah We were actually, Jeremy and I were talking, totally off topic, but Jeremy and I were talking about this last night about, Jeremy was like, wouldn't it be nice to just like go on holidays and actually be on holidays and just switch off?
00:02:21
Speaker
um like, yeah, think it's a pass, babe. It's done now. I'm actually quite busy. Yeah. I know it's amazing da and you guys are more than capable of like essentially like still running the show and everything on your end but there just always seems to be something that needs us involved which it's the life we chose I suppose. You guys always are just tagging on a holiday to like something we're already going to.
00:02:46
Speaker
um me try and maximize the time we're like half work half play keep it exciting everything's been going so well in the warehouse I feel as well at the moment it's been so nice having like a great group in there and I guess having like extra set of hands that sort of allowed Jeremy and I to get out of there and having to be so hands-on and like work on other things which has been so nice yeah definitely you guys have lots of fun things coming up Yes, I know.
00:03:13
Speaker
So exciting. can't wait to share with the wider community, but still top secret for now We usually always share a little bean and a big
Health Tips: Hydration and Sleep
00:03:21
Speaker
bean. So something little that you have been doing well or some sort of change, it can be like health or life or whatever.
00:03:28
Speaker
And then we do our big one, which is more of like a big change because we do these so often. We always struggle to come up with things. But I'd probably say me definitely staying on top of my water, obviously being pregnant and being nauseous, that has been difficult because you just don't feel like anything in that first trimester.
00:03:49
Speaker
And even just like small s sips of water, you're just like, I just, I don't want it. That's why the electrolyte drinks like Hydramama or whatever is very helpful or even like a pinch of salt in your water. I've really been trying to stay on top of that. So like small sips all throughout the day, which definitely helps with everything. What's your little bean?
00:04:08
Speaker
little bean, I feel like I've been really good with my sleep the last because wasn't for a while. so i feel like I've been very good with my like nighttime supplements and actually not going on my phone, which...
00:04:21
Speaker
Yes. Oh, so hard. I I'm just out reading. and I had to. I started reading. I know. It's good. God damn that reading. No, that's so good. So good. Because sleep is so important for everything. Actually, Jeremy struggles with sleep. It's been a thing for him forever.
00:04:39
Speaker
And he has actually been, and he is not a reader either. He's actually been reading this. What's the book on? It's on some type of, I would find it so boring. Some type of, I think a lawyer wrote it or...
00:04:51
Speaker
Anyway, we'll have to ask him. It's something that I would find very boring and would definitely put me to sleep. But I was so proud of him because I was like, good on you for putting your phone down. Because normally it's like that everyone's asleep. going to have a bit of me time. But it just fires. I know. TikTok scroll is like the death of me. Oh.
00:05:08
Speaker
It is a doom scroll and you honestly get lost in there. Unless you're watching, of course, our videos on TikTok, then go for it. But also make sure you don't watch it all night long. That would be not good for your health.
The Switch to Organic Cotton
00:05:20
Speaker
Big bean. Gosh, this is a hard one for me. you have a big bean you can go for first? I was thinking about it and actually, I feel like it matches what we're talking about today anyway. But do you know what I did the start of this month? Because I've had like little things I just want to slowly tick off. I feel like we tell our clients you can't change everything all at once.
00:05:37
Speaker
But I changed all of my underwear over to, like, organic cotton. Like, I went and did a, yeah, all of the nice microbiome like safe ones so that was like on my list to do and I was like okay I'm gonna do it this month so I love that I feel like as well the other ones creep in because sometimes you'll be like say you've got to order them online somewhere from a certain brand and then you'll be like okay oh I'm just at the shops I really need to get like a new pair of underwear or whatever a new bra and you just get it from there because it's easy and convenient and then you end up keeping that for a year or so and you're like oh oh God, I've just got to make the effort to go and buy it.
00:06:16
Speaker
And that's how I find that happens a lot with like plastic and glass containers. I swear that I have done like a cull probably three times now in my life as being healthy as an adult, I suppose, because I remember even when I first had Evie and everything is plastic for kids, which makes sense because they smash glass and And you try and do the glass thing, but like they're going to smash it.
00:06:41
Speaker
So we get the seed and sprout. the Yeah, like the tea ones. Not aluminium. yeah is it silk Yes, it's stainless steel. I'm not sure, but it's some type of healthy metal. And the kids, I now just get the containers and they've got like a soft silicon lid, which doesn't touch any of the food. I make sure it's lower than that, but they're all safe and healthy anyway. That's a really good brand. I actually just take the lid off and give roam now those containers so he can finish the food he can chuck it on the floor he can use it as an instrument and it's not going to smash the things you have to think of but I remember with Evie everything was plastic and i remember getting so much plastic in and having to go like when Tate was born having to really take that moment and I talk about this every day of oh my gosh like how did all this plastic get in the house
00:07:26
Speaker
I need to get rid of it all because you just start using like, oh, they're good, the little dividers or the little bowls. And, yeah, so it's so easy even for us to have to do that. Which brand did you get? and and V for me, like V-double-E.
00:07:41
Speaker
I think they're so comfy. Oh, yes. Yes. Honestly, like I'm so glad I did it because it it's such a boring thing to do to spend money on. But I they're so comfy and they still like to look cute and they're like under like wear. They're like seamless.
00:07:58
Speaker
I really like them. That's so good. I would definitely say. that I've used the booty ones for years, you know, the B-O-O-D-Y. Yes.
