Transitioning From Birth Control To Fertility Awareness (Episode 306)

Full Transcript: Episode 306

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: This is the Fertility Friday Podcast, episode number 306. Welcome to the Fertility Friday Podcast, your source for information about the fertility awareness method and all things fertility. I’m your host, Lisa Hendrickson-Jack. I’m the author of The Fifth Vital Sign and the Fertility Awareness Mastery Charting Journal. I’m a certified fertility awareness educator and holistic reproductive health practitioner with nearly 20 years of experience teaching women to connect to their fifth vital sign through menstrual cycle charting, balancing hormonal health, and optimizing the menstrual cycle without hormones. I’m outspoken about hormonal birth control and its impact on fertility and overall health, because you have the right to know how your body works and how artificial hormones disrupt that natural process. I host live coaching programs to help you achieve optimal fertility and health, because it’s important to have healthy menstrual cycles regardless of whether or not you want to have babies. I’m also a wife and mother of two beautiful boys — I know, I know, I’m a busy girl, but I manage to fit it all in. This podcast is designed to empower you to take full control of your cycles, your fertility, and your overall health, and I’m so excited that you’re here with us today.

Today I’m sharing a new episode in my Fertility Awareness Reality Series, and to be honest with you, I’ve certainly been doing some soul-searching and a lot of thinking over the past couple of weeks. If you’re listening to this episode in real time, we’re amidst the government’s response to the coronavirus, and that has left the majority of us in our houses with no real date as to when life will return back to normal, if it does. With that in mind, I certainly asked myself whether I should be changing my focus and moving toward the current state of affairs, or whether I should continue to release and share information as I have been. Recently I finished my ten-week program with my latest group of ladies in my Fertility Awareness Mastery program, and even within that group there were a couple of times when this topic came up, understandably, and the general consensus was that everyone had heard so much — everyone’s been slammed with so much media focusing the entire world’s attention on that one place — that it’s nice to have, let’s say, a coronavirus-free zone. So that’s all I’ll really say about it directly at this point, and we’ll just continue programming as normal. I’m excited to potentially address a few areas in more of a general sense in future episodes, inspired by what’s happening, but for now I think we’ll just stick to the regularly scheduled program. So without further ado, I’m going to jump in and share the conversation that I had with Teresa, one of the members of my Fertility Awareness Reality Series. Let’s jump into today’s episode.

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: I’m really excited to be here today with Teresa. She’s a member of my current Fertility Awareness group program, and as we’re recording this we just had our seventh session, so we’re not quite done yet, but we’ve covered more than half of the program. I’m really excited to have you here, Teresa — welcome to the show.

Teresa: Thank you so much, Lisa. I’m really happy to be here.

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: I always say the same thing — I feel like anyone who listens to a lot of these episodes is like, “Yes, Lisa, you really like doing these episodes.” Yes! It gives you an opportunity to connect with your clients, but I really do love it, and it’s a great way to give a window into what I see all of the time, because it really normalizes what women are experiencing and going through. I’d love for you to share your experience with menstruation — when you started menstruating, when you had your first period, what that was like, if you ever used hormonal birth control — and just let us know what brought you to the point where you wanted to jump into the program and start really getting serious about using fertility awareness.

Teresa: I can say that the Pill Reality Series helped me a lot on that journey. It related so much to so many other women and what they were saying, so I really appreciate it. I had my first period when I was 12, and from what I can recall it was normal — I don’t remember anything notable. It was three years then before I started on the pill. I started with Ortho Tri-Cyclen, shortly switched to Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, and I don’t remember having any terribly adverse reactions at that time. I was 15, so my body was changing anyway — I was pretty athletic. A couple of years after that I lost a lot of weight, but I was on the swim team, so I won’t really relate anything major to getting on the pill at that time.

Looking back, however, when I was 15 or 16 is about when I started experiencing symptoms of an autoimmune disorder I have called achalasia, which is a neurodegenerative motility disorder in the esophagus, where you lose nerve function and lose peristalsis. It’s degenerative, so it gradually gets worse. At that time it just began — it wasn’t unbearable, but over 15 years it did become life-threatening, and I had to have surgery to correct it, which went great. Basically you have trouble swallowing food or liquid — if you know anyone who has trouble swallowing, achalasia is worth looking into; it’s very rare. Everything I’ve learned about the pill over the years, I sometimes wonder if it had anything to do with it, but I don’t know — it’s inconclusive, no known cause or cure.

