Understand Your Cycle Podcast

What happens when training harder starts to cost you your menstrual cycle?In this episode, we explore the complex, and often overlooked, relationship between athletic performance, hormones, and menstrual health.In a culture that glorifies pushing through pain, ignoring fatigue, and constantly chasing the next goal, many athletes lose touch with one of their most important health signals: their cycle. From irregular or missing periods to low energy availability, bone density loss, and fertility concerns, the impact of sport on menstrual health is real — and too often normalised.We talk about the Female Athlete Triad, cycle syncing for athletes, and the delicate balance between training, nutrition, and recovery. We also unpack how contraception (including the copper IUD) can mask changes in your cycle, and why lighter or absent periods shouldn’t automatically be dismissed as “normal for athletes.”This conversation challenges the idea that losing your period is a badge of honour, and asks a more important question: where do you draw the line between discipline and harm?We cover:🩸 What athletes should watch for in their menstrual cycle🩸 The Female Athlete Triad: low energy availability, bone density loss, and irregular periods🩸 How exercise can both disrupt and support cycle regulation🩸 Cycle syncing for athletes — and how contraception fits into the picture🩸 Whether lighter periods (or none at all) can be a hidden red flag🩸 Why electrolytes and nutrition matter for hormonal balance🩸 The link between menstrual health, performance, and long-term fertility🩸 How to train sustainably in a culture that rewards overtrainingWhether you’re a recreational athlete, training competitively, or working with active women, this episode is an invitation to rethink performance — not as pushing harder, but as learning to listen better.Find Virginia:virginia.vasquez.rios@gmail.comSubscribe and follow to not miss an episode 🩸To learn more, visit www.understandyourcycle.comSign up for our FREE cycle-synced newsletter: Learn Your Menstrual Cycle

What happens when you spend years trying to build a family — and decide to stop?In this episode, we sit down with Aisha Balesaria, an advocate and coach who turned her experience of endometriosis, infertility, and loss into a life of purpose and joy without children.After 15 years of being dismissed by doctors, Aisha was finally diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis — only after struggling to conceive. What followed was a decade-long fertility journey: IVF cycles, miscarriages, hope, heartbreak, and eventually, the decision to stop.Aisha shares what it took to rebuild herself after letting go of the dream of motherhood, how therapy and community transformed her healing, and why she now dedicates her work to helping others find fulfillment beyond parenthood.We talk about the silence surrounding infertility, the cultural pressure to become a mother, and what it really means to find peace in a world that often measures women by whether they have children.This is a story of resilience, grief, and ultimately, freedom.We cover:🩸 What it feels like to be medically gaslit for over a decade before diagnosis🩸 The physical, emotional, and financial toll of IVF; and knowing when to stop🩸 How therapy and community can help reframe life after infertility🩸 The intersection of culture, womanhood, and the expectation to have children🩸 Why “childless” and “childfree” don’t always fit, and what language gets wrong🩸 How Aisha built a life of advocacy, joy, and meaning beyond motherhoodWhether you’ve experienced fertility struggles yourself, know someone who has, or simply want to better understand the nuances of womanhood, loss, and identity, this conversation is deeply moving, honest, and healing.Find Aisha:Instagram: @mindbodyrevival_coachWebsite: www.mindbodyrevivalcoach.comSubscribe and follow to not miss an episode! 🩸To learn more, go to www.understandyourcycle.comSign up for our FREE cycle-synced newsletter here: Learn Your Menstrual Cycle

What happens when you spend 15 years on hormonal contraceptionm and then have to relearn your body from scratch? In this episode, Coni, co-founder of period underwear brand NIXI Body, shares her journey from being prescribed the pill for teenage acne, to navigating infertility, cycle syncing, pregnancy, and now early motherhood.We talk about the messy reality behind women’s health: how hard it is to advocate for yourself with doctors, the silence around infertility, and the complicated mix of empowerment and guilt that comes with cycle syncing. Coni also opens up about her fertility struggles, the emotional toll of “just relax” advice, and what it’s really like to balance running a business with having a newborn.But this conversation goes far beyond contraception and fertility. We explore period shame, the role of community, and why creating products like period underwear is about so much more than comfort. It’s about changing culture.We cover:🩸 What it feels like to be on (and come off) hormonal contraception for over a decade🩸 Why knowledge is power — but also a double-edged sword🩸 Infertility, and the emotional toll of trying to conceive🩸 The reality of cycle syncing for work, exercise, and life🩸 Period shame, stigma, and breaking taboos through products🩸 The juggle of business ownership, pregnancy, and motherhood🩸 Why shared parental leave is still radical in 2025Whether you’ve struggled with contraception, fertility, or simply want to understand the link between hormones, identity, and womanhood, this episode is raw, honest, and empowering.Find Coni: Instagram – @conilj NIXI Body – @nixibody / www.nixibody.comSubscribe and follow to not miss an episode! 🩸To learn more, go to www.understandyourcycle.comSign up for our FREE cycle-synced newsletter here: Learn Your Menstrual Cycle

