The Ageless Woman Podcast

11: What do women really need to know about PMS, PMDD, hormones, mood changes, and birth control before making decisions about their bodies?

• Dr. Cindy Grow, APRN • Season 1 • Episode 11

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What do women really need to know about PMS, PMDD, hormones, mood changes, and birth control before making decisions about their bodies?

In this episode of The Ageless Woman Podcast, Dr. Cindy Grow, nurse practitioner and founder of My Venus Club in Ocala, Florida, is joined by Lauren, Movement Medicine Specialist, and Brianna, Registered Dietitian, for an honest and empowering conversation about PMS, PMDD, birth control, hormone health, the gut-brain connection, nervous system regulation, ovulation, and whole-body vitality.

So many women are told that mood changes, irritability, anxiety, cravings, bloating, fatigue, painful periods, heavy bleeding, or feeling like a different person before their period are “just PMS.” Others are quickly offered birth control without a deeper discussion about what their symptoms may be telling them.

This episode helps women understand the difference between PMS and PMDD, why cycle-related mood changes are often dismissed as anxiety or depression, and how hormones, the brain, gut health, blood sugar, inflammation, stress physiology, nutrition, exercise, and cellular health are all connected.

Dr. Cindy, Lauren, and Brianna also discuss what hormonal birth control actually does in plain language, including how many forms of birth control suppress ovulation, change natural hormone rhythms, and may impact the larger conversation around bone health, muscle, mood, metabolism, fertility, vitality, and long-term healthspan.

This is not an anti-birth-control conversation. It is an informed-consent conversation.

Birth control can be a helpful tool for many women. But women deserve to understand the benefits, risks, alternatives, trade-offs, and root-cause considerations so they can make confident, educated decisions about their bodies.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • The difference between PMS and PMDD
  • Why premenstrual mood changes are often dismissed or misunderstood
  • How estrogen and progesterone affect serotonin, GABA, mood, and the nervous system
  • The gut-brain-hormone connection and why gut health matters for PMS and PMDD
  • Why blood sugar, protein, fiber, minerals, and nutrition can affect cravings and mood
  • How exercise, recovery, and strength training should shift with women’s physiology
  • What birth control does and why suppressing ovulation matters
  • Why ovulation is an important sign of women’s health, not just fertility
  • How hormones connect to bone, muscle, mood, metabolism, cardiovascular health, and vitality
  • What women should ask before choosing birth control
  • Why personalized, whole-woman care matters for hormone health and healthspan

If you are a woman in Ocala, Central Florida, or beyond navigating PMS, PMDD, mood swings, anxiety before your period, painful cycles, heavy bleeding, birth control decisions, perimenopause, hormone changes, or concerns about long-term vitality, this episode is for you.

At My Venus Club, we believe women deserve more than rushed answers and one-size-fits-all solutions. You deserve education, options, root-cause insight, and support for your mind, body, hormones, metabolism, cellular health, and long-term disease prevention.

Upcoming Round Table:  Sunday August 9th @ 4-6 pm
Join Dr. Cindy Grow, Lauren, Brianna, and the My Venus Club community for a women’s round table discussion on PMS, PMDD, birth control, hormones, and informed decision-making at Baron’s Creek Vineyard in downtown Ocala. The first 8 women to DM us on Instagram or Facebook can reserve their spot.  https://www.facebook.com/myvenusclub/    https://www.instagram.com/myvenusclub/

My Venus Club hosts women’s round tables on the second Sunday of every month from 4:00–6:00 PM.

Learn more about My Venus Club:
https://www.myvenusclub.com

Follow My Venus Club:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MyVenusClub
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myvenusclub/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myvenusclub/

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Please consult your healthcare provider for personalized medical advice, diagnosis, and treatment.

