Female Friday
This time last year I was in Europe on my honeymoon. I wish I was exploring Lisbon's hidden gems, driving between Berlin and Munich and counting all the windmills on the way, or eating another lemon sorbet in Monterosso - but alas, I am studying for yet another exam. A few years ago I started up Friday Five, a curation of different links I enjoyed over the week. This reboot called Female Friday, is going to specifically focus on women's health because I want you to be well informed with everything involving you and your lady parts.
Figuring out when you're fertile / Check out my latest video to figure out when you're ovulating during your cycle.
Menstrual Cups Revival / I'm not the only one who listens to podcasts during my commute, right? Why I didn't do this during my 10+ years of riding the TTC I'll never know, but now is better than never. Stuff Mom Never Told You is one of my favourite podcasts, and I was so happy that they discussed menstrual cups. What I found most interesting was that the cups has to be marketed to the midwife/vegan/alt med practitioner first because other women weren't likely to try it. Which is true in my personal experience! When I was at York, the sexual health team (of HealthEd) was giving away TONS of these and at that point in my life - I was 100% NOT interested. Even during Naturopathic Medical school I went back and forth on the decision to try. I caved last year, bought one, and never looked back!
Does the birth control pill cause depression? / It's true, hormones can affect your mood. I've read the study which was in JAMA Psychiatry and it seems pretty robust. The authors did note that the women not taking any form of contraceptive, were also at risk for being diagnosed with depression or prescribed an antidepressant. The most concerning part was that teenage girls were more sensitive to depression than women aged 20-34. I'm interested in knowing how many teenagers are going on the pill to prevent pregnancy, versus going on the pill for other reasons such as painful periods, heavy periods, acne, etc. Because if we can treat these underlying period problems, what effect will that have on women and depression.
What men need to know / I remember teaching my husband about periods when we were in high school. I'm not sure how many men retain that information, but it is important for them to know. While they may or may not want to know about the follicular phase or luteal phase, it is important to both of you to know about ovulation.
Clue / After learning that my favourite period tracker was sharing my information with 3rd parties, I've decided to test out another period tracker app. Clue interested me the most because it has a great website with tons of information and it was created by a woman (which I'm always happy to support!). It's much less pink and flowery and more minimalist (which I love!). I wish I could import over 2 years worth of period info, but c'est la vie. Let's see how this one flows (get it?).
Naming your period / Does your period have a name? Or should I say, does it bother you enough to warrant a name?