WEBVTT - A Period Piece 0:00:01.920 --> 0:00:05.359 Wind Down with Janet Kramer and I'm Heart Radio podcast. 0:00:06.240 --> 0:00:06.560 All right. 0:00:06.600 --> 0:00:09.240 On this week's Adult Education, I got KB here with 0:00:09.280 --> 0:00:10.959 me and we're going to talk periods. 0:00:10.960 --> 0:00:11.880 Girl off five days ly. 0:00:11.920 --> 0:00:15.200 I don't know about d I could be ambushed any moment, 0:00:15.240 --> 0:00:16.479 and that's the season of life we're in. 0:00:16.640 --> 0:00:19.800 Oh, but I cannot wait to talk about I need. 0:00:19.960 --> 0:00:22.480 I actually have something really embarrassing I'm going to admit. 0:00:22.560 --> 0:00:25.759 And we have doctor Hazel Wallace here, so let's just 0:00:25.800 --> 0:00:28.000 get her on and I'll just go right ahead and 0:00:28.080 --> 0:00:28.840 embarrass myself. 0:00:28.880 --> 0:00:33.080 Sisters in cycle. Ohway we go. Hi doctor, how are 0:00:33.120 --> 0:00:33.440 you going? 0:00:33.760 --> 0:00:36.519 Doctor Hazel Wallace? We have a lot of questions for 0:00:36.600 --> 0:00:42.519 you. You're wearing such an appropriate color. I'm feeling pastive, Yes exactly, 0:00:42.600 --> 0:00:44.879 she's wearing red. You're feeling got a book, not just 0:00:44.920 --> 0:00:47.240 a period. So this this is good? 0:00:47.360 --> 0:00:47.919 I like it. 0:00:48.200 --> 0:00:49.800 Well, thank you for coming on the show. We're just 0:00:49.840 --> 0:00:51.560 going to jump right into it. Is that cool? 0:00:52.320 --> 0:00:53.040 Yeah? Perfect? 0:00:53.360 --> 0:00:53.640 Great? 0:00:53.760 --> 0:00:57.680 So I think I'm I'm honestly embarrassed to admit this, 0:00:57.840 --> 0:01:00.760 but I still don't know and I should, as a 0:01:00.800 --> 0:01:06.000 forty almost two year old woman, know what my phases 0:01:06.040 --> 0:01:08.360 of my periods are and I don't like when I 0:01:08.400 --> 0:01:10.760 go do my blood work, Nate's like, oh, you're in 0:01:10.800 --> 0:01:14.320 your loop. Couldn't even pronounce it face, And I'm like, 0:01:14.480 --> 0:01:16.960 I should know. How does a man know this more 0:01:16.959 --> 0:01:19.360 than I like? But I don't think i've ever I 0:01:19.360 --> 0:01:22.640 don't ever remember being taught the phases of our periods. 0:01:22.760 --> 0:01:23.360 Never ever. 0:01:23.680 --> 0:01:25.800 I just was like, you started your period, you're done 0:01:25.800 --> 0:01:27.880 with your period. And then it wasn't until I started 0:01:27.880 --> 0:01:30.479 following Tanya rad and like getting to know her because 0:01:30.520 --> 0:01:34.319 she talks a lot about her you know, the whatever phases. 0:01:34.640 --> 0:01:37.800 But I just I still don't know. I don't understand it. 0:01:37.840 --> 0:01:39.280 And she's like, hey, you shouldn't work out in this 0:01:39.319 --> 0:01:42.080 phase and that, and I'm like what huh? 0:01:42.160 --> 0:01:45.119 And there's no where we're not supposed to make decisions. 0:01:45.120 --> 0:01:45.720 Did you know this? 0:01:45.800 --> 0:01:45.880 No? 0:01:46.000 --> 0:01:48.639 I know nothing, So can you just educate my forty 0:01:48.680 --> 0:01:51.160 two years of And I mean, this is so embarrassing, Like, 0:01:51.560 --> 0:01:53.280 am I the only woman that doesn't know this? 0:01:53.480 --> 0:01:56.520 Or do other women? Like I don't help me understand? 0:01:57.840 --> 0:02:01.800 No, I mean it's so common when we learn about periods. 0:02:01.880 --> 0:02:04.880 We learn just about the bleeding phase, maybe a little 0:02:04.920 --> 0:02:07.720 bit about what to do when you bleed, tampons, things 0:02:07.720 --> 0:02:10.200 like that, but nothing about the twenty three or so 0:02:10.360 --> 0:02:11.480 days of the. 0:02:11.560 --> 0:02:12.600 Entire menstrual cycle. 