Did you know...?

80% of autoimmune disease diagnoses are made in females. 

And, it takes on average 7-8 years to get an autoimmune diagnosis. 

Many of the symptoms on the previous page can be an sign of an underlying autoimmune condition. 

If you experience any of these symptoms, or if you have a family history of autoimmune disease, it can be helpful to get screened early. 

When not properly managed, autoimmune disease can be responsible for difficulty getting pregnant and sustaining a pregnancy to term. 

Did you know...? 

There are 4 different types of PCOS. 

1. Insulin resistant PCOS: indicated by elevated fasting insulin levels

2. Post-pill PCOS: temporarily elevated androgen levels after coming off of birth control

3. Inflammatory PCOS: indicated elevated testosterone and elevated inflammation

4. Adrenal PCOS: indicated by elevated DHEA with normal testosterone levels

Depending on which type of PCOS you have, the suggested interventions to manage it will be different.  

Did you know...? 

Period symptoms are common (80%+ of females experience them),
but they are not normal (i.e. the way your body was designed to operate). 

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is not inevitable.

It is not something you just have to "live with". 

Significant PMS is an indication that things are out of balance. 

The more severe your PMS symptoms are,
the more severe the dysregulation of your hormones are likely to be. 

We want you to know - it doesn't have to be this way. 

Did you know...?

Hormonal birth control use can impact your time to pregnancy. 

How?

• It depletes the body of key nutrients; many of these nutrients (e.g., B vitamins, vitamin E, zinc, coenzyme Q10) are critical for initiating and maintaining pregnancy.  
• It can alter the gut microbiome. An altered microbiome can be responsible for a number of symptoms, including headaches, yeast infections, lowered immunity and even mood disorders. A dysbiotic gut can also be transferred to your future baby, predisposing them to things like asthma and allergies. 
• It can impair detoxification, allowing a toxic hormonal soup to build up in your body. Excess estrogen, for example, is linked to fibroids, endometriosis and even some cancers. Moreover, any time that hormones are imbalanced (too much, too little), fertility problems ensue. 
• It can mask underlying hormonal imbalances. With hormonal birth control, you do not actually get a period each month; rather, it’s a chemically induced “withdrawal bleed”. Practically speaking, this means that your hormones don’t fluctuate normally and naturally; therefore, your body does not produce many of the signs of hormonal dysfunction (e.g., acne, spotting, absent periods) that it otherwise would. Basically, your body’s symptom cascade is “silenced”. 

This isn’t about birth control being good or bad. As with any medication, it’s about weighing the benefits and risks. And it’s about your unique situation and priorities. It’s just important to be an informed consumer...and you can’t be informed if no one gives you all of the facts. 

The big takeaway here is this: 

The effects of hormonal birth control can increase barriers and therefore time to getting pregnant (e.g., through nutrient deficiencies, altered microbiome function and impaired detox). Given this, you may want to give yourself some time to transition off of birth control and ensure that your hormonal system is in good shape before trying to conceive.

Did you know...? 

Vegetarians tend to have lower hormone levels than their meat-eating counterparts. 

Why is this?

1. You need cholesterol to make hormones.

One of the raw materials necessary to make your sex hormones is cholesterol. Unfortunuately, plant sterols (the “cholesterol” equivalent from plants) aren't as effectively used by our bodies as cholesterol from animal products. Interestingly, your body does make its own cholesterol, but we often need to supplement with cholesterol from our diet as well to reach optimal levels.

2. You need protein to make hormones.

Protein from animal products tends to be more bioavailable than protein from plant products. There are plenty of sources of protein in a vegetarian diet (e.g., quinoa, rice and beans, lentils). However, it’s just not as quickly and easily digested and assimilated as animal protein. 

3. Certain nutrients are only available in animal products, such as vitamin A (retinoids specifically), vitamin D (except maybe mushrooms!) and vitamin B12 (unless foods are fortified with these nutrients). Beyond this, the bioavailability of certain nutrients is better from animal sources than plant sources.

For example, the conversion from ALA (from plant sources) to DHA is quite poor; it’s better to get DHA directly from oily fish. Also, heme iron (from animals) is more bioavailable than nonheme iron (from plants). Zinc levels are also is also lower on vegetarian diets.