00:08:10
Speaker
i I remember I've worked in a health food store after school and I found out about how important like undies and socks and like body care and then obviously clothes as well are. But I remember getting the undies and like feeling them and being like, oh my gosh, these are the softest things. And bamboo was just like all the craze then and coming out.
00:08:28
Speaker
So I remember getting those and I find it hard to steer away from those. They're definitely not sexy in any way. They are just like briefs and, but they're so comfy and I guess, Great for the vaginal microbiome and everything as well. So yes, I need to do a bit of it a refresh as well. I guess some like maternity ones as the belly continues to grow. I guess for me, big bean for us would be, actually i don't know if we, I think we might've already mentioned this, but I don't know if i've mentioned it to you guys, but we're actually moving.
00:08:56
Speaker
Oh, no. I told you that yet? Yeah. Yeah. You like the chaos, right? So we're moving like not too far from where we are now because we do love this area. But we are having to go through like starting the, I think I'd spoken about this last podcast about like preparing in healthier ways around the house of like things we could do. Because Jeremy being an ex-painter,
00:09:20
Speaker
He obviously knows about the dangers and chemicals and crap that's in the paint itself. so we're going to go for like healthier painting where we can, like better mattresses and that sort of thing of just the things we need to upgrade. We're not obviously upgrading everything, but I guess that's been one big thing for me. And it's a big, it's a beast of a bean is just like culling.
00:09:43
Speaker
and going through things and just like getting rid of clutter and things that we don't need. And just, I guess with the kids as well, like they gather so much crap. Toys and like little random things, like they'll fall in love with a makeup brush or something.
00:09:57
Speaker
And then they will never want to let go of it. Mainly Evie, obviously, but they'll find like maybe a container lid. I don't even have any examples for you, but I'll have a look around later and let you know. But it's just like random stuff. And you're like, why do you have this little random container? It's like a mini...
00:10:11
Speaker
And Evie will be like, it's so cute. It's a cute little mini container. And you'll be like, I just don't need that. So I guess that's been a big thing for us is just really culling and being minimal. Like they've got so many toys. Do they need all these toys?
00:10:24
Speaker
No. Christmas is coming up. Their birthdays are in January and February. And Romey's is in April, even though he just pretty much gets all the other kids' stuff. But just really trying to be mindful of the crap.
00:10:35
Speaker
Yeah, it's big job. Minimal. know. So that's definitely our big thing. Definitely love the undies thing, though. I'm going to have to update some of mine. So I'll go and check out the V for me because I do like that brand.
00:10:47
Speaker
But that's definitely one of the things that we were never taught in school is... god talking about vaginal microbiome i would fall off my chair if evie came home and was like guess what they taught us in school today vaginal microbiome and how for it to be like far out we didn't even learn about our cycle like you learn about your period but they don't talk about follicular or luteal or ovulation really they're just teaching you about stds and yeah sex I think that's like trying to avoid unwanted pregnancies which is it's so much that I guess that gets you prepared to think that like having a baby is going to be so easy when it's not for so many people you remember what you got what you were taught I feel like it was almost like a fear I because I feel like they used to separate the boys and the girls I feel like that's what we did it
00:11:42
Speaker
They did it for us. brows I think we were separated and you're pretty much, the girls are pretty much taught like you will ovulate, you'll release an egg. That's how you get pregnant.
00:11:53
Speaker
Don't get pregnant. Go on the co-septive pill. Yeah. Yeah. Pretty much. Here's a pan. Off you
00:12:01
Speaker
Yes. No, they didn't. They kept us in the same class because I remember it was like super embarrassing because the boys are there and the girls are there and everyone's not looking at each other. and I think it might have been in like year seven or year eight. I can't quite remember.
00:12:16
Speaker
But no, I don't remember them really talking about ovulation, but they could have. It could have just been like a standard blanket thing, but it wasn't anything that was like empowering as a woman and if they were talking about like hygiene and sanitary it's almost like they talk about it in a dirty way I hope it's changed now but I really don't think it has and it's sort of like oh if you like obviously it's very important to be hygienic around that time but it's really just even just the separating of the boys and the girls for me it's like these boys should be taught that the period is not something that you need to fear
00:12:52
Speaker
Right. Yeah. I almost feel like now, i think you're right. I think it's like year seven. And then I think it's like year nine and 10, you do it again in yeah I think that's what we did.
00:13:03
Speaker
Yeah. I think now guys have no idea because yeah, it is separated and that's not what they learn whatsoever. I remember one of my friends in school, we would have been in like year actually reckon we would have been in like year And she was dating this guy for ages.
00:13:22
Speaker
And I remember we were over at her house. Actually, we were, yeah, it must have been in like year 11 or year 12 because Jeremy was there. and I remember her, she got her period, like she was in the toile and she was like calling out.
00:13:33
Speaker
And I was like, you all right? And she's like, yeah, go get that guy for me, like my boyfriend. went and got the boyfriend and then she was like, asked him, can you get me a tampon? And he refused to go and get it. He was like, no, that's disgusting. Like it's a fresh tampon.
00:13:47
Speaker
Like you should be able to give your dirty tampon to your loved one and be like, can you dispose of this if you couldn't do it yourself? And they would be like, okay, this isn't like the most pleasant thing, but I love you and I can do that for you.
