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Some pregnant women run marathons, and some barely have the energy to get off the couch.  Some women can hardly wait to return to their normal physical activities after having a baby, and others like to take their time getting back into the swing of things. Who's got it right? How much should we be exercising while pregnant? Are there any kinds of exercise pregnant women absolutely shouldn't be doing? And just how important is postpartum exercise, and how much should women be aiming to get in the year after having a baby? In this episode, Natural Womanhood's Editor in Chief, Grace Emily Stark, interviews pelvic floor physical therapist Dr. Kayla Borchers on all these questions and more. In this episode, you'll learn about:  Trimester-specific exercises and focusWhat kinds of exercises to do when you just don't want to do / don't have the energy to do anything while pregnantWhat to do /where to go when dealing with pregnancy aches and painsAny exercises you should absolutely avoid while pregnantThe importance of exercise postpartum: How to do it safely!When and how to begin exercising again postpartum (and how to fit it in!), and how much is too much?What problems can postpartum exercise help mitigate (back pain? PPD? Diastasis recti?)When to know you need more help healing postpartum, and where to goHow to play "catch up" if you didn't have / weren't able to have a very physically active pregnancyPreparing better for your next pregnancyWant to watch this episode on YouTube? Click here! Want to work with Dr. Kayla? Click here. Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode. Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.

The "hot girls have stomach problems" social media trope is grimly funny, probably because so many of us can relate to the phenomenon of "oh, I can't eat that, or I'll be in the bathroom the rest of the night," (and even if you're lucky enough to not be personally familiar with that feeling, you've undoubtedly heard similar sentiments from your sisters or girlfriends).   But Ginny Noce, AKA The Women's Health RN, is here to tell us that your "tummy troubles" are actually your gut trying to tell you something about your health, your hormones—even (and perhaps especially) your menstrual cycle. And the most interesting part of it? It's a two-way street. That is, your cycle may actually be able to tell you a thing or two about your gut. In today's episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast, Grace and Ginny take a deep dive into all things gut health, and the way it impacts our overall health—including our cycles and fertility.      Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode. Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.

How on earth does a clinic surrounded by universities—and with a large student patient population—win the "best women's health clinic" award from the Seattle Times ... without ever prescribing birth control? Helen Nguyen, CEO of 3W Medical for Women, thought it sounded too good to be true when she was told 3W had won the "Best Women's Clinic in the Pacific Northwest" award in 2023, and she almost couldn't believe it when they won again in 2024. But it's a testament to the fact that 3W is shifting the paradigm when it comes to women's health—and that birth control doesn't have to be part of the definition of women's health (as we've been made to believe for decades).  In today's episode, Grace interviews Helen about 3W's origins, what they do differently from your "standard" university campus- or women's health clinic, and—the best part—the incredible patient testimonials indicating that this is what truly empowering women's healthcare is supposed to look like.  Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode. Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.

Back in Season 2, we asked the question "Can Catholics use NFP?" to tackle some of the perceived controversies that surround the use of fertility awareness methods (FAMs) when used for family planning (often referred to in this context as "natural family planning" — hence, "NFP"). Because Natural Womanhood is dedicated to the belief that fertility awareness is for everyone, we decided that it was high-time to revisit that question, but with a twist.  In today's episode, Grace sits down with Emma Waters to answer the question, "Can Protestants use NFP?" As the wife of a man currently studying for the Anglican priesthood, Emma's a great person to make the case for why Protestants of all stripes should reconsider how they plan their families—and what they use to do it.  NB: Although we're focusing on the Protestant perspective(s) surrounding NFP in this episode of the NW podcast, we encourage all our listeners to check it out for a concrete understanding of what sets FAMs apart from the Pill or any other form of contraceptive.  Do you want to make the case for why people of your faith background should use FAM/NFP (or why faith isn't required for using FAM/NFP), I'd love to hear from you! Please shoot me a message at [email protected].  Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode. Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.

Functional medicine-trained nurse and nutritionist Ginny Noce (aka "The Women's Health RN," as she's known to her thousands of Instagram followers) wants you to know that using the nonstick cookware at your AirBnB during your long weekend away isn't going to make or break your fertility health. She also wants you to know that "calories in, calories out" is absolutely the critical key to weight loss—but that where your calories are coming from and how your body is using them is just as essential for achieving your health- and fertility-conscious weight loss goals. Perhaps most importantly, she wants you to know that a maniacal obsession with "clean eating" might be doing more harm than good when it comes to your health, fertility, and fitness goals.  In today's episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast, Grace interviews Ginny to help listeners get past the black and white thinking that pervades social media "wellness culture," to pursue their health, fertility, and weight loss goals, and more. In this episode, you'll hear from Ginny: - What sets apart the functional medicine approach to nutrition  - Why unbalanced hormones are not a root cause in and of themselves for fertility issues like PCOS, recurrent miscarriage, and more   - What "the plate method" is, and why it's a critical tool in her nutrition practice  - Why insulin balance is one of the most critical components to good health and fertility - How to achieve healthy, sustainable weight loss in a way that promotes—not harms—your female fertility - And more! Want to connect with Ginny? Check out her Instagram, her website, or fill out a client form to work directly with her or a member of her team.   Interested in more fertility-focused health & wellness and fitness & nutrition content from a balanced perspective that separates truth from the Instagram hype? Check out those topics at Natural Womanhood.org Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode. Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.

