August 20, 2025 • 46 mins
Join us as we talk about an oftentimes taboo topic - the menstrual cycle! The menstrual cycle shapes so much of our lives, yet many of us reach adulthood knowing shockingly little about our own bodies. In this raw and honest episode, we strip away the mysteries surrounding PMS, PMDD, and the hormonal shifts that can make us feel like we're losing our minds.
Tajuana shares how her period symptoms transformed dramatically after having children, morphing from painful cramps to an emotional rollercoaster that can last up to two weeks before her period even begins. Meanwhile, Sheree reveals her journey with PMDD—a condition that once had her misdiagnosed with Bipolar disorder and still feels the effects nearly three weeks out of every month.
What emerges is a fascinating exploration of the four distinct phases of the menstrual cycle and how deeply they influence everything from energy levels to decision-making abilities. We dive into the unexpected connections between hormonal health and neurodivergence, sharing surprising statistics about how PMDD disproportionately affects women with ADHD and Autism.
Through personal stories and practical advice, this episode validates experiences that too many women suffer through silently. You'll learn why tracking your cycle can be life-changing, how different birth control methods affect hormonal balance, and when it might be time to have a deeper conversation with your doctor about your symptoms.
Whether you're struggling with debilitating PMS, supporting someone who is, or simply want to understand the complex interplay between hormones and wellbeing, this conversation offers comfort, clarity, and a powerful reminder that you're not alone. Give it a listen, then share it with the people in your life who need to understand what many women navigate every single month.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to Turn the.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Page Podcast Sisters, best friends and brunch
enthusiasts.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
With relatable episodes that feel like you're
chatting with two of yourclosest friends or sisters.
Join us as we turn the page todifferent topics about losing
yourself in motherhood,adulthood, anyhood.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
And finding yourself again through meaningful
friendships, shameless piles ofunread library books and endless
amazon package deliveries realhonest and a little bit chaotic.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
We talk about it all, so grab your favorite drink,
put the kids to bed, lace upyour sneaks or whatever you need
to do, and join us.
We can't wait to connect withyou.
Hi guys, welcome to Turn thePage Podcast.
This is co-host Tamara.
I feel like I'm on like anighttime radio show.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Why are you whispering?
Speaker 1 (00:56):
I don't know, that's uncommon for me to do so.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
It's giving Chloe after dark.
Do you remember that?
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Yes, they were recording in the bathtub, her
and Scott.
Yeah, in a life jacket.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
When she had her radio show in Miami.
Yes, with what's-his-face?
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Terrence the black guy yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
This is your other co-host, Cherie.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Hey guys, we're back, Coming to you live from
Tawana's kitchen table Mm-hmm,from Tawana's kitchen table.
On a lovely summer Friday, Ihad the curtains open but
there's these nasty bugs thatare hanging out on the screen
and they're really gross to lookat, so I had to close the
curtains.
Yeah, yeah, we're back.
We're here.
We're about to go to the poollater it's a sister, kim Frieda,
(01:40):
because I'm going to eat thatand we are talking about pms
today, guys.
So if you are a person with auterus, you will understand,
yeah.
If you don't, then we can catchyou in the next episode, yeah.
Or if you no longer have auterus than you used to, maybe
you sympathize and used to havethese symptoms.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
I was just gonna say yeah, that, yeah but we're gonna
dive into this or that umsummer edition.
Please ice cream or popsiclesice cream same oh, you hesitate
it why?
Speaker 1 (02:19):
I don't know you can go, pop, step over down
sometimes but branch of summercamp on the blacktop.
The freezy pops, yeah um oceanor pool oh, I love a pool day,
but I love the smell and soundof the ocean yeah, I'm gonna
pick ocean too I didn't sayocean, I said well, you really
(02:41):
didn't give an answer right.
So I'm gonna say pool.
I'm gonna say say pool.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
I'm going to say ocean, a pool at the ocean, yeah
.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Like in Myrtle Beach, remember.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Oh yeah, that was cool.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Sandals or barefoot Sandals, One thousand percent.
I know barefoot keeps yougrounded, but that's just not my
thing.
And touching the ground likethe earth.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yeah, I guess it depends, because I'm still
thinking about the ocean, solike oh, do you mean like in my
house, I'm barefoot.
I get out, I don't know, Iguess sandals for like outside,
but like at the beach, barefoot.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Oh, at the beach barefoot, isn't it just long
barefoot at the beach?
I don't know, maybe okay, cool,and then sundress, or shorts
sundress, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
I've been on a shorts kick lately you have been.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
You look nice, but I love me a dress, I think easy.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Just I'm gonna throw this last one out there.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Summer reading list, or summer playlist I'm gonna
have to do playlists, but Ilisten to my songs all year
round yeah, but do you have likea some a playlist specific for
summer?
Nope I mean, certain songsremind me of summer when it's
not summer and I listen to it.
Yeah, but nope, I have a lot ofthe same songs on repeat now in
(04:04):
summer and in fall and inwinter, and I don't have a
separate reading list for summer, so I would say um the playlist
, because I'm a vibes girly youare, you are all right y'all.
We are talking about, like Isaid, pms, um.
So if anyone has ever beenpregnant that's listening and
(04:28):
has birthed these lovely beingsthat came up, that you were
inside, that grew inside of you,um, they come with it a lot of
changes.
They leave you or a lot ofchanges they give you.
Um.
So before kids, just a littlebackstory.
I've been on the pill since Iwas 16 I don't care if it's
tamar, I don't want freakingfamous then pill since I was 16
(04:50):
and that was to help regulate myhorrible cramps and period.
We have a history of having badperiods in our family, like
really, really bad cramps to thepoint where, like, you have to
stay home because it hurts a badthing.
So I got on the pill toregulate that and it helped.
It went from seven days to five, but that took a couple of
years to do that.
Still had really bad cramps.
I lived on like a leave ofTylenol but eventually my body
(05:12):
got used to it and stoppedworking.
Then I stopped my stomach bytaking ibuprofen all the time.
I essentially gave myself likeI stripped my one inch your
inflamed stomach lining.
But it's inflamed.
That essentially, is like nolonger there.
But whatever, my doll neverworked for me.
Pampering never worked for me.
(05:32):
Like bulldozer cramps, yeah, um, and I'm pretty sure I was like
, oh, this is what contractionsfeel like and that's why I was
prepared for the contractionswhen I had them with the boys,
because I already had horriblecramps growing up.
So fast forward I have two kids, got off the plane to have them
.
(05:54):
They did say that your periodchanges post-children and it did
so.
If you've never had kids, youknow after your birth you bleed.
It's not your period yet, it'syour body getting rid of
everything that our woman needsnow that your baby is on the
other side of your belly.
And then you get your periodright after, um, and then you
don't always get.
If you're on the pill, youdon't always get back on.
(06:15):
You might want to like, stayoff for a bit.
I got back on right away becausealso, they said that that's
like another fertile time for awoman, like right after birth,
just because things arehappening, yeah, and for you to
be careful, yeah, um, if youdon't want to get pregnant again
right away, um, so that I gotback on it and then got back off
it to have our second and myperiod did change.
(06:39):
So when I wasn't on it, itstarted being late when, like we
weren't pregnant, it was justlate.
Um, it had shortened to likethree days.
I used to get it on like atuesday or wednesday.
I now get it on a friday.
Interesting, which is so odd.
Yeah, um, I've been tracking itmore intently now, obviously
because I'm older, like I'munderstanding certain things,
(07:01):
but I used to never track itwhen I was younger, so I didn't
understand it.
Yeah, um, but I used to have towear like two pads plus a
tampon.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Now.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
I can just wear a tampon.
It's definitely changed.
Since kids.
I don't really have crampsduring my period.
But let me tell you the pastcouple of months this has been
new to me.
I get PMS symptoms the week ofmy period and apparently this
month I get it the week beforemy period.
It's two weeks now, and when Imean symptoms, I mean I am like
(07:31):
deeply depressed.
My low, my low back has alwayshurt when I was getting buried,
for like that's always been asymptom for me yeah so I always
knew it was coming and cravingsalty foods, but it's more so.
My low back is screaming, mygroin like my.
Everything below my abdomen islike screaming.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Very hormonal.
I can literally feel everyfeeling and emotion in the world
.
Now I know what they are.