00:13:58
Speaker
Not, oh my God, I can't even go and get you a clean one. I ended up having to go and get her a clean damp on like in the packet because he wouldn't. And i was like, okay, education definitely isn't there. It's obviously not the most pleasant thing that we have to go through every month, but that's because I feel like we are taught to believe that. I even think there's like an advertisement on social media at the moment where it's something, and I could be a bit off, but it's something the girl like messages her partner and she's, can you bring me home pads with wings? And he comes home with a box of pads and the box of wings.
00:14:31
Speaker
like chicken and he's like here you go and she's like what ah that's right yes I've seen that yes actually it's like god and that's one thing as a mother of boys that I really want to try and do is teach the boys like to be comfortable with women and their bodies and not it to be this surprise or this gross thing so yeah I think it's definitely important so today let's talk through some of the cycles and the phases So we can educate our beautiful listeners that may have never been educated because we have 40, 50, even 60 year olds in clinic that you talk about some of this stuff and obviously they were never taught about in school because it was almost...
00:15:16
Speaker
derogatory, suppose is the word, where it was just like, yuck, the boys do not need to hear about this. That's a you problem. Don't you tell anyone when you're bleeding. Like it's disgusting. That's pretty much the vibe.
00:15:27
Speaker
These poor young girls having to go through that, let alone when they had issues of like endometriosis or PCOS or whatever it might be, like you're already struggling and then you've got people. Imagine if you dropped a tampon or dropped some undies or like you bled through your school uniform or something, like it would have been the most embarrassing thing.
00:15:46
Speaker
So let's try and educate some people, shall we? Let's talk through some of the phases if you want to go through the follicular phase. So the follicular phase is essentially like the first part of your cycle. It does include menstruation. It's, I don't know, I can look at it a little bit different. I don't know if you do, but it technically is one. It's little So your follicular phase essentially starts from the first day that you bleed. So day one of your period begins your follicular phase. Within that, you'll have sort of the five to seven days of your period. And then follicular continues all the way up until you ovulate.
00:16:20
Speaker
Follicular phase is where you start to feel good after your cycle. I don't know. I guess we like to explain different parts of your cycle. as You go through different emotions, like metabolisms, different exercise or feel different like you are supposed to feel different through different phases of your cycle yeah which I think some people are also not taught and you just feel like you're supposed to feel good all the time or you feel bad all the time and you don't know what is happening with your hormones totally and I think that is because most of the studies and things are done on men and they are every day the same hormonal changes or cycle or whatever you want to call it
00:16:57
Speaker
It's the same day to day. So they should feel pretty much the same all throughout the month. Whereas for us, it's so different. So it's great to yeah share that. I love that. Yeah. But essentially follicular is basically from your period up until you ovulate.
00:17:11
Speaker
It is like quite a good part of your cycle. If we like, I like to explain them in like seasons. I don't know if you do that as well with your clients. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. We say, I say like your menstrual phase is your winter and then towards the end of your follicular phase, you're coming in into spring and then summer is your ovulation.
00:17:30
Speaker
I love spring. I know spring and summer are my favorite. Some people would probably and disagree. Some people would be like, oh, I hate that. like winter. But yeah, it's all springs. Like everything's like springing up and fresh and the sun's out and everything's defrosting. And yeah, it's very much, I do agree. And then obviously ovulation with summer as well. But I would say the main things I like to explain in follicular is like increasing your fiber and like your cruciferous vegetables as your estrogen is rising up.
00:17:58
Speaker
It is quite a feel good time after your period does end or towards the end of your bleeds, you can increase your exercise and like energy and things like that should be feeling quite good. Totally. Yes. Amazing. So true. It is definitely where people feel the most comfortable or happy and everything's gently rising. So most people, when they come to us, most clients will say the first half of the cycle, they feel great.
00:18:24
Speaker
Obviously our luteal phase, they usually say some different things, but we will All right, we're on to, yes, ovulation now. So ovulation is that next phase, which does overlap with our follicular phase as well.
00:18:36
Speaker
But it is the star of the show. Everyone looks at menstruation as pre-specting. end of it and the most important part, but really ovulation is the star here.
00:18:47
Speaker
Again, another thing that we're not taught in school, we just focus on menstruation, but ovulation we can use to our advantage. Obviously, if we're wanting to have a baby, amazing. That's what we need to know and that's what we need to use. But even if we're not wanting to have babies, ovulation, you can feel great around and It's when all those hormones are surging and it means that our energy levels are usually at their highest.
00:19:10
Speaker
So it's a great time for more intensive training. If you're doing HIIT, I don't love HIIT, but it's probably the only time throughout the month that I'm going to recommend it. But if you love doing like running or You like doing even like the Pilates that's a bit more fast or the yoga that's fast paced. Is it Yin Yoga?
00:19:28
Speaker
I can't remember. I don't know the names, but certain types of yoga I know is a little bit like maybe Yin's the longer pose as you hold longer. Is it? Okay, yeah. Is it Yang then?
00:19:38
Speaker
i don't know. I think they call it. Yeah, Power Yoga. Yeah. And they do a Pilates one as well, where it's a lot more intense. Sometimes they do it hot and sometimes they don't. It's so good. Definitely a good time. And around that time is when you're going feel like you can do those things more.
00:19:55
Speaker
Ovulation is, I really don't even like saying it, but typically around that day 14, but for most people, it's not. Some people it's earlier, some people it's later, but that's just the sort of textbook of 28 day cycle.
00:20:08
Speaker
You really want to make sure that we're making like focus on our meals so around balance of proteins and complex carbs and fats, which we really need all throughout the month. But this is going to support our energy requirements in that phase.