"There is no informed consent without body literacy," says Katie Vidmar, Natural Womanhood's Director of Programs, in this fascinating episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast. "If you don't know how your body works in a state of health, you can't wrap your mind around what's at stake with any given healthcare decision." In this episode, Katie sits down with Grace to lay out exactly what's at stake when women are kept ignorant of their bodies, their menstrual cycles, and their health. She also discusses what body literacy is, why it's especially critical for women's health, and what she and Natural Womanhood are doing to empower women to know, understand, and (ultimately) love their bodies. (Oh, and she drops this bombshell: Every woman who's ever been prescribed and taken birth control to "regulate her cycles" did not have informed consent—which is a lot of women.)   Learn more about Natural Womanhood’s Cycle Mindfulness Clubs: https://naturalwomanhood.org/cycle-mindfulness-clubs/ For more about Katie Vidmar and her Elevate program: https://katievidmar.com/ Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode. Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.

By historical standards, the dating landscape for Millenials and GenZ is... strange, to say the least. The ubiquity of dating apps, social media, and smart phones has changed the game not only for romantic relationships, but for friendships as well. And friendship, says Jason Evert, is the critical foundation for forming a lasting, loving, intimate relationship with another person: "You can have passion without friendship, but you can't have intimacy without friendship. In the end, if you don't have that authentic friendship—that real tenderness, not just of affection, but the tenderness of perceiving the needs of the other and putting those first—if you lack that, good luck making this go the distance. That's why we need to pivot away from, 'okay, are we gonna be compatible in the bedroom?' to 'are we compatible outside the bedroom?' I think if you are, you will make love as you love." In this latest episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast, Editor in Chief Grace Emily Stark sits down with Jason Evert to discuss friendship, the role of body literacy in understanding libido, and more, to answer the question: How can I get the relationship I want? We can promise that both male and female listeners will have a lot of positive, actionable advice to take away from this episode. For more about Jason and the Chastity Project, see: https://chastity.org/ and https://chastity.com/ Learn more about Natural Womanhood's Cycle Mindfulness Clubs: https://naturalwomanhood.org/cycle-mindfulness-clubs/ For more sex and relationship content from Natural Womanhood, see: How Birth Control Messes Up Mutual AttractionCan the Pill change your taste in men?Consent, even “enthusiastic consent,” isn’t enough to prevent sexual assaultCollege hookup culture pulls women out of the driver’s seat when it comes to introducing sex in relationships What’s happening in male vs. female brains during sex? Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode. Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.

For far too many women, one endometriosis surgery leads to another... and another... and another. But according to Dr. Patrick Yeung, MD, "one and done" endo surgery is not only possible, but it should be the goal that every gynecological surgeon has for his or her endometriosis patients. In this episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast, NW's Editor-in-Chief, Grace Emily Stark, interviews Dr. Yeung about his vision for "No mo' endo"—and the "three-pronged approach" he uses to achieve it.   At his RESTORE Center for Endometriosis in St. Louis, MO, Dr. Yeung specializes in Optimal Excision by LAPEX (Laparoscopic Excision) Surgery, a groundbreaking approach that represents a paradigm shift in endometriosis treatment. Dr. Yeung also focuses on removing every trace of the disease—wherever he finds it in the body—and on post-operative adhesion (scar tissue) prevention. As a result, the RESTORE Center boasts a mere 2.5% rate of repeat surgeries in 10 years. By contrast, the vast majority of gynecologists performing endometriosis surgery use ablation (not excision), do nothing to prevent post-op adhesions, and then either rely upon hormonal birth control to suppress further symptoms, or refer a woman for IVF if pregnancy is desired—all of which does little to improve a patient's symptoms or improve or restore her natural fertility.  With endometriosis as one of the most common, debilitating reproductive diseases worldwide (and, likewise, one of the leading causes of infertility worldwide), physicians like Dr. Yeung and centers of excellence for comprehensive endometriosis care are needed now more than ever before. If you or someone you love suffers from endometriosis and desires a root-cause treatment approach that restores both health and fertility, you'll want to listen to this episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast to learn the right questions to ask to find the best doctor for you.  Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode. Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.