So I was on the pill until a couple of months ago. Those 20 years on the pill, I did switch once — the pharmacy switched the branding, so I switched to a different generic version, and then at one point they switched me to Yasmin, which really sent me off — that was a big difference. I begged them to switch back to the generic brand, and finally they did, and that regulated things. But over the course of those 20 years, I now realize I had a slow creep of symptoms — I gradually experienced depression, increased anxiety, debilitating anxiety, panic attacks, low libido, intrusive thoughts, even suicidal thoughts at times, just a dark fog nearly all the time. I’m now realizing I intellectually knew the pill could do these things, but because it was a slow creep I never really put it together.

A couple of years ago, my mother said we shouldn’t be on the pill, but I don’t think she understood the non-hormonal alternative at that point, so I felt kind of like, “Well, yeah, but what am I going to do?” I felt kind of helpless, which was also isolating — I’m like, well, I feel super shitty, but what can I do? So it was about a year ago that I decided I had to get off, and I had to figure out a way. I started looking into it and found a podcast, and read Taking Charge of Your Fertility twice, thanks to a roommate — because I am not trying, I’m trying to avoid, so I said to myself, I have to make sure I understand this completely before I do it. I had friends who use fertility awareness, my cousin — she’s like, it’s not that big a deal, it’s been working for me for a decade. I had that conversation many times — the mental block is real, I told you that in our sessions. I’m experiencing that now, where I have to really talk myself through it. I haven’t done unprotected sex yet, because I’m just in cycle three and it’s been wonky coming off, transitioning. I had friends who were supportive, my partner was supportive — whatever I needed to be healthy.

Over the course of last year I was learning, studying, and I had an overseas trip in November/December, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to control my diet or sleep, so I waited until after that so I could be home to do my own shopping and sleep in my own room. So I quit at the beginning of 2020, and the change was instantaneous — the next day I woke up and I was like, oh, I don’t feel quite so distant, and I can think clearly. It was really profound, and that was just a couple of months ago — it’s even hard now to remember what it was like before, because it’s been so drastic. I will say that over the course of last year, especially the month prior to quitting, I cut out alcohol, I was really wisely incorporating ancestral diet ingredients, and I paid a lot of attention to prepping myself, and I think that probably helped a lot with the initial coming-off and detox symptoms. But yeah, I feel excellent, and it’s very exciting.

I’ve been keeping a journal, and I looked through an old journal from two or three years ago, and every day I was writing that I felt listless, foggy-headed, distracted, sad, uncontrollable crying, not knowing why I was crying, just freaking out unreasonably. I remember having a sensation of being inside my own head, watching myself behave this way, and thinking, that’s not me, that’s not reasonable, you don’t have to be like that — almost this back-and-forth conversation in my head. I felt crazy for so long, easily frustrated, and different. Now, in my journal for the past couple of months, I’ve been writing that I feel clear-headed, very optimistic, productive, calm, and relaxed — all these notes I never took before. That’s very exciting.

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: Wow. Well, first of all, thank you for sharing not only your story but going a little deeper into your moods. We talked about this a bit in one of our early group sessions — I remember thinking, what was it, Teresa, that you had mentioned about journaling? Because we have a tendency to forget — what did you do on February 2nd, 2018, unless it’s your birthday or something like that, or unless you actually have a journal and are noting a few things here and there. We just don’t remember those types of things. Having a record, regardless of where you’re at — for any of the listeners who are at whatever stage — having some sort of record of how you were feeling and thinking over a period of time gives you a more tangible way to actually compare. I can just imagine how many women are listening right now thinking, wow, I thought that was just me.

It’s not to say that everyone comes off the pill and it’s magical and they’re suddenly in the Garden of Eden. But when you were describing your experience, a couple of things stood out to me — one was how you described getting your libido back, and the other was the shift in how you were feeling emotionally. Do you want to talk a little bit about the libido that returned?