Before I did it, but I alsodidn't.
Maybe I dealt with before butdidn't know.
But it's like I don't know ifthis has happened to you guys,
but see my lady doctor next weekto talk about this because it's
gotten worse.
This month, like I said, usuallystarts on that sunday, before
(08:12):
it started like the wednesday,and that was like I still on my
period till next week, nextfriday, probably for like three
days.
Yeah, my symptoms go away theday I get my period my pbs
symptoms and period.
It's like I still feel bloated,like the normal stuff, don't
get cramps anymore, and it'slike three days and I'm still on
(08:33):
the pill and I'm like I don'tknow if it's because I'm getting
older, like I'm almost 40, well, I'll be 40 next year.
But if I'm just finallyunderstanding hormones in my
body now but they don't teachyou this in school, yeah, at all
, and I think they should.
But I know I'm going to givethem back over to Sherry because
she has dealt with it.
So if you tell your story maybesome people will relate, but
(08:57):
I'm definitely.
I know you've been to thedoctor and, like you, know
what's going on, but I have nottalked to my doctor about this
yet, so I'm interested to seewhat's going on do you have?
Speaker 2 (09:05):
I know you use lively , but do you have any app where
you track, like, your symptoms?
Speaker 1 (09:10):
so you can track your symptoms on lively.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
I just don't I feel like you should, because she
might ask you yeah, well, I can,I can tell you.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
I track it to the point where I know that last
month I didn't experience thesymptoms the week before like I
have now.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Because so I that's the one thing I don't love about
.
I know you can go as needed,but it's like an annual
appointment unless you'repregnant or have medical, other
medical, like female medicalissues female medical issues.
(09:55):
Yeah, so I saw my doctor injanuary of last year and um
january, yeah, because that wasthe six weeks from when I had
sage.
So january is like my newannual time okay, mine's in july
.
Mine used to be july.
And then what makes sense,since sage it's from harrison?
Speaker 1 (10:05):
yeah oh yeah, because archie would have been like
september yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
So last january I saw her and then last june I
messaged her because I had beentracking.
I mean, I, I've been trackingmy cycles since, like literally
2018 and the same app like youcan go back and look like,
because it's always given metrouble, to the point where I
(10:32):
was diagnosed as bipolar becauseof how frequent my shifts were
yeah, stop it yeah, so this hasbeen going on since I was in
high school.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Stop it.
I did Like I knew you weremisdiagnosed.
I didn't know it was actuallybecause of your the PMS.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Yeah, but it's also like this old white man
diagnosed me as bipolar when Iwas like 15, which now I know is
like Also, guys sorry sidepoint If you're a woman, which
most women we have?
Women listeners, if you canfind yourself a woman
gynecologist.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Yeah, I mean, I don't have any care but I care
because they know the woman'sbody I don't have experience
with male gyno so I can't sayyeah.
But yeah, just comfort wise andlike relatability, yes, and not
just from like reading it intoit in a textbook like but he
wasn't a guy in a college, hewas a psychiatrist that was,
(11:27):
that was just a sidebar for me.
Yeah, like if I had a man guy,well, just like he like.
Oh yeah, you're experiencingthis, like I just read it in the
book.
No, no, I need you to be livingin a woman's body yeah, and
understand I, I mean, yeah, Imean, yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
So I like I messaged her because I at that point I
had had a few months of symptomsthe week before, like the whole
week before my period, thewhole week of my period and like
a few days after.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
That's like two and a half weeks out of the month,
like that sounds awful.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Yeah, I messaged her literally.
I was like I think it was maybelike 21 days I was having
symptoms and I had like nine orten days of feeling normal.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Yes, that's not cool.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
And it's like it's not just physical.
It is physical but it's verymental for me, like I get very
depressed, I get very anxious, Ilike am irritable, which I
think is a normal mood symptombut for me it's like I have no
motivation, like I don't and out.
I have no motivation, like Idon't want to get out of bed, I
don't want to do anythingbecause you have a family and
(12:36):
you have a job, I don't want toleave the house.
So that means that, like if it'sa day that I have sage by
myself, like we're just yeah,and I don't want to subject her
to that.
So or I'm like overthinking tothe point where I have insomnia,
I can't sleep, or I'm waking upout of my sleep and I'm up for
hours, um and yeah, just feelingthings very heavily, and then I
(13:02):
will come out of it and be like, oh, this is what like normal
baseline is for me, and I wouldhave like a few days of feeling
great and then it would juststart over again.
So I messaged her like, basedoff my last few cycles, this is
what's going on.
She's like it sounds like youhave PMDD.
So she I haven't met with herbecause since then she's left
(13:23):
and I've started with a newgynecologist, but I have just
been I so sad.
But I'm glad that she at leastgave me like permission to use
that language, because it'snever come up before.
It's just always been like oh,you just have like really shitty
periods, right, but I don'tthink that's normal.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
I did hear that your periods aren't supposed to be as
bad as a lot of women have them.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Well, and I, yeah, so mine also changed after having
sage and since coming off thepill.
It's a lot less intensephysically, okay, but it's still
the emotional like yeah, butthis past cycle, when I tell you
like everything and like fromweek two until day two of my
(14:10):
period, so 16 days of likecramps, back pain, like randomly
crying oh, do you get like backcramps?
Speaker 1 (14:19):
yeah, because some people have talked about, I
don't get those, but I just mylow back has always.
Well, I don't want to look atissues anyway, but like when
it's around, that time it's likeextra firing.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Yeah, mine like pulsates, like I hold it and I
ask I've asked him multipletimes like is this my epidural
site?
Like it's, because it feelsvery localized at this one point
on my spine.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Yeah, um, like my hips hurt it's, yeah, so have
you tried hip openers with yogaduring that time?
Speaker 2 (14:50):
I have.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
It's not like a consistent practice but no, but
have you tried that like givesome relief, like during that
time?
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Yeah, I'll like.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
I'll just like stretch like that, or I'll lay
on my back and put my leg likein a four to like, but I think
for a lot of women, I think it'sjust the body, like your hips,
hold a lot of emotional feelingsand trauma.
Yeah, and I think it makessense for women because it's
like we carry the babies andit's like it's our hips in that
area.
(15:18):
So it's like it's obviously alot on our bodies, but I just
feel like your body doesn'tforget things.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
It just stores things .
I didn't have problems with myhips until I was pregnant.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
That's fascinating.
My back pain, just it actuallydidn't get worse.
It just didn't get bettereither, like it was still there,
yeah.
But it would give me more pain.
But I had a little bit of backpain towards the end with RJ but
and I carried them both verylow so I felt that would make
her back hurt more.
Them both very low, so I feltthat would make her back hurt
(15:53):
more.
It did not, but I just my lowback has always been my pain
point.
Yeah, yeah so wait, please tellthe listeners and me is there a
difference between pms and pmdd?
Speaker 2 (16:03):
pmdd is like a more severe form of pms, is like
they're both diagnoses, but Ifeel like maybe pms is more
common.
Pmdd is more intense and severeand it's also like the they
both, because they're both inthe dsm.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
They're both like mental, emotional things, but I
pmdd is the more like severeform of it so is there not a
cure, but like are there thingsthat people can do, like what
did you do?
And like what, what do you?
What does one do from therewhen they've been diagnosed with
that?
Speaker 2 (16:41):
tracking your cycle is always like the first thing
that I recommend, because itdoesn't catch you by surprise.
You can plan for it a littlebit more.
So now I'm at the point whereI'm able to communicate, like I
just did with my husband, liketomorrow's the last day of my
period, like I'm probably goingto be depressed and feel like
shit.
So I can pinpoint it, yeah.
(17:03):
And then in terms of relief,jesus, I was living on my
heating pad for the past liketwo weeks and the not the icy
hat, but like the heat patches,they have ones for back and
menstrual pain that you can putthe sticky side on your
(17:24):
underwear and it just like restson you the whole day.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Stop it, game changer .
Literally yeah, and then likelavender oil oh, like essential
oil yeah, yeah, and it's likeheavy on the self-care and just
comfort for me, for those coupleof weeks yeah she drinks, so
you might not like tea, soobviously don't drink but that
is like raspberry leaf tea Ididn't hear, so I did hear that
(17:50):
it's good, but also not to drinkthat when you're close to
giving birth because it couldlike send you into.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Yeah, because it gives, yeah, it makes, yeah, but
it's for menstrual cramps andit said like pregnancy support,
probably early.
