Latest / Nourished Fertility / Getting Your Period Back and Fixing Digestion After 10+ Years of Period Loss (Geraldine's Story)

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Getting Your Period Back and Fixing Digestion After 10+ Years of Period Loss (Geraldine's Story) · Nourished Fertility

0:00
Hello and welcome back to the Nourishing Women Podcast.
0:03
I have such a special episode for you today.
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Cannot wait for you to listen.
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This is actually a past client, Geraldine, coming on the podcast to
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share her unique, special, incredibly motivating story with you today.
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I think what's super unique about Geraldine's story is
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that she had pure thoughts.
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For over a decade.
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She struggled so much and went to so many different providers.
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You'll hear that a lot in today's story.
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And no one asked her some pretty simple questions that would have led her down
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the path that she really needed to go on to not only get her period back,
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but also to heal her digestive issues.
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Luckily she found me on Instagram, found my work and what we do here at Nourishing
0:51
Minds Nutrition, and was able to join one of our programs to get her the
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support she deserved to not only get her period back to, but to also resolve her
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digestive issues, heal her relationship with food, body image, and so much more.
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Without further ado, let's jump into this incredible guest episode
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with Past Client Geraldton.
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Hello Geraldine.
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Welcome to the Nourishing Women Podcast.
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I am elated that you're here with me today.
1:18
Hi, Victoria.
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Thanks for having me.
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Of course.
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I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to share your story with us,
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and you have such an incredible story.
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I cannot wait for you to share it with everyone.
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Why don't you to share a little bit about like who you are
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before we, we get started, right.
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I am Geraldine.
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I am 41 years old and I'm from Belgium.
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And, um, I dunno, do you want to, what do you want to know more about me?
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Uh, I tell, tell everybody about how you're like the most delicious
1:55
world.
1:55
Yeah.
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I've got a bit of a, I did, um, I studied astronomy and space
2:00
engineering and I worked and studied in the field for about 15 years.
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And about five years ago, I decided to take a year off
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because I wasn't really finding.
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My place in that field.
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It's a fascinating world, but somehow it didn't, didn't click.
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Yeah.
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There was something missing.
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Uh, something, you know, the really, the drive from inside and that year
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allowed me to confirm because I was already busy with that for a long time.
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That nutrition and the culinary field is where I get the most energy.
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Um, you put me in a kitchen, I'm happy.
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Uh, I, uh, yeah.
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Kitchen is my temple.
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Cooking is my meditation, and sharing it with others is my dharma.
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So I, yeah, anything related to that, I can spend hours
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with it and never get bored.
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And that's, I think, one of the many wonderful things about your story.
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And what's so specific about you, Geraldine, is you're someone who
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loves food, you love cooking.
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Whenever we would review your food journals or talk about what
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you're eating was always the most adventurous, exciting foods.
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And we still struggled with peer loss and we'll get into that now.
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But, um, I just think it's a really fascinating part of your
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story is it's not for love of, not for lack of love for food.
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Mm-hmm.
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It's more complicated than that sometimes.
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So let's dig in.
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Tell me where would you say the journey started with your peer loss?
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Where would you in the conversation?
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It's, uh, yeah.
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It's been a very, very long journey.
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Um, it started when I was about 25.
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Um, so yeah, about more than 15 years ago.
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Uh, what was your relationship with food and exercise like at that time?
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Um, I like to be active, but I wasn't, definitely not as active
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as I've been after, uh, later on.
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Um, but I think the thing that, uh, that probably kickstarted
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it in, like in the beginning, I didn't lose my period immediately.
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Like I lost it for a few months and then I had it very irregular.
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Like it came like every few months.
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Um, and that kind of happened for about, yeah, five.
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Or plus years, it was like that.
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And the year when it started, I lost a lot of weight due to stress.
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And then, but like when I lost the weight, it didn't happen immediately.
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But then I went traveling for about two, three months around the world
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and that's when my period stopped.
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I thought, oh, maybe I'm pregnant.
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So I took a pregnancy test during my trip.
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Like it was really, um, and then yeah, it, it came back.
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Uh.
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Afterwards, but it was very, yeah, very random.
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So in a regular period for quite some time, when did your period go missing
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altogether and what was that like talking to the doctors about that?