Teresa: Sure. I didn’t even realize I had low libido, because I was in a really happy, healthy relationship, and after quitting the pill I was like, oh — so I didn’t realize it was that way until after, and it’s great. I think it goes along with all those slow-creeping symptoms — I forget who coined the “slow creep” phrase, but I thought, oh my god, that’s me, because you’re taking the pill for ten years and then you’re depressed, and you think, well, I’ve already been taking the pill, it can’t possibly be that, must be something new. And then you can’t figure it out. I think the libido is probably a thing too — being on it for 20 years, your libido changes anyway, so I had almost no frame of reference, it’s so long. I just had no idea, but then I came off and I felt a little excellent.

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: One last question before we switch into the session part. You may not have a specific answer to this, but if someone had asked you two, three, four, or five years ago, “Do you have any symptoms on the pill, how’s it working for you,” how do you think you would have responded?

Teresa: I always would have said yes — I think I was aware of these symptoms generally. I think listening to your podcast and listening to other women’s stories helped me realize that the intrusive thoughts, the more nuanced symptoms like feeling overwhelmed, and actual uncontrollable crying, is a symptom — it’s not like I’m in control, crying because I’m depressed. That in itself is a symptom, because I would just burst out of nowhere and not know why I couldn’t stop crying — gut-wrenching crying with no reason. So I think at that point I would have said yes, I do have symptoms, I know it’s impacting me negatively, but I wasn’t able to articulate at that time why or how exactly, and I certainly didn’t know what I could do about it. I thought, well, I don’t want to get pregnant, so this is just how I am — which is sad. Going through the program with you and the other ladies is helping me, but initially I was just so sad for myself, and for other women going through this, that you don’t have to look like that. I just wasn’t educated — I didn’t know about this method. So many people don’t know there’s another way. It’s kind of like experiencing a mourning for all that lost time — I’m happy where I am now, and we all have our journey, so it’s fine, but there is a sadness in it, wishing I had listened to my mom and dug into the research sooner. So I really appreciate your podcast, and interviewing real people and getting their experiences — I think that helps a lot.

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: A lot of women reach out to me in their early 40s and it’s like, wow, I just discovered this, I had no idea, I can’t believe I’m 40 and now I’m learning about ovulation and all of these myths around the menstrual cycle. On the flip side, other women who discover it want, in the most loving way possible, to push it on all of their friends — everybody needs to go off the pill now — and no, they don’t. It’s really hard, but everyone is on their own journey, and sometimes just by being that supportive person, or sharing information, or sharing a podcast episode, you’re planting seeds. Everyone has to chew on the knowledge and take action when they’re ready. It’s okay to take some time to acknowledge that mourning — you can spend time being upset about it and regretting it, but you didn’t know what you didn’t know, so you can’t go back and change anything. It might sound like annoying optimism, but really, it’s like — I’m thankful I learned this now, and I’m thankful I can make different choices because I have more information. You have to be loving to yourself, because you were making the decision that was best for you at that time. You were still a capable adult weighing the pros and cons, making the best decision based on the information you had. We have to be very kind to ourselves, because you can’t act on information you don’t have.

Teresa: One thing I’ve noticed since quitting is that I’m able to identify and articulate my emotions, whereas before I was so foggy-headed that I’d feel pissed off, or frustrated, or sad, and I wouldn’t know why, or exactly what I was feeling — it was this disconnect between me and my emotions. Now I’m able to actually think through my emotions and understand what I’m feeling, whereas before I was so disconnected, I’d just feel upset, and that would immediately frustrate me because I couldn’t even tell why.

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: Yeah, that’s really profound — it’s been empowering on many levels. I love that in your case — for me personally, part of the reason I go back to the journal aspect is because there were times in my life where I’d have challenges with individuals or relationships, and I realized I would forget important information — bad things would happen, I’d be upset about them, and then I’d just forget about them. So I started writing them down, and I was able to organize things in a more rational way, because I had the information there. Thank you so much for taking us through that — that was really important. So, let’s shift into the session part — I’ve got your charts up here, these ones are showing up a little small so I might have to flip to the app, but either way, let me know what’s at the top of your mind and what you were hoping to focus on in our session today.

Teresa: I’ve got some questions written down, kind of all over the place, but one is charting spotting. In cycle two I had mid-cycle spotting, and also charting spotting because I use a menstrual cup, so it was like 0.5 milliliters, and I’m not sure — would this have been spotting had I just been wearing underwear? I’m not quite sure of the differentiation between a very light period day, on the tail end or the beginning, and spotting, or how to chart that kind of observation.