But so, yeah, I went throughprobably a whole pack of that
last week and lemon ginger teabecause I get like my IBS flares
up, I get like stomach issues.
So the lemon ginger tea helpsmy stomach and honestly, I don't
(18:23):
really know like what else hashelped.
I think it helps just to likebe aware of it.
Is there medicine out there forthat, like tylenol, I don't know
, like I don't know what else.
That's the problem.
I have a lot of friends whohave like menstrual problems and
(18:47):
then they're going to thesepeople for like help and it's
trial and error.
A lot of it can be like diet.
For a while I was doing likeanti-inflammatory so.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
On the lively app, it gives the four phases of your
cycle and within each of thoseare three categories.
It's like health, do and eat.
So like based on where you are,what day you are in your cycle.
Um, you could like how manydays yours is, lines like the
and I say typical with a quotebecause everyone's different,
(19:21):
like nothing's typical, but mydays yeah, um, some women have
it 21, some women have it longer.
Like you relate this to yourbody and your cycle?
Yeah, um, and they have optionsin there, not just for 28, but
it accounts for women who haveall different number cycles, um,
so it like tells you what isbest to do during certain phases
(19:43):
and also breaks it down, evenlike the day.
So, yeah, you're in your firstday of like the ovulation cycle.
Yeah, like it might change whenyou're in like the second or
third day of that, to likechange what you're doing or
something.
Yeah, so it's like that helpstoo with me about like what to
eat that's what you just touchedon and like what to do.
(20:04):
So it's like, in different cases, like, oh, this is a great idea
to set big goals yeah, yeah,this is not the best phase for
you to be making big decisionsbecause you don't have energy,
or this is the best time for youto have like really hard
discussions.
This is the best time for youto retreat and take more rest
than you usually need to.
Yeah, and it even breaks itdown for like workouts too.
It's like this is the best weekto do HIIT.
(20:25):
This is the best week to doHIIT.
This is the best week to domore relaxing, like taking a
walk or like doing yoga or maybedoing nothing.
Yeah, and like the eating, thefood.
It's like eat this to make thebloating go away.
Or it's like, yeah, so I thinkthat helps too.
But it does have a button underthere.
I just haven't done it forlogging symptoms, but I think
(20:46):
this is huge for me just to evenhave downloaded it and like I
look at it every day.
Yeah, because I had literallyguys.
I before I had kids.
I knew that.
The the only thing I knew aboutthat is that you know you're
pregnant when you don't haveyour period.
Yeah, and I'm like, okay,that's like the most basic form
and that's for people who youpresumably don't have issues
with, like getting pregnant orwhatever, or your period at all,
(21:07):
yeah.
So I'm like, oh okay, great,let me just so.
Then I start tracking that whenwe are getting pregnant with my
first, with our first.
But then I remember you tellingme oh, it's not just your
menstrual, like a new menstrualand ovulation.
But I knew there was, I knowthe other two and I was just
like, wait, what I didn't know.
The cycle wasn't just yourperiod, it's like four freaking
phases yeah and I'm like I wasmind blown and I just learned
(21:30):
all of this, probably afterharrison and more recently.
I'm like they don't teach youthis shit in school and they
should they definitely don'tbreak it down like to that level
like you know, sperm and egg,they come together if basic,
that's the basic, and you have ababy but the problem is, I
think it's also because it's inlike a, it's like co-ed right.
(21:52):
So you're with true so you'realso learning about, like the
male, reproductive, and it'smore like preventative at that
point that's a good point, but Ithink also there should be more
talk about this, like in thegynecologist's office, because
it's like obviously they knowwhat the cycles and phases are
because they bring babies intothe world.
And also I think if you'rehaving issues conceiving, like
obviously you'll be talking moreabout that with your doctor,
(22:14):
like if you're doing ivf or umthat stuff.
So it's just like that comes upmore in those conversations
specifically yeah but I think itshould be not just situational.
It should be like a normalbaseline talking this is what
happens to your body during thistime.
We talked about this oneepisode with Jamie, like two
(22:34):
episodes ago, our nutritionistfriend Jamie.
Yeah, we talked, we touched onhormones and she was learning a
lot about her body and like allthat stuff too.
But this has everything to dowith hormones, yes, and they
don't teach that, at least inhealth.
When I was, we went to the sameschool, but obviously not the
same like um year.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
They didn't bring it up in health, in health class
hormones I think that for me,I'm learning like I'm especially
sensitive to the hormone shiftokay, yeah, and this is huge too
, if you've ever been pregnant,because yeah that's like a
hormone scramble of things well,and I think that they say it
takes like 18 months for likeyour body to, but it's also like
(23:18):
for your hormones to regulateand I truly felt like the
postpartum depression andanxiety up until that point when
I think things just likeregulated and then try doing
that, and then I heard it wasthree years.
I mean, I've seen maybe 18months to 36 months for me
(23:38):
personally, I felt a little bitbetter last June, which was 19
months.
I felt good for that summer andthen it went back to shit from
October to March.
So I would say I would say giveit 24 months yeah, I've seen
that's the thing.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Well, I think that's like the the middle of it too.
But it's also just like RJ was.
He was a month away from beingfree when Harrison was born,
like I was I don't say feelingmyself again, but it's like he
was like what, like just overtwo when I got pregnant with
harrison yeah so that it waslike, okay, I just maybe started
(24:17):
seeing a little slimmer ofmyself and I'm like here, here
we go again.
Yeah, not in a bad way,obviously, because I want it.
The second no, it was planned,or whatever yeah, but it's still
just all of the stuff thatcomes with it, yeah and luckily,
as you call, the self-sequentchildren yourself so like
pregnancies and stuff, like youkind of know what to expect,
yeah, but I'm like just havingthe thought of having to go
(24:40):
through it again, like just Iwas just not excited about it,
like the hormone aspect of it,like the pregnancy was both were
fine, but it's just like thecalming down after the birth
night, the hormones and just allof that was like I'm not doing
this again.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
Yeah, definitely I'm also finding.
Yeah, I think that I feel worsewhen I'm on the pill slash
hormonal birth control, otherthan that week of you getting
your body detox and, becauseit's the worst when I'm on the
pill, slash hormonal birthcontrol.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
I've heard that so many times off the pill, other
than that week of you gettingyour body detoxing because it's
the worst week of your freakinglife.
Yeah, you're starting to comeoff of a drug and you
essentially are.
Other than that, I feel greatoff the pill.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
I never want to go back on it.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
I've heard of, so many times I've already had that
conversation.
I don't know what this lookslike for us, but I love that I
just, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (25:32):
I say this now, but yeah, that's how I feel right
now to also track your cycle.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
But also I've also seen that, like when you're on
the pill, like the track in thecycle, like not saying you don't
need to be in this, that youcan't be in those conversations,
but I feel like the trackingaspect is for women who aren't
on the pill.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
I still tracked when I was on it.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
I'm still tracking because I'm on the pill but I'm
like.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
This still relates to me no, I feel like tracking
when you're not on it is more solike if you're trying to get or
avoid getting pregnant.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
Yes, but I think it also obviously when you're not
on the pill like you don't haveany extra things in you.
When you are on the pill, yeah,the pill like manipulates your
system obviously.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
Apparently, it's not like a real period.
Yes, and you're, because you'renot actually ovulating.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
Right.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
So I don't know what it is, I know, right it's
something, and that's you.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
but you have always struggled with stuff on the pill
.
So, yeah, the pill didn't nevergave me the side effects that
it gave you.
Obviously this was from people,but I was on one brand for like
years and then it started likemessing with my system and then
they just like took it off themarket because I guess they
found it was horrible.
Yeah, and I'm on like I've hadto do trial and error but not as
much as you with the pills.
I know a lot of women strugglewith that.
(26:49):
Yeah, but I've been lucky inthe sense where, like all, I've
only had to try like a pill likeonce other than when I was
doing it I finally had to giveit up and be like I can't do
this Like every four, fourmonths thing.
Yeah, I was loving it,obviously, but it was giving me
(27:16):
more issues than it should havebeen, so I finally had to go
back to doing it every month andgetting back on that pill but
it wasn't the brand, it was justlike the, the mechanics of it.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
I for me, I would feel great and like the two
months in between, but then itwas like everything was saved up
and then I would feel terriblearound my period.