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Share with me a little bit more about that.
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So that's, um, so that's about, uh, what you say nine, nine years.
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So I've been nine years without a real period.
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I didn't consider myself as like a super sporty person, but I was pretty active.
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I would, I mean, I cycle, I commute cycling, so I would cycle about
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one hour a day to go to work, like 30 minutes, going 30 minutes back.
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Mm-hmm.
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Um, I would rock climb, I would dance or do aerial silk.
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Um, so it was a pretty.
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I was pretty active in that period, and I think when I started the job and I
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started cycling one hour a day, which is kind of like minimum cycling of five hours
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a week, um, I didn't start eating more.
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I, I stayed on the same diet that I was used to, and I think there, the
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deficits kind of started and that's where my period got missing completely.
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When I talked about it, the first gynecologist I talked with, she just told
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me, she's like, oh yeah, it can happen.
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That was it really.
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Like, I mean, it, it seems like strange to me.
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Like, I mean, I would consider this as something bad, you know,
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not having your period, and she's like, oh yeah, it's gonna happen.
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Nothing.
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And so I decided to go see somebody else.
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'cause I was like, this, this is not, this doesn't seem right.
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Um, my, the second gynecologist I went to see, which is still my gynecologist
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now, um, she was more pragmatic about it.
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She was like, okay.
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Um, it can happen.
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It usually happens with women that have anorexia or that are
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like, um, high level sports women.
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Or professional athletes.
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So she was a bit like, dunno why it happened to you, because
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I was like, but I'm not.
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And neither of those.
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Uh, but she did tell me about the consequences.
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Um, so she did say it can have bad consequences, you can have osteoporosis
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much earlier on, like on your bone density And on this, she was like, okay, so we
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need to get your period back to do that.
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You have to go on.
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That was like the solution.
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And I was like, um, but I, I dunno, like I, I had, I tried, I tried ception
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when I was like early twenties and I, it like, I had a really bad time,
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like both psychological and physical.
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Like it was, I really didn't support it well.
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Uh, so I was like, oh.
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But then I was like, okay, I'm, I'm 10 years older, I'm more active now.
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' so I was like, okay, for my future self, I have to try it.
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So I went on contraception, um, and I was fine.
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Like it didn't, I didn't have any like, consequences of it.
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Like, I didn't feel it, so I was like, okay.
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Um, let's continue then.
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And at some point I stopped.
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I was like, oh, maybe like now I'm having my period every month, because I didn't
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really understand what was happening.
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Yeah, they don't really explain like, Hey, this is a book probably.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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It's not.
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Yeah.
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Maybe this kick started the machine again, so if I stop the contraception,
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maybe my period will continue.
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So I told my gynecologist I wanted to do that, and she was like.
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You can try, but I don't think your period was going to come back.
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So about two years ago, I decided to stop, to stop the contraception again
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because I had really bad digestive issues and I know, um, like the pill
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or I was on this, um, vaginal ring, I dunno how you call it in English.
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Um, and which are less strong in, in hormones.
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Still, I know these things can have an influence on our digestive system.
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So I was like, okay, let me at least take out everything
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that can influence it badly.
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Um, and yeah, I went on this whole journey to try and solve
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my digestive issues, which were.
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Obviously completely, um, the opposite direction of where I was supposed
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to go, but yeah, I didn't know.
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Yeah, let's, let's talk about that though, because that's not an uncommon experience
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to make the decision to get off something like birth control, whether it's, that's
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try to get pregnant or in your case geo, to try to solve a digestive issue.
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And more often than not, we.
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Think, oh, I need to eliminate, I need to go on this diet.
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Mm-hmm.
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It's this thing, it's this supplement that's gonna solve my problems.
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It's so rare that we think, hey, like maybe I'm not eating enough
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and maybe my body needs more nourishment to support itself.
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Yeah.
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What was that process like for you specifically of going through that
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whining road to eventually getting to the point of like discovering
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the work of period recovery?
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Um, yeah.
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I'm, I'm still, I'm so amazed actually, when I think about it, I'm like, I. I
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don't understand how none of the doctors or like naturopaths or nutritionists.
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Yeah, that's such a good point though, because yeah, you saw people
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more than just gynecologists, right?
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You saw an naturopath, you went through quite a bit of providers.
