How much do you know about your menstrual cycle?

Did you know that a change in the colour of your menstrual blood can signify a deficiency in a hormone?

Or did you know that coffee can have a huge impact on your cycle?

I never really questioned how much I knew until someone shared this video with me!  Your period affects more than what underwear you should wear or if you should be praying or not. Alisa Vitti is a functional therapist who loves periods! Her work centers around helping women live their best selves by understanding their periods and hormonal cycle.

If you find yourself bloated right before and during your period or dread the first day or two because of your wild cramps, break out consistently in specific areas on your face, get inexplicable mood swings these are all symptoms suggesting you may need a hormone detox.

Alisa even tells us about the 4 distinct hormonal rations in each week of our cycle, so much so that the brain is different by 25% in each week of the cycle, basically you’re a different person every week (finally it all makes sense). Alisa even talks about how coffee and a myriad of other chemicals can be a hormone-disruptors that can cause estrogen overload.

I would have much rather this class back in high school sex ed class rather than learning how to pop a condom over a cucumber!

Alisa herself started college at Johns Hopkins University, her acne went from mild, teenage breakouts to full-blown cystic acne and she developed severe insomnia, anxiety, and depression. It wasn’t just the transition and stress of starting something new that triggered these issues— she was dealing with endocrine issues that led to her only getting her period six times between the ages of 12 and 22.

After seven years of trying to get a diagnosis, she realized she had to figure something out herself. She found a journal of obstetrics and gynecology in the school library, which led her to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Alisa’s work since has been dedicated to helping women understand their bodies.