But I preferred it because Igot my period less often.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
Yes, I love that too.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
I had to go off of it , though, because, again, I'm
sensitive to hormones.
I was getting migraines, andwhen you get migraines and you
take estrogen, you're at riskfor stroke, so I went for a
doctor's appointment.
She was like you need toimmediately get off.
Like, why are you on anestrogen birth control pill?
Speaker 1 (27:53):
I also heard that because this is like people who
are sensitive to like hormonestuff and side effects, blood
clots too yeah so obviously it'snot good.
Um, there's also some pillsthat like less estrogen than
other, like you know.
There's a bunch of things youcan do mine's progesterone only
when I'm on it oh, okay, I canonly do.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
I guess it's the mini pill maybe, and then some women
.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
It's different methods, obviously yeah some
women are on nothing.
And again, whatever works foryou, some women do the shot.
I don't know if that's stillpeople still do that yeah, is
there a patch I think so andsome women do the NuvaRing.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
And the IUD.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
Yeah, that's not my thing.
That freaks me out and it'sthinking about it makes me
queasy.
But that works for some women,because one of them, I think,
the IUD what's it called?
Speaker 2 (28:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
The IUD is something else.
Huh, the IUD is something else.
Huh, the ied is something else.
Iud, yeah, but one of them islike what you something using
war?
Oh, I don't know what, anywaythe new bering that's under that
category.
Sometimes I've heard that youcan keep it on for like seven
years and then they have to puta, take it out and put a new one
in yeah but within that periodyou don't get your period,
(29:08):
obviously because you having anend stops your period but also
stops you from getting pregnant.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
Which would be crazy to not get your period for seven
years.
That'd be fucking awesome.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
Oh gosh.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
But I'm sure it comes with side effects, obviously.
But women I've heard that areon it like love it and it works
for them.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
There's also different kinds of than that,
too, where it's like some aremade from different things and
different materials that affectpeople differently.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
The copper IUD is non-hormonal.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
Okay, yes.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Because that's been recommended to me, because my
body just doesn't like hormonesor like synthetic hormones.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
Oh, okay, yes, yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:47):
But it's also like even just the way that my body
responds to it being off.
I feel like more myselfmentally, but also physically,
like I would just retain a lotof water and get super bloated
and just feel like uncomfortable.
So since being, it's been likesix months now since I've been
off it and I actually feel likemy body is at a place where it
(30:11):
feels like it's natural, kind oflike where it's comfort,
comfortable at and I don't knowdifferently.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
Was that all bloat?
Yeah, oh my gosh as far as Iknow.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
That's crazy because it's all been since I got off
the pill in january.
That is wild.
I'm not doing anythingdifferent no, that's wild.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
That's wild that like hormones affect people, like
synthetic hormones for peoplelike that sometimes yeah that is
wow so I would definitelyrecommend.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
If your doctor doesn't bring it up herself, I
would at least just ask like,what do you think about pmdd?
Yeah, because you already have.
Like the first thing that mygyno recommended was medicine
which I I'm all for, but Ipersonally didn't want to go
down that road again.
Like antidepressants, oh okay,but when I was taking meds, my
(31:05):
psychiatrist at the time wouldhave me increase my dose around
that time.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Yeah, but Did that fluctuation mess with you?
Speaker 2 (31:14):
like throughout mean the time you're on the medicine,
because the weeks that youweren't feeling that way you
would obviously go back to yournormal dose yeah, I mean, it
wasn't like a drastic change, itwas maybe from like 10 to 15,
just an example, um, and itwould be like the week before to
kind of like cushion me, I usedto have to do that with iron
tablets.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
Yeah, and then I would just keep forgetting to do
it, like, oh, take it the aperiod, okay, great, but like I
would forget to do that.
So now I just take them everyday.
Yeah, just add to my supplement, line out, but because that
would also affect it too.
Like I'm anemic.
So it's like obviously you loseiron when you bleed because
there's iron in your blood, butwhen you're anemic you're more
susceptible to losing more ironbecause you already have a like
(31:55):
a low level of it anyway.
Yeah, so it makes me feel evenmore like I can't just like like
I admit that people think I'mgonna be a little bit blocked
today.
I can't just randomly do thatyeah so like, if I want to, I
have to like probably check likemy iron levels and like I've
been taking iron tablets likelong enough where I probably
could, but it's gonna want tochance it because it's like
obviously I would probably passout or like not feel great, yeah
(32:18):
, but obviously when I have toget blood drawn for like medical
stuff, like I'm fine, but it'salso like scheduled and like I'm
at the doctor, not the redcross.
So I'm not being saying shelearns this stuff in health
class or in school, but if not,like she'll have us, but like
there's just so many things thatthey don't teach women that we
have to learn later in life andyou're like, wow, that all makes
(32:39):
sense.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
And it's very disturbing to me.
I know we all do the best withwhat we have, but I'm just like
if we would have known half thestuff we're learning now when we
were younger, so many thingswould have been different.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:54):
And it's just like it can be preventable, like just
feeling certain ways aboutyourself.
It's like, yeah, not fall.
Yeah, if I know they have adhd.
It's like you're not lazy, youjust don't have.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Like there's nothing wrong with you, you're not lazy,
just your brain functionsdifferently, like you don't have
brain functions, yet becauseyou, you don't know yet it
definitely makes a difference toknow, because I said to mommy
when I first found out I waslike you probably had this too,
but that just like there was nolanguage for it then, because
(33:28):
just the way that she woulddescribe like how awful, yeah,
her period was and like it'sprobably the same thing it's
just oh, it's just sofrustrating.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
It makes me sad because it's just like or if
somebody finds out they havelike a mental illness, it's like
fine, it's like not even likesad, but it's like relief, like
oh, that makes sense, like thankyou, there's like a name on it
yeah but it's like you weren't.
There's nothing wrong with you,just didn't know how your that
your brain worked A certain way.
(33:57):
Okay, I'm off my rant.
That, just that just makes memad.
Speaker 2 (34:04):
No, that's fair.
I'm just looking because Irealized that I said that
they're both in the DSM, but Ithink that only PMDT is.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
Oh, okay, but yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
so, ladies, talk to your doctor, like as sherry was
saying, and if the doctordoesn't bring it up, then feel
free to bring it up somethingthat I have also been finding
and learning is that, um, peoplewith neurodivergent people, or
people with neurodivergentbrains, are also like more
(34:42):
likely to have PMDD Interesting,like it says, especially ADHD
and autism.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
Interesting why.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
I don't know if it's like the.
I don't know if it's the, whatam I trying to say?
Like the sensitivity to things,like the sensation side of
things.
And then I think, becauseemotion, emotional regulation,
like cognitive things arealready not a challenge, but
(35:11):
like those are already kind ofbarriers that come with it and
it affects all of that.
But it's crazy.
It says like 92% of women withit and it affects all of that.
But it's crazy.
It says like 92 percent ofautistic women with autism and
46 percent of women with adhdalso have pmdd insane.
And then pmdd brings depressionand anxiety, like just what a
(35:32):
wild life to live as a woman.
Speaker 1 (35:34):
Yeah, let me know, because we are women um wild
yeah but, yes, please share yourstories with us.
Obviously, if you feelcomfortable doing that, you can
email us, dm us to let you knowthat you feel seen, because
that's one of the main reasonswhy we love doing this podcast
(35:56):
is to let to make other peoplenot make them, but like to know
that we see them yeah, and don'tbe afraid to up the self-care
during your luteal phasewhatever that looks like for you
, whether it's like more reading, more baths, like more walks,
more things of the things thatyou usually do, but to like, I
mean bring an extra trap torefer you to that or something
(36:17):
like that, or burning a candlewhile you're reading instead of
a book like I don't know, likesomething, anything yeah
that makes you feel better?
Yeah, because you are all youhave and you need to take care
of yourself.
I mean, that's we both do.
Yes, we need to love inourselves, especially during the
harder times, especially as aswomen, because again, the
(36:39):
hormonal shifts until you showyourself grace.
That's not your fault actually.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
Yeah, it's, eve's.
Speaker 1 (36:47):
I was literally just going to say that.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (36:50):
Thanks, Evie and the pomegranate.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
I love that you are being that like specific about
it it well, it wasn't an apple I.