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Exactly.
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And I thought like, like nobody, none of those people were
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like, okay, what do you eat?
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How much do you eat?
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Mm-hmm.
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Like, 'cause I think I'm, so, I'm.
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I'm busy.
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I mean, it's, it's become my, my work is food.
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Um, I'm interested, I'm interested in nutrition.
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I study about it so I know what, what is important.
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Mm-hmm.
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And I'd say like, my diversity of food, like I love food and I love exploring
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and I eat a lot of different things.
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And so my diversity of food is fine.
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Mm-hmm.
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And I think maybe that kind of, they were like, oh, she knows.
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So we don't have to ask the question.
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Maybe that was it.
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I don't know if it's because I seem like I had experience that they,
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they didn't ask, but they, they just like automatically assumed, which
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we should never assume as providers.
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Exactly.
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It's so interesting to hear you say that though, because I, I would argue
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almost all the clients I work with are incredibly nutrition informed.
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They're the people who mm-hmm.
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Do all the research and they know everything about every
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nutrient that you need to know.
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It's not lack of information, it's just lack of.
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Adequacy at the end of the day and that energy imbalance
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that we referenced earlier.
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Mm-hmm.
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So, um, so I had the first person I saw, uh, she did like a whole, like a blood
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work test and, and, um, urine test.
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And we tested everything.
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Like we went to really into details to see if I was not missing something.
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And so, um, obviously I had a like dysbiosis and she.
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She analyzed me as having SIBO or sbo, I dunno.
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Sibo.
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Yeah, sibo.
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Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
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Yeah.
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Um, but I was a, also, I was, I didn't think I had it because I
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didn't really have the symptoms.
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I didn't have the bloating that, that you say like, you know, most people that have
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SIBO have, you know, enormous bloating.
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I didn't have that.
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That was not my problem.
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Um, at that time it came afterwards, but, so she gave me medication to treat that.
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Mm-hmm.
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And to go like a low for diet, which was like.
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The end of my world because it's like, oh, I can't eat
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anything, but food is my world.
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Food is my world.
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It's true because it really, it really is all the foods that
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you specifically eat though.
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Yeah.
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It's like this, this is like, I was like, I was so like, and also because
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it's not, it's, it's very vague, I think like the low food map diet.
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, but here the low fomite, it's like, okay, you can have this, but not too much.
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But this one, I'm not sure.
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And that, and so it was so like, it wasn't a clear That's so true.
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I'm like, acklin over here.
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That is a very fair judgment of the low fo map diet.
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I was like, this is not clear.
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So I, I, I was like, and then I, I was trying and I had the feeling like
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it, things were just getting worse.
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And then I went to see somebody else and she like completely scared me.
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She was like, oh no, basically you can't have, you should go back to like
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a protein and, and um, and VE diet.
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Like you can't have anything that can irritate your like gut.
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So no grains, no cereals, no this, no that.
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I was like, okay.
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So I have always, I have like, uh, apple cider vinegar with some ginger
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in water in the morning, you know?
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And she's like, oh, no, ginger, no.
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And this, no.
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And I was like, everything was no.
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And I kept, I got out of there.
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I was like, I started crying.
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I was like, I, I don't know.
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I don't understand what, what am I supposed to do?
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So I went on this like eating much more.
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Um, I. Meat and, and proteins, um, diet.
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I tried it for two weeks and I was so tired all the time and I had the feeling,
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I had this, um, brick in my stomach.
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My stomach was just like, I was like, okay, this is this, this cannot be
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I this way too far the other way.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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I stopped that as well.
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Then I went to see somebody else who was.
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Also, um, more into like, um, not traditional Chinese medicine,
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but like influences from it.
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And he would look at the um, uh, like the energy flows within the body and
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he noticed, he was like, okay, you are definitely too low on protein.
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You have to start eating more protein.
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But like, okay, like at least one egg and one a hundred grams of fatty fish a day.
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Um, I went gradually because I couldn't like.
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Eat that much.
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Mm-hmm.
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And I think in the de indeed I was like undereating and
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undereating proteins as well.
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Mm-hmm.
14:40
So, um, but then he also was like, okay, uh, intermittent fasting.
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So I went on on that, but again, with him and he was giving me
14:50
probiotics and prebiotics and with then by then I had like a stomach
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like this, like every evening.