What happens when your body enters menopause before you’ve even turned 30? In this episode, Becky from Fertility Matters at Work shares her deeply personal story of navigating early perimenopause, infertility, IVF, and ultimately, motherhood through egg donation.We talk about what it actually feels like to have your hormones drop unexpectedly in your twenties — from 12-day cycles and night sweats, to the emotional shock of being told you may never have biological children. Becky opens up about the heartbreak of miscarriage, the mental load of IVF, and the long-term journey of parenting after donor conception.But this conversation goes far beyond fertility treatment. We explore how work, identity, and womanhood are all intertwined with our reproductive health — and why more workplaces need to care.We cover:🩸What early perimenopause really looks like🩸The truth about IVF (it’s not a guarantee)🩸What hormone tests can (and can’t) tell you🩸The emotional weight of “failing” as a woman🩸Miscarriage, grief, and hidden losses at work🩸Why fertility support should be a workplace issue🩸What it’s like to raise children from egg donation🩸The hard truths behind donor anonymityWhether you’ve experienced fertility struggles yourself, or want to understand what someone close to you might be going through, this episode brings empathy, nuance, and insight to a topic that’s still far too hidden.Please note: as Becky highlights, infertility is a medical condition that affects 1 in 6 people — and many face it even though they’re otherwise perfectly healthy. Fertility is not necessarily a lifestyle issue, and it’s never your fault.Find Becky:Fertility Matters at Work - www.fertilitymattersatwork.com / https://www.instagram.com/fertilitymattersatwork/Paths to Parenthub - www.pathstoparenthub.com / https://www.instagram.com/paths_to_parenthub/DefiningMum Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/definingmum/Subscribe and follow to not miss an episode! 🩸To learn more, go to www.understandyourcycle.comSign up for our FREE cycle-synced newsletter here: Learn Your Menstrual Cycle

In this episode, Michelle opens up about her personal journey through infertility — a struggle faced by 1 in 6 couples globally. We dive into why fertility isn’t just a “future you” problem, but something worth understanding in your 20s.From decoding cervical mucus to understanding hormonal imbalances, we cover the basics of how to get curious about your reproductive health. We talk about the often-overlooked transition off contraception, the key role your liver plays, and the surprising nutrient deficiencies that many women silently face.We cover:🩸Understanding Fertility in Your 20s🩸Coming Off Contraception🩸The Role of Your Liver in Hormonal Health🩸Male Fertility Is 30% of the Equation🩸Tips to support egg health🩸How alcohol impacts fertility🩸Why 30% of infertility cases are male-factor🩸 And why your menstrual cycle is more than just your periodWhether you're trying to conceive now or simply want to feel empowered about your body — this one’s for you.Please note: as highlighted in this episode, many people experience infertility even though they are perfectly healthy. Sometimes, there is no other solution than being medically assisted.A short definition of Fertility Awareness Method: a natural way of tracking your cycle to understand when you're most and least likely to get pregnant. You pay attention to things like your temperature, cervical mucus, and cycle length — basically, your body’s own clues — to either plan or avoid pregnancy (without hormones). Think of it as body literacy meets contraception.Find Michelle on LinkedIn hereSubscribe and follow to not miss an episode! 🩸To learn more, go to www.understandyourcycle.comSign up for our FREE cycle-synced newsletter here: Learn Your Menstrual Cycle

In this episode, Kirstie shares her deeply personal journey through breast cancer, surgical menopause, and what it really means to rebuild your life after both.At just 35, Kirstie was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. What followed was a whirlwind of treatments: chemo, a double mastectomy, and the removal of her ovaries—plunging her into surgical menopause overnight. She tells us what it felt like to go from full hormone health to zero, the mental health toll it took, and how she found strength, purpose, and even joy on the other side.We cover:🩸 Six months of non-stop bleeding after the wrong HRT🩸 The BRCA gene and deciding to remove her breasts and ovaries🩸 What surgical menopause actually feels like (and why no one warns you)🩸 Hair loss, wigs, and the emotional rollercoaster of chemo🩸 The big mental health toll—and how she got help🩸 Rebuilding life after treatment, and becoming a coach for breast cancer survivorsThis episode is honest, raw, and packed with wisdom. Whether you’ve faced breast cancer or want to better support someone who has, you’ll come away with insight—and hope.How to check your breasts resource: https://coppafeel.org/breast-cancer-info-and-advice/how-do-i-check/Find Kirstie at: Website: www.breastcancercoaching.co.ukInstagram: @breastcancercoachingFacebook: the beyond breast cancer coachSubscribe and follow to not miss an episode! 🩸To learn more, go to www.understandyourcycle.comSign up for our FREE cycle-synced newsletter here: Learn Your Menstrual Cycle