I knew you were gonna say that,so it wasn't.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
I know I just don't grow in the desert.
Okay, do they?
I don't know, I don't growapples.
It surely wasn't a granny smithapple she ate I'm just saying
it was literally in the barrendesert that was very you what it
traps.
All right, guys, we're signingoff here.
We have more things to do.
We'd be very intentional withthe time, because we don't get
(37:22):
this kid for time off them yesall right guys no-transcript.
Speaker 2 (46:35):
This was another episode of Turn the Page Podcast
.
Thanks for hanging out.
Speaker 1 (46:40):
Don't forget to like, listen and subscribe, and also
don't forget to leave a review,please, and let us know what you
thought about today's episodeand all the other episodes.
Thanks, guys, Talk to you soon.
Bye.
Welcome to Turn the.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Page Podcast Sisters, best friends and brunch
enthusiasts.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
With relatable episodes that feel like you're
chatting with two of yourclosest friends or sisters.
Join us as we turn the page todifferent topics about losing
yourself in motherhood,adulthood, anyhood.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
And finding yourself again through meaningful
friendships, shameless piles ofunread library books and endless
amazon package deliveries realhonest and a little bit chaotic.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
We talk about it all, so grab your favorite drink,
put the kids to bed, lace upyour sneaks or whatever you need
to do, and join us.
We can't wait to connect withyou.
Hi guys, welcome to Turn thePage Podcast.
This is co-host Tamara.
I feel like I'm on like anighttime radio show.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Why are you whispering?
Speaker 1 (00:56):
I don't know, that's uncommon for me to do so.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
It's giving Chloe after dark.
Do you remember that?
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Yes, they were recording in the bathtub, her
and Scott.
Yeah, in a life jacket.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
When she had her radio show in Miami.
Yes, with what's-his-face?
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Terrence the black guy yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
This is your other co-host, Cherie.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Hey guys, we're back, Coming to you live from
Tawana's kitchen table Mm-hmm,from Tawana's kitchen table.
On a lovely summer Friday, Ihad the curtains open but
there's these nasty bugs thatare hanging out on the screen
and they're really gross to lookat, so I had to close the
curtains.
Yeah, yeah, we're back.
We're here.
We're about to go to the poollater it's a sister, kim Frieda,
(01:40):
because I'm going to eat thatand we are talking about pms
today, guys.
So if you are a person with auterus, you will understand,
yeah.
If you don't, then we can catchyou in the next episode, yeah.
Or if you no longer have auterus than you used to, maybe
you sympathize and used to havethese symptoms.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
I was just gonna say yeah, that, yeah but we're gonna
dive into this or that umsummer edition.
Please ice cream or popsiclesice cream same oh, you hesitate
it why?
Speaker 1 (02:19):
I don't know you can go, pop, step over down
sometimes but branch of summercamp on the blacktop.
The freezy pops, yeah um oceanor pool oh, I love a pool day,
but I love the smell and soundof the ocean yeah, I'm gonna
pick ocean too I didn't sayocean, I said well, you really
(02:41):
didn't give an answer right.
So I'm gonna say pool.
I'm gonna say say pool.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
I'm going to say ocean, a pool at the ocean, yeah
.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Like in Myrtle Beach, remember.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Oh yeah, that was cool.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Sandals or barefoot Sandals, One thousand percent.
I know barefoot keeps yougrounded, but that's just not my
thing.
And touching the ground likethe earth.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yeah, I guess it depends, because I'm still
thinking about the ocean, solike oh, do you mean like in my
house, I'm barefoot.
I get out, I don't know, Iguess sandals for like outside,
but like at the beach, barefoot.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Oh, at the beach barefoot, isn't it just long
barefoot at the beach?
I don't know, maybe okay, cool,and then sundress, or shorts
sundress, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
I've been on a shorts kick lately you have been.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
You look nice, but I love me a dress, I think easy.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Just I'm gonna throw this last one out there.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Summer reading list, or summer playlist I'm gonna
have to do playlists, but Ilisten to my songs all year
round yeah, but do you have likea some a playlist specific for
summer?
Nope I mean, certain songsremind me of summer when it's
not summer and I listen to it.
Yeah, but nope, I have a lot ofthe same songs on repeat now in
(04:04):
summer and in fall and inwinter, and I don't have a
separate reading list for summer, so I would say um the playlist
, because I'm a vibes girly youare, you are all right y'all.
We are talking about, like Isaid, pms, um.
So if anyone has ever beenpregnant that's listening and
(04:28):
has birthed these lovely beingsthat came up, that you were
inside, that grew inside of you,um, they come with it a lot of
changes.
They leave you or a lot ofchanges they give you.
Um.
So before kids, just a littlebackstory.
I've been on the pill since Iwas 16 I don't care if it's
tamar, I don't want freakingfamous then pill since I was 16
(04:50):
and that was to help regulate myhorrible cramps and period.
We have a history of having badperiods in our family, like
really, really bad cramps to thepoint where, like, you have to
stay home because it hurts a badthing.
So I got on the pill toregulate that and it helped.
It went from seven days to five, but that took a couple of
years to do that.
Still had really bad cramps.
I lived on like a leave ofTylenol but eventually my body
(05:12):
got used to it and stoppedworking.
Then I stopped my stomach bytaking ibuprofen all the time.
I essentially gave myself likeI stripped my one inch your
inflamed stomach lining.
But it's inflamed.
That essentially, is like nolonger there.
But whatever, my doll neverworked for me.
Pampering never worked for me.
(05:32):
Like bulldozer cramps, yeah, um, and I'm pretty sure I was like
, oh, this is what contractionsfeel like and that's why I was
prepared for the contractionswhen I had them with the boys,
because I already had horriblecramps growing up.
So fast forward I have two kids, got off the plane to have them
.
(05:54):
They did say that your periodchanges post-children and it did
so.
If you've never had kids, youknow after your birth you bleed.
It's not your period yet, it'syour body getting rid of
everything that our woman needsnow that your baby is on the
other side of your belly.
And then you get your periodright after, um, and then you
don't always get.
If you're on the pill, youdon't always get back on.
(06:15):
You might want to like, stayoff for a bit.
I got back on right away becausealso, they said that that's
like another fertile time for awoman, like right after birth,
just because things arehappening, yeah, and for you to
be careful, yeah, um, if youdon't want to get pregnant again
right away, um, so that I gotback on it and then got back off
it to have our second and myperiod did change.
(06:39):
So when I wasn't on it, itstarted being late when, like we
weren't pregnant, it was justlate.
Um, it had shortened to likethree days.
I used to get it on like atuesday or wednesday.
I now get it on a friday.
Interesting, which is so odd.
Yeah, um, I've been tracking itmore intently now, obviously
because I'm older, like I'munderstanding certain things,
(07:01):
but I used to never track itwhen I was younger, so I didn't
understand it.
Yeah, um, but I used to have towear like two pads plus a
tampon.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Now.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
I can just wear a tampon.
It's definitely changed.
Since kids.
I don't really have crampsduring my period.
But let me tell you the pastcouple of months this has been
new to me.
I get PMS symptoms the week ofmy period and apparently this
month I get it the week beforemy period.
It's two weeks now, and when Imean symptoms, I mean I am like
(07:31):
deeply depressed.
My low, my low back has alwayshurt when I was getting buried,
for like that's always been asymptom for me yeah so I always
knew it was coming and cravingsalty foods, but it's more so.
My low back is screaming, mygroin like my.
Everything below my abdomen islike screaming.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Very hormonal.
I can literally feel everyfeeling and emotion in the world
.
Now I know what they are.
Before I did it, but I alsodidn't.
Maybe I dealt with before butdidn't know.
But it's like I don't know ifthis has happened to you guys,
but see my lady doctor next weekto talk about this because it's
gotten worse.
This month, like I said, usuallystarts on that sunday, before
(08:12):
it started like the wednesday,and that was like I still on my
period till next week, nextfriday, probably for like three
days.
Yeah, my symptoms go away theday I get my period my pbs
symptoms and period.
It's like I still feel bloated,like the normal stuff, don't
get cramps anymore, and it'slike three days and I'm still on
(08:33):
the pill and I'm like I don'tknow if it's because I'm getting
older, like I'm almost 40, well, I'll be 40 next year.
