How Estrogen Impacts Your Mood

I’m sure you’ve personally experienced the connection between your hormones and your mood. 🙋‍♀️

It’s a thing, for sure. It just so happens that estrogen, which is high during the first half of your menstrual cycle and throughout pregnancy, is directly involved with the productions of serotonin aka your feel good neurotransmitter. Serotonin is what many antidepressant medications are trying to increase to improve mood. Very clever, eh? Well taking it a step further and looking for the reason serotonin might be low is the way to up level the clever in this situation.

This is also super important to understand because while estrogen is high DURING pregnancy, it takes a serious nosedive after delivery, which means serotonin also drops off (hello, baby blues!). If you were already low in serotonin before pregnancy, this transition can be even harder and may contribute to increased risk for postpartum depression (lots of other factors to consider with this too). Serotonin has several functions in your body beyond mood, including appetite and bowel regulation, clotting, nausea & bone density (here’s one of the links between menopause and osteoporosis).

All of this to show, once again, the importance of considering your entire body when it comes to dealing with low mood, sadness, depression and anxiety. It’s not always just a mood issue, sometimes it’s also a hormone and a gut issue. Or it’s something else entirely. It’s worth figuring out what it is for you so you can start to heal and regulate your own happiness chemicals again. 🙌🏼

What Is Your Relationship with Breastfeeding?

It’s almost never a simple answer. One of my biggest lessons in motherhood has been the ability to hold two very different feelings at the same time. “I love you with all my heart AND I just want 3 days to myself to especially not see you.” “I want to nurture the full range of your emotions AND I’m having a really hard time with this one particular emotion your having right now.” I could come up with a lot of these.

Breastfeeding, in my experience, was no different. My breastfeeding experience was wonderful AND I was so happy to have my body back when I was done. My breastfeeding experience took everything I could give AND I can’t imagine doing it any other way. A mom that struggled more may feel their breastfeeding experience was disappointing AND they still love and appreciate their body. Or their breastfeeding experience was nonexistent AND they’re perfectly fine with that. When it comes to breastfeeding decisions, there can be no judgement. A mama makes the decision that is right for her and her babe and/or must learn to accept the reality of what is. There are lessons in all of it. There is also no other way about it and that is nobody’s business but theirs. Let us celebrate all the ways we can feed our children.

If you care to share your statements below, please do! We lift each other up in knowing these complex feelings we have as mothers, mothers-to-be, and womxn yearning to be mothers are shared by others.

What Caused My PCOS? Here's My Story

What caused my PCOS? I’ve been thinking of root cause of PCOS a lot lately and truthfully, for everyone it’s different. It’s not only because of being overweight, eating too much sugar or stress but it always, always starts long before a diagnosis. My own case of PCOS was diagnosed after having acne for the first time and not having a period for a year (for the second time in my life). My hair was falling out and I felt terrible. I had the type of PCOS that stems from adrenal imbalance but I was also having insulin resistance.

The reproductive glands and endocrine system make a huge leap during puberty and that is when a lot of family dysfunction really started to peak in my life. My brother was diagnosed with mental illness, my dad was angry and cold and that was all on top of the general challenges of middle school. Moving into high school, I started The Pill, had pneumonia (treated with antibiotics and steroids), started eating terribly, had a pretty traumatic first relationship, had full body hives three times (treated with antihistamines and steroids), over-exercised by playing varsity soccer and training for a bodybuilding show and my home life challenges worsened. Reproductive organs can’t mature physically or energetically the way they are supposed to when faced with so much stress.

I would even argue that the potential to develop PCOS started even before puberty, with earlier stresses and micro-traumas as well as my parents own imbalances (hello, preconception care). That’s my story but it’s also one I hear so often in the histories of my clients and patients. Suppression and walling off of emotions (= cystic ovaries) because you were in a situation where it wasn’t safe to express them is also another theme I see so often. When we understand where PCOS began FOR YOU, we can start to unwind the way your body has compensated and support a return of clearing waste from your system while restoring the perfectly designed way it was meant to function. You’re meant to be well and we all came in this world with lessons to learn. Your PCOS diagnosis is a part of that beautiful and challenging story.

