Welcome to the blog!

Most of the time we're offered (& take) birth control without having any idea of what it's really doing inside our bodies. Today we're diving DEEP into what we should be told: How it works in our body & what the negative side effects could look like!

Of course I believe in the right to chose birth control! But I believe in INFORMED consent! I also know that it's a band aid "solution" & it's not getting down to the root of the problem.

Our entire lives we've been told that we can get pregnant at any time, but that's NOT TRUE! You can only get pregnant 3-5 days out of the month! Today we chat about how you know when you're fertile window is & what to do if you want to stop birth control!

We've all experienced some form of PMS before! It's soooo common but that doesn't mean it's NORMAL! Moderate to severe PMS is the result of a hormonal imbalance.

Here's what we get into:

• You produce estrogen in your follicular phase (the phase after your period)
• You produce progesterone in your luteal phase (because ovulation creates progesterone & your luteal phase is after ovulation)
• Progesterone declines midway through your luteal phase if you're not pregnant & this drop in hormones  causes your period to come.
• Moderate to severe pms is from imbalances in the luteal phase. Specifically estrogen to progesterone imbalance. 
• When you have PMS you experience a sharp decline in progesterone 3-5 days before period rather than a gradual decline.

A FEW SIGNS OF LOW PROGESTERONE:

• Pre period spotting
• Short luteal phase
• Cervical mucus week before your period

EPISODES REFERENCED:
17. Tracking Ovulation
Episode 90 has Info on Cervical Mucus

I can't wait for you to hear this episode because this topic is near & dear to my heart! I struggled for years with digestive issues and had no idea that it was connected to my PCOS (which I was undiagnosed with for years). 

Even if you don't have PCOS you'll gain value from this episode because we're really talking about INFLAMMATION & how that looks in your body.

Causes of inflammation

•  Stress, sugar, dairy, gluten, vegetable oils, lack of sleep, nutrient deficiencies, lack of movement, overexercise

Signs of inflammation

• Fatigue, headaches, migraines, digestive issues, joint pain, depression, anxiety
• With PCOS: inflammation can cause ovaries to produce too much testosterone which leads to acne, hair growth, irregular periods

In this episode:

1. Intro on me, Corinne!

• Who I am, how I got here, and what my hormonal journey has been like.
• When my irregular periods started, the symptoms I experienced such as bloating, constipation, IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), facial hair growth and weight gain!
• How my doctor misdiagnosed me WITHOUT PCOS (spoiler alert: I do have PCOS!) because of "normal" blood work.
• How this experience lead me to go back to school for Holistic Nutrition and what I was doing before I became a nutritionist.
• The book that sparked my passion for nutrition: The Beauty Detox Solution by Kimberly Snyder.

2. What to expect on the MIND your hormones podcast

• Episodes will be released every Tuesday!
• I want this Podcast to be a conversation between us, so come find me on Instagram and DM me what topics you want to hear about!

So, who am I?

I'm Corinne, I'm 30 (will be 31 at the end of this month!) and I live on Eastern Long Island with my boyfriend Chris.

I'm a...