SPEAKER_01

Welcome to the Ageless Women Podcast, where modern science meets timeless self-care for limitless vitality. I'm Dr. Cindy Grow, a board certified nurse practitioner and the founder of My Venus Club. This is a space for women who are ready to understand what's actually happening in their bodies and finally get real answers. If you've been told your labs are normal that this is just a part of aging, or that you just need to try harder, and if you've sat through those 15-minute appointments, left with just another prescription to manage symptoms, or maybe feel like you've lost a part of yourself, you're in the right place. Before we begin, just a quick note this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to replace personalized medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with your healthcare provider regarding your individual health needs. Here we go deeper. We connect the dots between your hormones, your metabolism, your genetics, and your lifestyle so you can stop guessing and start feeling like yourself again. So let's get started. On today's podcast, I'm joined with both Lauren Lindsay, movement medicine specialist, and Brianna Lyles, registered dietitian at My Venus Club. And we're diving into a topic that we hear from women of all ages and yet still so misunderstood, dismissed, and honestly oversimplified. PMS, premenstrual syndrome, PMDD, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and the mood changes, hormonal changes that many women often experience. And we're also going to talk about birth control and how it affects a woman's body so women can really make that educated decision about what's best for their body. And I want to start by saying this if you've ever felt like you've become a completely different version of yourself the week before your period, you're not crazy and you're definitely not alone. And this episode is really for you because for far too long, women have been told it's just PMS or you're just emotional and just go on the pill. And sometimes the birth control pill can be a helpful tool for women, but it should not be the only conversation. Women deserve to really understand what's happening in their bodies. They deserve to understand the difference between PMS and PMDD and how hormones are really affecting their brain, how their gut is affecting their mood, how stress is actually affecting their cycle, and how ovulation is not just about fertility. It's an important sign of a woman's health. And women really deserve to understand this and really understand what's going on when they do take birth control and how it affects their body. Because shutting down the ovulation system may reduce symptoms for some women, but it also changes a natural hormonal rhythm that plays a very important role in bone health, muscle, mood, metabolism, vitality, and long-term health. This conversation is not about birth control is good or birth control is bad, but rather it's about what does your body need? What are your options? What are your symptoms actually telling you? And what are the risks, benefits, and trade-offs? How to make that right decision for yourself. Because women, when you understand your body, you're empowered to make really great decisions. And that's where true health begins. So welcome, Lauren and Bree. And thank you so much for being here and being a part of this conversation today.

SPEAKER_00

Hi, I'm excited to learn.

SPEAKER_01

I feel like I'm gonna learn a lot today.

SPEAKER_00

I am so excited about this. I've been wanting to talk about it.

SPEAKER_01

I know you have, Lauren. So I'm so glad we're here to talk about this. So let's start. Unfortunately, for far too long, women have been told that this is just a part of being a woman, having a menstrual cycle, having the symptoms of fatigue and cramps and mood swings. We've been told just to push through it or laugh it off, apologize for it if we act a little out of our mind, or just go on birth control without really understanding what's happening inside your body. But PMS and PMDD, they are real. And Lauren, I want to bring this conversation to you first because you work so closely with women in movement. I'm curious what you're hearing from women around this time when they're getting ready to have their cycle, do you notice them feeling different? Do they talk about their energy, their motivation, their strength, any changes that they're seeing one or two weeks before their period?

SPEAKER_00

You know, it's funny because sometimes they come in and they're like, oh, this is my strong week, or this is my weak week. And so based on that, you know, I modify their workouts because that's really what we need to do is modify the movement and not just completely cut it out or go the same as we would throughout the cycle. What I would like to talk about before we get too far into this is the four phases. So it's you have the menstrual, the follicular, the ovulatory, and the luteal. And in each of those phases, you're gonna feel different based on where your hormones are. So the menstrual, you're gonna be looking for rest and recovery. The follicular, your energy is stronger, you have more creativity, more strength. That's gonna be your really strong week.

SPEAKER_03

Yes.

SPEAKER_00

Your ovulatory, that's when you're also gonna have a really strong workout. You're gonna be very social. Your alluteal is more for recovery, that's the longest phase. And that's when you're gonna be craving more nourishment. You might have cravings for certain things, and you need to honor that in your movement. Yes.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, so wait, what days are those?

SPEAKER_01

Okay, that's good. So day one of your cycle, when you start bleeding of your menstrual cycle, that's considered day one of this entire cycle. Okay. So days one through around 12 is considered the follicular phase. Okay. And day 12, 13, or 14 is the ovulatory phase. Most women are going to ovulate during and then once you ovulate, you start the luteal phase or luteal phase. And that's all that time until you start your period, which for some women may be day 26, some women 28, some women day 30. So depending on when they go back and start their period on day one again, it all starts over.

SPEAKER_02

So that luteal is roughly two weeks. Yes. Okay.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, typically two weeks. Two weeks of these changes and mood changes and cravings and fatigue and just not feeling like ourselves.

SPEAKER_02

And those are like the two weeks that you have the most symptoms is what you're saying. Correct.

SPEAKER_01

Most women are going to have most of their symptoms during that time. And that's where what Lauren was saying, they have to think about that rest and recovery. That's an important part.

SPEAKER_00

So, yes, I see this a lot: the changes in energy levels, the, you know, feeling um swollen or inflamed or what we say for bloated. Um, yeah, I see it all the time. I see it all the time. They're complaining. Okay, hold on.

SPEAKER_01

I have another question.

SPEAKER_00

Sure.

SPEAKER_02

What about women who are going through menopause and they don't have their period every 28 days? Yes. What phase are they in? Or is it more are we in a luteal phase longer?