Melatonin & Your Hormones

Melatonin seems to be everybody’s favorite sleep aid but you may be less aware of just how important melatonin is for hormone regulation. Your entire endocrine system relies on rhythms and routine in your life so that it secretes just the right amount of each hormone, at the right time for you to fall asleep and stay asleep, have a regular period, wake up and sustain energy throughout your day, and on and on. That routine is strongly influenced by your environment and especially the light and darkness your are exposed to throughout the day.

Melatonin is made in the pineal gland (and minimally in the gut and immune cells), which is this super ancient part of your brain that responds too light. For it to be secreted appropriately, which means as you’re winding down your day and while you sleep, we really need to be respecting the natural laws of sunlight. Ancestrally, humans wouldn’t have been exposed to light beyond the moon at certain times of the month and fire light, which means primarily red light and some full spectrum light as the moon became more full. Electronics and artificial light operate with a much higher percentage of blue and green lights, with far less of a full spectrum of light, which tells our pineal gland it’s daytime and prevents the full potential of melatonin production. Low melatonin can lead to sleep issues but it can also affect sex hormone balance as well as our immune function, specifically related to cancer cell growth. It’s also been show to increase weight gain post menopause  because of it’s affect on estrogen receptors.

As we experience these darkest days of the year and beyond, there are some really great ways to adjust your environment to support melatonin production and ultimately happy hormones.

1. Choose incandescent lights over LED

2. Use candle light (ideally, beeswax) after dark

3. Install blackout curtains and sleep with an eye mask

4. Cover electronic lights with black electrical tape

5. Use salt lamps or red lightbulbs in lights you may need to turn on during the night or early morning

6. Install blue light blocking screen protectors or use glasses when using electronics after dark. 

Coming Off Hormonal Birth Control: Here's What You Need to Know

I have this conversation all the time in my office. It’s often the only option that is presented to a lot of women and it’s certainly the first so it’s like a major act of rebellion to choose that the pill or IUD is no longer the right option for you. On top of that, if you’ve been on hormonal birth control for some time, it might take some time and a little extra intention to bring your body back into balance.

With the feedback loops that exist, having more hormones around than you’re technically supposed to leads to the glands that should be producing those hormones to feel like they can take a break because they aren’t really needed. Excess hormones also have their own direct effects on the body and then your detox mechanisms have to work harder to clear the extra hormones from your system. That is one of the reasons hormonal birth control depletes nutrient stores and if your detox pathways are also bogged down by other toxins from your environment (poor quality skincare, food, water, yada yada) then you might have more trouble.

When you take out the external source of hormones, your own systems need to come back on line to start producing appropriate levels of hormones again. The longer you’ve been on birth control and the more toxic your lifestyle, the harder that can be. If you have other issues going on, like leaky gut, an imbalance in your microbiome, chronic stress or other illnesses the whole process can take longer and you could need more support to help your body find its rhythm.

Important areas to focus are a super clean diet (I’ll go more into this in my next post), liver support and helping your body reconnect with a rhythm. Go to bed at the same time every night, eat at the same time throughout the day and seed cycle (check out my seed cycling guide. Link in profile) If you’re still struggling beyond 3-4 months of stopping birth control, reach out. If you want to be super proactive, start working with someone before you stop your birth control to help guide you through the transition as held and nourished as possible.

Take Journaling Off The Pedestal

Growing up, I was the one with 10 gorgeous journals with only the first three pages written in, if that. I always aspired to journal regularly but then felt completely intimidated by creating a chronicle of my life in perfect prose to match the beauty of the pages. I basically set myself up for failure for most of my life.

