The past few months and looking ahead to 2020, I am on a mission to heal my body. I feel as though for the last decade, I have run my body to the ground, done a lot of harm, but also have made a lot of amazing changes to better my health and overall life (read more in previous blog posts.)
I promised you an update so here it is:
This month I received some good news from my Fertility doctor after a Sonohysterography, which is an imaging study of the uterus using fluid to examine the uterine lining. Everything looked healthy and normal and my doctor noticed a follicle which means I actually ovulated in the month of December! I have been seed cycling and taking Vitex since November trying to regain a cycle and had some light spotting on January 1st, which means it could have actually been a period! This leaves me very hopeful that my body is finally regulating itself after having amenorreah for many years, which led me to IVF to conceive my Daughter. For now I will wait to see what next month brings in hopes I get another period.
Another major focus for me this year is my gut health. I have suffered from irregular bowel movements and constipation for many months, and have been very conscious of my diet, getting enough fiber and supplementing with probiotics. I also include fermented foods and have been mindful of eating more slowly and chewing food thoroughly (y’all know if you’re Italian we’re typically used to “Shoveling” our food down in 4.6 seconds). I’ve been focusing on eating more cooked, warm foods since raw, cold foods, like salad are more difficult to digest.
I’ve been really curious in learning more about gut health and understanding it’s relationship to many other body functions, including immune health. I’ve been getting sick about once a month, even though I have been eating well, sleeping a decent amount (with a Toddler) and supplementing with ALL the things…Vitmain C, Zinc, Elderberry, Antioxidant Green Tea, green powder etc.
I decided to take a Viome Test which is a complete gut microbiome stool health analysis which based on the results, will give you a personalized nutrition and supplement recommendations. My results won’t be available for a few more weeks, but I will share and see if the recommendations given will help with my digestive issues and overall health.
Based on my research, gut health may affect not only digestion, but energy levels, weight, skin and even mental health!!!
I’m curious, do you pay attention to your gut health?
XO Stephanie