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Like bloating wasn't my problem in the beginning, but it
15:00
became my problem by the end.
15:02
Mm-hmm.
15:03
And I was like, okay, this is not like.
15:06
This is not normal either.
15:08
Um, did any of these providers ever ask you about your period loss?
15:13
Um, I told them 'cause I was like, okay, I have two problems.
15:17
I have digestive issues and I haven't had my period for so long.
15:20
I want to solve both, but nobody really, I don't know.
15:25
They didn't stop on the fact that I didn't have my period anymore.
15:31
The only reason getting pregnant with no period feels hard is because no one
15:37
has shown you how this peer recovery method that I'm about to share with
15:42
you is going to change your life and making, getting pregnant with no
15:46
period so much easier and quicker.
15:49
For you, I've laid it all out for you.
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15:54
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15:58
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16:01
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16:05
five step framework to get your period back and restore your fertility, how
16:10
to repair your relationship with food, and what that has to do with your
16:12
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16:14
This free training is gonna give you.
16:16
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16:20
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16:23
You can download and get started watching this free training today
16:26
with a link in our show notes.
16:28
Now, let's get back to today's episode.
16:30
Yeah, I'm, I just, I'm can't help it be so, so intrigued here because your
16:35
period is a, it's vital sign to me.
16:37
If a period is missing, it's an immediate hallmark red flag, huge signal.
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Like, okay, something is off in the body.
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We can't even expect digestion to work properly if hormones
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aren't even being produced by the body because it feels so unsafe.
16:52
So interesting.
16:53
Side note, tell me what then led you to, uh.
16:57
Discovering period recovery, discovering our work.
17:01
Tell me about that specific part of your journey.
17:03
Yes.
17:04
Um, so it's something, I mean, I've always been interested in like the feminine cycle
17:10
and I was reading about it and I, I, I.
17:13
I kind of discovered it, uh, I mean, started reading more about
17:17
it in 2020, about four years ago.
17:22
Uh, but everything that I could find was like, okay, how to
17:25
live with your cycle, you know?
17:27
Mm-hmm.
17:28
How to wasn't like, how to get your peer back.
17:30
Yeah.
17:31
How to take the different waves of your cycle, when, when to work out
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at which moments of your cycle, what to eat at which moments or how to
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plan your month, you know, your, like your work and your meetings mm-hmm.
17:43
And your social life.
17:44
And, and I was like, okay, but, and, and I, and I found all the graphs.
17:50
I was like, okay, you know how the hormones go up and down.
17:54
And I was like, okay, but what, what if you don't have your cycle?
17:58
And I was like, I couldn't find any information about it.
18:00
Like nowhere, like all I could find was how to live with your cycle, but not what
18:06
to do when you didn't have your cycle.
18:08
and then, I don't know, I like, I think last, oh, when was it?
18:13
Like in, in June or in May, like last year.
18:17
I had a, again, like a, a search mode.
18:20
So I started searching like, okay, period loss.
18:23
And then suddenly I found all these videos about ha and I was
18:27
like, oh, here, it's, this would've been looking for this whole time.
18:34
I think it's pretty new.
18:35
Um, it's a bit like the, you know, TP, uh, t ps no s. Um, P-C-O-S-P-O-S
18:44
Sorry, because I get confused in French.
18:46
It's like in another order, so I always get confused.
18:48
Which one is which.
18:50
And, um, and endometriosis, like also these things.
18:54
I mean, obviously these are not new conditions.
18:57
You're, you're so right.
18:58
They're not new conditions, but the, the frequency of other discussions
19:02
around them have definitely ramped up.
19:03
Yeah.
19:04
In the last two years, I think these have become like.
19:07
I wouldn't nearly say trendy, but o obviously it's not a trend, but
19:11
it's something like, suddenly we started talking much more about it.
19:14
It would, it's not taboo anymore.
19:17
And so looks like now everybody knows that these things exist, but ha,
19:21
it's still like, it's, it's true.
19:25
It started like a bit late then, and so I don't know if it's because.
19:30
People hadn't been talking about it before, or if it's because I wasn't
19:33
looking the right way, but suddenly I found all this information and then
19:38
I found, um, so didn't know period.
