A question about finding my books at the library....

Greetings!

I recently received this message via email:

"I want one of your books, but I don't have the money. What can I do?"

My response:

"Either book should be available at your library through inter-library loan. Your library also might purchase the books if you ask them."

Periods and withdrawal bleeds

Greetings!

I've pasted a message from a reader (and my response) below.

***********

Katie,

I am 25 years old. For the past 6 months I have been ill with what turns out to be a parasite infection (I will begin an intense antibiotic treatment in about a month, after my wedding). My illness led me to completely change my lifestyle which I am very
greatful for. For the past 3 months, my diet has been in accordance with the Weston Price Foundation and Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions. I eat plenty of butter and have my cod liver oil every day. I drink raw, cultured milk. I don't eat soy, sugar, or any processed or refined foods.

I had been on birth control pills for 7 years and quit taking them 3 months ago. After the last "period" started a couple days after I quit taking the pill, I have not had a period in 3 months. My gynecologist wants me to take a natural form of progesterone (derived from peanut oil?) so I will have a period. She told me it is unhealthy to have the lining buildup without shedding it monthly, and 3 months is the maximum I should leave it "untreated". She said if that doesn't make me bleed then there is a whole slew of tests that she can run to make sure nothing else is going on.

I think having this infection has just caused my body to go haywire, and I want to return to health as naturally and gently as possible. Do you think it is unhealthy to let my body return to its natural cycle without using the hormone? Do the benefits outweigh the risks of using the progesterone?

Thank you so much for your help with this. I completely trust your advice with this issue.

**************
My response:
**************

Let me clarify a few things. First, a "period" is bleeding that follows ovulation. When you bleed without having ovulated the bleeding that you experience is a "withdrawal bleed." It is not a "period." Most prescriptions for birth control prevent you from ovulating; the bleeding that you experience on the Pill is therefore a withdrawal bleed. A few prescriptions do not prevent ovulation. But they repress other key parts of the menstrual cycle. You might want to look at the cervix pictures on my site to get an image of what the Pill does to the cervix.

If you have been taking birth control pills for 7 years, since you were a teenager, then your body has not ovulated for a long time. The years 18-25 are significant for most women's bodies as a time of learning to cycle in a healthy way. I salute you
for learning about your body now. You will need to be gentle with yourself as your body learns to cycle naturally.

My books, THE GARDEN OF FERTILITY and HONORING OUR CYCLES describe night lighting techniques and other remedies (such as acupuncture and homeopathy) that can help your body return to health. I appreciate that your doctor wants your uterine lining to shed regularly. But perhaps you can continue to collect information and experiment with treatments that can lead to healing the roots of your menstrual cycle.

Best of luck,

Katie Singer

A message of interest

Here's a message - and my response - I thought you might find interesting.

***********
Hi Katie,

I am a midwife and I am helping one of my past clients try to conceive their next baby. Is there anyone you would recommend for consultation? I am helping her narrow down as much as possible, but I think we are getting to the point of needing extra help. I just gave her your article on diet and night lighting for the WAP foundation - she is a big WAP eater, so that is great. She is somewhat nursing a 2.5yo (I'm checking on how often at night). Wondering if the stevia she uses as
sweetener could be a problem. She is working with a holistic doctor, too, and her "pre-ovulatory phase is much too long and luteal phase too short, even with the progesterone cream." They have run saliva tests and are waiting for the results. Doing some adrenal support with the holistic doctor - temp is a little bit higher since then but still on the low side (she is going to fax me her charts). Any really good practitioners out there who will do a consultation and work with her?
Thanks so much.


-------


Nursing mothers typically have low temperatures and low progesterone levels, so I am not alarmed by the situation of the woman you describe. Also, Westin Price found that traditional cultures considered it best for the woman, the family, and the whole community when there was *at least* three years between children.

I've found cod liver oil consumed with butter oil to be much more helpful in strengthening women's menstrual cycles than progesterone cream, which, in fact, can be hazardous.

Stevia. I have not read anything about stevia's effects on the menstrual cycle. If your client suspects that its affecting her, then experimenting with not using any for a month or longer could be good.

My books, THE GARDEN OF FERTILITY and HONORING OUR CYCLES, (which Sally Fallon published), present dietary guidelines and night lighting techniques in greater detail than my article does. THE GARDEN is more comprehensive than HONORING OUR CYCLES.

I hope this is helpful.

Best wishes to you and your client,

Katie Singer

FAM, hirsutism, and anovulation

Greetings!

Another message I thought you might enjoy! My response follows below....

Dear Ms. Singer,

I was introduced to your teachings and expertise via the Weston A. Price Foundation's website. I would like to begin practicing FAM but am concerned about my personal circumstances. I am 25 and was placed on birth control at 15 due to anovulation with mild symptoms of hirsutism. As part of my dedication to an all natural lifestyle I would like to stop taking birth control but am concerned of what the consequences will be and what my options are for helping my body to begin ovulating normally, assuming this is possible. Have you heard of women controlling hirsutism and anovulation through natural methods or is my situation hopeless? Also, should I expect any side effects from going off the pill?

I appreciate how dedicated you are to helping women and their partners become more aware of their natural fertility.

Thank you for your dedication.

---------------------------
My response:

You've raised a lot of questions that are common to many women. Let me clarify a few things and raise more questions for you.