But if I'm just finallyunderstanding hormones in my
body now but they don't teachyou this in school, yeah, at all
, and I think they should.
But I know I'm going to givethem back over to Sherry because
she has dealt with it.
So if you tell your story maybesome people will relate, but
(08:57):
I'm definitely.
I know you've been to thedoctor and, like you, know
what's going on, but I have nottalked to my doctor about this
yet, so I'm interested to seewhat's going on do you have?
Speaker 2 (09:05):
I know you use lively , but do you have any app where
you track, like, your symptoms?
Speaker 1 (09:10):
so you can track your symptoms on lively.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
I just don't I feel like you should, because she
might ask you yeah, well, I can,I can tell you.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
I track it to the point where I know that last
month I didn't experience thesymptoms the week before like I
have now.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Because so I that's the one thing I don't love about
.
I know you can go as needed,but it's like an annual
appointment unless you'repregnant or have medical, other
medical, like female medicalissues female medical issues.
(09:55):
Yeah, so I saw my doctor injanuary of last year and um
january, yeah, because that wasthe six weeks from when I had
sage.
So january is like my newannual time okay, mine's in july
.
Mine used to be july.
And then what makes sense,since sage it's from harrison?
Speaker 1 (10:05):
yeah oh yeah, because archie would have been like
september yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
So last january I saw her and then last june I
messaged her because I had beentracking.
I mean, I, I've been trackingmy cycles since, like literally
2018 and the same app like youcan go back and look like,
because it's always given metrouble, to the point where I
(10:32):
was diagnosed as bipolar becauseof how frequent my shifts were
yeah, stop it yeah, so this hasbeen going on since I was in
high school.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Stop it.
I did Like I knew you weremisdiagnosed.
I didn't know it was actuallybecause of your the PMS.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Yeah, but it's also like this old white man
diagnosed me as bipolar when Iwas like 15, which now I know is
like Also, guys sorry sidepoint If you're a woman, which
most women we have?
Women listeners, if you canfind yourself a woman
gynecologist.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Yeah, I mean, I don't have any care but I care
because they know the woman'sbody I don't have experience
with male gyno so I can't sayyeah.
But yeah, just comfort wise andlike relatability, yes, and not
just from like reading it intoit in a textbook like but he
wasn't a guy in a college, hewas a psychiatrist that was,
(11:27):
that was just a sidebar for me.
Yeah, like if I had a man guy,well, just like he like.
Oh yeah, you're experiencingthis, like I just read it in the
book.
No, no, I need you to be livingin a woman's body yeah, and
understand I, I mean, yeah, Imean, yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
So I like I messaged her because I at that point I
had had a few months of symptomsthe week before, like the whole
week before my period, thewhole week of my period and like
a few days after.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
That's like two and a half weeks out of the month,
like that sounds awful.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Yeah, I messaged her literally.
I was like I think it was maybelike 21 days I was having
symptoms and I had like nine orten days of feeling normal.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Yes, that's not cool.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
And it's like it's not just physical.
It is physical but it's verymental for me, like I get very
depressed, I get very anxious, Ilike am irritable, which I
think is a normal mood symptombut for me it's like I have no
motivation, like I don't and out.
I have no motivation, like Idon't want to get out of bed, I
don't want to do anythingbecause you have a family and
(12:36):
you have a job, I don't want toleave the house.
So that means that, like if it'sa day that I have sage by
myself, like we're just yeah,and I don't want to subject her
to that.
So or I'm like overthinking tothe point where I have insomnia,
I can't sleep, or I'm waking upout of my sleep and I'm up for
hours, um and yeah, just feelingthings very heavily, and then I
(13:02):
will come out of it and be like, oh, this is what like normal
baseline is for me, and I wouldhave like a few days of feeling
great and then it would juststart over again.
So I messaged her like, basedoff my last few cycles, this is
what's going on.
She's like it sounds like youhave PMDD.
So she I haven't met with herbecause since then she's left
(13:23):
and I've started with a newgynecologist, but I have just
been I so sad.
But I'm glad that she at leastgave me like permission to use
that language, because it'snever come up before.
It's just always been like oh,you just have like really shitty
periods, right, but I don'tthink that's normal.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
I did hear that your periods aren't supposed to be as
bad as a lot of women have them.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Well, and I, yeah, so mine also changed after having
sage and since coming off thepill.
It's a lot less intensephysically, okay, but it's still
the emotional like yeah, butthis past cycle, when I tell you
like everything and like fromweek two until day two of my
(14:10):
period, so 16 days of likecramps, back pain, like randomly
crying oh, do you get like backcramps?
Speaker 1 (14:19):
yeah, because some people have talked about, I
don't get those, but I just mylow back has always.
Well, I don't want to look atissues anyway, but like when
it's around, that time it's likeextra firing.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Yeah, mine like pulsates, like I hold it and I
ask I've asked him multipletimes like is this my epidural
site?
Like it's, because it feelsvery localized at this one point
on my spine.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Yeah, um, like my hips hurt it's, yeah, so have
you tried hip openers with yogaduring that time?
Speaker 2 (14:50):
I have.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
It's not like a consistent practice but no, but
have you tried that like givesome relief, like during that
time?
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Yeah, I'll like.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
I'll just like stretch like that, or I'll lay
on my back and put my leg likein a four to like, but I think
for a lot of women, I think it'sjust the body, like your hips,
hold a lot of emotional feelingsand trauma.
Yeah, and I think it makessense for women because it's
like we carry the babies andit's like it's our hips in that
area.
(15:18):
So it's like it's obviously alot on our bodies, but I just
feel like your body doesn'tforget things.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
It just stores things .
I didn't have problems with myhips until I was pregnant.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
That's fascinating.
My back pain, just it actuallydidn't get worse.
It just didn't get bettereither, like it was still there,
yeah.
But it would give me more pain.
But I had a little bit of backpain towards the end with RJ but
and I carried them both verylow so I felt that would make
her back hurt more.
Them both very low, so I feltthat would make her back hurt
(15:53):
more.
It did not, but I just my lowback has always been my pain
point.
Yeah, yeah so wait, please tellthe listeners and me is there a
difference between pms and pmdd?
Speaker 2 (16:03):
pmdd is like a more severe form of pms, is like
they're both diagnoses, but Ifeel like maybe pms is more
common.
Pmdd is more intense and severeand it's also like the they
both, because they're both inthe dsm.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
They're both like mental, emotional things, but I
pmdd is the more like severeform of it so is there not a
cure, but like are there thingsthat people can do, like what
did you do?
And like what, what do you?
What does one do from therewhen they've been diagnosed with
that?
Speaker 2 (16:41):
tracking your cycle is always like the first thing
that I recommend, because itdoesn't catch you by surprise.
You can plan for it a littlebit more.
So now I'm at the point whereI'm able to communicate, like I
just did with my husband, liketomorrow's the last day of my
period, like I'm probably goingto be depressed and feel like
shit.
So I can pinpoint it, yeah.
(17:03):
And then in terms of relief,jesus, I was living on my
heating pad for the past liketwo weeks and the not the icy
hat, but like the heat patches,they have ones for back and
menstrual pain that you can putthe sticky side on your
(17:24):
underwear and it just like restson you the whole day.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Stop it, game changer .
Literally yeah, and then likelavender oil oh, like essential
oil yeah, yeah, and it's likeheavy on the self-care and just
comfort for me, for those coupleof weeks yeah she drinks, so
you might not like tea, soobviously don't drink but that
is like raspberry leaf tea Ididn't hear, so I did hear that
(17:50):
it's good, but also not to drinkthat when you're close to
giving birth because it couldlike send you into.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Yeah, because it gives, yeah, it makes, yeah, but
it's for menstrual cramps andit said like pregnancy support,
probably early.
But so, yeah, I went throughprobably a whole pack of that
last week and lemon ginger teabecause I get like my IBS flares
up, I get like stomach issues.
So the lemon ginger tea helpsmy stomach and honestly, I don't
(18:23):
really know like what else hashelped.
I think it helps just to likebe aware of it.
Is there medicine out there forthat, like tylenol, I don't know
, like I don't know what else.
That's the problem.
I have a lot of friends whohave like menstrual problems and
(18:47):
then they're going to thesepeople for like help and it's
trial and error.
A lot of it can be like diet.