0:02:13.160 --> 0:02:16.480 And during that entire cycle, your hormones are fluctuating, so 0:02:16.919 --> 0:02:20.560 you don't feel the same on any single day. So 0:02:20.680 --> 0:02:24.120 it's just wild that we are not told anything about 0:02:24.120 --> 0:02:26.440 this when we go through puberty, and again, like up 0:02:26.520 --> 0:02:29.400 to your thirties or forty, some women are only figuring 0:02:29.440 --> 0:02:32.119 out what's happening to their bodies now. I think there's 0:02:32.160 --> 0:02:35.280 a big movement to learn more and be more autonomous 0:02:35.280 --> 0:02:36.160 when it comes to our bodies. 0:02:36.200 --> 0:02:39.040 So I love that. I love that we're having this conversation, but. 0:02:39.040 --> 0:02:41.200 I think just so we're all on the same page 0:02:41.240 --> 0:02:44.520 when it comes to the menstrual cycle. We're talking about 0:02:45.160 --> 0:02:48.280 a textbook twenty eight day cycle, but it's normal if 0:02:48.400 --> 0:02:51.680 your cycle length is anywhere between twenty one to thirty 0:02:51.720 --> 0:02:55.840 five days, and in that time, the key hormones that 0:02:55.880 --> 0:02:59.880 are fluctuating are estrogen and progesterone, and yes, they in 0:03:00.000 --> 0:03:02.519 fluence when we have our bleed, which is typically one 0:03:02.560 --> 0:03:05.600 to five days the first five days of your cycle, 0:03:06.200 --> 0:03:09.840 but they also influence everything from your skin health, your mood, 0:03:09.960 --> 0:03:13.760 your gut health, even your cravings. So it's really important 0:03:13.760 --> 0:03:17.720 we learn what's happening. So that first part of your 0:03:17.760 --> 0:03:21.000 cycle is your bleeding phase, and after that we know. 0:03:21.080 --> 0:03:23.600 What isn't it technically called there's a term for it. 0:03:24.200 --> 0:03:27.400 So that's your follicular phase volicular phase. 0:03:27.520 --> 0:03:29.640 Yes, okay, I do know that. I do know that one, 0:03:29.919 --> 0:03:32.040 but the other, like the lunar is there a lunear 0:03:32.120 --> 0:03:32.680 or something with an. 0:03:32.760 --> 0:03:34.520 L louteal phase? 0:03:34.680 --> 0:03:38.240 Yeah, okay, So, and an easy way to think about 0:03:38.280 --> 0:03:39.880 it is this is how I learned it in med 0:03:39.880 --> 0:03:43.360 school is follicular comes first, louteal comes last, and so 0:03:44.120 --> 0:03:47.760 the follicular phase lasts the first fourteen days on average. 0:03:48.160 --> 0:03:50.840 It includes the bleeding phase, but it also includes the 0:03:50.960 --> 0:03:54.880 days afterwards when your estrogen rises and you feel usually 0:03:54.920 --> 0:03:58.160 a lot better than ovulation happens, which is right in 0:03:58.200 --> 0:04:00.520 the middle of your cycle. And then you move into 0:04:00.560 --> 0:04:03.960 the lutel phase, which is when progesterone, the other hormone, 0:04:04.000 --> 0:04:07.240 starts to rise. That's usually when women don't feel great 0:04:07.320 --> 0:04:10.520 because you're getting symptoms like tender boobs, You're maybe feeling 0:04:10.560 --> 0:04:15.040 a bit bloated, sleep might be disrupted. There's quite a 0:04:15.080 --> 0:04:17.040 few things that could happen during that time, and for 0:04:17.080 --> 0:04:19.599 some women they sail through it, but for ninety percent 0:04:19.640 --> 0:04:22.800 of us we get some sort of pre menstrual symptom 0:04:22.880 --> 0:04:23.640 during that time. 0:04:24.160 --> 0:04:27.280 I am not sailing. I am just not sailing. It's 0:04:27.279 --> 0:04:27.960 getting worse. 0:04:28.360 --> 0:04:31.640 Well, I'll say that there's something in the forties where 0:04:31.800 --> 0:04:34.840 I always kind of knew when my period was coming, 0:04:34.920 --> 0:04:37.120 usually the week before. I get a little agitated, I 0:04:37.160 --> 0:04:41.599 get a little you know, annoyed with things quicker than normal. 