19:41
Now what book?
19:42
Wonderful.
19:43
And, um, the, so I started list like, no, that was after.
19:47
But yeah, so I, I found like the different, I found your, um,
19:51
profile on Instagram, um, like the different profiles that you know.
19:57
Talk about ha the HA society as well.
20:00
Um, so I think for me there's like just only a few experts
20:04
about it and you're all in the us.
20:07
I couldn't find anything around here.
20:09
That's so true.
20:10
That's so true.
20:10
Yeah.
20:10
But the US is always a bit like, they always have a bit of an net
20:13
advance on those kind of things compared to Europe, I would say.
20:16
Yeah.
20:17
Uh, and then, I don't know, I think.
20:20
Some, there was something about your vibe that connected more.
20:24
Um, and so I reached out to you and I think, um, I remember it was this
20:31
summer, like, well, last summer, and I reached out to you and you asked
20:36
me to just like, let you know what, what kind of my, my background was.
20:41
Like, what was my story?
20:43
So I, I told you my story and you responded like, so.
20:49
Comprehensively.
20:50
And I think for me, you were the first person that actually listened to me,
20:57
that actually listened to my story and that actually, sorry, I'm getting
21:03
emotion now, but yeah, that actually.
21:06
Listen to every little bit.
21:08
And that told me like, okay, you know, 'cause I, I explained, I was like, you
21:13
know, I have these digestive issues and I think I have ha and like I've
21:17
got my period missing and I dunno what to do because it seems that the two.
21:22
Ways of healing or like opposite direction.
21:25
Because one way they were like, oh, you have to eliminate this, this, this.
21:29
And on the other side, I was like, okay, I have to go and eat everything that I can.
21:33
I was like, I don't know what to do and I dunno which one
21:35
I should try and solve first.
21:38
And then you were like, oh, but actually.
21:41
You it, it's not one or the other.
21:43
They go together.
21:44
Exactly.
21:44
And probably if you go on recovering from ha you will recover from
21:50
your digestive issues as well.
21:52
And um, I think that that's what, what clicked and I, I was like,
21:57
okay, find me somebody that actually assumes and that seems to, you
22:03
know, understand what's going on.
22:06
Um, and then we, we, we had a, a call and I think that confirmed that.
22:13
I was like, okay, I want to, to work, um, with you.
22:16
What was that process like for you of, um, beginning the work of period recovery?
22:21
Because that initial phase.
22:25
It's, it's a lot to take in.
22:27
And I think that's where that group was really supportive and you guys
22:30
all kind of saw each other going through the exact same journey.
22:33
Like, oh my gosh, this feels like a lot and it's so worth it.
22:37
But I think that support system is where you really can't match
22:41
what that provides for you.
22:42
I'd love to hear your experience though.
22:45
Yeah.
22:45
Yes.
22:45
I think for sure.
22:46
I, so I already started doing a few things, um, early summer, so.
22:54
In July and in June, um, also the last two years before I recovered
23:00
from ha I had like injury upon injury.
23:04
Upon injury.
23:04
I think my body really was telling me like, yeah, I was about, say injuries
23:08
are such a good sign of ha too because the body is yeah, body screaming.
23:14
So I was already, 'cause I was, back then, I was, um, climbing and doing aerial silk.
23:19
So I stopped aerial silk because I had.
23:21
All these injuries.
23:22
Um, then summer came, and also because with summer, like, I mean, I was away.
23:28
I wasn't always present, so I, I was climbing maybe once a month.
23:33
Uh, and I, I, so with all the videos that I had seen and I listened to
23:38
some podcasts, I was like, okay.
23:41
Um, so reducing on exercise.
23:44
So I already started reducing and.
23:46
Obviously being away, I would cycle less because I, I wasn't, um, in Brussels.
23:51
Um, and also I was like, okay, eating more.
23:55
So I was like, okay, ice creams, you know, it's summer, so just go for, for
24:00
the things like have an ice butter, uh, with raw milk butter and you know, just
24:06
allowing myself to, to, to eat more and, and, you know, being a bit more, um.
24:15
Intentional with it.
24:16
Like conscious.
24:17
Mm-hmm.
24:18
Yeah.
24:18
It's like we started this podcast off saying for you it
24:21
really wasn't lack of diversity.