For a while I was doing likeanti-inflammatory so.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
On the lively app, it gives the four phases of your
cycle and within each of thoseare three categories.
It's like health, do and eat.
So like based on where you are,what day you are in your cycle.
Um, you could like how manydays yours is, lines like the
and I say typical with a quotebecause everyone's different,
(19:21):
like nothing's typical, but mydays yeah, um, some women have
it 21, some women have it longer.
Like you relate this to yourbody and your cycle?
Yeah, um, and they have optionsin there, not just for 28, but
it accounts for women who haveall different number cycles, um,
so it like tells you what isbest to do during certain phases
(19:43):
and also breaks it down, evenlike the day.
So, yeah, you're in your firstday of like the ovulation cycle.
Yeah, like it might change whenyou're in like the second or
third day of that, to likechange what you're doing or
something.
Yeah, so it's like that helpstoo with me about like what to
eat that's what you just touchedon and like what to do.
(20:04):
So it's like, in different cases, like, oh, this is a great idea
to set big goals yeah, yeah,this is not the best phase for
you to be making big decisionsbecause you don't have energy,
or this is the best time for youto have like really hard
discussions.
This is the best time for youto retreat and take more rest
than you usually need to.
Yeah, and it even breaks itdown for like workouts too.
It's like this is the best weekto do HIIT.
(20:25):
This is the best week to doHIIT.
This is the best week to domore relaxing, like taking a
walk or like doing yoga or maybedoing nothing.
Yeah, and like the eating, thefood.
It's like eat this to make thebloating go away.
Or it's like, yeah, so I thinkthat helps too.
But it does have a button underthere.
I just haven't done it forlogging symptoms, but I think
(20:46):
this is huge for me just to evenhave downloaded it and like I
look at it every day.
Yeah, because I had literallyguys.
I before I had kids.
I knew that.
The the only thing I knew aboutthat is that you know you're
pregnant when you don't haveyour period.
Yeah, and I'm like, okay,that's like the most basic form
and that's for people who youpresumably don't have issues
with, like getting pregnant orwhatever, or your period at all,
(21:07):
yeah.
So I'm like, oh okay, great,let me just so.
Then I start tracking that whenwe are getting pregnant with my
first, with our first.
But then I remember you tellingme oh, it's not just your
menstrual, like a new menstrualand ovulation.
But I knew there was, I knowthe other two and I was just
like, wait, what I didn't know.
The cycle wasn't just yourperiod, it's like four freaking
phases yeah and I'm like I wasmind blown and I just learned
(21:30):
all of this, probably afterharrison and more recently.
I'm like they don't teach youthis shit in school and they
should they definitely don'tbreak it down like to that level
like you know, sperm and egg,they come together if basic,
that's the basic, and you have ababy but the problem is, I
think it's also because it's inlike a, it's like co-ed right.
(21:52):
So you're with true so you'realso learning about, like the
male, reproductive, and it'smore like preventative at that
point that's a good point, but Ithink also there should be more
talk about this, like in thegynecologist's office, because
it's like obviously they knowwhat the cycles and phases are
because they bring babies intothe world.
And also I think if you'rehaving issues conceiving, like
obviously you'll be talking moreabout that with your doctor,
(22:14):
like if you're doing ivf or umthat stuff.
So it's just like that comes upmore in those conversations
specifically yeah but I think itshould be not just situational.
It should be like a normalbaseline talking this is what
happens to your body during thistime.
We talked about this oneepisode with Jamie, like two
(22:34):
episodes ago, our nutritionistfriend Jamie.
Yeah, we talked, we touched onhormones and she was learning a
lot about her body and like allthat stuff too.
But this has everything to dowith hormones, yes, and they
don't teach that, at least inhealth.
When I was, we went to the sameschool, but obviously not the
same like um year.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
They didn't bring it up in health, in health class
hormones I think that for me,I'm learning like I'm especially
sensitive to the hormone shiftokay, yeah, and this is huge too
, if you've ever been pregnant,because yeah that's like a
hormone scramble of things well,and I think that they say it
takes like 18 months for likeyour body to, but it's also like
(23:18):
for your hormones to regulateand I truly felt like the
postpartum depression andanxiety up until that point when
I think things just likeregulated and then try doing
that, and then I heard it wasthree years.
I mean, I've seen maybe 18months to 36 months for me
(23:38):
personally, I felt a little bitbetter last June, which was 19
months.
I felt good for that summer andthen it went back to shit from
October to March.
So I would say I would say giveit 24 months yeah, I've seen
that's the thing.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Well, I think that's like the the middle of it too.
But it's also just like RJ was.
He was a month away from beingfree when Harrison was born,
like I was I don't say feelingmyself again, but it's like he
was like what, like just overtwo when I got pregnant with
harrison yeah so that it waslike, okay, I just maybe started
(24:17):
seeing a little slimmer ofmyself and I'm like here, here
we go again.
Yeah, not in a bad way,obviously, because I want it.
The second no, it was planned,or whatever yeah, but it's still
just all of the stuff thatcomes with it, yeah and luckily,
as you call, the self-sequentchildren yourself so like
pregnancies and stuff, like youkind of know what to expect,
yeah, but I'm like just havingthe thought of having to go
(24:40):
through it again, like just Iwas just not excited about it,
like the hormone aspect of it,like the pregnancy was both were
fine, but it's just like thecalming down after the birth
night, the hormones and just allof that was like I'm not doing
this again.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
Yeah, definitely I'm also finding.
Yeah, I think that I feel worsewhen I'm on the pill slash
hormonal birth control, otherthan that week of you getting
your body detox and, becauseit's the worst when I'm on the
pill, slash hormonal birthcontrol.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
I've heard that so many times off the pill, other
than that week of you gettingyour body detoxing because it's
the worst week of your freakinglife.
Yeah, you're starting to comeoff of a drug and you
essentially are.
Other than that, I feel greatoff the pill.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
I never want to go back on it.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
I've heard of, so many times I've already had that
conversation.
I don't know what this lookslike for us, but I love that I
just, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (25:32):
I say this now, but yeah, that's how I feel right
now to also track your cycle.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
But also I've also seen that, like when you're on
the pill, like the track in thecycle, like not saying you don't
need to be in this, that youcan't be in those conversations,
but I feel like the trackingaspect is for women who aren't
on the pill.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
I still tracked when I was on it.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
I'm still tracking because I'm on the pill but I'm
like.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
This still relates to me no, I feel like tracking
when you're not on it is more solike if you're trying to get or
avoid getting pregnant.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
Yes, but I think it also obviously when you're not
on the pill like you don't haveany extra things in you.
When you are on the pill, yeah,the pill like manipulates your
system obviously.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
Apparently, it's not like a real period.
Yes, and you're, because you'renot actually ovulating.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
Right.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
So I don't know what it is, I know, right it's
something, and that's you.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
but you have always struggled with stuff on the pill
.
So, yeah, the pill didn't nevergave me the side effects that
it gave you.
Obviously this was from people,but I was on one brand for like
years and then it started likemessing with my system and then
they just like took it off themarket because I guess they
found it was horrible.
Yeah, and I'm on like I've hadto do trial and error but not as
much as you with the pills.
I know a lot of women strugglewith that.
(26:49):
Yeah, but I've been lucky inthe sense where, like all, I've
only had to try like a pill likeonce other than when I was
doing it I finally had to giveit up and be like I can't do
this Like every four, fourmonths thing.
Yeah, I was loving it,obviously, but it was giving me
(27:16):
more issues than it should havebeen, so I finally had to go
back to doing it every month andgetting back on that pill but
it wasn't the brand, it was justlike the, the mechanics of it.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
I for me, I would feel great and like the two
months in between, but then itwas like everything was saved up
and then I would feel terriblearound my period.
But I preferred it because Igot my period less often.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
Yes, I love that too.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
I had to go off of it , though, because, again, I'm
sensitive to hormones.
I was getting migraines, andwhen you get migraines and you
take estrogen, you're at riskfor stroke, so I went for a
doctor's appointment.
She was like you need toimmediately get off.
Like, why are you on anestrogen birth control pill?
Speaker 1 (27:53):
I also heard that because this is like people who
are sensitive to like hormonestuff and side effects, blood
clots too yeah so obviously it'snot good.
Um, there's also some pillsthat like less estrogen than
other, like you know.