00:20:22
Speaker
Also, we want to really, really focus on our healthy fats. Very important. So making sure that we're having a good amount of omega-3s with foods. We can have things like deep sea fatty fish.
00:20:34
Speaker
Actually, I've been loving salmon at the moment. I go through phases as well, being pregnant, like sometimes you're into stuff, sometimes you're not. But yeah, salmon, the our Harris farm does like a delicious piece of, I think it's Mount Cook salmon, which i don't know if you've heard about the Mount Cook, but they actually swim upstream.
00:20:52
Speaker
So they're, is it there? Yeah, they swim upstream. So they're more, I was speaking to a fishery lady about this. They're softer. I don't know how it creates them to be softer, but there's maybe more movement in their body. I don't know.
00:21:06
Speaker
Anyway, Mount Cook, if you can get your hands on it, is like the best salmon. They also do sashimi, which Jeremy absolutely loves. And that's an easy way if you like it cooked or you like it raw, an easy way to get in extra healthy fats.
00:21:19
Speaker
Us in clinic are obviously going to recommend a good quality fish oil, but you have to be careful. It has to be really good quality. There's so much crap out there on the market.
00:21:30
Speaker
And we really want to make sure that we're ovulating so we can feel good because if we're ovulating, it means that our progesterone, which is our feel-good hormone, is going to be doing its thing and then the rest of our system is going to be pretty much happy and healthy.
00:21:43
Speaker
So, yeah, ovulation is really the star of the show. We need to bow down to our ovulation and make sure she's doing her thing properly. 100%. So after ovulation, we move into our luteal phase.
00:21:55
Speaker
I feel like most people, this is where complications can start in their cycle because ovulation is so important to basically regulate the rest of your cycle.
00:22:06
Speaker
So your luteal phase is from ovulation basically up until the start of that next bleed. It is where we tend to see PMS, PMDD sort of symptoms come up, issues with skin, that kind of thing. And that is generally because ovulation can be, I guess, tricky with stress and things like that as well. It can definitely contribute to a lot of hormonal ambulances with progesterone being so important through there.
00:22:29
Speaker
But your luteal phase is where everything starts to slow down. Like naturally you'll feel a little bit, I say lower, not, you shouldn't be feeling fatigued. You shouldn't be feeling like deranged, but it is like a very calming, you'll feel like quite grounded and just want to have your own space sort of feeling.
00:22:49
Speaker
Hopefully. Yes, absolutely. It shouldn't be that you can't get yourself out of bed it'd be more like you would choose a yoga class over a HIIT class or over some type of power class you're really like preparing for your cycle because at the end of the day it is like such a big sort of week or so for the body we're essentially like sending so much energy and everything down to build that endometrial line in to basically either prepare for pregnancy or recycle your body doesn't know at that point so it's the same job either way
00:23:21
Speaker
Exactly. I know it's crazy. That's happening every single month, whether you're pregnant or not. That's it. I feel like a lot of people feel like they need to push through the lower feelings. I don't even like saying that, not the fatigue, but you just feel a little bit more. Yeah. You just a bit more, you should be more likely to choose to put your feet up or do emails from the lounge or something like that, rather than feeling like, okay, I'm going to get outside. I'm going to go for a quick jog before I start my day. It'll be more like, okay, I'm just going to, I'm to actually just lay in bed and read this morning instead of getting out there and doing my exercise.
00:23:58
Speaker
And you just feel like your body will naturally choose some of those more calming and grounding activities. And you're right. So many women just push themselves because we are in tune or made to believe that we should have the same energy every single day.
00:24:15
Speaker
and they'll just get back out there and force themselves to do it, which obviously then can throw up like our cortisol. Yeah. yeah not leave us in a place. You're basically like nurturing yourself so that you can feel good the rest of your cycle, I feel like.
00:24:29
Speaker
Exactly. And really, like it is good to have some downtime. I feel like in this day and age, everything's such a hustle and bustle and there's so much to be done. And yes, there's lots of things that you have to get done that you just can't. You can't be like, oh, I'm just going to lay in bed all day today or anything like that, especially if you've got kids and you're working and all those things. But It might be like, okay, instead of doing after work activities or instead of doing like packing my weekend full, I'm just going to have some downtime and just really try and lean into allowing my body to feel like nourished and maybe focusing on more food and water instead of exercise. always find that in my luteal phase, I'll like really prioritize sleep. So I feel like I get everyone on the Gold Coast does, but I'm
00:25:14
Speaker
I get up quite early and I'll always like go for like a sunrise walk with my friends before work or if I do a Pilates class in the morning, I'll always try and shift that to like the afternoon so i have like more time to sleep in the morning.
00:25:30
Speaker
I love that. Yes, I love that though. It's nice to just, say it's not like you don't have to do it. Like maybe you're like, oh, instead of getting up early and exercising, I still want to do my exercise, but I might do that after work or yeah, I might push it out till the afternoon, that sort of thing, or just change the style for that day.
00:25:45
Speaker
Cause really in the scheme of things, it's not a long time. Like the start of the luteal phase, you won't really be feeling like that. It's more just that last week. And if you feel good, like definitely, i feel like you're normal.