0:04:41.839 --> 0:04:46.000 But now in my forties, I'm like, it's extra like. 0:04:46.040 --> 0:04:50.520 I'm extra annoyed, I'm extra angry, I'm extra like likable, 0:04:50.680 --> 0:04:51.200 and I'm. 0:04:51.080 --> 0:04:53.920 Extra pad tie, extra pad time. 0:04:53.960 --> 0:04:56.880 And I want some really bad yeah. Yeah, and carbs. 0:04:57.160 --> 0:04:59.200 Last night, I'm five days late for my period, which 0:04:59.240 --> 0:05:01.720 is not which is very typical for being forty two. 0:05:01.760 --> 0:05:05.160 I think, and the changes of the period, but I 0:05:05.200 --> 0:05:07.120 always know when I down a bag of chips and 0:05:07.120 --> 0:05:08.200 I'm like, wow, she's gamming. 0:05:08.520 --> 0:05:10.839 And when you're as you're eating it, you're wondering what 0:05:10.880 --> 0:05:11.560 you'll eat next. 0:05:11.839 --> 0:05:12.400 Yeah. 0:05:12.440 --> 0:05:17.960 So is it common for hormones to I mean, obviously 0:05:17.960 --> 0:05:20.200 the commons, yes, to change when you get older, but 0:05:20.680 --> 0:05:23.840 this the mood swings is that a typical difference when 0:05:23.880 --> 0:05:24.400 you get older. 0:05:25.120 --> 0:05:25.800 Really common. 0:05:25.960 --> 0:05:28.600 It's common for your cycle length to change as well 0:05:28.760 --> 0:05:31.479 as like through time, it never usually stays the same. 0:05:31.600 --> 0:05:35.480 Some women say also after pregnancy they find that their 0:05:35.480 --> 0:05:37.360 cycles are completely different to what they were. 0:05:37.240 --> 0:05:38.080 Like prior to that. 0:05:38.520 --> 0:05:41.160 And then as we approach like late thirties forties, cycle 0:05:41.240 --> 0:05:43.880 length can change again. It can become longer or shorter. 0:05:44.560 --> 0:05:47.719 Symptoms can be a bit more disruptive because when we 0:05:47.800 --> 0:05:50.640 think about like approaching the perimenopause and the menopause, it's 0:05:50.680 --> 0:05:54.000 not like your hormones just garadually decline in this really lovely, 0:05:54.600 --> 0:05:56.240 you know, easy to manage fashion. 0:05:56.320 --> 0:05:58.880 It's really erratic. It's up and down, and. 0:05:58.839 --> 0:06:01.640 So it's really hot to track that and for some 0:06:01.760 --> 0:06:05.440 women that can be quite an emotional roller coaster, and 0:06:05.520 --> 0:06:09.360 also physically the symptoms can be intense. But your experience 0:06:09.400 --> 0:06:12.479 of having like cravings, especially for like salty foods, is 0:06:12.600 --> 0:06:16.120 very common for all women. And one of the things 0:06:16.120 --> 0:06:19.120 I find fascinating is there is a biological reason for this. 0:06:20.760 --> 0:06:24.800 So in that luteal phase, when progesterone's high, you're resting 0:06:24.839 --> 0:06:27.520 metabolic rates, so that's how many calories you burn at 0:06:27.560 --> 0:06:31.720 rest actually increases, so some studies report that you're burning 0:06:31.800 --> 0:06:35.479 three hundred extra calories than normal during that time, so 0:06:35.560 --> 0:06:38.560 in the week before your period, and our bodies are 0:06:38.640 --> 0:06:41.800 very smart, so they just we just naturally eat more. 0:06:42.320 --> 0:06:45.520 And because we are looking for foods that are high 0:06:45.520 --> 0:06:49.080 in energy, it's typically foods that are salty, sweety, sweet, 0:06:49.080 --> 0:06:53.040 and fatty. So chocolate is like reported to be the 0:06:53.080 --> 0:06:57.680 most commonly reported craving during that time. But I find 0:06:57.720 --> 0:07:01.640 it's quite interesting that this is happening for a biological reason. 0:07:01.839 --> 0:07:05.400 It's not us going crazy and actually having a bit 0:07:05.440 --> 0:07:08.200 more compassion towards ourselves. And you know, my body's working 0:07:08.200 --> 0:07:11.600 hard right now, so it's not about just living off 0:07:11.640 --> 0:07:14.520 chocolate for that two weeks prior to your period coming, 0:07:15.040 --> 0:07:17.480 but maybe giving yourself a bit more grace and and 0:07:17.640 --> 0:07:20.640 also thinking about right, I should be having regular meal times. 