In this week's episode I swapped seats and was the guest on The Science Of Motherhood podcast with Dr Renee White. In this episode, Dr Renee White from 'The Science Of Motherhood' interviews me about tips to address iron deficiency. We discuss the importance of early detection and prevention, highlighting the negative outcomes associated with anemia during pregnancy, such as postpartum depression, low birth weight, and placental complications. Learn more about Dr Renee White and Fill Your Cup Postpartum Doulas: Want to be nurtured and nourished after the birth of your baby? Have a peek at their doula offerings.

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a severe, and disabling extension of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). It is NOT the same condition. Although PMS and PMDD both have physical and emotional symptoms, PMDD causes extreme mood shifts that can disrupt daily life and damage your relationships.

PMS tends to have more physical symptoms while PMDD has more mood symptoms. These have very specific windows of flaring up, usually around ovulation, and/or before menstruation.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PMS AND PMDD IS SEVERITY, FREQUENCY, AND DURATION.

PMDD causes are thought to be; genetics, hormonal fluctuations, increased inflammation, stress, nutritional factors which I go through in detail in this episode. Unfortunately, there isn't a huge amount of research on PMDD and we are still learning so much. At the moment, current medical treatment is offering the pill and/or antidepressant, so I go through all the natural treatments that offer hope to women suffering PMDD.

** after recording this episode I found an amazing clinical trial in 2019 that found - "N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) to be as effective as the antidepressant fluoxetine for PMDD symptoms." Are we insta friends? If not, come over and say hi @thenatalnaturopath

Thank you for listening! I would loveeeee if you could give my podcast a rating and a review. It's important as it helps get this podcast into the ears of other women who need it.

PMS (premenstrual syndrome) refers to a collection of physical, emotional, and behavioural symptoms that occur in the days or weeks preceding menstruation in many women. These symptoms are generally mild to moderate in intensity and do not significantly impair daily functioning.

There are 5 subcategories of PMS

I go through each subcategory, the main symptoms and pathways that drive those symptoms. Each one has its own treatment plan too! If you are wanting a practitioner to guide your PMS treatment, we are your ladies. Are we insta friends? If not, come over and say hi @thenatalnaturopath

Thank you for listening! I would loveeeee if you could give my podcast a rating and a review. It's important as it helps get this podcast into the ears of other women who need it.

In this episode I go through why I don't believe TSH is enough when we are considering someone's thyroid function, what TSH is, what it does, how there have been calls to lower the upper TSH limit, why we need to see T4 and T3 levels to understand your thyroid, and how the meds even came up with the TSH reference range. Here is my 'Underactive Thyroid Webinar' that I mention in this episode; it's so comprehensive and you'll walk away with a clear picture of how to treat your thyroid and the exact supplement and lifestyle regime you need. Are we insta friends? If not, come over and say hi @thenatalnaturopath

Thank you for listening! I would loveeeee if you could give my podcast a rating and a review. It's important as it helps get this podcast into the ears of other women who need it.

In this episode I go through a week in the life of our family, day by day what our routine and schedule looks like. We have an 8 year old, and 4 year old twins, my husband is a full time shift worker and I run a more-than-full time business - and here is how we have set up our week so that we can navigate and thrive within the busyness of our growing family! I mentioned tried tips and tricks on how I have gotten our mornings and nights to run more smoothly with less stress, and how I carve out time for my own self care. Are we insta friends? If not, come over and say hi @thenatalnaturopath

Thank you for listening! I would loveeeee if you could give my podcast a rating and a review. It's important as it helps get this podcast into the ears of other women who need it.

In this episode I outline what prolactin does in the body, what it does to oestrogen, and how it can play a role in infertility or menstrual irregularities. I outline what are the causes of high prolactin, and what is considered high anyway? It’s not enough to know your prolactin is high. It’s necessary to find out what is DRIVING it. Now, if you have PCOS come on over and join me for my PCOS webinar that is coming up this week. This webinar is designed to provide an overview of the syndrome and how nutrition and lifestyle can help patients and clients living with PCOS.

Are you tired of being told that the only solution to your PCOS is the oral contraceptive pill, and that you require IVF to conceive?

Have you been searching for a natural solution to your PCOS symptoms?

If you answered yes to either of those questions, this is the webinar for you - designed specifically for women like you who want to treat their PCOS naturally, with regular cycles, with all those pesky PCOS symptoms gone. Like jawline acne, excessive hair growth, insulin resistance and so on.

Join us for a 60-minute webinar hosted by Melanie who has helped hundreds of women with PCOS achieve regular cycles, reduce insulin levels, ovulate regularly, and fall pregnant naturally. Are we insta friends? If not, come over and say hi @thenatalnaturopath

Thank you for listening! I would loveeeee if you could give my podcast a rating and a review. It's important as it helps get this podcast into the ears of other women who need it.

In this episode, I discuss the main differences between the Mirena and the copper IUD - and what exactly both is doing within your body. Topics mentioned:

• My favourite form of contraception and why, and what I personally use
• Hormonal vs non-hormonal contraception methods
• Copper IUD permitting natural ovulatory cycles
• Which of the two methods increase and decrease your menstrual blood flow
• What side effects are associated with the Mirena (contraceptive drug levonorgestrel)
• Mirena suppressing ovulatory cycles some of the time
• How I would rank each contraception method on least to most impactful on the body.

Click here to learn more about The Natal Naturopath and to sign up to the weekly newsletter. Don’t worry we won’t spam you! And for those who sign up to the newsletter you will get 10% off your first purchase. If you would like to share this episode on your socials, be sure to tag @thenatalnaturopath. We love to know what you think of the podcast. Are we friends on Instagram? If not, come along and say hi.

Thank you for listening! I would loveeeee if you could give my podcast a rating and a review. It's important as it helps get this podcast into the ears of other women who need it.

There are four different types of PCOS, with different characteristics and symptoms, and different treatment approaches. I go through each one - Insulin Resistant PCOS, Post Pill PCOS, Adrenal PCOS and Inflammatory PCOS - and as a naturopath, how I treat them. Mentioned: - the testing you need to diagnose the different types of PCOS - causes and symptoms of each type of PCOS - what your hormonal blood tests are telling you Interested in our upcoming PCOS webinar? Join me here. This webinar is for women like you who want to treat their PCOS naturally. During this webinar, you will learn about the lifestyle changes, nutritional supplements, and natural remedies that can help you manage your PCOS symptoms. Here's what you can expect to learn during the webinar:

• The underlying causes of PCOS and how to address them with lifestyle, diet, nutritional and herbal supplementation.
• Blood tests to get and optimal levels
• The role of nutrition in managing PCOS and the best foods to eat and avoid
• The benefits of specific supplements for PCOS and what the research says
• How to track your menstrual cycle and identify ovulation to increase your chances of falling pregnant naturally

And much more!