Podcast with Dr Oz and Toni Weschler

I just listened to this 5 1/2 min podcast with Dr. Oz and Toni Weschler, author of Taking Charge of your Fertility. The discussion is about charting your menstrual cycle, breast exams, ovulation and PMS.

If you haven't read her book it is such an incredible resource for all women. I learned so much about my menstrual cycle through reading this book and charting my cycle.

Society really has taught us that our menstrual cycles are messy and inconvenient. The fact that there are now birth control methods that decrease menstruation so that women only have 4 cycles per year is the wrong message to give to young girls. I have women who are 37 years old struggling to regulate their cycle. Perhaps it sounds great when you are in your early 20's but what are the long term affects of this method. Although they claim there are none, they won't really know until enough women have used it for 10-15 years.

Until I read Taking Charge of your Fertility I never appreciated the wisdom of the female cycle. Today I look at my cycle as a natural detoxification. It is an opportunity for the body to release built up toxins through menstruation. For me, it is a monthly celebration of womanhood. I even talk about "celebrating" your cycle in my Yoga for Fertility classes. Changing the words lightens up the experience of your menstrual cycle. Instead of feeling like a loss each month women learn to appreciate that it is an opportunity to cleanse our reproductive system.

Begin to view your cycle differently and your experience of it will change. It all begins with your beliefs and thoughts about menstruation. It you believe it is a loss, it will feel like one, each and every month. If you begin to look at it as an opportunity to cleanse your uterus and prepare for implantation, each month will feel lighter and you will begin to feel empowered and grateful. Remember men don't have this privilege.

Click here to listen to the podcast.