0:07:20.640 --> 0:07:23.600 We're not skipping meals during this time. We're not, you know, 0:07:23.680 --> 0:07:26.400 having unbalanced meals. We're making sure we're getting our protein 0:07:26.440 --> 0:07:29.560 in our complex carbs are fats, so we're supporting our 0:07:29.640 --> 0:07:30.360 energy as well. 0:07:30.640 --> 0:07:32.760 I would personally like for you to speak to the 0:07:32.840 --> 0:07:35.320 husbands for a second, because I would like the segment 0:07:35.480 --> 0:07:38.960 to have the wives press play Right at this moment, 0:07:39.040 --> 0:07:42.520 what would you like husbands to know about that week 0:07:42.600 --> 0:07:45.440 before and during the period, Like if you could just 0:07:45.480 --> 0:07:47.160 be like, here is a gift that I'm going to 0:07:47.160 --> 0:07:50.240 give to every husband about your wife's period, what would 0:07:50.280 --> 0:07:50.520 that be? 0:07:51.680 --> 0:07:54.880 This is such a great question, And I think first 0:07:54.920 --> 0:07:58.640 and foremost, don't just assume it's hormones. We do this 0:07:58.680 --> 0:08:02.440 to ourselves. We're like, oh, you know, I'm really moody 0:08:02.640 --> 0:08:05.200 or I'm really forgetful. It must be my period coming. 0:08:05.480 --> 0:08:07.200 But there's so many other things. So first of all, 0:08:07.320 --> 0:08:12.360 don't assume, but be supportive. So something that's really interesting 0:08:12.560 --> 0:08:15.680 is when we look at the research around PMS or 0:08:15.680 --> 0:08:19.760 pre menstrual syndrome. There's research where they looked at a 0:08:19.800 --> 0:08:22.920 woman having couples therapy or therapy on our own, and 0:08:22.960 --> 0:08:26.280 it actually shows that having couples therapy is more effective 0:08:26.320 --> 0:08:28.120 at reducing your PMS symptoms. 0:08:28.720 --> 0:08:30.800 And there's a lot of other research showing. 0:08:30.600 --> 0:08:34.200 How how much our partner actually influences our experience of 0:08:34.240 --> 0:08:34.720 our cycle. 0:08:35.120 --> 0:08:36.000 So if they can be. 0:08:36.040 --> 0:08:39.640 More supportive the week before our period, we're actually going 0:08:39.720 --> 0:08:40.559 to have a better time. 0:08:40.720 --> 0:08:42.319 So they're going to have a better time, So. 0:08:42.280 --> 0:08:45.560 It's an everyone's best interest for you know, if it 0:08:45.640 --> 0:08:48.240 means taking the bins out or you know, picking the 0:08:48.320 --> 0:08:51.520 kids up, or choosing to make dinner that week, that's 0:08:51.559 --> 0:08:52.880 going to be really helpful for everyone. 0:09:05.920 --> 0:09:10.120 Okay, there's a lot that goes into what's wild is obviously, 0:09:10.480 --> 0:09:13.200 I mean, I'll be forty four soon, so I've been 0:09:13.280 --> 0:09:15.680 doing emi late. Bloomer didn't get my cycle. It didn't 0:09:15.679 --> 0:09:19.400 start till I was sixteen, so that's pretty late. But 0:09:19.760 --> 0:09:23.920 I feel so naive when it comes to just how 0:09:23.960 --> 0:09:28.320 to well nurture myself over those weeks. Like I know 0:09:28.400 --> 0:09:31.200 that there's certain times we shouldn't be exercising, or maybe 0:09:32.640 --> 0:09:35.480 exercising less. You know, obviously, I think movement just for 0:09:35.520 --> 0:09:39.360 anxiety and overall mood is probably a necessity for any woman, 0:09:39.480 --> 0:09:42.480 any person, but particularly women. But I know there's certain 0:09:42.480 --> 0:09:46.880 times we shouldn't be making big decisions. There's because I've noticed, 0:09:46.920 --> 0:09:51.680 even more recently, there's this huge push for me to 0:09:51.760 --> 0:09:54.520 not I feel so wildly and decisive and that's not 0:09:54.600 --> 0:09:56.920 my character and it's driving me nuts. I feel like 0:09:56.960 --> 0:09:59.640 I'm stuck in my own body, and then you know, 0:09:59.720 --> 0:10:02.360 I shame and judge myself or like, why can't you 0:10:02.360 --> 0:10:04.400 just make a decision Kristin, This shouldn't be so difficult, 0:10:04.480 --> 0:10:08.200 but I'm so it's so foreign feeling to me. So 0:10:08.320 --> 0:10:11.600 walk us through, like how do we best support just say, 0:10:11.600 --> 0:10:14.719 you have a typical twenty eight day cycle, how can 0:10:14.760 --> 0:10:18.160 we be eating or moving or what feels most beneficial 0:10:18.240 --> 0:10:19.040 in which phase? 