In the last year, I had a little bit of a breakthrough and it came from really bringing journaling back to the basics so it could be a tool that actually served me. So, what was the shift? I started journaling on junk mail. I took the pristinely white envelops of the credit card offers and monthly bills I forgot to switch to digital, and wrote my thoughts and then promptly threw them away. By taking the pressure of the journal out of the equation, I was able to get over myself and experience the joys and benefits of the act of journaling. Sometimes it was to-do lists for the next day or just stream of consciousness: “I don’t want to wash my face now because I’m soooo tired. Oh, we need more muffin liners.” The simple act of moving thoughts from your mind onto paper helps clear the way for a little rest. It’s an excellent practice first thing in the morning to make way for greater ease and creativity throughout the day or even right before bed so you’re not mentally working things out as you’re trying to move into sleep.

In working with clients through these uncertain times, while I’ve seen this as an incredible period of healing for most, these tools have been extra needed for keeping sane and present. Since my junk mail scribbling days, I’ve graduated to plain black moleskine notebooks and here I will remain for the foreseeable future. If you’re a naturally gifted journal-er, I stand impressed by your kind always. If you just need to rant a little because you can’t get your BFF on the phone and if you absolutely must move it out of your body so that your household can continue onward, I see you and can relate. Make it whatever you need it to be and nothing more.

Virtual Visits: What It's Like To Meet Virtually Vs. In-Person

I’m seeing a vast majority of client virtually these days and I’ve had a lot of questions about what it’s like to meet virtually, rather than in-person.

First of all, now is such a great time to address your health because there is an amazing opportunity to slow down right now. With as much conflicting information as there is out there, having a guide to individualize a plan that is made for you specifically is so, so important. Just today, I brought back the option to book a 15-minute discovery call so you can understand what addressing your specific health goals might look like and to see if we’re a good fit. If you’re interested, you can follow the link in my bio to book. Otherwise, here’s what to expect from meeting virtually.

Once you’ve scheduled your 60 minute initial consult, intake and consent forms are sent through my online portal for you to complete. You can also upload any medical records or lab results for me to review. You’ll receive a link for your visit the day of your appointment and we can meet face-to-face or over the phone, based on what works for you. If we decide labs are appropriate, test kits can be sent directly to your home and results will be uploaded to the portal so we can review them during your next visit. Your full plan recommendations will be uploaded to the portal for you to see after the visit. Any remedies or supplements we’ve decided on can be found through my online dispensary or we can discuss options that you can find locally. I have clients all over the world so we work together to find the best options you have access to.

The clients I work with are ready to make a change. Most them come to me experiencing irregular or painful periods, PCOS, endometriosis or difficulty conceiving. They feel like they’ve tried everything else and haven’t gotten the answers or results they were looking for. I hear it all the time and I fully embrace being a different kind of doctor. If you’re ready for that, reach out!

If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me here.

And if you’re ready, you can go ahead and book your initial 60 minute consult.

Lab Tests to request when you think you may have PCOS

The word is out more than ever about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and for good reason with it being the most common chronic illness in women of reproductive years. You may have heard about it online or from a friend but how do you know if you have it? PCOS is diagnosed using what is called the Rotterdam Criteria and you basically need 2 out of the 3 criteria for a diagnosis. Here are the 3 criteria: 1. Symptoms of high androgens (hair loss, abnormal hair growth, weight gain, acne, irregular or absent menstrual cycles) 2. High androgens based on lab work (testosterone, mainly, but also DHEA) 3. Multiple ovarian cysts seen with an ultrasound. Even with elevated androgens, you may not have a lot of the symptoms. It’s possible you’re just having irregular cycles or you have regular cycles but you have acne. Regardless of what the constellation of symptoms you are experiencing are, if you’re having any of those symptoms or even none at all but you’re having trouble conceiving, it’s worth asking your doctor to run some tests. If your doctor refuses, as many of my clients have experienced, find a new doctor that will listen to you and trust your experience. Here are the tests worth getting if you want to see if you have PCOS:

Free Testosterone

Testosterone is an androgen in your body that may be elevated with PCOS. It is, at least in part, responsible for the acne and male-pattern hair loss that is often seen in PCOS. While we think of testosterone as mainly a hormone in men, women do need it to feel balanced but at lower levels. Elevated testosterone, along with symptoms of PCOS or the presence of ovarian cysts is diagnostic for the condition. 

