I got my period back!
Ever since I started menstruating as a teenager, my periods were never regular. There would be times that Aunt Flow wouldn’t visit for two or three months (Yikes!). Living with this condition during my adolescence was hard because I never knew when I would get my period. I was the girl who would get it during the middle of class and have to tie a sweater around my waist to hide the stain on my pants. Additionally, having sex felt like high stakes gambling. Once I started hormonal birth control my cycle became what’s typically described as normal.
It wasn’t until I was 30 years old and trying to have a second baby that I finally learned that I was living with amenorrhea. Amenorrhea is simply defined as the absence of menstruation for one or more menstrual cycles. The mayo clinic lists a gambit of causes including weight loss or gain, pregnancy, contraceptives, medications (antidepressants, allergy medicines), lifestyle factors (excessive exercise, stress) and hormonal imbalances (PCOS, Thyroid malfunction). When talking with my doctor, she calmly explained to me that I didn’t have cancer (the biopsy was negative!) and that I needed to make a lot of lifestyle changes to address my irregularity. I laughed out loud when she said I had to lower my stress - I was living through a pandemic and working in healthcare. Basically, my job was a nightmare, my sleep schedule was a disaster, my eating habits were a mess and my exercise routine was nonexistent.
My journey towards health and happiness only started last year. It was clear to me that if I was serious about having a body that could perform the miracle of birth, I needed to perform my own miracle of transformation first. It was an overwhelming task to say the least. But at the end of the day, I knew who I was - a Capricorn armed with motivation and purpose - and there was nothing that was going to stand in my way! There is no quick and easy way to get back your period. The important thing to understand is that it can be a long process and that if you have experienced this know that you are not alone.
One of the major factors that was affecting my health was stress. Obviously. So my plan of action started with finding a better job. The position I was in was burning me out and finding a much less toxic work environment was the step I needed to take to be healthier. The new job I ended up getting didn’t require an intense amount of overtime which helped to fix my sleeping schedule. Additionally, I didn’t have to live co-dependently with coffee. Getting eight hours of sleep consistently helped to return my sense of serenity.
I wish I could say that getting a better job fixed all of my problems, but sadly it didn’t. I had to start taking care of my body and lose a little weight. So I started working out and eating healthier, one day at a time. Exercise and healthy eating have been things that I struggle with, and still do! I have to remind myself everyday that I am doing these actions to take care of myself. My body is worth the sweat and the soreness. My body thrives when I nourish myself with Mother Earth’s goodness. Changing my perspective on my body began changing my attitude towards life.
I felt restored, regenerated and like I was reborn after making all of these changes in my life. It felt like I was finally living the life I wanted in my own skin. With this newfound strength came newfound courage to pursue my passions. This journey has taught me that some of the hardest challenges we go through can be the most rewarding. I would like to report that I did end up getting my period back after a few months of implementing these changes. I get my period every month now! It has been an amazing feeling knowing that my body is naturally cycling on its own and that I could have a baby when the time comes. No word yet on the second baby, but hopefully there will be an update soon!
xo - Rebecca