0:10:19.480 --> 0:10:21.480 And I just to add on to this, I don't 0:10:21.520 --> 0:10:23.280 know if I read this right or wrong, but I've 0:10:23.280 --> 0:10:25.599 been doing this because Glamour told me when I was 0:10:25.640 --> 0:10:29.000 twenty that you lose more calories when you're on your period. 0:10:29.080 --> 0:10:31.360 So I've been like hustling my butt off on my periods. 0:10:31.400 --> 0:10:34.679 I'm like, I'm gonna lose more galories because Glamor told 0:10:34.679 --> 0:10:35.480 me that back in the day. 0:10:35.559 --> 0:10:36.840 Is that a myth or not? And I think that 0:10:36.880 --> 0:10:39.160 sponsored by hydroxy cup and let's go to the good doctor. 0:10:40.120 --> 0:10:42.200 It's a really good question when it comes to like 0:10:42.240 --> 0:10:46.200 how should you live across your cycle? And the thing 0:10:46.360 --> 0:10:50.200 is like, I really don't think that we should be 0:10:50.880 --> 0:10:53.160 telling women what they canta can do, So I don't 0:10:53.160 --> 0:10:56.080 believe in telling women they shouldn't exercise when it comes 0:10:56.080 --> 0:10:59.680 to different phases of their cycle. Now the caveat to 0:10:59.720 --> 0:11:03.520 that is you may feel like your performance drops in 0:11:03.559 --> 0:11:06.480 certain parts of your cycle. Typically that's during your period, 0:11:06.559 --> 0:11:10.040 and you might find things feel harder in the gym, So. 0:11:09.960 --> 0:11:12.000 We talk about that like your perceived efforts. 0:11:12.080 --> 0:11:14.480 So maybe last week you were able to lift this 0:11:14.520 --> 0:11:17.320 particular weight ten times, you can only get to eight 0:11:17.320 --> 0:11:18.080 reps this week. 0:11:18.120 --> 0:11:21.760 That's completely normal. But exercise has an. 0:11:21.600 --> 0:11:25.240 Antioxidant effect and it's anti inflammatory, so it can help 0:11:25.280 --> 0:11:28.520 with symptoms. So my approach to it is I think 0:11:28.520 --> 0:11:32.040 we should support women moving, but it's very individual on 0:11:32.120 --> 0:11:35.760 what your ability is. Now, we all know women who 0:11:35.840 --> 0:11:39.080 have really awful periods and they just can't get off 0:11:39.120 --> 0:11:43.320 the floor during their cycles. But we know other women who, yes, 0:11:43.320 --> 0:11:45.600 they may have some cramping, but actually they can get 0:11:45.679 --> 0:11:47.520 up and they can keep going. And for those women, 0:11:47.559 --> 0:11:50.680 I think it's really beneficial to keep moving, even if 0:11:50.679 --> 0:11:53.600 that's something like lower intensity, because that feels better for 0:11:53.640 --> 0:11:56.320 you right now. Maybe it's you're swapping like a barrier's 0:11:56.360 --> 0:11:59.800 boot camp for a yoga class because you don't really 0:12:00.080 --> 0:12:02.880 want to be putting yourself through that intensity during that time, 0:12:02.880 --> 0:12:06.600 and that's absolutely fine. The risk of telling women not 0:12:06.800 --> 0:12:10.320 to exercise during one or two weeks of the month 0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:13.360 means that we're going to become undertrained. And as we 0:12:13.400 --> 0:12:16.120 know women are, we tend to be less active than 0:12:16.160 --> 0:12:18.880 men as well. Our bones are a bit more brittle, 0:12:18.960 --> 0:12:21.800 so we need to keep them strong. So my message 