On today’s episode I’m deep diving into the past year of navigating my body and hormones after going off the birth control pill.

This time last year, I remember sitting in a coffee shop with my friend Jen talking all about the birth control pill. She had decided to go off of it 6 months prior and was sharing her experience with me and it got me thinking ... "why have I been on the pill for so goddamn long?"

I mean OBVIOUSLY to not have a baby. But the reason I went on the pill in the first place? I was 15 years old and my doctor misdiagnosed me with PCOS and said "here, just take the pill. It'll help your symptoms." And she was right, it did. And I didn't question it (and hadn't questioned it for years).

But that conversation got me thinking about how I'd been putting synthetic hormones into my body for 12 years of my life without question ('cause ya know, everyone is on the pill, right?) and that I hadn't even thought to question it. And after my 27th birthday, after all of the medical stuff going on with me at the time, and the incredible conversation I had with Claire Baker on episode 7 of the podcast and speaking with my doctor, I decided to officially go off of the pill.

Now I want to preface this by saying this is in NO WAY a "you need to go off the pill" podcast. YOU are the only person that can make choices for YOUR body (and girlfriend, you 100% know what's best for YOU and where you're at in life), but this past year has given me SO much insight into my body and my hormonal health

So here is MY story based off of my personal findings, speaking with my trusted hormone experts, my doctor and MY BODY.

Things I cover in today’s episode:

My journey with the birth control pill
What is actually happening to your body when you’re on the pill
Why I decided to go off the pill and what path I decided to go with
The nitty gritty of what it's really like to get an IUD inserted
Embracing my body and learning to love myself via my menstrual cycle
The pressure to show up in a way that goes agains our bodies in a masculine focused world
Reframing cramps and our periods as positive and beautiful experiences
*edit: the Paraguard lasts 10 years not 5!