Lara Briden - The Period Revolutionary
Leading the change to better periods and hormones
Body literacy is learning to observe, chart, and interpret an ovulatory menstrual cycle.
If you’ve struggled with irregular periods, you might have noticed it can be a little tricky to figure out exactly what’s going on—and, therefore, exactly what you need to do to get your period back.
In episode 18 of my podcast, I explore some of the reasons for irregular periods, including PCOS and the oh-so-common hypothalamic suppression, which is frequently misdiagnosed as PCOS.
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There are two ways to have low progesterone, and understanding that difference is key to understanding your cycle. The first is an anovulatory cycle, when you don’t ovulate and therefore make no progesterone at all. The second is a short luteal phase, when you do ovulate, but your progesterone window is too brief, and the hormone never reaches its full potential.
Progesterone is not just a lab value. It’s a story told by your cycle, and one of the clearest ways to understand that story is to chart your basal body temperature or BBT.
The ovarian hormones estradiol and progesterone are highly beneficial for general health, and the only way to make them is with regular ovulation.
With the 2019 news that women don’t need pill bleeds came the assurance that “women don’t need periods.” But is that accurate?
It’s true that women don’t need monthly pill withdrawal bleeds because they’re not periods, but women do need (or at least benefit from) monthly natural menstrual cycles because that’s how we make the hormones estradiol and progesterone.