SPEAKER_01

So it depends on the fluctuations that are going on in their hormones. So the second half of our cycle is where most women see the luteal phase, where we see changes with our progesterone levels typically as they're moving into that perimenopause and menopausal phase. And so as those levels start to go down in progesterone, then their hormone concert, so to speak, isn't their typical hormone concert, and they're starting to feel more exacerbation in those symptoms. So progesterone is really there to stimulate GABA, and GABA is our feel-good hormone and helps us our body relax, helps us feel calm, and and wants wanna, we usually want to rest and recover during that time and we feel good. Um, so when those levels start to go down, women will notice more anxiety, they'll notice sometimes more depression. Oftentimes, when we see women in that phase, they have trouble sleeping as well. Progesterone really helps our brain relax and sleep and requires it or allows us to restore our sleep cycle. So women in that that time period in their 30s to 40s, you'll go to the doctor and sometimes they'll prescribe SANX and a sleeping pill when really that's a result of something going on with the changes in progesterone level in relation to what their estrogen levels are doing. So that's a big change, and women feel that and it's real.

SPEAKER_00

So if we fix the hormones, then we can skip the sleeping pill.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, and anxiety. Correct. And then and then the PMS that women are feeling too, even at a younger age, a lot of times that's associated, those cravings you said too, that's associated with the gut-brain connection. So that's where this is a a big part of where nutrition comes in, Brie, because if they're not nourished, if they're having alcohol and a lot of sugar, and if they're not sleeping and taking time to rest and recover from workouts or from stressful jobs, then that's going to exacerbate those symptoms of PMS andor exacerbate the symptoms of PMDD. And we'll talk about the differences between those two as well.

SPEAKER_00

Okay. But because isn't it true that you the you shouldn't have cramps? Isn't that a sign that something is going on in your gut, in your microbiome that I mean, you should maybe feel pressure, like feel different. Right. But the cramps where I remember when I was in high school, girls would be like home all day with a heating pad because their cramps were so bad. But I I never experienced that to that level.

SPEAKER_01

And so a lot of different women, so it's not so much, so it's natural and it's it's good for our bodies to ovulate and have those hormones fluctuate up and down. There's so many health benefits, so many things are happening in our body. It's important for bone health, for brain health, for our cardiovascular system, our arteries, our veins, all those hormones are so important. And if we're not getting those fluctuations and those changes, then we're not getting the full benefits of the hormones. So when we do take birth control, it kind of blunts that and shuts that system down. And we'll talk more about that. But yes, if a woman's having a lot of cramps, those hormone fluctuations are normal. But what's driving those cramps is typically from something else that's going on. Her nervous system is unregulated, or she's not sleeping properly, or she's got too much stress in her life, or she her gut health is poor, she's maybe having too much alcohol, too much sweets, or maybe she's nutrient deficient, or maybe she's under-eating herself and she's not getting enough nutrition. So a lot of that plays a huge role. And sometimes small tweaks in lifestyle have huge impacts in the menstrual cycle. Huge impacts. And those are things that that I would recommend changing first while you're considering, okay, do I need a birth control or do I not need a birth control? If you're considering birth control just to manage symptoms, now if a woman's needing birth control for birth control, that's a different story. So so that and and and again, those are all personal choices, but you really want to think of those other things in lifestyle to optimize your health because they're not only going to impact your menstrual cycle, they're gonna impact your overall wellness and for many years.

SPEAKER_00

Right. I feel like they have turned to birth control as just a band-aid for just symptoms when some women don't even need it for the birth control. They're just like, My cramps are so bad, or my bleeding is out of control, or my cravings or my period isn't um consistent, and so they just go on a birth control pill.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, and I see that a lot. And it's unfortunate, and I think part of it is the healthcare system. Uh the physicians and providers don't have a lot of time to spend to explain everything to the patient, and it's an easy band-aid to prescribe. Yes, and it's been around for a long time. But if you think about it this way, um and this is just to kind of be open when I say this. So when you are having your cycle, it's a natural thing for women to cycle and have all the different changes in estrogen levels in the follicular phase, and that's preparing the ovule ovulation to happen. It's preparing the ovaries to produce really healthy eggs in case of pregnancy. And then that ovulation happens, and then we go to the luteal phase, and then all those things are going on the second half of the cycle. Progesterone is there to maintain the uterine lining in case of pregnancy when there's no pregnancy that takes place. The body recognizes that progesterone levels fall, and hence you have a menstrual cycle. But that whole natural process is playing a role in our overall health. Like I said, our bone health, our brain health, our cardiovascular system, arteries, endothelial function, gut health, everything. So think of it like this. We we think of that so natural for women. So think of a young man's, and let's say he went to the doctor and said, Oh, I have acne, and you know, I'm really moody, and I'm doing, you know, like I'm not doing well in school, I'm having attention problems, and this acne is horrible, and I just I'm my parents, I'm driving my parents crazy. And we were to tell a young man, Well, you know what? We're gonna give you something that's gonna stop your testosterone production. So you don't have all these changes and you don't have all these food swings, and you don't have I mean that would be terrible. Nobody would ever do that. Right. That's what we're doing to women. Right, so to speak. So those are natural hormonal fluctuations that both men and women go through. And so we have to think about that. So when you give a birth control pill, you're kind of blunting that system. You're giving the body synthetic hormones that are saying, Hey, the hormones are here, you don't need to ovulate. We're shutting down that system. So we just have to think about the implications of that when we do shut that system down, especially if we're doing it for years, you know, five, 10, 15, 20 years of shutting down that system and the body not being able to get the benefits of the cycles and the hormones, the natural hormones that your body's making. And then what happens when you come off of it? Yeah. You do want to get pregnant. Right. All kinds of different women have different symptoms, um, different repercussions, different things that happen. Some do okay, some not so much. Now, as we're looking at more research and we're looking back at what women have been given over the years, we see, you know, there's a lot of implications of chronic disease with some of the birth controls that have been out there, especially the progestin-type birth controls, which is a synthetic type of hormone supposedly to mimic natural progesterone. However, it does not, it's not anything like natural progesterone. And we've seen that over the years that has implications with um osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers now. So these are all things that women should be told and and be educated about before they make those decisions.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I think that's the main thing for me is that they're not giving the women women the tools to make the best decisions for themselves, like the education. Yes. They're just handing that to them without telling them the risks, benefits, right? Going over all of that.

