Bloody Great Cycles

Endometriosis is not only a pelvic and gynaecological disease, but a systemic disease that has effects on the brain, metabolic and inflammatory processes, s*xual health, mental health (modulation of gene expression in areas of the brain controlling emotional and behavioural changes) and altered pain sensitization.

The altered immune function and inflammatory changes seen in endometriosis are systemic, and not confined to the peritoneum.

Fritz et al 2019 stated “differential expression of miRNAs can influence cytokine expression of macrophages, promoting an increase in inflammation. As miRNAs are stable, and can circulate in the bloodstream, this provides further support for the ability of endometriosis to have systemic effects distant from sites of ectopic endometrium in the pelvis.”

An altered immune response increases risk of other disorders such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, allergies, infections, carcinoma of the o***y and breast, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and melanoma. An increased inflammatory response can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Endometriosis is WAY more than bad period pains.

Hello friends! It’s been a while.. I’ve taken essentially a 3 month hiatus from this account. The last few years have been a rollercoaster as we all know, and in recent months I've needed to take a step back as I wasn’t able to show up in the capacity I’d like.

A lot has changed for me, and I'm now feeling like I’m in a better place to show up and share with you all my learnings, passions & work, as well as showcasing other incredible people making a difference in this space. My main goals for this account is to educate, inspire, break down stigmas and increase awareness.

I’ve got a number of ideas bubbling away for content this year, however I’d love to hear from you too and know what you’d love to learn more about or see on this account. From training as a female, specific women’s health conditions, fertility, menopause, females in cycling, nutrition, osteopathy, you name it! Please leave a comment below or in the question box on my stories 🙏🏻

Sending love to you all and wishing you a happy new year! 💟💟

Talking about and seeing periods, should be as normal as having them.

**es
Original photograph: Josefin via Pinterest

👐🏻 CLINIC UPDATE 👐🏻
A friendly reminder that osteopathy is open for urgent care.
You can read over the criteria in my most recent story/highlight.
You can book via the link in my bio.
All bookings will be sent a questionnaire via text/email prior to their appointment to assess their eligibility, which may follow up with a phone call. Please keep an eye out for this.
Any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. 🤍😊

🩸🔥 𝗦𝗲𝘅 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗱. 𝗟𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁.

There can be some shame/stigma around having s*x on your period, for some it can be considered dirty, messy, uncomfortable or gross.
And understandably, we aren’t always feeling super s*xy when we are bloated, cramping, or in pain!
However s*x on your period can be really great, and I love to open conversations that might challenge peoples views or experiences thus far.

For some people, it really is a no go time. So I understand that this is not for everyone. If you suffer from painful periods/uncomfortable symptoms and conditions such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS for example, you understandably may want to be left entirely alone and that is okay too!

Last night I asked in my stories if you have s*x on your period, and interestingly it was almost a 50/50 split, with more of you saying no.

This got me thinking what everyones understanding, views, opinions and experiences might be on this topic!

Swipe through this post to see some of the benefits of s*x on your period and a couple of followers expereinces!

🌟 Reminders 🌟

 ~ You can still fall pregnant on your period! If you dont know when you ovulate, its best to still use protection. 
~ You’re also at higher risk of contracting an STI/STD as your cervix opens slightly during your period to allow blood to pass from the uterus, as well as your va**na becomes less acidic and more alkaline, meaning its easier for bacteria and viruses to travel, survive and thrive in your reproductive tract. So it’s important to still practice safe s*x.

Tips to cope with the mess?
~ Place a towel underneath you
~ Have s*x in the shower
~ S*x doesnt have to be penatrative either, so you can leave a tampon or menstrual cup in if this is more comfortable for you.

Hope this breaks down some barriers for you around s*x on your period and creates great new experiences for you. 🩸🔥

This week is Women's Health Week, an initiative created by , dedicated to all women across Australia to make good health a priority.

If you've not yet checked out Jean Hailes for Women's Health, here is your prompt to do so, a website full of incredible resources for individuals and health practitioners alike.

This week is a reminder to set aside time for your health and wellbeing, book in for your health check, and look after yourself.

The program is covering a series of daily topics:
Mon - Movement!
Tues - Tricky Periods.
Wed - Private lives (all things s*x)
Thurs - Mind matters
Fri - Slumber party (all things sleep)

I'll share on my story this week some of the events, content, interviews and contributions other health practitioners are sharing relating to each topic. 💖

Photo source pinterest.

Women have a fertile window, that being a short period of time in which they are able to conceive.

Your fertile window is 5 days before you ovulate (because this is how long s***m can survive) and one day after ovulation (because that is how long your egg survives).

After ovulation, you have a 24hr window to ovulate once more (and maybe conceive twins), your eggs  can then survive another 24hrs.
You cannot ovulate again for the rest of the cycle. 

On either side of this ovulation window, you are not fertile and therefore will not be able to fall pregnant on these alternative days.

Men however? They are fertile, 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨.

OVULATION 💫🥚

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥?
The release of an egg from your o***y is referred to as 𝑜𝓋𝓊𝓁𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 . After an egg is released, it is swept up into one of your fallopian tubes, where if s***m is present it can be fertilised. 
Fun fact - Other follicles that didn't win the 'race to ovulation' and therefore didn't ovulate, are reabsorbed by your o***y.

ℍ𝕠𝕨?
In the final stages of the follicular phase we have a rise in Follicular Stimulating Hormone (FSH) which causes the dominant follicule to mature and a surge in Luteinizing Hormone (LH), which triggers the mature follicle to swell (this can take a few hours) and then rupture 💥 (this takes a few minutes) releasing the egg from the o***y.

𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕟?
Ovulation typically occurs around day 14 in an “average” 28 day cycle. 
But everyones cycle length can vary and therefore so does time of ovulation. 
𝙃𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙥 🔥 If you’re unsure, your luteal phase is commonly 14 days long (can vary from 12-16 days), so count back approximately 2 weeks from the first day of your next expected period and whatever day that lands on is when you’re likely to ovulate.

Comment below if you know what day you typically ovulate? 🙋🏼‍♀️

Walking the streets of Northcote warms my heart. Little messages everywhere, a nice reminder to keep my phone in my pocket and look around. ☀🌻

Hang in there friends, it's the little things right now that have the biggest impact. Small joys and simple pleasures. Take care and be kind to yourself & others. 🤍

A healthy period starts with healthy follicles.
The follicular phase of your menstrual cycle begins when a few follicles enter their final stages in the “race to ovulation”.
However that's not when their journey started.. 
It takes 💯 days for your follicles to mature from their dormant state to ovulation. If your follicles are unhealthy throughout this process, it can result in period problems or irregularities throughout your menstrual cycle, months later. Things that can impact the health of your follicles include but are not limited to, poor diet and alcohol, stress (emotional, physical, financial, lockdowns), grief, illness and poor sleep.

Which is why it's important to understand that period health is a long-term project. When you’re implementing something new to impact the health of your menstrual cycles, I recommend trialling it for a minimum of 3 months before you can determine if it's having any affect.

As always, it's important to consult with your health practitioner if you're noticing changes to your cycles and are seeking guidance.

💡This needs a permanent spot on my feed💡
Commonly and easily confused:
Day 1 of bleeding = 1st day of a new cycle = 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙋𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙚.
Think new cycle 🔄🩸, new follicule on its way to ovulation 🥚, therefore follicular phase. 💁🏼‍♀️