“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself.” - Eleanor Roosevelt
What a smart woman!
Mistakes are a part of life, but the fewer things you have to learn the hard way, the better, right?!
When it comes to sharing my own hormone journey, I’m an open book...Because I wish people shared this sort of information with me when I was just getting started.
Want to know the 3 decisions I wish I’d made sooner in my hormone journey?
Of course you do!
Decision #1 - Get off the birth control pill sooner
I originally got onto the pill at 18 as a contraceptive measure, but also to help with painful, heavy and irregular periods (I didn't know there was a better way then!).
I got off the pill at 26 after having debilitating migraines, where I would literally lose half of my vision.
Funny story with that. A doctor in New Zealand saw my medical history, which included migraines, and said that I never should have been prescribed the pill that I was on as it could exacerbate migraines!
The doctors in the US, Italy, UK and Australia who all prescribed me the pill never picked up on that!
I am forever grateful to this doctor in NZ as his recommendation to come off the pill set my whole hormone healing journey in motion.
Now, why do I wish I came off the pill sooner? Well, there are a host of reasons, which I will cover in another post, but the main one is that I would have been aware that something was wrong hormonally much sooner...
Although painful, heavy and irregular periods was a pretty big clue...more on that in the next point.
Did you know that the period you have on the pill isn't a real period? Nope. It is simply a withdrawal bleed.
When I came off the pill I didn't have a period for two years!
A year in, the exploration and diagnosis of PCOS came in...as well as all the other things I have mentioned in previous posts. Search the blog for PCOS to read about that in more detail.
Want to learn about all your birth control options - both hormonal and non-hormonal? I got you covered in this webinar: Birth Control Options (happyandhealthywithjen.com)
Decision #2 - Continue seeking opinions
When I was originally diagnosed with PCOS. I was told that there was nothing I could do about it.
The first doctor I saw, literally went to Google and printed a couple of handouts for me...that was it!
I did end up seeing 4 other doctors who ran more labs and I was diagnosed with lots of other things, like Hashimoto's thyroiditis, adrenal fatigue and pre-diabetes...But again was told there was nothing to do for these outside of medication.
When my cycles did return - after changing diet, lifestyle and taking targeted supplements - they were again very painful and heavy.
It was until earlier this year that I had enough and said that there must be something else going on, like endometriosis, adenomyosis or uterine fibroids causing the issue as my hormones are all in balance (as shown by annual blood and saliva testing)...
So, I went to the GP and asked for an ultrasound to be done...
And sure enough adenomyosis was diagnosed!
This is something that should have been explored and picked up on over 2 decades ago.
Had I sought out more opinions, perhaps it would have been.
Which brings me to point number three...
Decision #3 - Seek help from holistic practitioners
While I did see one Naturopath. who is very well known and was highly recommended, she had her own agenda and wasn't listening to my wants and needs.
I simply wanted my cycle back and to have the option to have children, should I choose....She wanted to try and get me pregnant right away.
Instead of giving up on Naturopaths (crazy that I ended up becoming one!), it would have been good to go and see a different one.
Because it is the diet, lifestyle and supplements that put me on the path to healing - to where my conditions are either all managed or in remission - naturally!
I am forever grateful to my friend, and mentor, Vanessa Romero, who helped me with all of these things, but it would have been useful to also have a practitioner locally to work with concurrently.
Am I upset at my decisions along my hormone journey? No!!
I did the best that I could with the information that I was given...
But when you know better, you do better!
I don't want your hormone healing journey to be as long or arduous as mine was, which is why I share these decisions and educate you in my Instagram stories and feed.
Which, if you aren't following me - go do it! Jen l HORMONE HEALTH EXPERT (@happyandhealthywithjen) • Instagram photos and videos
Have you already made some of these decisions? If so, well done!
If not, start thinking about which one will have the most impact on your own hormone journey and start there.
What a smart woman!
Mistakes are a part of life, but the fewer things you have to learn the hard way, the better, right?!
When it comes to sharing my own hormone journey, I’m an open book...Because I wish people shared this sort of information with me when I was just getting started.
Want to know the 3 decisions I wish I’d made sooner in my hormone journey?
Of course you do!
Decision #1 - Get off the birth control pill sooner
I originally got onto the pill at 18 as a contraceptive measure, but also to help with painful, heavy and irregular periods (I didn't know there was a better way then!).
I got off the pill at 26 after having debilitating migraines, where I would literally lose half of my vision.
Funny story with that. A doctor in New Zealand saw my medical history, which included migraines, and said that I never should have been prescribed the pill that I was on as it could exacerbate migraines!
The doctors in the US, Italy, UK and Australia who all prescribed me the pill never picked up on that!
I am forever grateful to this doctor in NZ as his recommendation to come off the pill set my whole hormone healing journey in motion.
Now, why do I wish I came off the pill sooner? Well, there are a host of reasons, which I will cover in another post, but the main one is that I would have been aware that something was wrong hormonally much sooner...
Although painful, heavy and irregular periods was a pretty big clue...more on that in the next point.
Did you know that the period you have on the pill isn't a real period? Nope. It is simply a withdrawal bleed.
When I came off the pill I didn't have a period for two years!
A year in, the exploration and diagnosis of PCOS came in...as well as all the other things I have mentioned in previous posts. Search the blog for PCOS to read about that in more detail.
Want to learn about all your birth control options - both hormonal and non-hormonal? I got you covered in this webinar: Birth Control Options (happyandhealthywithjen.com)
Decision #2 - Continue seeking opinions
When I was originally diagnosed with PCOS. I was told that there was nothing I could do about it.
The first doctor I saw, literally went to Google and printed a couple of handouts for me...that was it!
I did end up seeing 4 other doctors who ran more labs and I was diagnosed with lots of other things, like Hashimoto's thyroiditis, adrenal fatigue and pre-diabetes...But again was told there was nothing to do for these outside of medication.
When my cycles did return - after changing diet, lifestyle and taking targeted supplements - they were again very painful and heavy.
It was until earlier this year that I had enough and said that there must be something else going on, like endometriosis, adenomyosis or uterine fibroids causing the issue as my hormones are all in balance (as shown by annual blood and saliva testing)...
So, I went to the GP and asked for an ultrasound to be done...
And sure enough adenomyosis was diagnosed!
This is something that should have been explored and picked up on over 2 decades ago.
Had I sought out more opinions, perhaps it would have been.
Which brings me to point number three...
Decision #3 - Seek help from holistic practitioners
While I did see one Naturopath. who is very well known and was highly recommended, she had her own agenda and wasn't listening to my wants and needs.
I simply wanted my cycle back and to have the option to have children, should I choose....She wanted to try and get me pregnant right away.
Instead of giving up on Naturopaths (crazy that I ended up becoming one!), it would have been good to go and see a different one.
Because it is the diet, lifestyle and supplements that put me on the path to healing - to where my conditions are either all managed or in remission - naturally!
I am forever grateful to my friend, and mentor, Vanessa Romero, who helped me with all of these things, but it would have been useful to also have a practitioner locally to work with concurrently.
Am I upset at my decisions along my hormone journey? No!!
I did the best that I could with the information that I was given...
But when you know better, you do better!
I don't want your hormone healing journey to be as long or arduous as mine was, which is why I share these decisions and educate you in my Instagram stories and feed.
Which, if you aren't following me - go do it! Jen l HORMONE HEALTH EXPERT (@happyandhealthywithjen) • Instagram photos and videos
Have you already made some of these decisions? If so, well done!
If not, start thinking about which one will have the most impact on your own hormone journey and start there.
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