Send us a text If you’ve been listening to me rabbit on about mucus for any length of time now, then you would know that I see it as the number one indicator of your fertility. The key to understanding when you are fertile or not fertile relies on you being able to track the changes in your cervical mucus throughout your menstrual cycle. So what you see and feel is everything when it comes to identifying your fertile window. And the research shows that this is really effective. Why? Because stud...
Nov 02, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 43
Send us a text If you know me at all by now (hey, hi, I’m Rachel), you’ll know that I will forever be at the front of the pack waving my pom-poms for using fertility awareness and charting as an effective and natural method of birth control. While I absolutely believe that you don’t need artificial hormones to prevent pregnancy, I also believe that every woman is entitled to know *all* of her options so that she can make an informed decision about what’s best for her birth control needs in her c...
Oct 26, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 42
Send us a text Want to know what matters more than size? Length. (Of your luteal phase, that is) Those couple of weeks in the lead-up to your next period are too often given a bad rap. This is when a lot of women experience those fun PMS symptoms, and if you’re trying to conceive, it’s the two week wait from hell. But did you know that it’s the luteal phase that gives you the most valuable information about your fertility, your cycle, your overall health annnnnd (if you know what you’re looking ...
Oct 19, 2021•21 min•Season 2Ep. 41
Send us a text Sound familiar? You’re slowly building your confidence with tracking your cycle every day. You feel like you’ve finally made sense of your cervical mucus patterns every month and it’s time to start tracking your daily body temperature too. But your daily temperatures make absolutely no sense! High one day, low the next. Completely all over the place and not even close to matching up with your mucus patterns. You’re more confused than ever and wondering if maybe you’ve had it wrong...
Oct 12, 2021•25 min•Season 2Ep. 40
Send us a text It has been a hot minute since I disappeared off the face of the earth. Morning sickness hit me hard but I’m back and it only seemed fitting to kick off the podcast with the lessons I’ve learnt during my first trimester of pregnancy. These are the things I wish someone had told me before and during my pregnancy and I hope you find that reassurance useful. Think of it as non-traditional pre-conception preparation! Here’s What We’re Talking About: Lesson #1 – I did not expect to be ...
Oct 05, 2021•21 min•Season 2Ep. 39
Send us a text Are you trying to get pregnant but it’s just not happening? Sick of sleepless nights down the Google rabbit-hole and counting down the days until you can pee on the damn stick again, only to be disappointed month after month? Desperate to ditch the Pill forever but the fear of getting pregnant leaves you in a cold sweat? Maybe you’ve already tried to quit a few times, but the panic has kept you filling your prescription for way longer than it should I see you. You promised yoursel...
Jun 01, 2021•28 min•Season 2Ep. 38
Send us a text In this episode of the podcast I'm joined by Chinese Medicine doctor and acupuncturist Joanna Macmeikan for a chat about all things women's health, hormones and fertility with a twist of yin and yang! We’re talking about how TCM ties in beautifully with the cyclical nature of the female menstrual cycle, how acupuncture can help your body to heal itself as well as what to expect during a consultation. I’ve been working with Joanna for a little while now in her clinic and I’m ...
May 25, 2021•32 min•Season 2Ep. 37
Send us a text Let's think back to high school for a moment... If you were going to ask someone else to do your homework for you, or take an important exam for you, you’re going to ask someone smarter than you right? Someone who could guarantee they would get a better result than you could. Would you consider asking someone if they weren’t as smart as you, if there was no guarantee? No, you wouldn’t. So why are you asking an inanimate object to tell you when you’re fertile? In this episode, I’m ...
May 18, 2021•16 min•Season 2Ep. 36
Send us a text Getting pregnant is not a one step process, and implantation is the final step where the fertilised egg (now called an embryo) settles itself into the lining of the uterus for a 9 month stay-cation. When you’re trying to get pregnant, it’s normal to be very aware of your body and notice every tiny change that happens, wondering if it’s a sign of pregnancy. The frustrating part is that so many of the early signs of pregnancy and implantation are very similar to PMS, so in this epis...
May 11, 2021•16 min•Season 2Ep. 35
Send us a text I’m not currently trying to get pregnant, so why do I care when I’m ovulating? Why would I bother charting and tracking my fertile signs when I have no intention of conceiving? Your fertility is so much more than making babies. It’s about eliminating the need for artificial hormones that have their own set of side effects, and relying on your own body to tell you everything you need to know to avoid pregnancy with a natural method of birth control that’s equally as effective as th...