0:12:21.840 --> 0:12:25.959 is track your cycle, learn about what weeks for you 0:12:25.960 --> 0:12:30.160 you feel maybe less strong, you feel less energetic, and 0:12:30.240 --> 0:12:33.920 try to be try to keep moving, but maybe plan 0:12:34.040 --> 0:12:36.319 more low intensity activities because we. 0:12:36.280 --> 0:12:37.280 Want to keep that up. 0:12:37.760 --> 0:12:39.480 And then the weeks that you feel stronger and for 0:12:39.559 --> 0:12:42.960 women that's typically the week after your period. As estrogen rises, 0:12:43.920 --> 0:12:46.679 you know, you might feel more energetic, your motivation's up. 0:12:47.160 --> 0:12:49.480 We even talk about this thing like an ovulation glow 0:12:49.600 --> 0:12:52.800 because estrogen really helps with like making your skin look 0:12:53.120 --> 0:12:56.640 you know, more glowy. It boosts collagen production. So that's 0:12:56.640 --> 0:12:58.960 a really great time to do a lot of things. 0:12:59.080 --> 0:13:02.080 Make big decision is like, you know, go into the workplace, 0:13:02.760 --> 0:13:06.440 decide to take on that project. But it's important that 0:13:06.480 --> 0:13:09.440 we try to support women and cross the entire cycles 0:13:09.520 --> 0:13:12.120 so that we're not having this stop start effect to life. 0:13:13.120 --> 0:13:16.400 Remind me again, the dip in for the moods? Is 0:13:16.400 --> 0:13:19.640 it the dip in progesterone that gives us the that anxiety, 0:13:20.120 --> 0:13:21.120 annoyance feeling. 0:13:22.200 --> 0:13:26.439 Yeah, so progesterone and estrogen are both high in that 0:13:26.559 --> 0:13:28.959 lately teal phase, so like the week before you appeared, 0:13:29.000 --> 0:13:32.040 and then they both drop, and it's that drop that 0:13:32.080 --> 0:13:36.000 we think the thing is. The drop or the level 0:13:36.040 --> 0:13:38.960 of hormones is very similar in all women, but some 0:13:39.120 --> 0:13:43.120 women are very sensitive to the drop, so that it's 0:13:43.200 --> 0:13:43.600 kind of. 0:13:43.559 --> 0:13:44.600 Like falling off a clip. 0:13:44.880 --> 0:13:48.000 And then it happens again when you go through postpartum 0:13:48.280 --> 0:13:51.439 and then through the menopause, just on varying different levels, 0:13:52.200 --> 0:13:57.320 and so you can be feeling just like incredibly flat 0:13:57.360 --> 0:14:00.439 from one day to the next. And I think again 0:14:00.679 --> 0:14:03.199 thinking about how we can support women during that time, 0:14:03.360 --> 0:14:05.680 or I support yourself so that you don't really feel 0:14:05.720 --> 0:14:08.679 like you have to press palls on everything again, trying 0:14:08.720 --> 0:14:12.079 to get moving, doubling down on sleep. Sleep is often 0:14:12.120 --> 0:14:16.120 really disrupted during that time, and so if it means 0:14:16.160 --> 0:14:18.679 getting into bed a little bit earlier, cracking the window 0:14:18.720 --> 0:14:20.920 open and making sure your room is nice and cool, 0:14:21.080 --> 0:14:25.800 dark and quiet, even swapping to pajamas that are really breathable, 0:14:25.840 --> 0:14:29.120 like cotton pajamas as opposed to silk and just giving 0:14:29.160 --> 0:14:32.640 yourself those extra little boosts so that that time is 0:14:32.680 --> 0:14:35.200 a little bit easier, and again thinking about your cravings. 0:14:35.480 --> 0:14:38.480 Maybe during that time you are meal prepping a bit more. 0:14:38.560 --> 0:14:40.960 You're thinking more about having those balanced meals. We're not 0:14:41.040 --> 0:14:44.120 skipping meals, and we also are chatting to our partners 0:14:44.160 --> 0:14:46.720 about what's coming up and how they can support. 