Functional hypothalamic amenorrhea

Okay.

So this caller is asking how can you tell if someone has PCOS, hypothalamic amenorrhea, or how do you know they, if they have a combination of both? So first of all, we have episodes, separate episodes on PMOS, as well as on hypothalamic amenorrhea.

So definitely listen to both of them, because they're a deep, deep dive.

But just at a high level, these are the two most common causes of why someone might have irregular cycles, irregular ovulation.

Your pituitary gland in your brain is sending signals to your ovary, and your ovary has to receive them, and then that allows an egg to get matured and then eventually ovulate.

So it's kind of like a game of broken telephone.

Either the pituitary is not sending the signal out, and that's what we call hypothalamic amenorrhea.

The hypothalamus is the master gland that controls the pituitary, so that's why it's called that.

Something about that diagnosis didn't sit right with her, and trusting that instinct changed everything.

Through self-advocacy and after signing up for the bronze package with me, we discovered she actually had hypothalamic amenorrhea, HA.

Christine's story is one of the most powerful examples of self-advocacy that I've witnessed.

From rethinking her approach to movement to making dietary shifts that felt counterintuitive at first, she helped her body remember how to do what it was designed to do.

And I'm so, so grateful and honored for Christine to be on the podcast today.

Today I am sitting down with my client, Christine.

She is a former PCOS or we should now say PMOS slash you need IVF client who ultimately discovered that she was dealing with hypothalamic amenorrhea instead and went on to conceive naturally after many months of further investigation and optimization, which you're going to hear today.

Her story is such a powerful example of what can happen when you listen to your body, when you challenge a diagnosis that doesn't quite fit and you get the right support on your fertility journey.