SPEAKER_01

The risks, the benefits, and and what's best. And every woman's different. And for some women, the birth control work, birth control pill works well and is and is what they need uh in their eyes, and um a choice that they that they make, it's it's important for them for um maybe for birth can actual birth control and they need that. But I think making sure they understand the implication of taking that medication or any medication that you put in your body for that matter, um, is important. So I agree with you, like they need to have a full story of um what they're taking, um, whether it's a birth control pill, a patch, an IUD, or whatever they choose. It's it's important to know what it's doing in their body. Yeah. So, and and not to not to go back to breed, but that gut-brain connection is really a key in the menstrual cycle for women. And this is where I kind of want you to speak to the importance of a nutrient-dense diet and a good variety of healthy foods. Because I think we're all guilty of it at any age of you know, making poor decisions. And especially when we're younger, we're so resilient. We bounce back so easy. So we don't think about, hey, in my 20s and 30s, like, oh, what I'm doing now, how is that gonna impact when I'm in my 50s and 60s? Right. But what you do when you're younger absolutely impacts your the trajectory of your health and life.

SPEAKER_02

Right. And I think as a kid it's hard to look at that because you don't really think that far in the future. You think you're kind of invincible, but now being on the other side of it and going through, you know, the perimenopause and raising kids of my own, it's one of those that like it comes up really quick. Like a decade goes by really fast, and before you know it, you've developed these bad habits that it's they're hard to break. So um creating a a good, healthy foundation as a young person, especially a young female, is so vital for um how you age and what your you know second half of your life really looks like. Um I would say that the the cravings are like probably the biggest thing that affect women and just that undesirable craving for sweet foods or being tired and the the cycle that you go through when you are tired, so you don't want to get off the couch, and or if you have cramps and you don't, you know, you don't get up and do exercise, and then you don't want to feel like getting up and going to the kitchen and cooking something, so you grab something convenient or you door dash something and and then you feel bad because you ate poorly, so then it just starts all over again and you're just kind of in this hamster wheel. Um, but really kind of that luveal phase, that second half of your menstrual cycle is probably where you have those symptoms the worst, just because that's the time for the cravings. And so a lot of the foundational things that we've talked about as far as protein and fiber and um you know minerals and things like that is gonna set you up for you know the second half of your 28 days being a little bit more well managed.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So especially I think the protein and the fiber are really key. Really key. Um, and I think those are especially and those are both very hard things to get in at any age, but I see it even more so, would you say, with fiber for young people? Oh, definitely. Yeah, definitely. It's it's really hard.