00:25:59
Speaker
Yes. Do what you do. Don't feel like you need empty the tank that particular day because the tank is a little lower. Exactly. And just, I guess that's another thing, like listening to your body, which not many people do, just like checking in with yourself and being like, oh, I'm really tired today, but i I promised myself I'd go and do that exercise class. Instead, just go for a nice long walk. And as progesterone is rising through your luteal phase, it's also catabolic. So it increases your protein breakdown, which basically means that we prioritize carbohydrates more through luteal phase as well. So I feel like not a lot of women know but on average
00:26:35
Speaker
We need about 200 to 300 extra calories per day through that phase because your body is working overtime, building the lining. Like it's naturally burning more calories at rest as well, which is why sugar cravings can be such a big thing in the lead up to your cycle as well, but particularly if you're not eating enough as well.
00:26:52
Speaker
So really making sure you're actually like prioritized sitting down, having your meals as well and balancing them out. That's why dieting is so hard, I feel, for women because we're, again, taught to be scared of carbs. Don't eat carbs. like You're going to put on so much weight.
00:27:08
Speaker
But it's like our body literally needs carbs. It's all about just choosing the right type of carbs and also just having that balance all throughout the month so you're not just like, okay, I'm eating whatever throughout the month and then this one week I'm going to do this. Just find that balance, 80-20. And then, yeah, basically making sure that you're increasing your water intake,
00:27:27
Speaker
rest as much as you need to make sure you prioritize your sleep just a lot of self-care as much as you can basically to prepare your body for your bleed or maybe pregnancy yes exactly either way you definitely need to prepare exactly it's such a good idea like just allowing yourself that time to just not feel guilty because there's I have so many clients I'm sure you would as well where it's just like they'll feel guilty if they don't do their exercise because they've got their plan, they've got to stick to their plan. And if they don't do this, then they're worried that they're going to put on weight or that last week is just for nothing sort of thing. And it's no, I promise you, it's going to work in your favor because as that cortisol is high, that's going to, one, stand in the way of your ovulation and your progesterone and also just make you feel like crap and your body's just not going to work as well as it. And at the end of the day, I feel like if you are, and there's lots of studies on this on like female athletes and things like that as well.
00:28:24
Speaker
But when they do just slow down and cut back in that like one week, the rest of their cycle is so much better. Whereas if you really push through your luteal phase and burn yourself out, you're not going to have that like nice feel good feeling through your follicular inovulation. Like you lose that. So that's the hello I know. And that's one of the things I do try and talk to about my clients with, even when we're talking about like testing or results for hormones or cycle, it's like, we really only get one month to have a go at each thing, whether that's ovulation, like follicular, luteal, menstruation.
00:29:00
Speaker
we only get one one go out of the whole month to see, okay, ovulation felt better this month if they've got pain or my bleed's been so much better or luteal, I didn't feel so down in the dumps. It's like, that's only one month. Whereas like for men, it's every single day. So for them, it like things often work faster and trying to remind them that, okay, yes, you've had one bleed since we've started.
00:29:20
Speaker
We're going to need at least three to four to actually start to see some of these amazing changes. And we understand like when people are first starting with us as well, like it's not going to happen like that, right? it takes time and it takes changes. And sometimes you'll have some days, like maybe in the luteal phase, you'll be like stuff that I'm going to have some Cadbury chocolate. Cause I'm feeling like crap. Right.
00:29:39
Speaker
And it's okay. That's fine. Let's just try next month. Let's try some like Panna or what are those delicious? The love local ones. Oh my God. that you They are so good. And the kids, like my kids are into them now, which is so annoying. i was like, I surely don't like them. Cause was like dark chocolate and But no, they like them. So now I have to hide them at the top of the cupboard because I don't have them heaps often, but I do a sweet something now and then. So yes, there's always other options. And I guess we know it doesn't happen overnight. It happens with time. Obviously, we've spoken a bit about the menstruation phase there, but we do look at that as a bit of a phase as well. And just pretty much the same, treat it like the luteal phase. Just really focusing on resting, putting your feet up, sleeping in a bit more, not pushing yourself. Obviously,
00:30:26
Speaker
symptoms like really painful bleeds, really heavy bleeds, really bad breakouts, terrible mood, anxiety, depression, anything like that, really bad clotting.
00:30:40
Speaker
These are all signs that there's something going on, although common, not normal. So you're getting this every month, you don't have to be suffering with this every month. There's so much we can do to just help that menstrual cycle to be, or that menstrual phase to be uneventful, essentially. Yeah, 100%.
00:30:53
Speaker
Yes. And we see it all the time as well. People come to us and they'll be like yeah that's just what I'm like. I've got really heavy bleeds and it's just part of it. And then we'll find out like they're so fatigued because they're iron so low. And they'll be like, oh my gosh, my bleed this last month, i only needed to change three times instead of eight times in the day. And you're like, yes, we're working on it. Don't worry. We're all it. don't know if you use, we always got taught in uni. Your period is your monthly report card, whereas ovulation is like a little... deposit into your long-term health like bank account totally yes absolutely i do love that and you really want to focus on i guess like warmer foods and drinks so nothing that's like too cold because obviously especially in traditional chinese medicine that cold contributes to that stagnation within the blood so providing the body with that warm and nourishing meals is really supportive and helps with that
00:31:42
Speaker
healthy blood flow. They also say reducing a lot of caffeine and obviously alcohol. Again, alcohol all throughout the month, reducing is amazing, but caffeine people don't even think about is really important. Sticking to those sort of low intensity workouts like walking, light yoga, flows, that sort of thing.
