If you've ever gone down the rabbit hole of hormone testing, you already know how confusing it gets fast. DUTCH test, blood work, Mira, saliva testing, cycle mapping... and nobody is telling you which one actually makes sense for your situation. So let me break it down the way I do with my patients, clearly, without the overwhelm, and with my actual clinical thinking behind it. Whether you're searching for hormone testing in Vancouver, across BC, or just trying to figure out
There are cycles all throughout nature. The moon, the tides, the seasons... It's not a surprise that menstruating women also experience the effects of these cycles. This post is meant to act as a general guide to help bring awareness to changes that some women may feel during their menstrual cycle. But first, let's start with understanding the days of our cycle. Day 1 of true menstruation (not just spotting, but the first day of your true bleed) is considered day 1 of your wh
What's the difference between a menstrual cycle vs a period? The period (or a bleed) can either be your natural period or a withdrawal bleed from the birth control pill. People taking the pill, don't have natural hormonal fluctuations found in a menstrual cycle because that process is suppressed with the synthetic hormones from the pill. But they do have a withdrawal bleed during the week of hormone withdrawal when those placebo pills are taken. On the other hand, the menstru
