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A Question For the Ladies

Okay, brace yourself, because this here is a long one…

So I felt like I needed to naturalize myself so in July of ‘07 I got off of birth control. In November, without anyone’s prompting, I went 75% raw. Ever since getting off of the pill my periods have been irregular. Usually 3-4 months apart except for the last month or two. All mainstream advice has been that that is normal for about 3 or four months, but here I am almost a year later and I am still not normal. I had the feeling that something was deeply wrong in my reproductive organs while I was on the pill and that the pill was masking it (hence me getting off of them). So I get off and all hell breaks loose (not that everything was dandy while I was on). I get off, I become irregular, I start having pains in my abdomen, and getting cysts. I go to a conventional doctor, have ultrasounds and exams done and spend hundreds of dollars and they do nothing but pressure me to get on the pill and say that i need it and that this is happening because I got off and other crap. Then, I finally find a alternative method doctor and he does a regular pap and finds that I have precancerous tissue in my cervix. This doctor actually took the time to find the root cause of my woes- the pill!! He said it depleted me of many vitamins so he gave me a list of supplements to take. He also ordered me to be on a 100% raw vegan diet (which I was already 75% and he didn’t know it). I am thoroughly impressed with this doctor but he did some things that I am not completely sure are 100% the best for methis is where I need your opinion.

He said I most certainly have a hormonal dysfunction because my periods are irregular and that 90% of the time that is due to uterine fibroids. Now, I’ve heard raw ladies on here and on other sites say that since they went raw, periods are fewer and far in between and that is a good thing. The doctor put me on a all-natural progesterone cream called Emerita Pro-Gest. He said if that didn’t work we may need to do estrogen replacement. Now, if when you are raw you don’t need so many periods, why is it such a big deal that I am irregular?? I always felt that God gives us periods to detox and do some monthly maintenance. But if you’re raw and don’t need it – should I worry about irregularities?? Something is obviously still off balance in my body if I am developing cervical cancer. Should I be using this cream? It says it’s all natural and paraben free. What else can I be doing to prevent the cervical cancer? ? Is my goal to have regular periods or to have few periods??

Comments

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    Well, I can’t answer your question about cervical cancer… but I can share about getting off BCPs and doing a raw diet:

    Yes, It will take time for your body to “normalize”. It varies from person to person. I became regular after a month or two. But, I wasn’t back to a normal cycle (like before I started BCP) until 1.5 years after getting off the BCP. In between all that time, I ate more raw and had a cleanse, and one of my longest cycles was reaching about 50 days long. My cycle varied in length so much… it was kind of nerve-wrecking, so-to-speak (we aren’t trying to get pregnant). On the otherhand, I was taking my temperature to see when I was ovulating and when my fertile/infertile days were.

    So, maybe you are ovulating at a regular cycle but don’t have periods every month. To figure out when you are ovulating you would need to monitor your basal temperature. When I had my long cycle (about a 45 or 50 day cycle) I only ovulated once… I was 95% raw at the time and just did a cleanse. Typically, women ovulate around day 14-19 (roughly). I ovulated around day 30-something that time.

  • amysueamysue Raw Newbie

    Hey RawrAdisaurous, what a lot of confusion for you! Wow. I don’t have any hardcore answers, I can just tell you what I’ve experienced. I’ve also taken the pill for years, then after giving birth took DepoProvera, so I have some experience taking these substances. I decided to use the copper IUD to also go natural and it’s worked perfectly for at least 5 years, I’ve lost track. I’ve been high raw since July 07 and nothing has changed with my periods, they’re regular and fairly heavy. I’ve never had an abnormal Pap smear so I know nothing about that, BUT I have been taking Emerita Pro-Gest for this last cycle and I have noticed a difference. I went on www.diagnose_me.com after someone here recommended it, and after answering 800 questions it questioned whether or not I was estrogen-dominant since I have some premenstrual symptoms, swollen, painful breasts right before my period, maybe some moodiness…so I asked at the health food store and the cream was recommended. It HAS to be doing something right because I had no swelling or pain in my breasts, so now I’m waiting to see if my periods will be lighter. Hope this helps a little. The website diagnosis is $25 and is VERY detailed and extensive, it costs more if you want a doctor’s review but you can view a real report and they are very in-depth. They do lean towards the holistic side and recommend a raw diet.

  • MarichiesaMarichiesa Raw Newbie

    I think the goal is to feel good. My periods are irregular but I still ovulate regularly every month.Before I went raw I had fibroids. Now I don’t. I have noticed that the months I have my periods I am more stressed than usual.All my bloodwork has come back groovy. Its a funny thing the menstrual cycle. I think there is a lot to it that is psychological.