There's a bunch of things youcan do mine's progesterone only
when I'm on it oh, okay, I canonly do.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
I guess it's the mini pill maybe, and then some women
.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
It's different methods, obviously yeah some
women are on nothing.
And again, whatever works foryou, some women do the shot.
I don't know if that's stillpeople still do that yeah, is
there a patch I think so andsome women do the NuvaRing.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
And the IUD.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
Yeah, that's not my thing.
That freaks me out and it'sthinking about it makes me
queasy.
But that works for some women,because one of them, I think,
the IUD what's it called?
Speaker 2 (28:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
The IUD is something else.
Huh, the IUD is something else.
Huh, the ied is something else.
Iud, yeah, but one of them islike what you something using
war?
Oh, I don't know what, anywaythe new bering that's under that
category.
Sometimes I've heard that youcan keep it on for like seven
years and then they have to puta, take it out and put a new one
in yeah but within that periodyou don't get your period,
(29:08):
obviously because you having anend stops your period but also
stops you from getting pregnant.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
Which would be crazy to not get your period for seven
years.
That'd be fucking awesome.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
Oh gosh.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
But I'm sure it comes with side effects, obviously.
But women I've heard that areon it like love it and it works
for them.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
There's also different kinds of than that,
too, where it's like some aremade from different things and
different materials that affectpeople differently.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
The copper IUD is non-hormonal.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
Okay, yes.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Because that's been recommended to me, because my
body just doesn't like hormonesor like synthetic hormones.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
Oh, okay, yes, yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:47):
But it's also like even just the way that my body
responds to it being off.
I feel like more myselfmentally, but also physically,
like I would just retain a lotof water and get super bloated
and just feel like uncomfortable.
So since being, it's been likesix months now since I've been
off it and I actually feel likemy body is at a place where it
(30:11):
feels like it's natural, kind oflike where it's comfort,
comfortable at and I don't knowdifferently.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
Was that all bloat?
Yeah, oh my gosh as far as Iknow.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
That's crazy because it's all been since I got off
the pill in january.
That is wild.
I'm not doing anythingdifferent no, that's wild.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
That's wild that like hormones affect people, like
synthetic hormones for peoplelike that sometimes yeah that is
wow so I would definitelyrecommend.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
If your doctor doesn't bring it up herself, I
would at least just ask like,what do you think about pmdd?
Yeah, because you already have.
Like the first thing that mygyno recommended was medicine
which I I'm all for, but Ipersonally didn't want to go
down that road again.
Like antidepressants, oh okay,but when I was taking meds, my
(31:05):
psychiatrist at the time wouldhave me increase my dose around
that time.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Yeah, but Did that fluctuation mess with you?
Speaker 2 (31:14):
like throughout mean the time you're on the medicine,
because the weeks that youweren't feeling that way you
would obviously go back to yournormal dose yeah, I mean, it
wasn't like a drastic change, itwas maybe from like 10 to 15,
just an example, um, and itwould be like the week before to
kind of like cushion me, I usedto have to do that with iron
tablets.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
Yeah, and then I would just keep forgetting to do
it, like, oh, take it the aperiod, okay, great, but like I
would forget to do that.
So now I just take them everyday.
Yeah, just add to my supplement, line out, but because that
would also affect it too.
Like I'm anemic.
So it's like obviously you loseiron when you bleed because
there's iron in your blood, butwhen you're anemic you're more
susceptible to losing more ironbecause you already have a like
(31:55):
a low level of it anyway.
Yeah, so it makes me feel evenmore like I can't just like like
I admit that people think I'mgonna be a little bit blocked
today.
I can't just randomly do thatyeah so like, if I want to, I
have to like probably check likemy iron levels and like I've
been taking iron tablets likelong enough where I probably
could, but it's gonna want tochance it because it's like
obviously I would probably passout or like not feel great, yeah
(32:18):
, but obviously when I have toget blood drawn for like medical
stuff, like I'm fine, but it'salso like scheduled and like I'm
at the doctor, not the redcross.
So I'm not being saying shelearns this stuff in health
class or in school, but if not,like she'll have us, but like
there's just so many things thatthey don't teach women that we
have to learn later in life andyou're like, wow, that all makes
(32:39):
sense.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
And it's very disturbing to me.
I know we all do the best withwhat we have, but I'm just like
if we would have known half thestuff we're learning now when we
were younger, so many thingswould have been different.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:54):
And it's just like it can be preventable, like just
feeling certain ways aboutyourself.
It's like, yeah, not fall.
Yeah, if I know they have adhd.
It's like you're not lazy, youjust don't have.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Like there's nothing wrong with you, you're not lazy,
just your brain functionsdifferently, like you don't have
brain functions, yet becauseyou, you don't know yet it
definitely makes a difference toknow, because I said to mommy
when I first found out I waslike you probably had this too,
but that just like there was nolanguage for it then, because
(33:28):
just the way that she woulddescribe like how awful, yeah,
her period was and like it'sprobably the same thing it's
just oh, it's just sofrustrating.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
It makes me sad because it's just like or if
somebody finds out they havelike a mental illness, it's like
fine, it's like not even likesad, but it's like relief, like
oh, that makes sense, like thankyou, there's like a name on it
yeah but it's like you weren't.
There's nothing wrong with you,just didn't know how your that
your brain worked A certain way.
(33:57):
Okay, I'm off my rant.
That, just that just makes memad.
Speaker 2 (34:04):
No, that's fair.
I'm just looking because Irealized that I said that
they're both in the DSM, but Ithink that only PMDT is.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
Oh, okay, but yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
so, ladies, talk to your doctor, like as sherry was
saying, and if the doctordoesn't bring it up, then feel
free to bring it up somethingthat I have also been finding
and learning is that, um, peoplewith neurodivergent people, or
people with neurodivergentbrains, are also like more
(34:42):
likely to have PMDD Interesting,like it says, especially ADHD
and autism.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
Interesting why.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
I don't know if it's like the.
I don't know if it's the, whatam I trying to say?
Like the sensitivity to things,like the sensation side of
things.
And then I think, becauseemotion, emotional regulation,
like cognitive things arealready not a challenge, but
(35:11):
like those are already kind ofbarriers that come with it and
it affects all of that.
But it's crazy.
It says like 92% of women withit and it affects all of that.
But it's crazy.
It says like 92 percent ofautistic women with autism and
46 percent of women with adhdalso have pmdd insane.
And then pmdd brings depressionand anxiety, like just what a
(35:32):
wild life to live as a woman.
Speaker 1 (35:34):
Yeah, let me know, because we are women um wild
yeah but, yes, please share yourstories with us.
Obviously, if you feelcomfortable doing that, you can
email us, dm us to let you knowthat you feel seen, because
that's one of the main reasonswhy we love doing this podcast
(35:56):
is to let to make other peoplenot make them, but like to know
that we see them yeah, and don'tbe afraid to up the self-care
during your luteal phasewhatever that looks like for you
, whether it's like more reading, more baths, like more walks,
more things of the things thatyou usually do, but to like, I
mean bring an extra trap torefer you to that or something
(36:17):
like that, or burning a candlewhile you're reading instead of
a book like I don't know, likesomething, anything yeah
that makes you feel better?
Yeah, because you are all youhave and you need to take care
of yourself.
I mean, that's we both do.
Yes, we need to love inourselves, especially during the
harder times, especially as aswomen, because again, the
(36:39):
hormonal shifts until you showyourself grace.
That's not your fault actually.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
Yeah, it's, eve's.
Speaker 1 (36:47):
I was literally just going to say that.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (36:50):
Thanks, Evie and the pomegranate.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
I love that you are being that like specific about
it it well, it wasn't an apple I.
I knew you were gonna say that,so it wasn't.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
I know I just don't grow in the desert.
Okay, do they?
I don't know, I don't growapples.
It surely wasn't a granny smithapple she ate I'm just saying
it was literally in the barrendesert that was very you what it
traps.
All right, guys, we're signingoff here.
We have more things to do.
We'd be very intentional withthe time, because we don't get
(37:22):
this kid for time off them yesall right guys no-transcript.
Speaker 2 (46:35):
This was another episode of Turn the Page Podcast
.
Thanks for hanging out.
Speaker 1 (46:40):
Don't forget to like, listen and subscribe, and also
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