0:14:46.440 --> 0:14:46.920 Us as well. 0:14:47.400 --> 0:14:49.840 Yeah, I'm so tired right before my period. It's wild. 0:14:49.920 --> 0:14:53.440 I'll take a nap every it is clockwork, and I 0:14:53.480 --> 0:14:55.480 won't know right now. I'm in the phase of not 0:14:55.560 --> 0:14:57.240 knowing when the period's coming, a little bit of an 0:14:57.240 --> 0:15:00.600 ambush situation happening. But I can tell the day before 0:15:00.640 --> 0:15:05.280 because I ravenously eat and I'm not eating for like sport. 0:15:05.400 --> 0:15:08.000 I'm just I like literally can't get full. 0:15:08.280 --> 0:15:10.600 It's wild. And then I always want to take a nap, 0:15:11.320 --> 0:15:13.280 and that's not like me. What I do notice that 0:15:13.400 --> 0:15:17.720 changes is want I don't usually want to have sex 0:15:17.800 --> 0:15:20.080 leading up to my period, but on my period. I 0:15:20.080 --> 0:15:25.000 think it's common that women have more higher sex drive. 0:15:25.720 --> 0:15:27.880 So is it healthy and okay to have sex on 0:15:27.920 --> 0:15:30.080 a period or what is your thoughts on that. 0:15:30.880 --> 0:15:34.200 Yeah, it's completely healthy and safe to have sex junior period, 0:15:34.640 --> 0:15:39.440 and there's actually some kind of hypothetically some research that 0:15:39.960 --> 0:15:43.200 it may help with pain reduction, so if you have 0:15:43.320 --> 0:15:46.280 like a lot of crams, because the impact of an 0:15:46.400 --> 0:15:50.160 orgasm basically releases a lot of pain relieving chemicals, so 0:15:50.200 --> 0:15:51.840 it can help theoretically. 0:15:52.400 --> 0:15:55.720 I believe that I do. I think it does help. 0:15:56.040 --> 0:15:58.080 You don't feel sexy, but you do it anyways. 0:15:58.200 --> 0:16:01.520 You know that's it, and you know if you are 0:16:01.600 --> 0:16:03.640 feeling like that's something that you want to do. It 0:16:03.760 --> 0:16:07.320 may be from an evolutionary perspective. After your period, you 0:16:07.360 --> 0:16:11.280 approach opulation, so it's almost like your body's priming. Now 0:16:11.400 --> 0:16:13.400 some women have the opposite effect and they do not 0:16:14.000 --> 0:16:16.720 want to think about sex or being near like a 0:16:16.720 --> 0:16:19.360 partner or anything during that time. And again it's like 0:16:19.400 --> 0:16:23.080 a difference in like symptoms, it's a difference in hormone profiles. 0:16:23.400 --> 0:16:25.560 And I guess the take home messages like, no two 0:16:25.600 --> 0:16:27.000 women are the same and. 0:16:26.920 --> 0:16:28.480 No two menstrual cycles are the same. 0:16:28.520 --> 0:16:31.480 So it's like it's such an individual thing on how 0:16:31.520 --> 0:16:33.840 we can guide women when it comes to their menstrual cycle. 0:16:34.560 --> 0:16:37.680 What is the biggest red flag with a period. 0:16:39.040 --> 0:16:42.320 If it starts to become a regular. Now, that could 0:16:42.320 --> 0:16:44.120 mean a few things. As we talked about, it can 0:16:44.200 --> 0:16:47.040 become longer your cycle and can come longer as you 0:16:47.080 --> 0:16:50.360 approach your forties. But if it starts becoming a regular 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:53.480 or more ratic and then suddenly disappears and you're not 0:16:53.600 --> 0:16:58.400 approaching menopause age, that could be a sign that a 0:16:58.560 --> 0:17:01.360 you're incredibly stressed. Sometimes that can happen if you go 0:17:01.440 --> 0:17:03.760 through a big life event, like when we went through 0:17:03.920 --> 0:17:06.360 the COVID pandemic, a lot of women found their cycles 0:17:06.880 --> 0:17:09.800 just went all over the place because our cycles are 0:17:09.880 --> 0:17:12.280 very tightly linked to like cortisol. 0:17:11.800 --> 0:17:13.560 Production, stress in our body. 0:17:14.160 --> 0:17:17.680 But also if you're over exercising, under fueling, that can 0:17:17.720 --> 0:17:21.399 cause your cycles to disappear. It's very common in women 0:17:21.480 --> 0:17:25.760 that I see in my clinic. Other really like big 0:17:25.800 --> 0:17:29.359 red flag symptoms for me would be extremely painful periods. 