My periods come, on average, every 32 days.
Sometimes it’s 31, and sometimes it’s 34, but all in all – they fall within a day or two of that 32 day mark.
And they have for almost a year now.
I have regular periods.
Normal periods.
Yeah, they still aren’t a walk in the park, and I still typically plan on being extra lazy when Jack decides to pay a visit, but… they are normal.
And they have been for a year.
Something I couldn't say before, when I never knew exactly when to expect my period. It took 50 days one month, and 20 the next, with no rhyme or reason at all.
Now though, I know.
I know of course, because my handy-dandy period tracker tells me, but even without that – I would know because it’s something Dr. Naturopath has been predicting all along.
Waiting for the point in time when we could see what it was my body would do in its natural state.
It was maybe half a year ago when she explained to me the one month for every year theory.
According to her, it takes one month for every year a woman is on birth control (or any hormone treatments at all for that matter) for her body to bounce back to a truly “normal” state.
Obviously with teenagers, it's a different story. Their bodies are still just figuring it all out, and it could take years from their first period before things settle down into "normal". This process is, all on its own, the way things are supposed to progress. Even though so many are quick to want to put teenagers on birth control to "regulate" them, in theory - they should be doing that on their own with time.
But for grown women who have been on hormone treatments, the one month for every year is the time frame she says it takes once those treatments have stopped for things to settle down to a natural way of functioning.
Add a few extra months for any surgeries on the lady parts, and a few more for any big hormonal surges such as those that are used with IVF.
I’ve had 4 rounds of those hormones (between two egg donations and two of my own IVF cycles) and three surgeries.
And then you’ve got to remember that I was on the pill for 12 years before that.
So, it’s safe to assume it will take up to two years from my last IVF for my body to truly bounce back to "normal".
But here we are, a little over a year later, and my body really is acting pretty damn normal.
I think in the end, my average cycle may end up being closer to 30 days (as the gaps seem to be getting smaller), and I hope to continue the trend of uncomfortable but not unbearable. I’ve got to admit though, I like being regular. Even if I don’t love my period, I like knowing that it’s coming when it’s supposed to.
That my body is finally doing something right.
I started on the pill when I was 13 years old, because my first few periods were pretty heavy and excruciatingly painful. Looking back now, I think that was the first indication that something may have been wrong, but starting on the pill so soon is what kept the endo at bay until my mid twenties.
And for that, I am thankful.
Although, I do wonder what would have happened if we had looked at more natural options from the start. If maybe it never would have flared as bad as it did, if I had started treating with diet and supplements and acupuncture from the beginning instead.
Obviously, you can’t look back like that. The world is full of what-ifs. But now, it’s kind of nice to know that my body is capable of doing what it’s supposed to do all on its own.
I’m treating stage IV endometriosis naturally, and successfully. I’ve been doing so for almost a year now, and I’m still feeling good. Strong. Healthy.
And if the one month for every year theory stands true, I can only hope that the trend will continue over the next year, as my body learns to rely on itself. As my hormones continue to stabilize naturally.
It’s been work. Effort beyond what I think most people are prepared for when they decide they want to treat naturally. But it’s been worth it, because I’m healthy right now. Without the nasty side effects of so many of the drugs thrown at this disease.
I’m healthy in a way that I know surpasses the expectations of many of the medical practitioners I have. Those who were never exactly comfortable with the idea of me doing this naturally.
It's kind of amazing though, just realizing what the body is capable of when we give it the chance to do what it’s supposed to do.
Without bombarding it with drugs and chemicals meant to take over.
I still absolutely believe that western medicine has its place, and that there are times when drugs truly are the best option. Don’t get me wrong – I wouldn’t be the nut trying to treat cancer with fresh squeezed juices. I’m just saying, as a society we have become so reliant on pills. So convinced it’s the only way to treat… everything.
But that isn’t always the case.
And sometimes, all your body really needs to get back to normal is…
One month for every year.
ADSPACE