00:32:00
Speaker
Even some stretching at home, people really don't realize how amazing just stretching at home can be for you. They think if I'm not going to the gym and sweating up a storm then i'm not doing anything but just some stretching at home right obviously making oh sorry well even just we'll forget that that's like movement too totally Even, yeah, anything like that. And walking out in nature, like whether you've got a lake, you've got a beach, you've got some bush, even like people that are rural, if you've got a farm, like you can just walk along or even if you're in suburbia, honestly, getting yourself outside and just like walking somewhere, there's usually some type of like waterway you can get to just to really prioritize getting out in there. And it just shows that it beautifully supports the nervous system, brings down that stress.
00:32:46
Speaker
And really prioritizing sleep and recovery in that menstruation cycle. So not pushing yourself at all. And obviously, if we do have a lot of things going on with our cycle, we're going to support it with herbs. But there's some beautiful hormone support that we can do with herbs.
00:33:00
Speaker
And then also the star of the show is magnesium, really, for our cycle. I love magnesium. Yes, me too. It's good for all month. I've actually been a little bit slack with my magnesium and I can feel it at the moment. i need to get back into that. Naughty girl.
00:33:12
Speaker
Yeah. One of my favorite things to talk about in the health world is myths and busting myths. We actually, we did a podcast on this a little while ago and it was like fertility myths and we busted them. And I love that.
00:33:25
Speaker
So let's talk about some myths that need some busting. On the oral contraceptive pill, you do not have a period. It's actually a withdrawal bleed.
00:33:36
Speaker
which so many people do not know. They actually think that they're having their normal bleed. Oh my God, it's regular. It's regular and it's perfect. But that's because these synthetic hormones are forcing you to have a withdrawal bleed. Unfortunately, that's why it can be such a problem when we are coming off the oral contraceptive pill as well. It's really obviously beneficial to your health to have a regular period. It also tells us a lot about your health, that monthly report card, like you were just saying.
00:34:05
Speaker
now considered your fifth vital sign. I love that. That's really cool. That's really good that they've actually recognized that. It's amazing that they're doing so much more study on women's health, which is great.
00:34:19
Speaker
This one I have actually already mentioned because it comes up so much, but period pain, while it is common, it is not normal. It is not a normal symptom. Menstrual disorders are very common, unfortunately, globally, not just here in Australia, reflecting an under-recognized public health problem. So it really goes to show that there is even, it's huge, even just hearing on the radio now about endosupport and they're like,
00:34:46
Speaker
ah call blah, blah, blah for endosupport. And I'm like, wow, like it's crazy that people even know what endometriosis is. It's crazy. But yeah, it is amazing. It's really good that it is becoming a ah worldwide phenomenon.
00:34:59
Speaker
Also non-hormonal forms of contraception, sorry, are just as effective when used correctly. So it doesn't have to be our hormonal, synthetic hormonal ones.
00:35:11
Speaker
An example of that would be like our copper. Yeah. um Can be just as effective and not as many side effects. I personally am always going to recommend for my clients to try and learn their body.
00:35:24
Speaker
If they're not wanting to fall pregnant, do like the temperature charting so that then they can avoid it around ovulation rather than some of the others. Even next in line would be like hubby's getting the snip.
00:35:35
Speaker
Sorry. But I would prefer that then the women having to take synthetic hormones for the rest of their life or even women undergoing the Tubes tied. strike me yeah hysterrectomy hysterectomy because obviously they can leave the ovaries or they can remove the ovaries obviously you won always keep the ovaries if they're in there but the only time that i'm going to say that they need to do something like that is if there was some sort of major life-threatening disease but if it's just to stop having babies the best option is going to be either learn your body and avoid having sex around ovulation. Can be risky though, can be very risky.
00:36:13
Speaker
Or yeah like hubby's getting the snip rather than having to go through a life of synthetic hormones. Yes, absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. I know. There is absolutely that option as well, but I know not many couples like that. I feel like even that's like a myth on its own, like you only need to start tracking or you only need to learn your cycle if you're trying to fall pregnant.
00:36:35
Speaker
That is so true. And it's no because it tells us so much about our cycle and what our hormones are doing by just learning ourself. And you do feel so much more empowered when you know what's going on with your body.
00:36:45
Speaker
Also, a good myth is that not all sanitary products are the same. You really want to opt for organic cotton ranges to support hormonal health. And when you think about it, you're putting toxic chemicals literally inside of your body in one of the most absorbent areas you could it's when you think about it so scary because I remember being a teen and I would just use like the those little colorful yes there Libra there was like the Moxie brand there was the ones that are colorful in there and it's really was it colorful one
00:37:22
Speaker
Yeah, I think so. yeah there's so many now. It's been so long since I've gone in there and looked at them. But I remember the colorful ones were so cool, like different colored tampons, like how cool as a young girl, right?
00:37:33
Speaker
And you just think about my poor little young body there, just like inserting these chemical filled tampons into one of the most... most absorbent areas ever and it is what it is look I'm here I'm doing fine now and there's so many other women that are in the same boat but it's all about educating and knowing that there's other options out there like you love using a tampon amazing let's find you one that doesn't have all the crap in it you love using pads amazing let's find one that doesn't have all the crap in it there's options now I guess when we were younger as well I don't remember there being any natural ones I remember toms coming out
00:38:07
Speaker
And I changed over to them, but that was when I was like early 20s, I think. So, you know, there was still like 10 years maybe or five to 10 years there using the non-healthy ones.
00:38:19
Speaker
And then you look at them and their price between them. You're like, oh, do I really need them? But you do. I know. That's... That is the other thing. That is the same as like with plastic to glass or organic to non-organic foods or even like the undies. Like you could get yourself into Kmart and get the cheap ones. But really the cheaper ones never last as long either.