SPEAKER_02

Well, especially because if you look back at the past five or so years, now protein's in everything. You know, you can get a powder, you can get a pill, you can get a Pop-Tart with protein in it, you can get a waffle with protein, you can get a coffee with protein, you know, the cold foam on top has protein in it. So it's a little bit more easily accessible to get protein. I mean, obviously, we want you to get protein from real foods like meats and dairy products and whole grains, but um, I would say fiber is a little bit harder to get, especially the recommended 25 to 30 grams per day. Um most of us don't eat fruits and vegetables, you know, it's not really as readily accessible, especially depending on um your time, right? Um, your accessibility to healthy foods and your budget, because fruits and vegetables are not cheap. No, and other foods are a lot cheaper. Um, but yeah, definitely I would say, and as we've been saying this whole time, 30 grams of protein is at breakfast time is vital. You cannot skip your 30 grams of protein at breakfast. It's gonna set you up for the whole day. It's gonna help you with blood sugar balance, insulin regulation, um, it's gonna help you feel better. And then the rest of the day, you're gonna want to eat healthy too. If you skip that 30 grams of protein at breakfast, it's really hard to come back from it at lunch and dinner. Um, and then whatever you're doing at breakfast time. Incorporate some sort of fiber. So if it's a bowl of Greek yogurt, put some chia seeds, some flax seeds, maybe almonds, walnuts, and then some berries that are going to be a good source of fiber, add those to it. Um whole grain breads at lunch, if you're doing like a sandwich or even, you know, a side little piece of bread with your salad or soup or whatever it might be. And then dinner time, again, high fiber foods, vegetables, sweet potatoes. Um, again, you can sprinkle seeds and nuts on almost anything. If you make a smoothie for the afternoon, throw some nuts and seeds in there. Or, and if you need to get a fiber supplement, you know, add a fiber supplement to a glass of water at night or a chewable that you keep in your car. So whenever you're driving around and you're like, oh shoot, I haven't had any fiber yet today. Grab one of those and chew on it. I've never thought that.

SPEAKER_01

I've never had that fiber. I tell people that all the time. That's a great idea.

SPEAKER_02

I do that.

SPEAKER_00

I've never thought I haven't had enough fiber today. I do.

SPEAKER_02

I do with my creatine too. Like I have the creatine tablets, even though I don't like those as much, I have them in my car because I'll be sitting in there and I'm like, oh, I haven't had this today. And it's right there. It's easy. Yeah, that's a great idea.

SPEAKER_01

I love that. And cravings. Talk. Can you have any uh ideas or suggestions for women? Because they all get cravings that second half, that lineal phase.

SPEAKER_02

So going back to the protein at breakfast, I think the protein at breakfast is going to help you to reduce your cravings throughout the rest of the day. Absolutely. Um, again, speaking from personal experience, I know when I skip my breakfast that the rest of the day it is hard for me to want protein. Um for example, today, I don't think I've had any protein, honestly, to be completely honest. Um, I've had some sourdough bread. I've had uh a couple Cheez-Its and a latte. Leach you and the latte.

SPEAKER_01

I had the latte was made with whole milk.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, so it's good. I had like a little bit of chicken salad with a cup of crackers that I got from the hospital cafeteria. So it's just it's one of those things. Like I did I did not start out with a good breakfast. And so my rest of the day is just kind of whoa, yeah. You know, it happens. So that's another thing. We're not all perfect. So it all happens, it happens to all of us. Tomorrow or dinner time, I'm gonna get back on track. There you go.

SPEAKER_01

One day at a time. Yeah, and I I tell patients often, cravings are communicating, your body's communicating to you. It's telling you, hey, I need this, or maybe something's going on. So you have to listen. It's really, especially for women, your cycle is strongly tied to your brain. I mean, it is key, and your brain is connected to your gut via the vagus nerve, and your gut is all connected to inflammation, what's going on in your immune system in the microbiome, and then your inflammation is heavily affects your overall hormones. And then hormones again go back and are connected to your nervous system. So it's one big cycle, and everything's interconnected, and they all affect one another. So if one of them's off, it's like a domino effect on so many things. Right.

SPEAKER_02

And it's really for me today, it's been a highly stressful day. It's been high like back-to-back meetings or appointments, and it's again, like you said, that cycle where it's just high stress moving, not preparing food, so grabbing whatever's convenient. And it it just it happens. I got, you know, you got to get off.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and then it's got to get off the wheel, and then you have the coffee, and that feeds anxiety.

