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Now onto the show…

Oh. My. Gosh. I’ve found us an extraordinary practitioner – a woman who founded the first holistic health centre in Sydney in the mid 70s in Paddington who for decades has been building her expertise in the area of women’s health, fertility for couples and natural contraception. In this show, we discuss the pill and other modern contraception methods, the cons, the deficiencies or body imbalances they breed and how to successfully come off them. Then, Francesca takes us through how we can get to know our bodies’ rhythms and temperature variations, to have as successful a time preventing conception naturally as using any other main form of contraception – It’s a JAM PACKED episode for women’s reproductive health and empowerment, that’s all I’m going to say. A must listen. Francesca is also an expert in my  Preconception Ninja Course. In there she shares even more incredible insights alongside 10 other practitioners. Click the link to learn more.

Here’s a little snapshot of the juicy bits in today’s episode…

• There’s more people taking the pill nowadays than any other drug. However there are some serious side effects, the main one being the nutritional deficiencies and the many associated symptoms the pill can bring.  Vitamin A is very disrupted when someone is on the pill. It is important for teeth, gums, eyes, immunity, skin integrity, it’s also an important antioxidant. Folate, which is one of the B vitamins, Vitamin C and zinc are all incredibly affected by being on the pill. Iron and copper are more easily absorbed when you’re on the pill but they interfere with the absorption of zinc, which is vital to the functioning of the body. The pill can also bring about magnesium deficiency which  increases PMS symptoms.
• If conception happens soon after stopping the pill, there’s evidence of increased problems with pregnancy and baby malformation, which can be linked to nutritional deficiencies. Generally waiting for 6 months after stopping the pill enables to rebuild the nutrients stores and eliminate the side-effects of the pill in the system.
• Natural contraception can be used very easily while breastfeeding and it’s better to stay away from the mini-pill that is commonly prescribed at that time as it can have adverse hormonal effects on the baby.
• The sense of smell is changed while on the pill. Studies have shown that we would normally choose a partner that has a different smell to us because it enables our children to inherit a wider range of immune efficiencies. When we’re on the pill the sense of smell is disturbed and we tend to choose partners that have the same smell / same immune system. Once we get off the pill to conceive, and if we have chosen our partner when we were on the pill, it can impact conception / attraction to our partner and the immunity of our children.
• The pill has also been linked to reduced libido, depression and mood disorders as well as general increase in inflammation.
• Other methods of contraception that work in a similar way to the pill are implants which aren’t easily reversed, IUD and IUS. They prevent a fertilised egg to be implanting. These devices can bring excessive bleeding, painful periods and pelvic inflammatory disease. Copper IUDs impact on   zinc absorption and lead to lower immunity and increased inflammation.
• The use of condoms and diaphragms at fertile times of the months will generally bring no side-effects.
• One of the first thing to do once coming off any contraception method using hormones is to get back on a good nutritional program through a naturopath or holistic practitioner. Herbs work well for hormonal imbalances and for restoring good ovarian function and uterus health. They also help with liver detoxification and mucous membrane health.
• Natural contraception involves observing body signs. The first sign is cervical mucous: the mucous is produced as a result of the oestrogen peak that happens in the lead up to ovulation and helps sperm and egg to come together. The other sign is body at rest temperature: the body temperature raises when ovulation is over. Ovulation thermometers have a wider spacing on the degrees and are better taken under the tongue.
• Usually it takes 3 cycles of charting to get comfortable reading the signs and working with the natural contraceptive method. People with PCOS or irregularities may take longer to feel comfortable with this method.
• Studies on natural contraception have shown high success rates of 98%, similar to the results achieved with the pill. Natural contraception has absolutely no side effects, is totally reversible, lifelong and it’s also a great way to get to know your body better.

And here are a few extra important links:

Francesca has a few practitioners working with her who conduct Skype consultations.

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