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: In the grand scheme of things, when it’s at the tail end of your period, it’s not going to make or break your chart whether it’s a little bit of spotting or a very light day when you’re using a cup. Think for a moment about the difference between what you see in your cup and what you actually see when your period is almost done, and you’ll have to make a call as to how much is really there. If there’s actually some collected in the bottom, mark that as very light; if it’s just a streak or very little, you could mark that as spotting, and you can also make a note in the comments to clarify how much you were seeing. Does that make sense?

Teresa: Yeah, that is what I did — I marked the amount, and in my notes I wrote “could be marked spotting?” And then — marking those days as fertile, right? The spotting days, or is it only if it’s spotting plus mucus — the tail-end bleeding during your period?

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: You would only mark those days fertile if you actually saw mucus when you were wiping. But for the mid-cycle spotting that isn’t your period, we always consider those days fertile, plus the three days after.

Teresa: Is that because spotting could be indicative of ovulation, or is it just a precaution?

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: There are times when, due to a rapid increase in estrogen, it can stimulate a little bit of bleeding around ovulation. So when you have that little bit of spotting mid-cycle that isn’t your period, we have to assume it’s potentially fertile, and we’d consider the three days after potentially fertile as well. That allows us to get clear on whether you ovulated or not, and whether you’re heading into your fertile phase — it’s a precautionary measure to make sure the method stays effective in cases like that.

Teresa: Got it — which, I know you appreciate, because I’m a zero on the scale.

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: I know you appreciate the precautionary measure.

Teresa: Yes, I do. That was another thing — even though I’m a zero, I’m 36, I just turned 36, so I’m thinking, if that changes, now’s the time to figure it out and prepare myself — the window’s closing, as they say.

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: We’ve talked in a few sessions about managing the fertile window, and about the scale — zero meaning no babies, and ten meaning actively trying, wanted babies yesterday. What’s interesting, from my observations working with women all these years, is that it’s possible to move from a zero to a seven or eight within a couple of cycles. Now, obviously some women listening are a zero and thinking, absolutely not — but this is just an observation I’m sharing. Six months from now we could be having a very different conversation, and that’s just how it is. This is why this work isn’t just black and white — it’s why it’s so important to educate yourself about the rules and understand exactly how the method works, so you can make conscious decisions around everything you’re doing. One of the things I suggested when we talked about managing the fertile window is that when you decide, say I ask you where you are on the scale and you tell me you’re a zero — we’re recording this in March, so it’s a good idea to check in with yourself every month. That might sound silly, but it is what it is, because sometimes you realize, wow, I used to be an absolute zero and now I’m not — and it’s good to always be in conversation with yourself, because even if you’re a zero, it doesn’t mean you’re going to be a zero in a year.

Teresa: It’s also a journaling aspect — I can see how it’s valuable to keep that conversation open with yourself.

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: And it’s also possible, on the flip side, to be at a nine or a ten, and then for something to happen and for you to be at a zero or two for a period of time — it goes both ways. That’s why I encourage everyone using this method for birth control in particular not to assume those numbers are going to stay the same forever. Daily observations, that’s right — monthly check-ins regarding your status, and also check-ins with your partner. Are you on the same page? Are you at the same number?

Okay, so tell me a little bit about the charting aspect — I know you had a shorter cycle and an early ovulation recently. I know you had a question about sensation.

Teresa: Yes — telling the difference between smooth and lubricative has been hard for me to tell. I’ve marked “lubricated,” but that first cycle after I quit, I was so ecstatic, feeling so good, my diet was absolutely impeccable, I was sleeping well, doing everything really carefully, and I marked those lubricated days and it all matched up with mucus. So I’m not second-guessing the observation itself, but on those days I wonder if I was responding to a sensation I felt internally, just walking around, rather than the sensation on the paper. Now I understand that the sensation we’re actually observing is from the wipe on the paper, and anything else is secondary to note. So I’m trying to figure out how to tell smooth from lubricative on the paper, and how to mark it when I feel a sensation internally as well.

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: With the method we’re learning together, the sensation is quite literally how it feels when you wipe with toilet paper. Have you experienced a sensation where you wipe and it actually feels really slippery, where it glides?

Teresa: Yes.

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: And have you also experienced where it’s not dry, but it doesn’t glide?

Teresa: Yes.

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: Okay, good — because it’s always harder when you’ve only experienced one of the two sensations. The challenge is to just make a decision in the moment you do the wiping, and not second-guess yourself — make the decision and stand by it.