Most prescriptions of the birth control pill suppress normal menstrual cycle functioning, including ovulation. You can see some of the effects of the Pill on the cervix at this page on my website.

If you have been on the Pill for ten years, then your body has not cycled for all of those years. When you come off of the Pill, your body will need to learn how to cycle. It's hard to say how long you'll need for that. Every woman is different, and many factors -- including your diet --affect your return to health. Your main job is to be gentle with yourself. Gentle, gentle, gentle.

I recommend using condoms for birth control until you can discern regular, ovulatory cycles.

Many women have benefitted from decreasing or eliminating soy, sugar, white flour and caffeine; and by eating plenty of organic, free range eggs, organic butter, cod liver oil, lots of green leafy vegetables, organic raw dairy, and
other foods suggested by the Westin A. Price Foundation.

The night lighting techniques that I describe in my books, The Garden of Fertility and Honoring Our Cycles, are also very helpful to women coming off of the Pill. Moderate and frequent exercise is also very important.
Acupuncture and homeopathy can also be very helpful. You'll have to experiment and do what's right for you.

I wish you the very best of luck,

Katie Singer

Materials in Spanish?

Hello!

For those of you who may be looking for materials in spanish...

-----
Hi
Katie,

I have moved to Costa Rica and am looking for materials on Natural Birth Control in spanish. Might you know where I
can get such materials?

----

My reply:

Try the Couple To Couple League at www.ccli.org and/or Family of the Americas Foundation at www.familyplanning.net. They are both Catholic organizations and present the material in a Catholic framework, which may or may not be agreeable to you. Both organizations have materials and, possibly, volunteer teachers available in spanish. I post a Fertility Awareness IQ test in Spanish on my website at http://www.gardenoffertility.com/iqspanish.shtml.

I can also recommend that you purchase Honoring Our Cycles, which Sally Fallon published, and which presents the method very simply in english so that you can know it well for yourself. I also have a study guide for people who want to teach the method - http://www.gardenoffertility.com/teaching.shtml

Very best,

Katie Singer

Premenstrual Terror

Greetings! I received the following message, and thought I would post it. Please see my response below, as well:
-----

Katie,

First, thank you for making FA so accessible. I have learned so much about myself by charting my cycles. I'm really having fun!

I eat a primarily organic whole food diet with very little dairy and no soy, including some meats and eggs, and this month I began to supplement with iron, zinc, calcium, arctic cod liver oil and vitamin D. I have very little current stress and am working through quite a lot of post-traumatic stress and am in a very supportive and mutual relationship. I have been charting my cycle very diligently for the last three months. (What empowering information!) Everything looks to be healthy. My cycles are about 25 days and my luteal phase is a little short- usually around 11 days. I read your article entitled "How do I lengthen my luteal phase?" (November 18, 2007).

I also read in Garden of Fertility about low progesterone levels. It sounds like mine may be just a little low? How long does it take to lengthen my luteal phase and when will i notice a difference?

I have *HORRIBLE* cramps during my period and have for five+ years (I'm 27 years old). they seem to have gotten worse as I have lowered my current stress and cleared my life of negative relationships. I wonder if my body is reactive to the emotional work i am doing with past issues? The pain has increased since I got married (and started having intercourse)-- which is to say, started feeling and engaging with my body in an associated, healthy way. And I have this unbearable premenstrual anxiety, which feels like five days of panic in my lower back. The panic-feeling moves into my abdomen and then I bleed for two days and spot another three or four. I often use a Castor oil pack on my abdomen, drink Valerian and kava kava tea, have a glass of red wine, walk or do some yoga if the pain permits, take a hot bath, cry a lot and cancel everything in favor of rest.

But it is really scary and painful and I wonder if you have any ideas.

---------
My reply:

I first want to congratulate you for learning so much about your menstrual
cycle, for strengthening it and your self-awareness. I especially salute
your giving yourself rest time when your body calls for that.

I agree that strengthening your progesterone levels might help to ease the
anxiety and pain you experience around menstruation. You might try the
night lighting technique that I describe in The Garden of Fertility and
Honoring Our Cycles. If you are taking cod liver oil, it already contains
Vitamin D. So rather than taking Vitamin D, be sure to consume organic
butter with the cod liver oil. Vitamin D is fat soluble, which means that
the body needs additional fat (butter) in order to assimilate the Vitamin
D.

If you wear high heeled shoes, you might experiment with wearing flats
only. High heeled shoes can throw off your pelvic alignment.

Many women have found great benefit from acupuncture and homeopathy.

In my personal experience, emotional patterns are in our bodies
cellularly, and one of my hardest jobs has been to maintain gentleness
with myself as the patterns appear and reappear and reappear. It sounds
like you are doing that. I trust that you can find techniques to support
your emotional healing. I have found the work of Byron Katie very helpful.
Her website is thework.com. I especially like her audio materials.

Very best to you,

Katie Singer

How do I lengthen my luteal phase?

To strengthen your luteal phase, try the night lighting techniques that I describe in the GARDEN OF FERTILITY and HONORING OUR CYCLES. I also recommend that you experiment with cutting out sugar, soy, white flour and caffeine. I would experiment
with preparing nutrient-dense food such as I describe in my books. You can read more about healthy diets at www.westinaprice.org.

I would also eliminate microwaving any food and attending to other things I describe for decreasing estrogen dominance -- you can
read more on my website.