0:17:29.440 --> 0:17:34.000 For a long time, we've normalized painful periods, and periods 0:17:34.000 --> 0:17:36.640 should not be so painful that they stop you from 0:17:36.680 --> 0:17:39.400 what you're doing. They should not stop you from going 0:17:39.440 --> 0:17:42.040 to work. You should not be using annually for or 0:17:42.040 --> 0:17:45.879 holidays because your periods are that bad. But unfortunately a 0:17:45.880 --> 0:17:48.800 lot of women do because they're afraid of the stigma 0:17:48.920 --> 0:17:50.760 to speak up to their employer and say, hey, I'm 0:17:50.800 --> 0:17:54.560 really struggling about my periods. But if we don't investigate 0:17:54.560 --> 0:17:59.000 why that's painful, you could be experiencing something like endometriosis, 0:17:59.040 --> 0:18:02.000 which is in packs one in ten women, and it 0:18:02.040 --> 0:18:05.560 takes so long to get diagnosed because we don't take women. 0:18:05.359 --> 0:18:06.840 Seriously when it comes to their pain. 0:18:07.320 --> 0:18:11.480 So painful periods are regular periods, very heavy bleeding where 0:18:11.520 --> 0:18:14.159 you're maybe flooding through a lot, you're waking up at 0:18:14.240 --> 0:18:16.760 not because of it, you're having to use two period 0:18:16.760 --> 0:18:20.199 products at a time. And then the final thing as 0:18:20.240 --> 0:18:22.880 well would be bleeding when you're not supposed to be bleeding. 0:18:23.080 --> 0:18:27.480 So in between your cycle, after sex and after the 0:18:27.480 --> 0:18:29.480 menopause is there. 0:18:29.680 --> 0:18:33.560 And I have a really beautiful, wonderful women's group. My 0:18:33.760 --> 0:18:36.320 OB's office is incredible, But I know that a lot 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:40.080 of women struggle with going to their OBS or you know, 0:18:40.160 --> 0:18:43.399 the no bgui N office and kind of getting dismissed 0:18:43.400 --> 0:18:45.280 and saying what you're saying, which is like we always 0:18:45.280 --> 0:18:47.200 thought it was so common, and so that's just that 0:18:47.320 --> 0:18:49.639 is what's the best way for them to advocate? What 0:18:49.640 --> 0:18:51.560 are what's the best way for us to advocate for 0:18:51.600 --> 0:18:53.720 ourselves when we're in a doctor's office and going like, 0:18:53.760 --> 0:18:56.160 I think something's wrong here, you know, And a lot 0:18:56.160 --> 0:18:58.199 of women have like heavy clotting at the beginning, and 0:18:58.240 --> 0:19:02.080 a lot of that is not normal, even if it's typical. 0:19:02.840 --> 0:19:06.000 Yeah, that's key what you said, Like, even if it's common, 0:19:06.119 --> 0:19:09.479 it doesn't mean it's normal. One thing I love, and 0:19:09.600 --> 0:19:12.679 one thing that's really helpful for doctors is if you 0:19:12.800 --> 0:19:15.520 come in with a symptom diary. Now this doesn't have 0:19:15.600 --> 0:19:17.400 to be like you don't have to keep a notepad, 0:19:17.440 --> 0:19:19.919 but if you're tracking your cycle, and like some of 0:19:19.920 --> 0:19:22.240 the cycle tracking apps are really clever now and you 0:19:22.240 --> 0:19:24.040 can track a lot of things you can track like 0:19:24.080 --> 0:19:28.080 mood symptoms, how have your bleeding was, any other symptoms. 0:19:28.240 --> 0:19:29.120 Having that to. 0:19:29.160 --> 0:19:31.720 Hand so you can show a pattern of like when 0:19:31.760 --> 0:19:34.360 it's been happening, how severe it is, is really helpful 0:19:34.359 --> 0:19:38.480 as a first hand going in with what you're concerned with. 0:19:38.680 --> 0:19:42.119 I like when a patient would say to me, you know, 0:19:42.160 --> 0:19:45.120 I'm really concerned it might VX or why, because then 0:19:45.119 --> 0:19:47.119 we can really cut to the chase quickly and I 0:19:47.160 --> 0:19:50.600 can reassure you, or we can go down that route 0:19:50.640 --> 0:19:53.160