In this episode, I stray from my usual interview format once again to share the top 10 unexpected effects of coming off the pill. I go through what to expect when you come off the pill from when your period will return to unexpected changes in your fertility.

In case you don’t know me already a few things you might want to know are that I am and  I have been charting my own cycles using the Fertility Awareness Method for the past 14 years or so, and I am the founder of FertilityFriday.com as well as the Fertility Friday Podcast!

Topics discussed in today's episode

• How does the pill work to prevent pregnancy?
• How does the pill impact a woman's sex drive?
• How might your breasts change after coming off the pill?
• What impact could hormonal contraceptives have on your mood?
• If you went on the pill because of painful periods or acne, will all those symptoms come back when you stop taking it?
• When will your period come back after coming off the pill?
• How the fertility awareness method can boost your confidence to effectively prevent pregnancy without using hormonal contraceptives
• The pill and pheromones, and why you may not like the way your partner smells after ditching the pill
• How hard or easy will it be to get pregnant after coming off the pill?

Connect with Lisa

You can connect with Lisa on the Fertility Friday website and on Facebook & Twitter

Resources mentioned

• The Top 10 Unexpected Effects of Coming Off The Pill | Fertility Friday
• Lisa | Fertility Friday
• FFP 021 | What Hormonal Contraceptives Really do to Women | Sweetening the Pill | Holly Grigg-Spall
• FFP 013 | Using Fertility Awareness with Irregular Cycles | Charting your Cycles while Breastfeeding | Justina Thompson

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Music Credit: Intro/Outro music Produced by Sirc of (The Nock)

Madeleine is a social entrepreneur known for her longstanding commitment to green products, progressive business practices, and women's entrepreneurship. Madeleine co-founded Lunapads International Products Ltd. with her longtime business partner Suzanne Siemens in 2000. Lunapads is a reusable cloth menstrual pad that keeps disposable products out of landfills.

Madeleine and Suzanne are also the co-founders of Pads4Girls and One4Her, projects that provide sustainable hygiene supplies to girls in developing nations to support their school attendance. Since 2000, these initiatives have touched the lives of over 300,000 girls in 18 countries. Pads4Girls now forms part of United Girls of the World, a registered non-profit society that the pair also lead.

In today’s show, we talk about Lunapads, natural menstrual products,  why we should be intentional about the menstrual products that we are using, and much more!

Topics discussed in today's episode

• Why should we even be concerned about the use of regular pads and tampons?
• What are conventional disposable pads and tampons made of?
• What types of tech are used to make disposable pads & tampons?
• How many tampons & pads end up in landfills each year?
• Why are so many women uncomfortable touching their own bodies?
• Why would a woman actually want to use reusable pads or the diva cup?
• How can switching to Lunapads or the Diva Cup change a woman's consciousness around their periods?
• What is the financial impact of switching to reusable menstrual products?
• How does the Diva Cup work?
• How does the Diva Cup encourage a woman to explore her body?
• The Pads 4 Girls program & how it helps women around the world not only manage their menstruation but attend school and work where they were not previously able to do so

Connect with Madeleine & Suzanne

You can connect with Madeleine & Suzanne on the Lunapads website and on Facebook & Twitter

Resources mentioned

• Lunapads | Madeleine Shaw & Suzanne Siemens
• One4Her | Lunapads
• Pads4Girls | Lunapads
• Taking Charge of Your Fertility (book) | Toni Weschler

Join the community! Find us on the Fertility Friday Facebook Fan Page

Subscribe to the Fertility Friday Podcast on iTunes!

Music Credit: Intro/Outro music Produced by Sirc of (The Nock)

Dr. Jennings is the director of Georgetown University’s Institute for Reproductive Health, which she founded in 1985, she is also a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is an anthropologist with a focus on gender, behavior change communication, and implementation science, and Dr. Jennings leads the Fertility Awareness for Community Transformation (FACT) Project. Dr. Jennings is also a principal developer of fertility awareness-based family planning methods and a major contributor to the implementation of these methods on a global level.

In today's show, we talk about the Standard Days Method®, as well as Cycle Beads®, and the implication of incorporating these methods have for communities around the world.

Topics discussed in today's episode

• What is the Standard Days Method®?
• How is the fertile window calculated?
• Is it the rhythm method?
• How long is the fertile window, and how do couples manage this period of time when they are not able to have unprotected sex?
• Who is the ideal candidate for the Standard Days Method®? Could it work for all women?
• Is the Standard Days Method® Effective?
• Why is there such a bias against fertility awareness-based methods in typical medical practice?
• What are the implications for the Standard Days Method® in low resource settings such as in developing nations
• Why not all women choose the same birth control options
• How are Cycle Beads® used as part of the Standard Days Method®?
• What are some of the shortcomings of the Standard Days Method®?

Connect with Dr. Jennings

You can connect with Dr. Jennings on her website and on Facebook & Twitter

Resources mentioned

• Institute for Reproductive Health | Dr. Victoria Jennings
• Cycle Beads®
• Standard Days Method® | 10 Reasons to Integrate into Family Planning Programs
• Standard Days Method® | Institute for Reproductive Health
• Institute of Reproductive Health | Youtube Channel
• Know Your Bod | Fertility Quiz

Join the community! Find us on the Fertility Friday Facebook Fan Page

Subscribe to the Fertility Friday Podcast on iTunes!

Music Credit: Intro/Outro music Produced by Sirc of (The Nock)

Aimee is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist, and she incorporates her background in Western science with the principles of traditional Oriental medicine to create a unique, effective approach to help her clients reconnect to the presence of their optimal health. In addition to helping thousands of women on their path to conception, Aimee herself naturally and easily became pregnant at the age of 40 by following her own advice. Her mission through her teachings is to educate and inspire women, improve their health, celebrate their beauty, and prevent disease, as well as increase their fertility.

In today's show, we talk all about the emotional aspects of fertility, the connection between our thoughts and our health, and why it is so important for us to take control of our fertility & our health.

Topics discussed in today's episode

• How is a woman's fertility intertwined with her health?
• Why we need to change the way we think about and address infertility
• How does Chinese Medicine view fertility?
• The difference between our chronological age & our actual age based on how we live our lives
• What is the connection between our fertility and our emotional state?
• The connection between our thoughts and our health
• Why it is important to take our health and fertility into our own hands
• Preparing for pregnancy both physically and emotionally
• Aimee's 5 step process to clean up our thoughts and improve our relationship with ourselves
• Finding ways to connect with the things that bring you joy

Connect with Aimee

You can connect with Aimee on her website and on Facebook, Twitter & Youtube!

Resources mentioned

• Aimee Raupp
• Yes You Can Get Pregnant | Aimee Raupp
• Chill Out & Get Healthy (book) | Aimee Raupp
• Yes, You Can Get Pregnant: Natural Ways to Improve Your Fertility Now and Into Your 40s (book) | Aimee Raupp
• Water Crystal Experiments | Masaru Emoto | Wikipedia
• The Power of Now | Eckhart Tolle
• FFP 070 | Healing, Illness, Fertility & Pregnancy | Getting to the Root Cause | Dr. Thomas Cowan
• FFP 011 | Age-Related Fertility Decline | Using Reproductive Technologies | IVF IUI & IVM | Dr. Melanie McDowall

Join the community! Find us on the Fertility Friday Facebook Fan Page

Subscribe to the Fertility Friday Podcast on iTunes!

Music Credit: Intro/Outro music Produced by Sirc of (The Nock)