For the Girl Who Knows She's Worth More Than Painful Periods & Miscarriage Without Answers

Cycle Tracking Changed my Life by Alexandra Follis

I got my first period a few months after I turned 10. After a few days of spotting and no

cramping, I didn’t have another period for five more months. The next time it came, it was so much more painful and physically draining. For years, every time I got my period, I was in so much pain that I would pass out and throw up. I could never keep pain medication down, and nothing seemed to work.

At sixteen, my mom took me to an OB-GYN to figure out what was causing days of debilitating pain every month. After several tests and even surgery, I was told that I had PCOS. Because I didn’t have many of the classic symptoms and my cycle wasn't consistent every month, it was hard for the doctor to move forward with a clear treatment plan. That's when I found my Creighton Model cycle tracking teacher. 

As soon as I finished tracking that first month, it was very clear from my chart that I definitely had PCOS along with low progesterone. After a few more months, my doctor was able to pinpoint the days when I could start taking progesterone. For years, I kept charting and taking progesterone, and slowly my period pain began to decrease.

I got married at twenty and moved out of state. It didn’t take long after getting married for me

to get pregnant, but five weeks later, we lost our sweet baby. 

I was able to bring my chart to my new OBGYN, and she found that my progesterone levels were still low. She adjusted my dosage, and three months later, I was pregnant with my son. For the first sixteen weeks of my pregnancy – and even after having him – I had to stay on a high dosage of progesterone. Still, my cramps never fully resolved, and my charting continued to be irregular. After another miscarriage, I knew something deeper needed to be addressed.

I kept charting and also paid close attention to how I felt during every stage of my cycle. With all of the information I had been tracking and lots of research, I decided to start taking a woman's beef liver and organ supplement and eating mainly gluten-free/grain-free foods the week before. 

At this point, I had tried everything to help with PCOS and the pain during my periods, so what was one more?

After the first two months of taking this new supplement, I had my first painless period in over ten years! Not only did I feel better and have more energy during my periods, but my chart looked healthier than it had ever been, so I knew it was working. Not long after sticking with this routine, I was able to get pregnant again, and I’m currently 23 weeks pregnant with another baby boy.

While charting wasn’t the solution on its own, it helped give me the knowledge to know that there were more problems than just low progesterone. I would recommend that every young girl who has started her period begin learning how to track her cycle and to never stop asking questions or advocating for herself and her health.