Progesterone

Testing progesterone on day 21 of your cycle can indicate if you’ve ovulated or not. I want to see progesterone at least 20ng/ml for optimal health. If you’re not having a period, then you aren’t ovulating at all. Low progesterone is very common in PCOS and is often a result of not ovulating. Progesterone below 3ng/ml is a sign that ovulation hasn’t happened. Diet and lifestyle, as well as herbs and homeopathy, can be very helpful in restoring ovulation and regulating your period.

Thyroid Panel (TSH, Free T3, Free T4, TPO, RT3)

The ovaries are very closely related to the health of your thyroid and it's common for thyroid hormones to be out of balance in PCOS. Recognizing the need to address both the health of the ovaries and the thyroid to start successfully reversing this condition is an important part of your care. 

LH/FSH

LH stands for luteinizing hormone and is elevated in 75% of cases of PCOS. FSH stands for follicle stimulating hormone and it is often low when experiencing PCOS. The ratio of these two hormones together is elevated in 94% of PCOS cases so it can be very helpful to see the full picture of where your hormones are currently.

Fasting Insulin and Fasting Glucose 

Insulin Resistance (IR) often accompanies PCOS and can be significant when weight gain is one of your symptoms. These two tests can indicate your blood sugar levels and the insulin response and can help individualize dietary recommendations to stabilize blood sugar.   

BONUS: Transvaginal Ultrasound (TVUS)

An ultrasound can show if cysts are present on your ovaries. They are present in a majority of PCOS cases and would be worth performing particularly if you are experiencing difficulty conceiving and are without symptoms of PCOS. Some women do have multiple cysts and blood work out of range without symptoms. This is definitely more rare but worth ruling out if you’ve been trying to get pregnant for some time. 

I also often like to see results from cortisol testing to see how your circadian rhythm and stress response is doing. The health of your adrenals, and really your entire hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (basically the communication from your brain to your adrenals), has so much to do with whether your body is effectively signaling you to ovulate and have regular periods. 

Finally, if you do end up being diagnosed with PCOS, know there is so much more to be done to reverse your PCOS beyond getting on birth control pills. When the underlying cause of your PCOS is addressed, you can actually start to heal rather than just addressing the symptoms. 

If you’re interested in learning more about my approach, book a 15 minute discovery call now. 

Now Is The Perfect Time To Reverse Your PCOS

To watch the live FB video that this information is pulled from, head here!

Have you been having irregular or totally absent menstrual cycles? Maybe, hair loss or acne? Or maybe you’ve been trying to get pregnant for months and it’s just not happening. Or you’re worried about how easily you’ll be able to get pregnant in the future.

I know what that is like because I’ve been there, not to mention worked with so many women experiencing the exact same thoughts and symptoms.

I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was in my early twenties after struggling for years with severe symptoms. I hadn’t had a period in two years, my hair was falling out, there was acne all over my jaw, and I was depressed and feeling really, really poorly about myself; I went to several doctors who told me that I should get used to my symptoms and that there really wasn’t anything I could do besides going back on hormonal birth control.

For some reason I just knew that that wasn’t the right thing for me. I had been on hormonal birth control before and I didn’t like who I was, not to mention there were so many side effects—instinctively I knew that that wasn’t how a young woman was suppose to feel, so I kept asking around. Finally, I was put in touch with a naturopathic doctor, and as soon as I sat down he seemed to know exactly what was happening on a foundational level. He then ran a few tests and confirmed that I had PCOS when a lot of other doctors didn’t take the time to understand what was going on.

