Today’s post features a few key takeaways from a recent Wellness Your Way podcast interview.  Find the full episode here and be sure to subscribe to Wellness Your Way so you don’t miss future episodes!

Guest Bio: Dr. Amy Beckley

Dr. Amy Beckley is the founder and CEO of MFB Fertility and the inventor of the Proov test. She has a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and is a hormone scientist with expertise in hormone signaling. Dr. Beckley invented Proov after a personal battle with infertility and recurrent miscarriage. She applied her own scientific expertise to uncover a luteal phase defect (a problem with ovulation quality). With help from her doctor and a simple supplement, Amy was able to get pregnant with her daughter.

Top Insights from Dr. Amy Beckley’s Interview

1. Ovulation typically takes an entire month. We tend to think of ovulation as a moment in time, but preparing for healthy ovulation is a longer process.  During this time the body is being prepared to release an egg so it can be fertilized and preparing the uterus for implantation.  
2. The menstrual cycle has 4 key hormones. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) sends a signal from the brain to the ovary to produce an egg. Estrogen promotes energy and healthy blood vessels and makes women feel good! Luteinizing hormone (LH) releases the mature egg to be fertilized. Progesterone is the hormone that counteracts estrogen and prepares the uterus for implantation and pregnancy.
3. You don’t have to ovulate to have a period. Conditions such as PCOS can cause the uterine lining to shed and reset without an egg present. Also, if you’re on hormonal birth control and take the week off (“sugar pill”), your body will release the uterine lining that was protected by the hormones, and you’ll have a period, but this is not actually ovulation.
4. There are certain signs to know if you’re ovulating well. If ovulation is occurring you’ll have fertile cervical mucus around the middle of your cycle that is an egg-white consistency. Another sign is a healthy bleed where a period is 4-7 days long and there’s no brown bleeding before and no brown bleeding after. Signs that you’re not ovulating well include the inability to get pregnant, miscarriage, inability to sleep, or feeling off.
5. The Proov test helps to test for healthy ovulation. The Proov test (use discount code LYONS for 20% off here!) tracks your cycle and gives you a cycle report card. It is urine-based, non-invasive, and all done at home.
6. If you have an ovulatory pattern that is not ideal, you want to find the root cause. This could be a thyroid issue, it could be a cortisol issue or many other things. Additional testing can help uncover what is causing your ovulation to be abnormal and how to correct it.
7. If your thyroid doesn’t function properly, your ovaries also don’t function properly. One of the biggest issues is uncontrolled thyroid hormone. If you fix the thyroid issue, oftentimes you will also fix the ovulation issue.
8. There are a lot of things you can do at home to regulate your cycle. The food you put in and what you put on your body directly affects your hormones. Products that contain phthalates and produce that have pesticides are things that can cause hormone issues. A healthy lifestyle can fix an unhealthy cycle.
9. Endocrine disruptors are toxic to the body. It is important to try to reduce plastic use and other endocrine disruptors so our bodies are able to function properly. Heating plastic is an important thing to avoid as it releases toxins at a higher level when heated. When plastic gets hot, the chemicals come off the plastic and into food and beverage.

Want to hear the full episode, including how cycle syncing can help optimize your lifestyle, why ovulation is not a yes or no thing, tips for understanding the menstrual cycle, how the Proov test (use code LYONS for 20% off!) can provide a full picture of ovulation, how seed cycling can improve your cycle, why a woman’s intuition is important and so much more?

Head over here to catch the full episode with Dr. Amy Beckley!

Now it’s your turn!  What is one thing you learned from this interview?

🎙️ Want to hear about this topic in audio format? → Check out the podcast episode here!