May 04, 2021•18 min•Season 2Ep. 34
Send us a text Here’s a secret – there is one single thing that I miss about being on the pill, and it’s how damn clear my skin was! Like our teenage years aren’t angsty enough without having to experience the highs and lows of breakouts too. But once we make it to the other side of puberty, not all of us emerge with clear skin. Our hormones like to remind us who’s boss and often around ovulation or our periods, a few fresh spots will emerge. In this episode, I’m breaking down how to manage your...
Apr 27, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 33
Send us a text Truthbomb: Your phone doesn’t know when you’re fertile. I seem to have developed quite the reputation for being anti-app. I’m not necessarily anti-app, but I am anti-crappy apps and it seems that there are a lot of them out there. The internet is completely flooded with period and ovulation tracking apps that claim to help you to monitor your menstrual cycle and your fertile window. Here’s the bad news – most of them are nothing more than a high-tech version of the rhythm method. ...
Apr 20, 2021•14 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Send us a text I get it, you’re already trying to remember to drink enough water, exercise every day, text everyone back, be a good friend, partner, mother, sister, employee…phew, it’s a lot. The last thing you could possibly add to your plate is complicated tracking and charting system. Every. Single. Day. Fertility awareness and charting has a reputation for being time-consuming, overwhelming and just another thing on our never-ending to-do lists, and so many women are missing out on this incr...
Apr 13, 2021•24 min•Season 2Ep. 31
Send us a text Contrary to what we’re all told, hormonal contraceptives are not the only effective option for birth control. If you’ve decided to finally ditch the hormones forever, or if you’re contemplating taking the leap, you’ll still need to know how to manage your fertile window if abstinence isn’t your thing. Contraception can be used during the learning phase of fertility awareness and charting, when you’re still learning about your body’s unique menstrual cycle, and on wonky days when y...
Apr 06, 2021•25 min•Season 2Ep. 30
Send us a text We spend the majority of our lives actively avoiding pregnancy, so when the time finally arrives that you actually want to make a baby, it’s important to plan ahead. If you’re someone who finds herself saying “I’ll get healthy when I’m pregnant”, this episode is for you because you really do need to start making healthy lifestyle changes before you get pregnant – 3 months to be exact. Why 3 months? It takes 90 days for an egg to mature inside the follicles in the ovary before it i...
Mar 30, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Send us a text As soon as we ovulate, the body starts to prepare for a potential pregnancy. Month after month, our menstrual cycle creates the perfect conditions for an egg to be fertilised so that when a long-awaited pregnancy finally occurs, you can get to work straight away growing your baby – long before you even know you’re pregnant. In this episode, you’ll learn when the best possible time is to take a pregnancy test in order to get an accurate result. I’ll share the earliest signs of preg...
Mar 16, 2021•20 min•Season 2Ep. 27
Send us a text When I look back, I cringe at how little I knew about my body. When I started to wonder if there was another way to avoid unplanned pregnancy without the artificial hormones, everyone gave me the same cynical answers – Yes, but you’d be crazy to actually rely on them for birth control! I call BS. By taking just a couple of minutes a day to tune in to your body, you can use a method of birth control that is equally as effective as the Pill and condoms. No side effects, no artificia...
Mar 09, 2021•18 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Send us a text Caffeine is the world’s most popular drug. If you’re one of those women who can’t function until you’ve guzzled your morning cup of coffee, caffeine might be doing more to your body than just giving you a quick energy boost. If you’re currently pregnant or preparing for pregnancy, you’ve probably heard that coffee is on the naughty list. But is this reputation deserved? Here’s What We’re Talking About: How caffeine affects your body systems (especially your reproductive organs) Sh...
Mar 02, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Send us a text A xenoestrogen is a type of endocrine disruptor that has an oestrogen-like effect on the body and a significant effect on your fertility. We know that oestrogen is a key hormone for a healthy menstrual cycle, but when xenoestrogens enter our bodies they block oestrogen receptors so they can’t do their job. The body thinks there’s not enough oestrogen available and begins to produce more. This will increase the total amount of oestrogen in our bodies and cause oestrogen dominance. ...
Feb 23, 2021•18 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Send us a text We’ve all been there once or twice. We wake up thinking we’re going to get our period. But it doesn’t come. We wake up the next day. Still no period. Then we start to panic. We do some backwards maths and work out if we might be pregnant. We start frantically Googling and cursing our bodies for messing with our heads. In this episode, I’m going to save you from that long fall down the Google rabbit-hole and share with you the top reasons why your period might be late. And none of ...