00:38:39
Speaker
And they're chemical filled. It's like... I was even looking actually on, i was getting some dish soap and I usually use like the Koala one or the Eco Store. And there's a couple of other brands that I'll rotate between, but they're my probably most popular ones. And just looking at the prices of those opposed to like the other ones, like the Koala one, I think was like $14.99 for mils.
00:39:00
Speaker
And you can go into Coles or Woolies and get that for a couple of dollars of the crappy filled ones and the chemical filled ones. I can totally understand why people are like, okay, maybe they need to go and get those ones. But really like later on you'll be wishing you went for the more natural ones. And even if it's as a start, you just start by using every second time the other ones, if you're not in a financial position to have the the more expensive one or just try and find the cheapest one in the natural ranges there's heaps of them coming out like even those the sheets you know how get the dishwasher sheets and washing sheets the is it loose globe lucent yes something like that
00:39:39
Speaker
There's a new brand, yes, and they do the sheets and that's definitely a much more affordable one than using those dishwasher tablets that are like, they're so expensive, 70 bucks a bag and they're full of chemicals. They're full of chemicals.
00:39:53
Speaker
Back to the sanitary products though, there was actually a study done by the University of California that they actually led the world's first study into the presence of heavy metals in 14 popular tampon brands.
00:40:06
Speaker
and found toxic metals in every sample tested. Traces of 16 types of metals were found within the samples. Doesn't that just make you want a cry? Yeah. So bad. For these young girls out there, same as like with the plastics at the moment, the microplastics, they found in every semen sample, or was it every male scrotum, they found microplastics, every single one, 100%.
00:40:31
Speaker
ah hundred percent So just goes to show that it's like getting in our bodies, right? Men and women. And then obviously if we're putting chemicals inside of us, it's not good. awkward Let's talk a little bit more about the anovulatory cycles. Okay.
00:40:45
Speaker
So anovulation, because we say it a lot and I feel like not a lot of people know what it means, but basically an anovulatory cycle is when you don't ovulate through your cycle, which can happen and does happen a lot more often than you think.
00:41:00
Speaker
Especially if there is something like PCOS or endo or even just stress is such a big component of not ovulating through your cycle. So generally an ovulation is usually caused by some type of disturbance which within your HPO axis, which is basically how your brain communicates with your ovaries, your hypothalamic pituitary ovarian axis.
00:41:21
Speaker
And this can happen for a number of reasons. You can overeat, underate, PCOS, endohormonal imbalances, all sorts of things can upset that. But basically, if you move through ah couple of cycles without having a regular ovulation, it can really start to upset your hormones. It can throw off so many different things within your cycle and start to contribute to a lot of those PCOS sort of symptoms, insulin resistance,
00:41:49
Speaker
disturbances in your sleep unfortunately hormones are a component of pretty much everything everything so we pretty much want to ensure that we're supporting ovulation as much as we can through our cycle and this is like we said making sure you're moving through each phase you're exercising within your cycle you're not pushing yourself too hard and managing stress which is a really hard one to do absolutely in this day and age gosh and then also booking in if you are feeling like hormones might be a little bit imbalanced if you feel like you're not feeling good at any point through your cycle you're not feeling how you would expect to feel low libido heavy periods anything like that so that we can basically figure out what is going on and which part of your cycle will needs support because
00:42:32
Speaker
There are a lot of supplements out there that I feel like hormonal imbalance is such like a big thing at the moment. And not all supplements are the same. And because you do have so many different components through your cycle will that sort of contribute to overall hormonal health, but also ovulation, you want to make sure that you're taking the right herbs.
00:42:54
Speaker
There is not a one fix is all. And that's why we test hormones as well. But supplements for hormonal imbalance can be a little bit tricky. Oh, absolutely. And it is people do fall for certain types of marketing, which is really sad because there is so much crap out there. Some of the supplements that aren't even registered with the TGA, like they're not an OST-L product, which that's a good thing for everyone to look at.
00:43:16
Speaker
on your products you want to look and see the ost l on there which is usually on the front and it is just a little number that means that it is tga listed but honestly so many brands are not and they just market well and then unfortunately people will be scrolling late at night and they'll be like oh hormonal imbalance and they're not getting the information from like a trusted naturopath or a health practitioner. It could just be, they just see the ad and they're like, oh my God, yes, I've got all these tick, tick, tick. Yes.
00:43:50
Speaker
I don't know this brand. I don't know where it's from. I don't know any of it. And they order it and then they're like oh, I've tried the supplements and it doesn't work. It's like, well, you haven't even technically tried supplements. You've pretty much tried lollies or you've tried a cereal. You haven't actually tried a proper therapeutic supplement. So yes And I feel like PCOS is definitely a big one with an ovulatory cycles. And I think people, when they learn that, sort of freak out a little bit. But even PCOS is a syndrome and like we just it's still it's a hormonal imbalance. so we need to figure out what is triggering it and then fix it from there. There's not a certain supplement that everyone with PCOS should have.
00:44:29
Speaker
Just because you have PCOS doesn't mean that you're not necessarily ovulating. like There's so many components to it. I know. And PCOS, I actually love treating PCOS because it is reversible. There's so much we can do to actually reverse the way that your body is. And it's not a life sentence.