  • BeTheChangeBeTheChange Raw Newbie

    Has anyone else found that when it’s your regular time, you crave certain foods, and as soon as you eat them, you BOOM get your period??? I am just fascnated by the fast that, althought I get my periods about once every 45-60 days, I never CRAVE avocados, and I rarely eat them at all unless I am craving them around menstruation. As soon as I eat one, I’m talking THAT DAY!, I will start bleeding! I’ve read a lot since about avocados being a regulator in ancient times, that women would feast on them together only once a month so that they shared a week of menstruation together within small tribe cultures…crazy! The power of raw foods is incredible!

  • BeTheChangeBeTheChange Raw Newbie

    Also, I’m one to believe that the cessation of periods upon taking up a raw food lifestyle is not really “supposed” to happen, though I do sit on the fence. However, until I went raw, I never got my periods because I was underweight (110-115 for my 5’7” figure) for about 3 years, and was overworked/overstressed for various reasons. Once I started eating raw foods, I listened to my body for exactly what fats it needed to function, and gained healthy weight. So, while I am still often stressed because of school etc, my periods are coming, and I actually look forward to them! I feel fulfilled in a way that I did not know I was missing out on! SO, to all you womanly women out there, is there anyone else who feels the same? That really LOVES their period??? :)

  • BeTheChangeBeTheChange Raw Newbie

    AH! one more thing. Because every single body is different, I believe that everyone will menstruate truly when their bodies need to. Inducing periods with medication or hormones simply cannot be right in my mind, it just doesn’t make SENSE. Think about it: it’s forced BLEEDING! It’s like wounding your body!

  • BeTheChangeBeTheChange Raw Newbie

    and the same goes for stopping your periods with the Pill etc

  • so is the pro-gest good or bad?? I didn’t want to stop one hormone (like bcp) only to start another. The past month or two I’ve had on time periods and i do LOVE getting it. they’ve been light and pleasant.

    Thank you everyone for the insight. I suppose it would help immensely if I would just chill out and not worry anymore about being on time. I do have a ovulation monitor, and it has told me every cycle that I have ovulated. I just don’t know how dependable it is. But anyway, I am gonna just stop worrying about it and eat healthfully.

  • so is the pro-gest good or bad?? I didn’t want to stop one hormone (like bcp) only to start another. The past month or two I’ve had on time periods and i do LOVE getting it. they’ve been light and pleasant.

    Thank you everyone for the insight. I suppose it would help immensely if I would just chill out and not worry anymore about being on time. I do have a ovulation monitor, and it has told me every cycle that I have ovulated. I just don’t know how dependable it is. But anyway, I am gonna just stop worrying about it and eat healthfully.

  • so is the pro-gest good or bad?? I didn’t want to stop one hormone (like bcp) only to start another. The past month or two I’ve had on time periods and i do LOVE getting it. they’ve been light and pleasant.

    Thank you everyone for the insight. I suppose it would help immensely if I would just chill out and not worry anymore about being on time. I do have a ovulation monitor, and it has told me every cycle that I have ovulated. I just don’t know how dependable it is. But anyway, I am gonna just stop worrying about it and eat healthfully.

  • WinonaWinona Raw Newbie

    This story might be related to what you’re facing, rawr: http://buellerskitchen.com/?p=65

  • gypsycowgirlgypsycowgirl Raw Newbie

    I am total agreement to try and let the body work naturally but with so many toxins in our world and the stress that we undergo everyday our hormones can get out of balance—you should consider doing a hormone panel that would tell you where your hormones are and then you can work toward balancing thru food or whatever. I would be careful of the pro-gest because you don’t know where your estrogen levels are and they need to be balanced with the progesterone—without some kind of guide you are just shooting in the dark. A flat dose of hormones doesn’t mimic your natural cycle. If you are considering putting on hormones—I would find a Wiley Protocol doctor—they are bio-identical hormones and follow your body’s natural fluctuation of hormones thru the cycle.

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    I use raw cacao to balance my hormones naturally – I only eat it when i crave it, and then I eat it as much as my body wants it, and my periods have become what feels good to me, and I have no symptoms of PMS. The sunfood brand is the only one that works this way for me. I know that caffeine makes cancer grow faster, but cacao has something that is similar to caffeine but isn’t the same thing. So this may or may not be the solution for you. I was on BCP for a while, then I got a copper IUD cuz it wasn’t supposed to affect my hormones, but it DID - A LOT! After a year of raw cacao as a part of my high-raw diet, my hormones were more balanced, and I only get PMS/weird periods if I don’t have enough of the cacao when my body wants it.

  • RawrAdisaurous, if you’re eating a lot of simple carbs, you may want to experiment with limiting them for a month or two to see what happens. All my life I was irregular whenever I went off the pill for any length of time. All that changed however when I started limiting all forms of sugar several years ago. Now my cycle is a bit longer than average, but very regular, with clear signs of ovulation and easy, low-stress periods. Lots of leafy greens are also helpful for me, since they help stabilize my blood sugar levels and the hormone fluctuations associated with that.

