I just knew that I was tired of feeling like crap.
This led me to doing A LOT of research to figure this thing out. I had reached the point where I wasn’t getting any concrete answers from my doctor and I was getting pretty tired of getting dismissed.
I mean, I only live in my body… I don’t actually know anything about it..
In my research, I was learning a lot about how my endocrine system is responsible for regulating all of my hormones.
I learned that if my endocrine system isn’t working properly then it kind of throws my whole body for a loop because it’s all interconnected.
I learned that wonky hormones can cause a whole host of health issues. Some serious (like cancer) and some just annoying (like hair loss and weight gain).
I learned that the most obvious things, like an irregular cycle, is only the tip of the iceberg.
The good news is, that I was able to support my hormones so they started working with me instead of against me. I did this completely naturally.
I was really surprised with how quickly it worked. It was completely gentle on my body… no more putting my body in a headlock making it do something that it was created to do. It was time to listen to what my body was telling me and give it the love that it was asking for.
If you’re looking to start loving on your body and giving it the support that it’s asking you for, check out my free guide “How I get pregnant with low progesterone” and start listening to your body.. I promise it’s telling you what it needs, you just need to listen.
I knew that once a month I was supposed to have a period and that it was inconvenient and painful.
Yeah. True story.
What I’ve learned since then is that, the process is far more complex and irregular cycles is only one sign of a hormone imbalance.
If this is the path you’re walking right now, I completely understand how frustrated you can be when you know something isn’t right but you’re having a hard time finding the answers.
Going into it, I didn’t realize getting pregnant would be so HARD.
I thought it would happen quickly.
I thought it would be a simple task.
I mean really… baby dance, wait a bit and BAM! Pregnant!
NOPE!!
My experience was more like..
Get a referral to the specialist, be told it’s all in my head, go for testing, baby dance, be told it’s all in my head, go for more tests, take pills, baby dance, miscarry, be told I’m fine and keep taking the pills, get fuming angry and refuse to go back to that doctor.
LIE #1: Low Progesterone is Normal
I have been told that my progesterone being super low (when it’s supposed to be high) is normal… clearly that’s not normal.
Yes, your hormones naturally ebb and flow depending on the phase of your cycle that you are in but there are times when progesterone should be higher…
It’s the hormone that helps with placenta growth in pregnancy.
So in the game of getting pregnant, it’s super important.
LIE #2: You’re too heavy to get pregnant
This isn’t one that I’ve encountered personally. But I’ve heard many women say that their doctor told them to loose weight.
Now, in my opinion this is just rude. Plus sized women have been having babies since the beginning of time!
Carrying extra weight can often be an indication of an imbalance in the body BUT it is not something that will prevent one from getting pregnant.
The ACTUAL issue causing problems for women trying to conceive is HORMONE imbalance.
These are.. or should be naturally occurring in our bodies. However, our lifestyle can impact how our body produces them. The food we eat has an impact as well.
Hormones are the issue that needs to be addressed. There are a number of ways to regulate hormones naturally. I give a few tips and tricks that you can check out in my guide “How I got pregnant with Low Progesterone”
So, you’re pregnant again, huh?
My husband and I decided to start trying for our second child when our daughter was 10 months old. We were thinking that it would take us just as long to conceive as it did when we were trying the first time… or the second time (one heavenly babe, one earthly babe).
Well, we were wrong!
Since I had spent so much time learning about my hormones and getting them working the way they were intended to work… we got pregnant the first time we tried.
We were in SHOCK to say the least!
This pregnancy was very different from my first successful pregnancy.
When I was carrying my daughter, I was SUPER nauseous from about 4 weeks to 13 weeks.. I couldn’t eat anything unless I took an anti-nauseant but I never threw up once. With my son, I was less nauseous but when I was nauseous, it meant I was going to toss my cookies.. ICK!
There was one HUGE difference with my second successful pregnancy. I had tools to help me manage all the early pregnancy feels that I didn’t have with my first successful pregnancy… and I’m not talking about a prescription from my doctor.
At that time, my daughter was still napping twice a day which I was REALLY thankful for! Napping when she did saved my bacon more than once!
I made sure to drink plenty of my favourite anti-oxidant juice that’s packed full of nutrients which took the pressure off with eating.
Another thing I found super helpful was taking a vitamin B complex. It helped me SOO much in a few areas!
I also had to make sure to manage my stress and anxieties. So I came up with an amazing routine to do to help bring me back to reality when my thoughts of “HOW THE HECK AM I GOING TO BE A MOM TO 2… I CAN’T EVEN RAISE ONE KID…” carried me away. I had many moments feeling a bit like a huge failure and I hadn’t even had the kid yet!
I made the routine I created into a guide for you because I’m not so special to be the only one that feels that way. So here it is “How to remember you’re not a failure as a woman in 3 minutes.. (or Less!)."
Well, this is a doozy of a topic. It’s emotionally charged and rightly so!
Getting pregnant doesn’t come as easy for some as it does for others. I learned this lesson first hand 2.5 years ago when all I really desired was to get pregnant but it just wasn’t happening.
There are many reasons for this struggle to conceive. However one of the bigger reasons is hormone imbalances within the body. There are many ways to solve these issues. Traditional Western medicine, in my experience, often deems these hormone variances as “normal” and offers a variety of medications prescribed to treat hormone issues.
Vitex (chasteberry) is similar to many prescribed medications that you’ll find OBGYN’s giving out to help women get pregnant. One of the key differences between the prescription medications and Vitex is that Vitex is found in nature and doesn’t force your body to do anything.
For women who have problems with hormone regulation which causes other issues in their mensural cycle (anovulatory cycles, etc.), OBGYN’s tend to prescribe medications that force the body to ovulate but they don’t solve the bigger hormone issue.
This was my experience. I was prescribed a medication that forced my body to ovulate but then didn’t offer my body the support it required to sustain a pregnancy.
When you take a more holistic approach, a supplement like vitex works with the body to address the bigger hormone issues and because of this, everything else falls in line as well.
Please keep in mind that, for me, Vitex was not the only piece of the puzzle for me to solve my hormone issues and be able to have a successful pregnancy.
If you’re interested in learning about everything I did, check out the guide I created called How I got Pregnant with Low Progesterone to put all the pieces together.
I hope you find this helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out! I'm here to help :)
