I’ve been pregnant since the beginning of the Covid-19 chaos and I’ve realized that this time around is no different than when I was pregnant three years ago with my daughter, yet I’m treated as if the very nature of me being pregnant makes me fragile and treated as if I’m in a state of “sickness” and that I have to live in a bubble or I’ll contract covid.

This is what is inherently wrong with our current healthcare— pregnancy is not a disease and informed pregnant women should be heard.

Contraception can be a controversial topic, but regardless of your personal beliefs, it’s important to know what your options are so you can make an informed decision that’s best for you and your partner. It’s also important to be aware of the potential side effects especially of hormonal birth control, which most doctors don’t tell you.

There are four types of contraception: hormonal, barrier methods, permanent methods and family planning (which includes fertility awareness method otherwise known as the symptothermal method). I highly recommend you read my previous post about How the menstrual cycle works and 7 signs of a healthy period first to give you some background about how female hormones are supposed to work throughout your cycle.

Diet and lifestyle have a major impact on your hormones and levels of inflammation all of which can in turn affect your period and menstrual pain. Most people blame their hormones directly for their period problems, but in reality, following an anti-inflammatory diet can be just as effective as taking ibuprofen (Motrin) or paracetamol (Advil). In fact, several studies have shown that an anti-inflammatory diet can be very effective at reducing menstrual and endometriosis pain.

Sneezing, sniffles, hives, headaches and dizziness— what do allergy symptoms have in common with PMS?

Many women don’t realize that a histamine intolerance may be the cause of their period pain.

Histamines are chemicals that are stored in mast cells which are a type of immune cell. Estrogen causes the release of histamine from mast cells in the uterus and ovaries. If you have higher estrogen levels, it can cause an increase in histamine levels and vice versa.

The infant gut microbiome is characterized as low in diversity that’s dominated primarily by bifidobacteria and unique to the individual. During approximately the first three years of life, the gut microbiome develops and is largely shaped by various factors including delivery mode (vaginal vs Cesarean birth), maternal antibiotic use, home environment and breastfeeding vs formula feeding. The gut microbiome is later influenced by diet and how long the child was breastfed which affects the gut microbiota composition later in early childhood.

Several recent studies have shed light on the benefits breastmilk have on infant health and their developing gut microbiomes because it contains various components, such as beneficial bacteria, prebiotics called human milk oligosaccharides as well as immune cells, that confer long-term benefits for babies’ health including preventing malnutrition. Additionally, breastfed babies have been found to have less instances of allergies and metabolic disease, yet it is unknown how breastfeeding practices (i.e. nursing vs. pumping) affects the breastmilk composition and infant gut microbiome.

Pumping breastmilk has become a popular and convenient way for mothers to continue to feed their babies breastmilk, yet it is unknown as to whether this method affects the transfer of other non-milk-derived bacteria from the pump or bottles compared to maternal skin for example.

I chose this image because it illustrates how disturbing medical interventions can be during birth that are unnatural and negatively affect mother and child. For example, Cesarean birth rates are far above 10% of all births, which the WHO recommends. The baby should be immediately placed on the mother’s chest to comfort mother and baby, stimulate oxytocin and milk production, and delayed umbilical cord clamping is recommended to prevent infant anemia. And lastly, look at how they are holding this baby who has just entered into this cold world with little reverence or respect.

The horrifying rate of obstetric violence during pregnancy and childbirth remains largely undocumented or talked about, yet luckily some recent studies are bringing to light this humans rights issue that greatly needs to be researched more and prevented.

Obstetric violence is defined as verbal or physical abuse or disrespect during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum period— a particularly vulnerable time for any woman— which unsurprisingly leads to long-term adverse effects for both mother and infant. Moreover, women who are adolescent, unmarried, of low socio-economic status, from ethnic minorities, migrants or living with HIV are at greater risk of suffering disrespectful and abusive treatment (1).

Women are cyclical creatures by nature in part because of our menstrual cycle. Unlike men, our hormones fluctuate throughout the month and even daily in most cases. Traditionally the menstrual cycle has been associated with the lunar cycles and seasons of the year. Unfortunately, the sacred nature of the menstrual cycle, its rituals and rites of passage from menarche to menopause has become lost in modern society, and as a result, the menstrual cycle has become a mystery and something to be ashamed of or even hated.

One of the reasons so few women let alone men know how the menstrual cycle works is because we’ve been taught that it’s gross and should be suppressed with hormonal birth control or stopped completely. Newsflash— without menstrual cycles, none of us would exist!

One thing that’s become apparent to me throughout the years dealing with two pregnancies, one miscarriage, an autoimmune disease and various digestive issues is the current medical model doesn’t support women and ignores their unique intuitive and mystical nature.

The current allopathic medical model that pervades through most of the world has become toxic over the years. It does not aim to prevent illnesses or sustain optimal health or treat chronic diseases, but rather treats acute conditions. Doctors have little time with their patients, often just a few minutes, and rarely take into account a person’s whole health history, story or energetic imbalances.

Just like no body is exactly the same, no two women have the same period. While many women consider their period a monthly pain in the ass, several experts consider the period a woman’s fifth vital sign because it acts as your monthly health report card. Our bodies are telling us things all the time, and we just need to listen to it. Unlike men, we women are lucky to have our periods which let us know our health status!

So what’s going on down there and what’s normal?