SPEAKER_01

It does, it does. So let's switch gears a little bit and let's define PMS and PMDD in a way that really makes sense for women. So PMS, most everybody knows what that is, premenstrual syndrome. It eventually um happens to almost every woman. It happens in the luteal phase, and that's typically one or two weeks before your period where you'll notice those mood changes, the fatigue, cravings, um, bloating. Some women have breast tenderness. Um, sleep also gets disrupted at that time. Some women even get headaches, and you don't feel like yourself, but you're able to function, get through your normal week or two weeks until you start your cycle again. PMDD, although premenstrual dysphoric disorder, it's much more severe. And women will notice it like this. As soon as they ovulate, it's like you flip a switch and they're a completely different person and they become very debilitated, typically with anxiety and depression and all those other symptoms that we talked about with that come with PMS. And the differences too with PMDD, when they do start their menstrual cycle, they feel like themselves again. But everything that they're feeling is part of that menstrual cycle. So if they go to the doctor and say they're talking about anxiety or depression, sometimes the doctor will want to put them on something for anxiety or depression. So this is truly a mood change associated with their cycle. So for women, if you're if you're listening to me and you have those changes where right after you ovulate and until you start your period, you notice anxiety and depression. So know that that is typically, especially when you start your cycle, if you feel better, those are typically changes due to what's going on with your hormones and then some lifestyle things that affect that as well. Now that's not to say a woman for a short time period or for any length of period may not may need something for the anxiety and depression because we don't want someone to have severe anxiety or depression or have bad thoughts. So they might need a band-aid type medication to help them while they're working on those lifestyle changes and things that are going on that are driving the exacerbation of those symptoms that are associated with PMDD. So, so if you're having those symptoms, it is a real thing that happens. And you might need medication to help you with anxiety and depression while you're working on those lifestyle changes and those hormone fluctuations and things that we need to look at to try to fix that. And again, testing, doing hormonal testing. I recommend the Dutch test, of course. That's the gold standard to really understand what your body is producing, how your body is metabolizing and utilizing hormones, and then how your body's detoxing, detoxing and excreting those hormones. And they have a great uh cycle mapping test as well for younger women that are still cycling and thinking about having children. And then they have different types of testing as you're aging. But I highly recommend that. So if you're out there listening and you say, hey, this sounds like me, then no, there's a bigger picture than you just suffering anxiety and depression. So something is going on there. There's a core issue in that. Absolutely. Always think, you know, always ask yourself why. So I think about that and I tell my patients that, okay, you have this symptom. Well, why do you have this symptom? Don't just say, I have the symptom. Okay, let me take this medication to get rid of the symptom. You want to understand what's going on in your body that's driving that symptom because something is not working, right? Something is dysfunctional. You want to identify that root cause, fix that root cause, and then remove the symptom that way. And sometimes there's more than one root cause. It's not always so easy to identify, but you want to work with a provider that's willing to go down that road with you and help you identify what's going on. You don't, and and sometimes birth control pills are very helpful. Many women use them and they are helpful. But again, it's a tool to use in that whole portfolio, and you still want to be asking those really important questions. Why is this happening? What do I need to be looking at? What do we need to do other than just band-aiding with something? So it's really, really important. Um, are you hearing and seeing anything else from women when you're working with them, Lauren? Are there any other points or any anything you want to talk about? Because I know movement, I can't overstate the importance of movement and nutrition for women, especially during the menstrual cycle. And then of course, it's a whole whole different issue for women that are postmenopausal or menopausal and perimenopausal. But for women, when we're cycling, it's so crucial to continue movement. But like you said, give your body that restoration, recovery in that luteal phase.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I just think it's so important. Like we just keep pushing and we're like, no, I can do this, and I'm just gonna keep doing and doing and going hard the same way all the time. Instead, we should um honor the phase that we're in and just give ourselves love that way. Like, if you're in the luteal phase and you're feeling tired, maybe that day you just do some slower movement or you go for a walk, um, you don't lift as heavy, you go a little bit slower. And then on your strong weeks, which you know, some of my clients like to say, like, we do lift heavier, we take advantage of that energy and that strength. Yes. And, you know, where men can just go the same all the time. And for so, I mean, even growing up, like, you know, I remember having my periods and just thinking, well, I still have to just go just as hard as I did, and I'm gonna do it while I'm on my period. And I never thought about the fact that I should be honoring that and resting a little bit more because I'm built different than a man. I'm a woman and I have different phases than they have. And I think knowing better now, we do better.

SPEAKER_02

I think that happens too with your nutrition. Yeah. So during that phase where you're like, you have these cravings or you feel bloated, you oftentimes will almost like quote unquote punish yourself because you think it's something that you ate or did the night before. Whereas really it's just your body trying to communicate to you that things are going through a little change for the next couple days. Excuse me. And um really rather than having the thought process that, okay, I'm just not gonna eat as much next tomorrow, or I'm gonna skip this meal because I feel so bloated and yuck, you should be keep continuing to be nourishing your body and giving your body what it needs. And I think that has a lot of the patients that we talk to is that they're chronically underfeeding themselves because that's the culture that we grew up in. We grew up in a culture where it was like if you want to look good or feel good or lose weight, just eat less. Right. And so it's not necessarily like Lauren said, like we don't need to push ourselves harder. We just need to listen to our body. It's not that you're undisciplined, but it's a biological thing. And it's it's not gonna last forever. It's just a couple, a couple days, maybe a week or two, and then your body's gonna feel differently 14 days later.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, and it's true. So I want women to understand that when day one, when you start your menstrual cycle, your estrogens start to go up, and testosterone is playing a role at that time. So think about it. Our, you know, once we start our period, what's going on in our body? Our body's getting ready for ovulation at that moment. So estrogen drives up. Estrogen has a very strong uh pathway to serotonin, which is again makes us feel good and strong. And then, of course, our testosterone's rising because when we ovulate, we have high estrogen and high testosterone, and we're very much in the mood at that time. Because of course, our body wants us to get pregnant. We're gonna ovulate and we are ready to go. And so everyone feels so good that first 14 days or so. Then after that, supposedly, now if you did get pregnant, that's your body saying, Okay, we think we should we got pregnant, and so now it's time to rest and recover and restore and take it easy, take it slow. And that's where progesterone steps in and says, Okay, GABA, we're gonna relax, we're gonna make her feel good. She's gonna want to just chill, and and all those things happen. And if we didn't get pregnant, then our body recognizes that, hence, progesterone falls, and you have your period and starts all over again.