    If you’re interested, you can google some of the very valid research out there linking unstable blood sugar levels with whacky hormones.

  • sweetpeasweetpea Raw Newbie

    Hello, if I had that I would go on Gabriel Cousens anti-candida programme for 3 months which has been shown in lab tests to return cancerous cells to normal. You would need to take zeolite too. For more info see ‘Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine” by Gabriel Cousens.

    www.rawlifestyle.co.uk

  • MeditatingMeditating Raw Newbie

    RawrAdisaurous – bless your heart. I know this must be very stressful for you. What do I know? not much but i try to read as much as i can and my advice is worth what you are paying me for it.

    Taking Progesterone, even via a creme, is a form of hormonal replacement therapy. What that actually means depends on who you ask. It isn’t my intention to be flippant by saying that, there just doesn’t seem to be any sure fire way to find accurate health info these days.

    As far as your fibroids, I have been very impressed with what I have read in studies and reports on personal experienes by individuals and health care professionals regarding fasting to rid the body of superfluous tissue like fibroids. I have read reports on fasting for that specific reason. Fasting seems radical to a culture of people who have been taught the importance of never missing a meal, but it is inately natural to animals and I think it is a true healing mechanism. If it would work for you depends on several things, including you current body weight as that would be related to the level of commitment and timeline required for results.

    I don’t think you need to be concerned that you cervical cancer is as indication that something is wrong with your body. Despite all the recent exposure to sell the new HPV vaccine, I first heard about the link between HPV exposure and cerfical cancer when I was a teenager and that was over 30 years ago. If you are concerned that your body is some kind of cancer factory, I think you can safely cross that one off your list.

    As for hormonal imbalance, I have been inerested in reading about adaptogens lately and I find some of the information promising and am trying some of it myself. I believe I am having successful result but am trying to find a way to quantify it other than my “feelings” because I don’t want to fall victim to the placebo effect. Perhaps this is an area that you could read about and discuss with your naturopath and/or your 2nd opinion naturopath. The theory is that true adoptogens (maca is an example) help the body naturally reset or adjust the endocrine system, which controls hormonal production, so that the body gets to where it needs to be. Some adaptogens are suppose to be better at dealing with certain problems. I would be leary of information coming from sites that are selling the product. What they report may be from legitimate sources, but I think a source without a financial investment is preferred. Good Luck.

  • carrie6292carrie6292 Raw Newbie

    Hi. I know this isn’t answering your question, but has the doctor mentioned anything to you about Endometriosis? I have it and what your explaining sounds a bit like it… just a thought! I actually have to take BC to control teh endo but recently, i’ve been thinking about going off of it. Mainly because i am unable to lose weight and the BC is the only thing i have not yet changed in my life. I might try it for a few months to see how i feel and what kind of effect it has on me. I hope i don’t have pains from going off of it… we’ll see! Good luck to you!

  • amysueamysue Raw Newbie

    Here’s an update on my experience with the Progest cream. It seems to have scared my period away. Where did it go? No idea. I stopped taking the cream after the recommended 14 days when my period would normally begin, and now a week later, hmmmm. I had an ob/gyn appointment and I told my doctor I had tried it and she said she can’t say one way or another if it’s beneficial or not because there’s not enough research, so if it were her she wouldn’t take it.

  • here is a good article that relates to being raw and getting no or very little of a period: http://www.phifoundation.org/menses.html

    i would suggest to drink a green smoothie everyday for breakfast (a bunch of fruit, at last 3 servings, a pound of dark leafy greens and some water and blend it all up) for a few weeks and see if that helps with the cancer. the Book Green For Life” by Victoria Boutenko may be useful as well.

  • have_merseyhave_mersey Raw Newbie

    I’m sorry ahead of time, because you may not have wanted me to read this. BUT I have read many good things about flax naturally regulating your estrogen and progesterone levels over time(supposedly two-three months), if you eat two-four raw tablespoons a day everyday. I’ve also heard many wonderful things about Red Raspberry LEAF tea regulating hormones, upping calcium, and preventing/getting rid of cycsts and the like. I wouldn’t suggest using any hormone cream “natural” or not. I think everything can be corrected by diet. Also you might look into liver cleanses as all hormones pass through the liver(or eat your dandelions).

    Red Raspberry leaf tea is very tasty and is good for both men and women. I would suggest drinking it even if you were healthier than an Ox. :) Strawberry leaves work the same I hear(also tasty). Same with Blackberry. I have also read about taking the roots from the above and using that in a decoction(more vitamins and minerals). :) Hope you heal well.

    Oh! and if at all possible gather whatever wild edibles you can, or buy some “wildcrafter/wildharvested”. They have many more minerals and antioxidants. Since you have precancerous tissue, those two things will help greatly.

    Sorry this is jumbled. I am a bit of blubberer anyway, but writing past my bedtime doesn;t help it any. :P

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