And within four months I was cycling again, my skin was clearing, and I was generally feeling better about myself; I was nourishing my body and really giving it what it needed instead of just trying to mask symptoms with the birth control. The best thing about it was when I was ready to get pregnant, about ten years after all of this, I was able to do so really easily; I knew my body was healthy and fertile, so as soon as the timing was right, it happened, and now I have a beautiful daughter.

This is a huge part of why I’ve decided to help hundreds of women with PCOS and other hormonal imbalances, helping to restore their cycles, and their fertility; I’m so grateful to be able to share this message and guidance with other women so that they too can heal and reverse their PCOS, living the lives they know they’re mean’t to live.

We get there by working to individualize a plan.

To support the gut health, thyroid health, rebalance the adrenal glands, all the while reducing inflammation, which is always present in PCOS. The other two things that are emphasizing stress management and treating the emotional aspects of a person and of this particular diagnoses or constellation of symptoms.

The typical approach of dealing with PCOS is through hormonal birth control pills and blood sugar stabilizing medications. Once on those, you stay on them until you’re ready to get pregnant, and once you come off of them, you just hope that that your body is going to naturally bounce back, though more often than not, it doesn’t. At this point, you’re either encouraged to take other medications to help you get pregnant or to rely on pretty invasive and very, very expensive infertility treatments like IVF or IUI.

Unfortunately, those medications simply mask the symptoms and don’t address the underlying issues, which are a lot of what I was speaking about before: your gut health, adrenal health, how you manage your stress, and how your inflammation levels are at the moment. And that doesn’t even address all the side effects you might be experiencing because of those medications.

What I choose to do instead is to really dig deeper, rebalancing your body on a foundational level and making it so you don’t experience those symptoms anymore because your hormones, gut, and adrenals are working as they should and you’re living more in balance with the natural rhythms.

Like I mentioned before, this condition is something that I’m really passionate about because I’ve been there myself. I think it’s really important that we start working on that level so that you can start feeling better while pursuing your dreams; whether that’s starting a family or starting a business, you’re worth it, and this is one of the best ways that I know how to make that happen.

So, if you are interested in learning more, you’re welcome to message or email me or go ahead and book an appointment here.

I’m so excited to share this with you and I really look forward to hearing from you!

Shifting Perspective During COVID-19

Theoretically, we’ve all be waiting for this time to be able to do the things we don’t think we have time to do. Most likely, that has a lot to do with doing less. I’ve heard quite a bit of messaging out there to do more with this time. Start the business, create the thing, be productive still. And I would like to release some of that pressure so we can realize that this is the model that we’re trying to leave behind.

Things haven’t really slowed down in our family with Travis being a nurse and me continuing with my practice (and no school) but even still, without the dinner plans or the going to the library or the trampoline park or running errands, I’ve still found some space to do a few of the things that I’ve been longing for in the midst of growing my business and having a kiddo in the last few years. Let’s be clear, there is no peaceful daily meditation happening in our house with a spirited little lady who seems magnetically resistant to a moment without sound. But I’ve had it in my mind that I would be a mom that blissfully sits down and crafts with her daughter and helps foster a slower pace. In reality, I’m kind of a rushing mom.

Always wanting her to move a little faster and being a little frustrated when she wants to show me the food in her mouth for the tenth time that day. To which I answer, “Wow, amazing honey!” I can’t say I’ve totally left that side of me in the pre-COVID19 world but I am seeing where I can shift my perspective and become a little more of the me I aspire to be in our new reality that is temporary but likely to stick around for a while. I’ve ordered the craft supplies and sat down to make the paper bag puppets and it feels as though a part of me I “haven’t had time for” is resurfacing.

There’s a reminder of the creative, feminine side of myself that has been a little smothered by the achieving, doing person that’s been in charge most of the time. I’m going through the range of emotions every day with everyone else but I’m hopeful that this global reset will leave us with some lingering lessons of what our purpose is in being here, who we actually want to be, and how we want to feel as we move through this life.