SPEAKER_00

And honestly, it's like the perfect design. I mean, if you just sit back and really look at it and take it in, it's like this beautiful design of like what our bodies were made to do. And instead of like fighting against it, like embrace it and just move with it.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I read something about like our bodies are so much smarter than we think it is. Yeah, and there's so much of us that we try to fight what our bodies were telling us, right, and we don't listen. And if we just listen and let it happen, yeah, I mean that's the way it was intended.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, our body's not inconsistent, it's cyclical, and it there's a cycle, and and your cycles are different, and you're feeling different during different parts of the month, and that's very normal and very natural. And so once you you have to listen to your body and get get to know your body and understand your body, really connect with yourself, your mind and body. It's so important. And it's the beauty of being a woman. It is the beauty of being a woman, it's fabulous, it really is. Yes. Let's see, what do we want to talk about next? Maybe the nervous system. That's something that um I think is important. I think we're all in this state of busyness and this state of high alert and not taking enough time for ourselves. We're women, we've talked about this in previous podcasts. We do it all, we go, go, go, go, go. And again, that is playing a huge role in then underfueling, like Bree talked about, and then brutal workouts, like Lauren talked about, you're just pushing yourself beyond, and that is having implications in not only sex hormones, but your adrenal system as well. And so then once you are overworking and underfueling, now you're affecting cortisol and your HPA access, uh, your cortisol should be high in the morning. Think of it as a slide, and then as around noontime, you start to go down that slide, and then it deepens and goes nice and flat in the evening and bedtime. And if that access is off because you've got a lot of stressors going on, then your nighttime cortisol levels could be up. Um, and then maybe they dip down and then they're not there in the morning for you. And so you're also having to fight the fatigue and the insomnia of having a dysfunctional adrenal system, which is part of the nervous system. And again, gut brain connection plays a huge role in that. And again, making sure your movement is correct and really for what your body needs at that time of the month or that day and things like that. So important. Um, do you guys hear the changes when you're working with women with movement and with diet, depending on where they are in their cycle? Do you is there any specific type of um story that or um clinical experience with a with a client that comes to mind?

SPEAKER_00

I mean, I don't have a specific story. I hear a lot of women going on birth control because their symptoms are, you know, out of control and they don't have time to deal with it, or you know, they have really bad period cramps, or they're they're really heavy bleeders, or you know, and instead of digging deeper, they just do the blanket thing and go on birth control. So that's pretty much the story I get all the time. And what really concerns me is the younger girls, like the, you know, the high school girls, young college girls doing this and having no idea what they're doing to their body long term. Now, if they need it, like there's no judgment. I just I just really want the awareness and the education to be out there. But to answer your question, I don't have a specific story.

SPEAKER_02

How about you, Pancake? I don't I don't have a specific story, but I think it's because women aren't in touch with their cycle and like how things change during those 28 days.

SPEAKER_01

I think and they've never been educated about it or have someone to talk to about it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

They just don't know what they don't know what they don't know. It's one thing that a lot of women could pay more attention to, especially if you already keep a food journal or um a menstrual cycle journal to kind of correlate the symptoms that you're having related to food and exercise based on your phase of your cycle. So um it's a great idea. Right. So, like paying attention when you're in that luteal phase, like, do I feel more tired during my workout or do I feel really great and strong during my menstruals uh phase? Um, am I having more cravings like right after I ovulate? Uh am I more bloated a certain time of the month? And then kind of adjusting your workout and your food based on that period of time. So I think a big one that I hear a lot of with older people is their alcohol intake.

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_02

And how their alcohol, and I've I've had it, I can tell if I wake up in the middle of the night, I know exactly what time it is. It's two, it's between two and three. If I've had a couple glasses of wine, and that's my cortisol spiking, and it's it's different at different times of the month.

SPEAKER_01

Right.

SPEAKER_02

So I could have two glasses of wine at a certain time of the month, you know, during my cycle, and it doesn't bother me, but during that luteal phase, I'm up at like two or three in the morning. Um, you know, are you getting the fiber, the protein, the good fatty acids? Are you getting enough good fatty acids? Those have been shown, the omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to kind of help with mood swings and inflammation. So that's another thing. Cellular health. Cellular health. So that's another thing you want to pay attention to. Um I think that it would do all of us good to obviously learn more about how our cycle affects food and nutrition and movement, but also what symptoms are we all experiencing during those different phases?