Regular listeners of The Natural Womanhood Podcast are likely familiar with the Creighton Method / NaPro Technology and FEMM for both fertility awareness charting and their surgical/medical protocols for treating reproductive health issues, including infertility. But few have heard of the third "flavor" of restorative reproductive medicine (that is, the holistic, root-cause approach to treating infertility): NeoFertility.  There's a good reason you may not have heard of NeoFertility yet, and that's because it was pioneered by the Dublin-based Dr. Phil Boyle. But we have some exciting news to share in this first episode of season 4 (!) of The Natural Womanhood Podcast: Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based Radiant Clinic, founded and operated by Dr. Monica Minjeur, DO, is now the very first U.S.-based NeoFertility clinic (and she also offers telehealth in IL, MI, MN, MO, NE, WI, CA, CO, FL, and TX!).  In this episode, NW's Editor-in-Chief, Grace Emily Stark, sits down with Dr. Minjeur (who also happens to be trained in FEMM and NaPro Technology) about what NeoFertility does differently for the treatment of infertility.  After a brief hiatus, we're so excited to be back at it with the podcast, and it's only fitting we kick off this new season with such exciting news for the future of authentic women's health and fertility care!  Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode. Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.

While Natural Family Planning (aka NFP) is 100% worth it, it can be hard. No one will deny that (at least, not anymore). But too many couples who start off excited about NFP often find themselves alone and in the dark when challenges arise, and many end up giving up on it as a result. It's clear that more support is needed, but where, and how? Enter Natural Marriage Groups. In today's episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast, Grace interviews Katie Collins, who leads Natural Womanhood's pilot Natural Marriage Group in North Carolina. In this episode, you'll learn more about these innovative new NFP support groups, where couples can go to talk about the ups and downs (and everything in between) of NFP with other couples who are also struggling, or to hear encouragement from those who've seen the difficulties through to the other side. Designed to help couples live out the radically counter-cultural lifestyle of natural family planning, Natural Womanhood's Natural Marriage Groups are the NFP support group you've been dreaming of!  I hope that listening to this episode will inspire you to want to learn more about Natural Womanhood's Natural Marriage Groups. If so, please reach out to Natural Womanhood's Director of Education, Jackie Aguilar, at [email protected]. This is the final episode of season 3! Thanks for listening. Want to support the production of season 4 (coming in spring 2025)? Click here. And if you have an idea for a guest or episode topic, reach out to Natural Womanhood's editorial assistant, Isabelle, at [email protected].   Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode. Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.

When Erin Dewey first started at Texas A&M University, she never imagined that she'd be fondly known across campus as "the period girl" by the time she graduated. But that's the reputation she garnered from leading the very first Cycle Mindfulness Club—Natural Womanhood's peer-led university campus initiative designed to create a supportive community for young women to learn the science and truth of their God-given fertility and womanhood. But what Erin—and all the participants in the first CMC—gained from participating in the club was so much more than better knowledge of their periods. Many of them found true healing, greater confidence, and discerned their callings in life as women.  In this episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast, host Grace Emily Stark interviews Erin about what it was like to lead a fertility awareness support group on a college campus, and the incredible changes she saw in the participants—and herself. As always, you do not want to miss this episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast! Show notes: Find out more about Natural Womanhood's Cycle Mindfulness Clubs (including how to apply to lead one at your college or university) here. For more on Natural Womanhood's Period Genius program, click here. For Erin's reflection on "How understanding my menstrual cycle revolutionized my prayer life," click here.  Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode. Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.

We ask kids all the time "what do you want to be when you grow up?" but how often do we ask them "do you want to be a mom?" or "do you want to be a dad?" These questions are the very basics of the concept known as reproductive life planning, a topic we unpack in detail during this enlightening episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast featuring Dr. Danielle Miller, MD. As the founder of Luz Medicine, a direct primary care practice in Lancaster, PA, Dr. Miller focuses on the full spectrum of primary care and women’s health, including infertility care. Reproductive life planning has therefore become a passion of hers, and we discuss what the concept looks like in action (and how it has evolved over time), and how we can do better by the young people in our lives by being honest about the realities of waning fertility. In this fascinating episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast, we also discuss lessons on the importance of reproductive life planning gleaned from the recently published Hannah's Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth by Dr. Catherine Ruth Pakaluk.  As always, you do not want to miss this episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast! Show notes: Find out more about Natural Womanhood's Cycle Mindfulness Clubs, here. For more on Natural Womanhood's Period Genius program, click here. To learn more about Dr. Danielle Miller and FACTS, click here. For those interested in Dr. Miller's direct primary care practice, Luz Medicine, click here. Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode. Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.