24:23
You had such freedom with what the types of foods you were eating
24:27
and so much exploration with your food, but it was not enough food.
24:32
Yes.
24:32
Tell us a little bit about that.
24:35
Uh, yeah.
24:36
So I think for definitely it was the, the quantities, uh mm-hmm.
24:40
That were missing.
24:41
Uh, and I think that that's also something, being scared of eating
24:49
too much and putting on weight.
24:51
Mm-hmm.
24:52
Um, so to, to that deeper rooted reason why it exists.
24:55
Yeah, sure.
24:56
For sure.
24:57
To be always in control.
24:59
Um, and I think, uh.
25:03
I think that that's what, that's what my, my biggest learning from all of this
25:07
is, is to really to, to let go, to give myself slack, to give myself some slack
25:13
and to be like, okay, it's all right.
25:16
You don't have to take the stairs.
25:18
I live on the 11th floor.
25:20
You don't have to take the stairs when you get home.
25:22
It's okay to take the lift.
25:23
You are allowed to take the lift when you're a bit tired.
25:27
Um, I would always take my bicycle whenever.
25:30
I'm not taking my bicycle, I feel bad, or I would feel bad not anymore.
25:34
Mm-hmm.
25:35
Um, even if it was like more than half an hour cycling.
25:40
Uh, so now with that I was also okay.
25:43
You know, if it's far away and you don't feel like cycling all the way
25:47
and it's not raining, it's okay.
25:49
You can take the bus.
25:50
You are allowed to take the bus.
25:51
Mm-hmm.
25:52
Um, the little things like that.
25:54
Um, so.
25:57
Yes.
25:58
And then the, 'cause we were actually talking about the support group.
26:01
Uh, yes, I'm very happy I got into the group coaching because in my
26:09
surroundings, I dunno, anybody else that is going through this, um, like
26:15
all my friends, they have their periods.
26:18
So it was just like, dunno, dunno why I don't have my periods, but.
26:23
And that can be such a lonely and isolating feeling of, of not, so not
26:28
understanding why this is happening.
26:29
Mm-hmm.
26:30
And also it makes it so much harder when you feel lonely and
26:31
isolated to do the things you need to do to get your peer back.
26:35
Would you agree?
26:36
Yes.
26:37
And so it was so nice to, to be with girls, to be able to communicate,
26:43
um, with other women and girls that.
26:47
That are going through the same and that understand mm-hmm.
26:50
And that they understand the difficulty and the little weird, you know, weird
26:58
habits that we have around food.
27:01
Um, you know, like.
27:02
It's been years that like whenever I would have a banana, I would always
27:05
just have half a banana, because I know one banana is like way too much sugar.
27:10
Like bananas are sugar bombs.
27:12
And so I was like, okay, you know, half, half banana.
27:16
And I had had this habit of just taking cals of everything because I. I have
27:20
some, but I'm, I'm, I'm okay with half.
27:22
I don't have the whole, and then I feel better that I didn't eat the whole thing.
27:25
Yeah.
27:25
And so, um, that quantity coming into play there.
27:29
Mm-hmm.
27:30
And so with this, I was like, you know, being able to say like, oh,
27:33
girls, you know what, this morning with my breakfast, I had a whole banana.
27:37
And like everybody was like, oh, I've been doing that too.
27:40
Like, yes, exactly.
27:43
I loved watching this so much.
27:44
I love that.
27:45
Full bagel.
27:46
I had chocolate chip cookie, I ate ice cream.
27:48
Yeah.
27:48
It was so fun to see people, um, allowing themselves and giving
27:52
themselves unconditional permission, which is something I think women really
27:55
struggle with when it comes to food.
27:57
Yeah.
27:59
So I think I would definitely, if anybody has to go through this too,
28:04
you know, suggest or like, um, advise them to, to go in a group coaching.
28:09
Thank you.
28:10
'cause it's, it's so nice to.
28:13
To be able to, yeah, interact and also you learn from, from the others.
28:18
You know, like whenever, like everybody, we would be able to, you know, um, ask
28:24
our questions or whenever we had a doubt or something or something was bothering
28:28
us, you know, we would come out in the, in the group and they would ask
28:34
the questions, and then you, you would reply and, you know, you always learn
28:38
from, from those as well because maybe.
