Women's Health Month

The US has been recognizing and celebrating women’s history in March since 1981. It started as a week of recognition and was upgraded to an entire month in 1987. This March, I’m celebrating my own way by posting blog articles and filming Instagram reels about women’s health all month.

Why study women’s health? I like to reference Stacy Sims, PhD from Stanford who simply and profoundly says “women are not small men.”

Our medical history is sorely lacking in research about women’s health. For far too long research studies have been primarily, if not solely, focused on men’s bodies. Women are not small men and should not be treated as if they are!

When looking at women’s health we can categorize the journey through several stages. Not every woman goes through every stage, but for simplification, we may experience:

Puberty
Cycling menses
Pregnancy
Postpartum
Menopause

While these are not the only stages of a woman’s health journey, they are a good place to start the conversation.

Our health journeys are not linear. Our bodies naturally adjust in cycles and there are certain points in our life where our hormonal balance is more vulnerable than other times. I want to help you understand these life stages and help you thrive through them all!

Puberty is an eye-opening and sadly sometimes traumatic period in a young woman’s life. There are so many ways that we can help support our daughters through this transition in a more empowering way. Our girls don’t need to quit playing sports or feel like their bodies are failing them. Instead, we can work together as a community of women to teach our daughters the beauty of their blossoming bodies, the gifts of life they will be able to nourish if or when they choose to, and the strength and resilience that the female body offers.

Cycling years are a time when we can learn to embrace our monthly connection to the planet and the lunar cycle. Whether you are looking to have children during this time or not, there is so much we can learn about our hormones, fertility, sexual desire, and energy levels. A healthy body is a fertile body and a fertile body has a creative energy that can help a woman blossom with productivity.

The female hormones play an intricate song led by the conductor in your brain and each organ in the body is a key player like a musician in the orchestra. This blog will help you stay in tune with everything your body is trying to tell you naturally.

Pregnancy is the female body's superpower. We literally have the ability to create and nourish a new human life. It’s no wonder that much of ancient art is dedicated to pregnant women. However, in our individualistic society, we may not be that prepared for the process our bodies go through. Pregnancy and birth used to be a community project and you had the wisdom of your elders to lean on when it was your turn. Now, practitioners like me are trying to fill in that missing support and provide the education and encouragement that women need in this important season of their lives.

Postpartum I would argue that this stage can be considered the time from immediately after birth to menopause. Having a baby does not end, it transitions to having a child, a teen, and an adult child that is similar to a full-time job in which you work every hour of every day. Although your hormones are most affected immediately after birth, they can take a great deal of time to rebalance. I find this time to be the greatest struggle of a woman’s life in which she gives up her old life and adopts this new life with a huge responsibility of motherhood.

Women at this stage often have trouble putting themselves first, I know I have, and this habit can bring on suffering and pain as we lose the health and vitality we once knew. This time can be exacerbated if a woman dealt with IVF or fertility treatments that affected her hormonal balance even more. Join us for this blog to see what you can focus on to help rebalance your hormones and feel vibrant again.

Menopause can be a very intimidating time, but It’s not something we have to fear. As advances in medicine allow women to live longer lives we spend a great deal of time as an experienced soul without a cycle of hormones. At this vulnerable transition, we need real solutions that protect our bones, cardiovascular system, and mental health. With a little preparation, guided support, and open and honest conversations about this change that happens to every woman, we can gather as a community and support each other way better than we have in the past.

Having a female body is a wonderful gift. Each stage brings its own beauty and struggle. I believe that the more we share information and experiences, the more we can all lean into these stages with more confidence and empowerment!

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Articles in this series:

Let's Talk About Teens -- Don't Read This If You Think Being A Mom Is Easy -- Reset Your Health After Kids -- What To Know Before Menopause