Teresa: I think I’ve mentioned in our previous session that the mental block is so real — it’s something I need to keep coaching myself on. It’s like, you see it or you feel it, and everything bad is going to happen if I make a mistake — that thought, first of all.

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: Nothing bad is going to happen — I’m not going to come out of the wall and lecture you, it’ll be okay. When you’re wiping, the best suggestion I can give you is to close your eyes if you find that helpful — wipe first, don’t look at the toilet paper, make the decision of what it feels like — is it dry, is it smooth, is it lubricated — and then stick to it and don’t go back and tinker, because sometimes you’ll feel a sensation and what you see afterward doesn’t match what you think you should see. We’ve talked a little about that, so just trust the decision, and if there’s anything else you observe, add that in the comments — it’ll help with staying consistent, and it’ll help build your confidence. Smooth and lubricative are similar but not the same — lubricative is super slippery, glides, there’s basically no friction, whereas smooth has some friction, and you’ve experienced both.

Teresa: After our last session, I noticed I had a lot of breast tenderness around ovulation, and you were saying that breast tenderness can be indicative of different points in the cycle for different people. I can appreciate how noting things like a wet sensation internally, walking around — there were a few times in that first cycle where I ran to the bathroom thinking my period had started, and there was nothing, it was just internal — those secondary signs can help interpret things on a larger scale.

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: Because you’re on cycle three post-pill, you’ll start to get a sense of it — you may not experience every sign every time, but you may experience some fairly consistently. By cycle six or seven you’ll really start to get a sense of your patterns. Making notes now, and starting to observe those secondary things, is really helpful — not because breast tenderness alone confirms ovulation, but because for some women it reinforces the primary sign and builds confidence. You see your temperature shift, you see your mucus start, and you notice the breast tenderness you felt at ovulation has gone away — all of the secondary signs are helpful. We still have a couple of sessions left in the program, so we’ll go through more in the future, but for today’s session, were there any other questions you wanted to go through?

Teresa: Yes — post-sex, when I go to the bathroom, how do I check? I can tell the difference between arousal fluid and mucus — arousal fluid dries quickly and doesn’t stretch, or stretches for a second and evaporates. I can tell that difference, but when you go to the bathroom shortly after sex, how do you observe that? How long after should I start marking observations?

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: Since you’re using a barrier method, immediately after sex is an opportunity to get familiar with your arousal fluid — you can’t count that as an observation right away. It’s a good opportunity to wipe the arousal fluid off and do a nice wash with water, starting with a fresh, clean slate. Once you’ve done that, for the following observations throughout the day, I’d say call it as you see it, and if there’s something you’re unsure about, note it in the comments — but keep wiping as normal, just not immediately after sex.

Teresa: We’ve just used condoms, so I haven’t used spermicide or anything like that, but I did have questions about that — how long does spermicide stay there? Will I accidentally observe it?

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: It’s hard to say, because it depends on the thickness and other factors. If you’re using a spermicide after sex, it’s similar to what we described — sit on the toilet, see if anything comes out, wipe, wash or shower, and then monitor throughout the day. Pay attention especially the first couple of times you use the bathroom afterward, and you’ll start to get a sense of whether it’s thick and gooey like the spermicide, or dry. You could also get a feel for the spermicide outside the context of sex — put some on your fingers to learn to discern the difference. In the pre-ovulatory phase, especially given you’re in cycle three post-pill, you’d want to be conservative — if it looks like mucus, treat it as mucus for now, and take this as an opportunity to learn how your body responds to spermicide or lube. You can also try urinating and really trying to get it all out after sex, and see whether you’re dry afterward for the rest of the day, or seeing residue. The post-ovulatory phase is actually a great playground for this, since you’re typically dry there — you haven’t seen much of anything post-ovulation in your cycles so far, so that’s a good stretch to experiment with lube or spermicide and see how it clears.

Teresa: That makes sense — again, it’s the mental adjustment, baby steps: confirm it, call it as you see it, or feel it. That’s helpful, thank you.