28:41
We didn't think about asking, but at some point it will happen to
28:45
us or it happened to us before.
28:47
Mm-hmm.
28:47
Or even if not, it's always interesting to, yeah.
28:51
You, you say not feel support, but you learn, you get accountability.
28:56
Mm-hmm.
28:57
It really does transform the, the.
29:00
Experience of getting your peer back.
29:02
Geraldine, you haven't shared yet your phenomenal results.
29:05
Tell everyone what happened for you because it's insane what happened.
29:10
Yes.
29:10
I think it was what, two weeks?
29:12
Two weeks into the program?
29:15
Uh, I got my first period.
29:17
Yes.
29:17
And I think, so I think that obviously that I started, you
29:22
know, reducing exercise and eating more during the summer so that.
29:26
That helps for sure.
29:28
Yep.
29:29
Are going really much more in like, I think I never really went all in.
29:34
Like, I always kept a little bit like I can't, like not take my
29:39
bicycle like it's my happy pill and, and it's my way of commuting.
29:43
Definitely.
29:43
And as you learned in the program, for most people we, we would
29:46
say most people don't go all in.
29:48
It's the gold standard, but it's a difficult gold standard to uphold.
29:51
Yeah.
29:51
So, you know, giving yourself some wiggle room of, you know, up to 10,000
29:55
steps a day or being able to bike to work, but then saying, Hey, every other
29:59
form of movement needs to be adjusted.
30:01
And that's really the way I would look at exercise with peer recovery in mind
30:04
is adjustments, not complete elimination.
30:07
Mm-hmm.
30:08
Which is true for you.
30:09
Yeah.
30:10
So, um.
30:12
Yeah, definitely.
30:13
So not only did you get your first period back that quickly,
30:17
what happened after that?
30:19
Um, well, I went straight into a, a regular cycling, so I had
30:27
my next period within 30 days, or I think it was like 28 or 29.
30:35
Um, and yes, I've been cycling every month.
30:38
So I'm very happy about that.
30:40
And what did your doctors tell you?
30:41
Did they say that they, you would ever be able to achieve that?
30:44
, so I went back to my gynecologist because I, when I went off the
30:48
contraception, I told her, okay, I'm going off the contraception also.
30:52
I'd like to get my period back and I want to try to get it back naturally,
30:56
but she just, she looked at me, she's like, oh, okay, you can try,
30:59
but I don't think that's gonna work.
31:00
Yeah.
31:01
Um, so I went back, uh, when was it?
31:05
After two or three periods, like before the end of the year.
31:09
I was so excited.
31:10
I was so excited to be able to sit in front of her and be
31:12
like, I got my period back.
31:15
And so I think she, you know, I mean, I don't see her often, so
31:18
obviously the gynecologist always a bit forget like, what, what your.
31:23
Um, history is, and like she, she wanted to look into my, um, file
31:28
and she's like, oh yeah, okay.
31:30
Um, sorry.
31:30
Are you doing, when was your last period?
31:33
Two weeks ago, like super excited with a big smile, and she just looked at me like,
31:38
okay, like I've never seen somebody so excited about having her period, but okay.
31:44
And then, and then she looked into my phone and she's like, oh
31:46
yeah, but you, yeah, but you have, you know, you lost your period.
31:50
And so.
31:51
You've got it back.
31:52
And so since once you have it back, and I was like, oh yes, in September.
31:56
And you know, I'm really happy I got it back.
31:58
And, but she didn't really show much interest or like, she
32:01
wasn't intrigued into like, why.
32:03
And I was like, okay, fine.
32:05
You know?
32:06
So I went to like, to get changed, to get checked and then she, she came in
32:10
and she's like, oh, but that's very nice, isn't it, that you got your period back.
32:13
So she did show a bit like no joy about it.
32:16
And so I went.
32:17
To push it a bit more.
32:18
I was like, yes, it's very nice.
32:20
I'm very excited.
32:21
I'm very happy about myself because I found it, you know,
32:24
all the way, all by myself.
32:26
I found how, what I actually had, I have this like called ha.
32:32
Well I learned about it and so I, you know, I went into like producing
32:36
exercise and eating more and.
32:38
Oh yeah, that's what I told you to do, wasn't it?