00:44:45
Speaker
And especially when it comes to fertility, when you go to a fertility specialist and they're like, yeah, you got PCOS, it's going to be so hard for you to... fall pregnant or to live a happy, healthy life because you're going to have to deal with this, whether it's from insulin or stress or post pill or whatever it's coming from.
00:45:02
Speaker
Yeah, there's so much that we can do to actually reverse it, which is so good when you change their hormones and they start to feel well and fall pregnant and they feel amazing you feel great it's honestly one of the best like amazing definitely making sure that i guess one thing for me working on stress and one of the things that i'll see in clinic will be people that'll say oh why didn't i ovulate this month or lots of people actually ask on our tiktok and be like why didn't i ovulate this month and i'll be like have you been stressed no have you been sick yes
00:45:32
Speaker
Or have you been sick? No. Have you been stressed? Yes. And that can just shift that ovulation. And it doesn't mean it's not going to come. Obviously, when we're talking about an ovulation, it can. But yeah, there's so many different things that we can do to support not only the ovulation, but also that stress pathway and how stressed you are, which makes us feel better overall, really. Let's talk about some lifestyle factors that determine cycle health and how we can improve it. Interestingly enough, I think everybody knows in this day and age that smoking isn't good.
00:46:02
Speaker
People are addicted to it, people do it, and that is their prerogative and what they choose to do. But it's not good for our health. Like we can't have an argument where we talk about smoking being good. Unfortunately, it can affect our cycle.
00:46:14
Speaker
So menstrual irregularity in smokers is 1.4 times that of non-smokers. Smokers are more likely to have infrequent periods with three or more months between the cycles.
00:46:27
Speaker
They can also have shorter menstrual cycles, so like 21 to 24 days or even less than that, and also to have heavier periods, which is very interesting. Diet is a huge one. We talk about this all the time. Obviously, it's important for our overall health, but also really important for our cycle health.
00:46:43
Speaker
A Spanish study investigated the effects of adherence to um Mediterranean diet and found that individuals who consumed olive oil daily, which you've got this in your cupboard, be should if you don't get it, were more likely to have a lower percentage of heavy bleeding flow and alcohol consumption was associated with longer cycle length than normal.
00:47:07
Speaker
Research also indicates that carbohydrate intake can play a role in menstrual dysfunction, which we were speaking about or Britt was speaking about before. For instance, individuals following a low-carb or keto diet tend to have increased menstrual dysfunction, particularly amenorrhea.
00:47:25
Speaker
So it is very interesting how carbs plays such an important role in our health but if you go to someone who's raising dietary stuff online they'll usually say low carb is important now you obviously want to have enough carbs you don't want to overdo it though there's obviously still a balance in there but people get so scarred they're so scared scarred really of it that they'll end up just doing no carbs and it'll be so low and even from fruits and vegetables it's not good not good at all
00:47:56
Speaker
Also, weight and eating patterns. Evidence points to a link between energy balance and reproductive health, revealing the need for proper calorie intake and consistent mealtime habits for people who menstruate.
00:48:12
Speaker
A higher prevalence of energy anovulatory cycles has been reported for individuals with a history of eating disorders such as anorexia, binge eating and bulimia, which actually I was going to mention before about the athletes, although they're not a part of that group because they're so heavy on the training and their diet is so strict.
00:48:34
Speaker
Often they will lose their cycle. And it does go hand in hand with, unfortunately, a lot of eating disorders because they also are very strict with what they're eating, whether it's binge eating, whether it's bulimia or whether it's anorexia.
00:48:47
Speaker
And it can absolutely affect ovulation and our cycle, obviously our overall health as well. Yeah. Not a nice link there, but is a big one. And especially for young girls, if you're a woman, you've been a young teenager at some point, you know how much it is drummed into us about body image, unfortunately, with the media and everything. And obviously it is important
Closing and Connection
00:49:10
Speaker
to a degree because we want to be healthy and we want to feel good about ourself.
00:49:15
Speaker
It's very unrealistic the way the media portrays it and models and things like that. So if you have a young daughter, definitely checking in with them, making sure that they're having enough carbs is super important, right? And opting for sweet potato, quinoa, rice is good, but yes, amazing. That's Pretty much everything. Honestly, i feel as though so many people would learn so much from this. And I feel that people should definitely know that if you are struggling with any type of symptom, whether it's low energy, weight gain, you're struggling with...
00:49:45
Speaker
digestive complaints, obviously cycle issues, fertility. There's so much we can do. You don't have to be suffering every day or every month. There is so much we can do. we obviously like to do our testing, as Brittany had mentioned.
00:49:59
Speaker
It does really give us so much more information about your health picture, and then we can treat you a lot better that way. So we're very big on I love blending the traditional medicine with also up-to-date scientific medicine that can really back that traditional stuff. So yeah, it's amazing. And it's amazing what naturopathy can do. So thank you so much for joining me today. it has been such a great chat.
00:50:23
Speaker
If anyone wants to follow along, we are quite active on our Instagram, which is mungbean underscore health. So M-U-N-G-B-E-A-N underscore health. We're also on TikTok, the same name, mungbean underscore health.
00:50:36
Speaker
We obviously have a number of other podcasts you can listen to. And if you want to reach out, either DM us or you can jump onto our website, which is www.mungbeanhealth.com.
00:50:47
Speaker
And we can't wait to connect. Thank you.
00:50:58
Speaker
And that's a wrap on today's dose of wellness. I'm Rhiannon, your fertility fairy godmother. Thank you for joining us. Stay connected with us on Instagram at mungbin underscore health.