In May 2024, Melinda Gates pledged $1 billion dollars to defend “reproductive rights” in America. But back in 2012, she was throwing around even bigger sums and broader goals: she publicly pledged to dedicate $5 billion to fund a massive pro-contraception campaign in 69 of the poorest countries in the world, most of which, at the time, were in Sub-Saharan Africa. From her apartment in the UK, a young, female, Nigerian biomedical scientist watched her TV in anger and disbelief as Gates pledged to meet the "unmet need" of African women for contraception. That same night, Obianuju Ekeocha would pen an open letter to Gates that would garner massive international attention, and spur the creation of Culture of Life Africa. Yet, 12 years later, Gates's plans have proved largely successful: millions more women around the globe are on hormonal contraceptives as a direct result of her concerted efforts. During Natural Womanhood's September 2024 Annual Gala, the same Nigerian woman who bravely challenged Gates in her open letter over a decade ago issued a new challenge for everyone in attendance: if the scourge of contraception came from the West, the antidote would need to come from the West, too. We're excited to play some key excerpts of Obianuju Ekeocha's powerful speech for our listeners in this special Season 3 episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast.    Also in this special episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast, host and Editor-in-Chief, Grace Emily Stark, is joined by the co-founder and CEO of NW: Gerard Migeon. Gerard tells our listeners about Natural Womanhood's vision as a non-profit organization, everything we’re doing to alert promote authentic women's health all over the world, the impact of our work, and how we need your financial support now more than ever. You’ll also get to hear from the University of Texas at Austin leader of our Cycle Mindfulness Clubs, who'll tell us a bit more about that program, her experience in it, and why it matters to her. Finally, we'll be playing clips of some key moments of the riveting talk that Obianuju Ekeocha gave at our annual gala this past September. In this exclusive recording, Obianuju shares how she got involved in promoting authentic women's health, what is really going on in Africa, and how we all must respond.   You do not want to miss this explosive special episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast! Show notes: Find out more about our Cycle Mindfulness Clubs, here. Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode. Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.

As more women awaken to the reality that birth control has been used as a bandaid for so many of their health issues, the search for root-causes and authentic solutions has led many to consider alternatives to allopathic medical care, such as naturopathic medicine. But how does naturopathic medicine differ, especially for women's health? In today's episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast, Grace interviews Dr. Jessica Whelan, ND (also a FertilityCare™ Practitioner and Medical consultant) who practices comprehensive women's health care in Saint Albans, VT (and via telehealth). Together, Grace and Dr. Whelan discuss: What is naturopathic medicine, and how does it differ from allopathic medicine? What can a naturopathic doctor (ND) trained as a NaproTechnology and FertilityCare™ Practitioner and Medical consultant offer to patients differently from an MD or DO trained in NaPro—especially when it comes to endometriosis, PCOS, and infertility​? The surprising ways naturopathic doctors can help women overcome mental health struggles (among other issues). And much more! Show notes: Dr. Whelan's 6 Ways to Healthy Hormones and Better Cycles Guide Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode. Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.

An estimated 44% of girls don't know what's happening when they start their first period. And when it happens, many of those girls are fearful that they are sick—even dying—and suffer in silence, too embarrassed to admit what's happening or ask any questions about it. Fear, confusion, lies: This is the sad reality of puberty for far too many young American girls today. But it doesn't have to be that way for your daughter. In today's episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast, Grace Emily Stark discusses not only the importance of teaching our daughters about their periods (well before they start!), but about the entirety of their cycles, with ovulation as the focal point. And for moms who have no idea where to begin when it comes to having these conversations with their daughters, that's where Natural Womanhood's Period Genius program comes in (formerly known as Mothers of PreTeens). For this episode, Grace is joined by Christina Valenzuela, creator of Pearl & Thistle, an online suite of menstrual cycle, body literacy, and NFP education for all ages and stages. Together, Grace and Christina (moms of daughters themselves!) discuss the how and why moms are best-suited for giving their daughters the empowering body literacy they both need and crave—even if they don't know it, yet.    The Natural Womanhood Podcast brings together experts in the field of fertility awareness for candid, informative, and friendly conversations about authentic women’s health. The podcast is hosted by Natural Womanhood’s Editor-in-Chief, Grace Emily Stark. Grace is an award-winning journalist, a certified instructor of the Sympto-Thermal Method of fertility awareness, and she holds a M.A. in Bioethics and Health Policy. Natural Womanhood exists because all women can learn to claim their natural fertility as beautiful, powerful, and healthy. Learn more about Natural Womanhood, here. Show notes / links: Want to purchase Natural Womanhood's Period Genius program for you and your daughter (or gift it to someone who needs it)? We're now offering it at $87 for 12-month access! ($125 for lifetime access). Click here for more details.  Use the coupon code PARENTS15 to get a 15% off discount on Pearl & Thistle's CYCLE PREP: First Period Course for Girls (cycleprep.com) Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode. Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.