SPEAKER_00

Right. I mean, I wasn't even educated when I was younger. I mean, I got put on birth control. I didn't even need to be on birth control. I wasn't even sexually active. I went to the gynecologist and they just put me on it. And I'm like, okay. And so for so many years, I was taking it and didn't even need to be taking it. So I didn't know that I was supposed to be keeping track of my period. I didn't know there were different phases. I had, I was so uneducated. And it's just through the years of, you know, learning and being in.

SPEAKER_01

I think we all were really you know, my mom didn't really talk to me about that when I was younger either. So I just think it it's a generational thing too. It's cultural. Yeah. And it's just, and we don't know what we don't know until we know. Until we know. That's right. No, it's it's so true. Um, and birth control isn't always the plan for everybody. But I want to make this very clear. If you choose birth control, that doesn't mean you failed, you shouldn't feel shame. If you don't choose birth control, that doesn't mean you're a difficult person and you're bucking the system, so to speak. Using medication doesn't mean you're not holistic. And wanting to find out root cause answers doesn't mean you're anti-medicine either. So if you're a woman out there and you're listening and you're on birth control and you're doing well, wonderful. Support your foundations that we've been talking about today. Continue having informed conversations with your provider. And if you're on birth control and you don't feel like yourself, that matters. And if you're considering birth control, ask those important questions we've been talking about today. And if you don't want birth control, ask what else options you have and what you may or may not need to be evaluated for. Um, if you're using birth control temporarily while you work on deeper foundations, that can be a very valid strategy too for women. Again, think of it as a way to kind of help you through while you're figuring things out. And some women need that. So there's only education, support, and personal care. Think of it that way. That's what you really should be focusing on for yourself and how you get that information that you need to really make those empowered decisions.

SPEAKER_02

So I was gonna say my my takeaways.

SPEAKER_01

Please.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, let's hear them. So my takeaways are 30 grams of protein at breakfast.

SPEAKER_01

Great.

SPEAKER_02

Every day. Okay. 25 to 30 grams of fiber. Eat at least three meals a day. Don't skip meals. And hydration. Making sure that you stay hydrated throughout your cycle. And to make sure that, you know, the this is going to help you with fatigue, headaches if you experience those mood swings. So those are my takeaways for today.

SPEAKER_00

Lauren, what about your takeaways? My goal is to just encourage women to learn about their bodies before they assume that their natural cycle is something that needs to be suppressed and to make their decision based on their knowledge and what's best for themselves in the moment.

SPEAKER_01

Yes. Knowledge is power. And that's the heart of this conversation that we had today. I really feel like that because a woman who's informed and understands their bodies are really empowered to make really good decisions for themselves. So before we close, I want to invite you into something really special that we're starting at my Venus Club. I know I'm so excited to be doing this. We're hosting women's roundtable on the second Sunday of every month at Barron's Creek Vineyard in downtown Ocala from 4 to 6 p.m. Our next round table is going to be on Sunday, July 12th, and it'll be joined. I'll be joined with Tammy Holland. She was our interviewee that we had last podcast. She's a mentor for women and certified clarity catalyst trainer. And we're going to have a fabulous conversation around connecting with your authentic self. This will be a really intimate live conversation for women who are really ready to get clear, reconnected to who they truly are, and step into the next chapter with more confidence and intention. And for the first eight women who message me at my Venus Club on Facebook or Instagram, you'll be invited to attend live. And if you're not able to attend, it's okay. You can still join us because we will be streaming live on YouTube. Then on Sunday, August 9th, we're going to have a round table with Lauren and Brie. The three of us are going to have and continue this important conversation around PMS, PMDD, birth control hormones, and what women really need to know to make these informed decisions about their bodies. So again, message me at MyVenus Club on Facebook or Instagram to secure your spot for either July 12th or August 9th. Thank you, Lauren Bree. Again, I love you girls. You're such a big part of my Venus Club and a big part to the conversation today. So, and to every woman listening who's ready to understand her body in a deeper, more compassionate way. Remember, keep building your foundation and keep listening to your body because once you understand your body, everything changes. We'll see you in the next episode. Thank you. Thank you, Cindy. Thank you for being here with me today. If this episode resonated with you, I invite you to share it with someone who may need to hear it also. And if you're ready to start understanding your body on a deeper level and getting the clarity you deserve, you can learn more about my Venus Club at myVenusClub.com. We offer a limited number of memberships for women who are ready to take a more personalized, in-depth approach to their health. So apply for a membership. There's no pressure, just an opportunity to start a different kind of conversation, one that focuses on you, your body, and what you truly need. Because once you understand your body, everything changes. I'll see you in the next episode.