Due to a hormonal imbalance, I stopped having my period for about two years. It didn’t bother me at the beginning, but it still had an impact on my health. Once I understood that fatigue and my out-of-balance skin were symptoms of those missed periods, I started to try and deal with it. My period came back after two years of treatment. Since I now know from conversations I’ve had that there are others who are similar, I decided to write this article.

And so I would like to dedicate this article to those struggling with similar difficulties. This article is a small excerpt from my own self-healing process. I hope that it can give you some clues to help you feel better, too.

So this is how it was…

My First Period:

Ever since my period started when I was around 16, it has been irregular. Every three or six months was usual for me. So at the beginning, when I missed my period in 2016, I wasn’t all that surprised.

My Lifestyle:

I’ve always been sporty and enthusiastic about activities; I eat healthily and like to travel. Back then though, I didn’t usually take time to relax in my everyday life.

My Skin:

By the time my period went completely away in 2016, my skin had been going crazy for several years. Attempts to improve its tone & complexion were only short-lived until then. I started to exercise more and paid close attention to my diet. Ciao, joy! Hi, guilty conscience! I was also confused by the advice given from various people I knew.

Going to the Gynecologist:

Whenever I visited the gynecologist, it was suggested to me again and again that I have an increased risk of osteoporosis because I’m not getting my period, and that my period might come back if I were to put on a few more pounds. It wasn’t really an easy-to-implement tip, because gaining weight has never been easy for me… even with the numerous chocolate bars my sister would feed me. Unfortunately, I was not given any further tips there.

Since going to the gynecologist was of no help to me, I didn’t go back there for about two years. I also started seeing any form of advice-giving on the subject as a reproach from others. I had it in my head at the time that I was doing something wrong and that I was the one responsible for the fact that my period wasn’t coming back. Sadly I was not taking into consideration that I grew up in a society where my lifestyle, which I felt had caused this, was actually taught to me.

And one thing was clear: in order to change something, I needed more help… which was also something that I had to admit to myself first. When I finally came to my senses and at least went back to the gynecologist for a smear and check-up, I also allowed myself to change the gynecologist if I wasn’t feeling good about it.

Enter the Stage: FEMNA

Thanks to the collaboration between Amazingy and FEMNA – which began in spring of 2018 – my journey took off again. FEMNA is a company based in Berlin and founded in 2016 by Maxie Matthiessen and Emily J. Casey. Their goal was to offer a natural way out of menstrual cramps with their products. In addition, the team does a great job of educating people.

I wrote an e-mail to them detailing my request, and shortly thereafter I got an answer from Emily, who then forwarded me to Hannah Pehlgrimm. Hannah is a naturopath for gynecology and was still running her own practice at the time.

The Treatment

I started seeing Hannah in autumn of 2018, and although the focus of our sessions was on my skin issues, Hannah kept explaining to me that there is a connection between my skin and the onset of tiredness / sluggishness – and this had to do with my missing period. So I really wanted to get a grip on that.

The treatment consisted of a mixture of herbal teas, local herbs, tinctures (highly concentrated herbal extracts), globules and emotional work. After each session, I had the option to choose tea or tincture. At the beginning, I decided to start with a tea blend. I prepared tea 3x a day and was given the homework to plan more rest in my day-to-day life – which was not so easy for me to do alongside making time for work, friends & hobbies.

At the Beginning:

I started taking 10-15 minutes to meditate during my lunch break, sometimes having my work colleagues join me. If I didn’t feel like meditating, I would take an afternoon nap. The daily tea moments also gave me small breaks. Whenever I was very tired, I had to learn to cancel events, appointments or sport sessions.

My body responded very well to the treatment. I also noticed how it challenged me emotionally, as well. For example, when it came to any feelings of anger – it would come up suddenly over time and instead of suppressing it, I learned to accept it and give it as much space in my emotional household as I give feelings of joy. I was surprised to see to what extent this very simple process of simply accepting the ‘negative’ emotions can improve my overall health and make my emotions easier to handle.

First Success:

In the summer of 2019, after less than a year of going through this treatment process, I got my period again for the first time. Unfortunately, my hormones were not yet strong enough to sustain it, and after a bladder infection it stayed away again for almost a year. At that point, I already had more self-confidence, improved complexion, more energy and had had enough of all the unsuccessful attempts to get my period to come back consistently. So I took a break, to take a deep breath!

Short Break:

Half a year later, Hannah published her book Period. – Dein Zyklus and I decided to use it as a starting point again, re-dedicating myself to “Project Period”. In the last chapter, Hannah describes the effects that missing a period can have on the body, and I could 100% relate to them.

Although my gynecologists did tell me that the absence of my period could have health-related side effects, I was just not ready to accept it at that time.

Renewed Attempts:

In her book, Hannah recommends so-called “seed cycling”, as it supports hormone production in each half of the cycle – estrogen in the first half, and progesterone in the second half.

• 1^st Half: 1 tsp. pumpkin seeds and 1 tsp. flaxseed daily
• 2^nd Half: 1 tsp. sesame seeds and 1 tsp. sunflower seeds daily

And after a cycle of “seed cycling”, taking more walks, allowing myself to rest more everyday, and also a little bit of endurance training, the success was evident. In the summer of 2020, I was able to welcome my period back again!

Last Step:

We did a hormone test to get an idea of my hormonal balance. It turned out that my body was producing too little progesterone and too much testosterone. Then we decided to support my progesterone level with globules. I now take them during the second half of my cycle. Since then, I’ve had my period every month – and while of course I’m still a bit worried that it will suddenly stop, I try to relieve myself of that anxiety as much as possible and instead choose to look forward to every month when my period comes again, because for me it is now a sign of vitality.

My Tips:

• HORMONE TEST – At the beginning of your treatment, ask if you can do a hormone test. This gives you direct insight into your hormone balance, with which the therapy can be designed to be more targeted.
  
  
• PLACE OF REST – I looked for a place (in my case, it was the park) where I could relax. I would read, meditate, or simply just do nothing there. And nobody knows about this place… it’s my secret oasis of calm ?
  
  
• BOOK – Selbstmitgefühl by Kerstin Neff. In her book, she writes about the beneficial effects of self-compassion, and backs it up with studies and self-experience reports. The book also contains exercises with which you can put the theory into practice right away.
  
  My takeaway: a nice, understanding and loving way of dealing with myself. To be loving… so even if you’re unable to do something or can’t seem to manage, just be nice! ♡
  
  
  

Photos from @didssph and @syn__thesis

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