kateandlisaIs This You?
You are thinking about trying to conceive soon – in the next few months to a year – and you are dealing with a painful period or weird cycle symptoms. Are you wondering if this is something to be concerned about? Is there anything you can or should do about it?
Reminder: Your Period is Like a Check Engine Light for Your Overall Fertility
A healthy period, consistent cycle length, with minimal symptoms 
can give you a good idea that your hormones are functioning optimally throughout the month.
If you are experiencing symptoms or period problems, it can be helpful to understand why to make sure you are supporting your body in the best way possible for a healthy pregnancy.
Let’s chat – I will listen to you and get to the root causes. We can get started with a call to set up a foundation based on symptoms, health history and we can review some testing instructions. Others that I have done this with have received a lot of answers once we reviewed symptoms and history and reviewed test results. One such consult and review showed:
- She was not ovulating
- She had an estrogen dominant picture with high estrogen and low progesterone
- The progesterone was in the post-menopausal range (even though she was in her 20’s) which showed she did not ovulate in that cycle
Anovulatory cycles can be a reason for fertility struggles and you need adequate progesterone to maintain a health pregnancy. You also need progesterone to balance estrogen levels and if we don’t have that, it can be a reason behind painful periods.
She also had symptomatic estrogen metabolism. This showed on her functional lab testing as an elevated E3, another form of estrogen and favoring the 16-OH pathway. This can show up as terrible PMS and period symptoms like cramps, pain, anxiety and mood swings. Ideally, we want to favor the 2-OH pathway. Again, this shows on the functional lab testing that we can do.
Hers also showed an inflammation marker which was at the high end of the range. This is an oxidative stress indicator. Oxidative stress = inflammation. Pain is a symptom of inflammation. Inflammation is an internal sources of stress on the body. Stress greatly impacts ovulation.
So if you are experiencing any of these symptoms or issues and are looking to get pregnant soon, you want to make sure your fertility is in the best place possible. You may need some support when it comes to:
- Healing period issues first (since your period is a check engine light for your fertility)
- Figuring out if you have any hormone imbalances
- Testing progesterone levels
- Getting lab testing done
- Navigating doctor appointments
- Tracking ovulation and TTC timing
- Figuring how to tweak your food (if it is needed)
- Determining the right supplements to take (which brands, when to start)
- Incorporating tweaks to exercise, lifestyle and products you are using
- Making sure you are getting enough sleep
- Combating oxidative stress
If you would like to chat through what you are experiencing and the right next step for you, let’s schedule a complimentary call and get started.
I’m here to support your fertility journey!