32:42
And I was so shocked.
32:44
I was, I told her, I was like, no, you didn't tell me that.
32:48
there's no point in like, you know.
32:49
Yeah.
32:50
Trying to tell her that she, she just didn't get it.
32:52
Well, we are so excited for you and so proud of you for doing the work.
32:57
I mean, after what, like a decade of experiencing first psycho irregularity
33:01
and then years of period loss, feeling so losses to get, getting your peer back.
33:06
You took quick action and as soon as you, like you said you found us in the summer.
33:10
You signed on, I think it was September, you had already started.
33:14
Taking action at that point, but this further progressed you and really
33:17
making sure that you were doing the changes required to get your
33:20
peer back and you got the results.
33:22
And that's the thing about hypothermic.
33:24
Amenia is if you follow the plan, the plan works.
33:27
It's not a matter of if, but when.
33:29
Mm-hmm.
33:29
Um, and you've had, remind me, how many periods at this point are we at?
33:32
Seven or eight now?
33:34
Seven.
33:35
Seven.
33:35
Yes.
33:36
So you so proud of yourself.
33:38
That is because of you and all of your hard work.
33:41
What are some like, uh, final parting words you could give to everyone
33:44
listening if they too are on the journey to working to get their periods
33:49
back, whether that's to get pregnant or just to restore their health?
33:52
What, what would you offer to them as a final thought?
33:57
I would say, uh, never give up.
34:01
Uh, as you said, it's not a matter of.
34:04
If, but it's a matter of when, and definitely seek for support.
34:12
I think.
34:12
Um, we all think we can do it by ourselves.
34:17
We all think there's enough information out there and there is,
34:20
there's plenty of information and maybe for some people it can work.
34:25
Um, you know, to just take up the information you find on the internet.
34:31
Uh, podcast books.
34:34
But being with people that live the same thing as you, uh, that go through
34:42
the same and be able to ask, you know, specific questions, um, just a little bit.
34:49
Sometimes it's nothing special, but just, you know, we all have
34:54
something that doesn't quite work.
34:57
Uh, and I think that that's definitely worth it.
35:00
Um.
35:02
To, to really go seek advice and, and seek support.
35:07
Thank you so much for sharing your story today, Geraldine.
35:09
Thank you for coming on the podcast.
35:11
Thank you for having me.
35:14
Geraldine.
35:14
Thank you so much for coming on the podcast today.
35:16
Thank you.
35:17
My incredible community for listening to today's show.
35:20
You heard in today's episode, Geraldine, talk about a group coaching program and
35:24
I wanted to share with you, while that specific program, 90 Days to Get Your
35:28
Career Back is no longer available.
35:30
It's for very good reason because we actually made it a part of
35:33
our premier program, premier Peer Recovery for Fertility.
35:38
It's now called Fuel Your Fertility, and it's just as much a focus on
35:41
period recovery as well as getting pregnant and restoring your fertility.
35:46
This group program.
35:48
And really having that group community support.
35:51
As you could hear throughout Gerald Jean's story really is what allowed
35:54
her to continue taking action and what led to the incredible results she's had
35:58
After 10 plus years of year loss, now having had seven back to back periods.
36:04
Um, and it's why we actually added it into our premier program because
36:08
we found that people got the best results in our premier program.
36:11
But the community aspect really helped people feel seen and heard and understood.
36:16
So again, our group program is now included in our Premier program.
36:20
If you're interested in learning more about Premier period recovery
36:23
for fertility, because I'll be honest, we only have a couple
36:25
spots left to begin in April.
36:28
That way you can get pregnant in this summer or this fall.
36:32
You need to be reaching out now to make that happen.
36:34
So what I'll do is link to our application forum.
36:37
In our show notes.
36:38
You'll apply scheduled decision making call with me and we'll see if it may
36:41
be a good fit to work together in our Premier program so that you can get that
36:45
one-on-one support, that personalized customized plan and that community support
36:50
through the membership that's now called Fuel Your Fertility.
36:54
Thank you so much for listening to today's episode.
36:56
We'll be back for some really fun episodes next week.
36:59
I just actually finished recording them and ugh, you're gonna love the content.
37:02
And I just can't wait to share it with you.
37:05
I'll see you back next week.
37:06
Until then, love to each of you.