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: You’re welcome — and it might feel like an obvious question, but everything’s obvious after a good explanation. Most of my clients have the same or very similar questions, so you’re not alone. There’s a huge difference between reading a book about this, listening to a podcast about it, and actually doing it — when you’re in the middle of learning, there are all these fluids and materials to sort out, and we really need those best practices. Before we wrap up, I wanted to ask — for the listener who’s binging these Reality Series episodes because she’s thinking about coming off the pill or another hormonal method, and switching to a non-hormonal method — what, if anything, would you want to say to her?

Teresa: That was me a few months ago — I would say, do it. It feels like a lot — I read Taking Charge of Your Fertility twice, took notes, underlined it — and it is a lot to learn, especially if you don’t know anything about it. But once you start doing it, and I’m only three months in, it’s not a lot — it becomes very doable, you know, and you understand a lot more. Getting support from a group like this, or any coach, has been extremely helpful, being able to ask questions and get direct feedback. I feel so much better, and I’ve been like this for so long — not to say I wasn’t happy before, I had wonderful things in my life, but the fog has completely lifted, and I wouldn’t wish that fog on anyone.

I think the preparation is really helpful to do before you quit — getting clear on what to eat, what not to eat, what vitamins to take — it made the transition smooth, and I’ve been able to incorporate different things into my diet as I learn what works for me. I also planned to quit after my trip — I really wanted to quit sooner, but it’s okay to wait until you’re ready. And listening to your body is really important — I knew, even before I quit, that it wasn’t good for me. I could tell. So listening to your body is really valuable.

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: You’re doing amazing — you’re in cycle three, and this is an experiential learning process, where each cycle helps reinforce the knowledge, and with each cycle you chart, you get more comfortable and confident. Your friend who’s been doing this for a decade — for her it’s easy, because she’s been doing it for a long time, and it’s like nothing to her now. You’ll get there — it just takes a bit of time and patience.

Teresa: I can see that — I can see how I’ll get there easily, after making the leap, using the workbook, meeting the other folks in the group, and preparing myself. It’s much easier than it was two months ago.

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: It’s worth it — you deserve it. Thank you so much for being here, Teresa — it was so nice to have this conversation with you, and I’m really excited to share it with everyone.

Teresa: Thank you — my pleasure.

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it with a friend — you’ll find the show notes page for today’s episode over at fertilityfriday.com/306.

I hope you enjoyed today’s episode with Teresa. There were so many parts of her story that I really resonated with, and I thought it was fascinating that she had kept a journal for as long as she had, so she was able to go back and look at her emotions, feelings, and thoughts during the time she was on contraceptives versus off. For those of you who journal, or who’ve had a similar experience, I think it’s interesting to look back at that — and for those of you who don’t, one of the benefits of charting I always talk about with clients is having that data, having that record. When you’re paying attention to what’s happening cycle to cycle, it can shed a lot of light, because we think we’re going to remember the details of what happens, but it gets quite foggy — I don’t think most of us are that great at remembering specific signs and symptoms from three or four cycles ago. But if we write those down, pay attention, and take time to reflect on everything that happened, it offers a unique window into what’s happening.

On top of that, what’s really helpful is the empowerment that comes from it — when you have appointments with medical professionals, when you have an intuitive sense that something’s wrong, plus symptoms related to your cycle, you have a record. No one can tell you it’s in your head, because it’s actually on paper — you’ve been tracking your cycles. I find there’s a huge empowerment that comes from staying in that conversation with your body, always paying attention to what’s happening. Not everyone needs to journal, but it can be helpful, because one of the things I hear a lot is, “The pill didn’t bother me, I didn’t have any symptoms when I was on it,” or, “I was on the pill for years and at first I didn’t have symptoms, but gradually they crept up.” Usually that’s recognized in reflection afterward, because you can’t always know in the moment whether something is causing a symptom — it’s often in retrospect, once you’ve come off it and your body has settled down, that you can really make that connection.

So thank you for spending some time with us today, for tuning in, for spreading the word about fertility awareness, for sharing episodes with your friends and tagging me on social media — I really appreciate all of you for being part of the Fertility Friday community. I hope to see you in the next round of Fertility Awareness Mastery — it’s virtual, and we’re running classes throughout the day, and there are still spots available due to the current situation; we actually ended up extending early bird pricing, so if you’re planning to join us, head over to fertilityfriday.com/FAM. Have a wonderful week or weekend, I hope you’re doing alright and hanging in there — and if you’re listening to this in the future, I hope you have an awesome week or weekend ahead of you. As always, be well, and happy journey.