Feb 16, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Send us a text Pre-conception care is not just for women, your baby begins with 50% egg and 50% sperm, so sperm health is equally as important as egg health for fertilisation and development of a healthy baby. It takes three months for sperm to develop and mature before they are capable of fertilising an egg, so preparation should start at least three months before trying to conceive. This can ensure sperm is high quality and viable and gives the best chance of fertilising the egg. Once pregnanc...
Feb 09, 2021•36 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Send us a text Think back to new year’s eve. The clock strikes midnight, we cheer and hug and kiss and say happy new year. We’re already likely up past our regular bedtime, glass of champagne in our hand, and since Christmas the week before we have been eating our weight in food, drinking too much and lounging around in the Australian sun, or curled up under a blanket for those of you listening in the Northern Hemisphere. Either way, do you really think these first few minutes of a new year are ...
Feb 02, 2021•16 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Send us a text Ready to ditch hormonal contraceptives for good but feeling completely clueless about how to do it and what to expect? In this podcast episode, I'm talking you through the 5 steps to coming off the Pill. Whether you're ready to start preparing for pregnancy or you just want to explore a natural method of birth control, I've got you covered! Here’s What We’re Talking About: Why you need to understand the basics of your menstrual cycle. How to get started charting your cycle and you...
Jan 26, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 20
Send us a text Did you know that the pill was the very first medication that was prescribed to perfectly healthy women to treat something that was not a health problem? Instead, it works by shutting down a completely natural process of the female body – ovulation. The pill has been responsible for many changes in our society since it was first put on the market in 1960 and it’s now estimated that there are about 10 million women using the pill worldwide. But, how well do you really know what eff...
Jan 19, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Send us a text Is My Cervical Mucus Normal? Let’s get something straight, cervical mucus is not just discharge and it is a very good thing! You want to see mucus throughout your menstrual cycle because it’s the very best real-time indicator you have of your fertile window. It tells you when you’re ovulating so you can use this information to avoid unplanned pregnancy or conceive naturally. Mucus helps keep sperm alive and helps get us pregnant, and it protects us from vaginal infections. The cha...
Nov 03, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Send us a text In this episode, we’re talking about UTIs and why the bacteria around your vagina and bladder are essential for good health. I’m chatting with registered Chinese medicine practitioner Joanna Macmeikan about all things UTIs and bacterial vaginosis and why antibiotics are not always the answer. HERE'S WHAT WE COVER: What is a recurrent or chronic UTI and how is it different to a one-off UTI? How do we treat a recurrent UTI? What are some problems with the current medical approach fo...
Oct 27, 2020•41 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Send us a text In this episode, we’re talking about overactive pelvic floors. When your pelvic floor muscles have higher tone and activity than what we’d consider normal and why kegels are the very last thing you should be doing. And while there is no denying that it’s a great thing that women are becoming more informed about their bodies and how important the pelvic floor is, for some women, weakness isn’t the problem. And when we’re all being bombarded with the message to do our pelvic floor e...
Oct 20, 2020•20 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Send us a text Ever had a complete breakdown only to discover that your period came the next day and *maybe* you overreacted slightly? Yep, I’ve been there! Mood swings, PMS, breakouts – in this week’s podcast episode, we’re wrapping up the Menstrual Cycle Masterclass series and talking about the luteal phase. That window of time after ovulation has occurred and as your body is preparing for your next period. That window of time where those typical symptoms of PMS start to emerge… HERE’S WHAT WE...
Oct 13, 2020•20 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Send us a text In this episode, Part 3 of the Menstrual Cycle Masterclass, we have arrived at the main event – ovulation. I’ll be sharing what happens in our bodies in the lead up to, during and after ovulation, the signs of ovulation you can look out for and how to support your body during this important window of time with nutrition, exercise and self care. HERE’S WHAT WE COVER: The Day 14 ovulation myth – and why it’s the cause of so many problems Why timing is everything when it comes to ach...
Oct 06, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Send us a text The follicular phase – the window of time between menstruation and ovulation – can be tricky. While all of the other phases of our menstrual cycle are usually quite consistent and reliable, it’s the follicular phase which can change every single month. Some women may even skip this phase completely! Welcome to Part Two of your Menstrual Cycle Masterclass, where I’m breaking down the sneakiest of all the phases of the menstrual cycle, the follicular phase - what actually goes on in...
Sep 29, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 13
