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My Cyclical Health Story

Updated: Jan 20, 2025

Want to know how I found my passion for women's health? This post is for you!


I've had my fair share of period problems. I've dealt with it all: long periods (I'm talking 14+ days), irregular periods, missing periods (see ya next year...maybe), heavy periods, and painful periods (cramps, backaches, and nausea - oh my!). On top of that, I've also dealt with severe mood swings, anxiety, gut issues, and more!


Here, I detail the story of how my own health problems sparked my interest in this field. It's a bit of a lengthy read, but I think you'll find it's well worth it. Enjoy!



I got my first period when I was 13.5 years old, and as you can see, it's been a wild ride ever since. In the beginning, my periods were so heavy and unpredictable that I was nervous every time I left the house. I had to have tampons with me AT ALL TIMES...just in case. My periods were averaging about 9 days long, with it once lasting over two weeks! I was soaking through super plus tampons within two hours, and I've bled through my school uniform quite a few times.


It was awful.


During the summer of my junior year, I stopped getting my period entirely. My monthly visitor had gone M.I.A. from June 2017 until March 2018. I was struggling with disordered eating at the time, and I was exercising for several hours a day, six days a week. I was also dealing with severe emotional ups and downs; I felt like I could cry over any little thing, and a lot of times, I did.


I was starting to get concerned. I hadn't had my period in months, and my mood swings were starting to take a toll. I brought these concerns to my primary doctor, "It's normal". I was told that it was almost expected for me to have stopped menstruating due to the amount of physical activity I was doing each day.


Well, it must be okay if she says so, right?


Moving into my senior year of high school, my period had returned, albeit irregularly. I had stopped exercising altogether, and I was eating more food (not necessarily nutritious food, but food nonetheless). Then, a new problem rose to the surface...anxiety.


Crippling, constant, all-consuming anxiety.


I was having panic attacks out of nowhere, I was paranoid out of my mind, and I couldn't focus at school. I was constantly worrying about the most irrational things. Again, I brought it to my doctor's attention. "It's normal". She said it was common for teenagers to experience anxiety leading up to college.


It must be okay if she says so, right?


Because my periods were still very heavy and irregular, I decided to visit my gynecologist and see if she thought anything was wrong. I also mentioned the anxiety. Surprisingly, she didn't say it was "normal". She said it sounded like something was off with my hormones, and she recommended that I begin taking the birth control pill to regulate them. I was 17 years old at the time, and I wasn't familiar with hormonal contraceptives. I didn't really understand exactly how they would help me, but I went with it.


She's the expert. It must be okay if she says so, right?


I was on the pill for the rest of my senior year and continued taking it through my first year of college (a year and a half total). I tried three different pills, and each one made me feel worse than the last. To be fair, my "pill periods" were lighter and regular, but honestly, a lot of the symptoms I had before going on the pill became even worse.


Some side effects I experienced include the following:

  • Headaches

  • Breast Tenderness

  • Brain Fog

  • Irritability

  • Irregular Bleeding

  • Severe Mood Swings

  • Anxiety

  • Panic Attacks

  • Nausea

  • Gut Issues


Sound familiar?



Going into my second year of college, I decided that I had finally had enough.


I was tired of feeling horrible every day, and I decided I wanted to stop taking the pill. I remember feeling scared about this decision. How would my body react? Would my periods be a nightmare again? How would I deal with the anxiety if it got worse? A million questions were running through my head. I knew I would have to step up and take my health into my own hands if I wanted to truly find a solution.


Enter Beyond the Pill, a book by Dr. Jolene Brighten (which I obviously highly recommend). I stumbled upon Dr. Brighten's page on Instagram and knew her book was exactly what I was looking for. In it, she explains the hormonal workings of the menstrual cycle, how the pill really affects our bodies (and why it isn't the solution to period problems). She also talks at length about how to support your body when transitioning off of it.


This was the start of my cycle healing journey.

As I began to better understand the truth behind what the pill was doing to my body, I started asking myself some important questions.


Why didn't my doctor tell me that the pill turned off my natural menstrual cycle? Was the pill even helping me, or was it just acting as a band-aid for my symptoms? What was really causing my period problems?


I wanted answers, but I didn't want to blindly accept the words of my healthcare providers anymore. I wanted to be knowledgeable about my body and be able to make informed decisions about my health. For the next year, I immersed myself in learning everything I could about women's hormones, the menstrual cycle, and how my lifestyle choices affected both.


I began charting my cycles each day using fertility awareness, taking note of my basal body temperature, cervical fluid, and cervical position. I also began to notice patterns in the fluctuations of my energy and mood with my cycle. Slowly, I began switching out my personal care products for non-toxic varieties. I started incorporating healing herbs into my daily routine to support my body and my hormones. I learned about the phases of the cycle, and began tailoring my diet and exercise habits to support each of them (a practice that is commonly termed "cycle syncing"). To put it briefly, I completely changed the way I was living and the way I viewed my period, cycle, & body.


By applying all I have learned, I've been able to improve a lot of my period problems. Now, my periods are regular, predictable, and only 4-5 days long (compared to 7-9 days before). I am able to anticipate when my mood/energy will drop and prepare accordingly. My brain fog is gone, and my gut health has improved tremendously. But most importantly, I understand my body. I know how to interpret my symptoms and decode what my body is trying to tell me.


Honestly, learning to understand my period and menstrual cycle changed my life.

Today, I see my period as an opportunity for learning and my menstrual cycle as the guidebook of how I live. I'm very proud of the progress that I've made so far, and I'm excited to see what progress I'll make in the future. Healing is not linear; there will be ups and downs. The important thing is being able to understand the "why" behind these ebbs and flows.


Since the time I originally wrote this post, I have gone on to be diagnosed with endometriosis, potential adenomyosis, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, vulvodynia, and pelvic floor dysfunction. So no, all those things I was experiencing were not "normal", and I'm so thankful my intuition knew better.


This hasn't been an easy journey by any means, but I approach each new hurdle with the same mentality I used to heal my previous period problems. I ask myself "what is my body trying to tell me?". From there, I am able to create a plan and start on the path to healing once again.


If you resonate with my story, know that you're not alone. You're experience is valid, and you deserve to be informed and educated about how to optimize your cyclical and hormonal health.



What's Next?


Head over to the blog to read more about my personal testimonies! I dive deeper into my experience with missing periods, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, endometriosis, and more.


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