Maisie Hill

I am a huge believer in the health benefits of having a menstrual cycle as well as how it can benefit your life

But anything that you choose to do for your mental or physical health, or situation in life, is up to you. It’s your body, and your life, and I encourage you to tune in to your own wisdom.

Yes, we are hormonal, and that’s a very good thing

Can you feel yourself expanding?

This is the season to jump in with both feet (or ovaries) and say a big fat yes to what comes your way, and you’ll no doubt have plenty of choices of things to say yes to, because this is the season where you’re likely to be inundated with opportunities. It’s as if the universe is on your side and everything

Hormonal birth control will not ‘regulate your cycles’, it prevents you from ovulating and only causes withdrawal bleeds, not real periods.

What you eat and drink, eating disorders, lack of sleep, lack of exercise, overexercising, and screen time all influence hormone production and therefore your cycle and your period too

I’m pro-informed choice, but I suspect that most users of hormonal birth control take it without having the kind of conversation that I’d like them to have with their healthcare provider, one in which the side effects and other options are discussed before the prescription pad is reached

but I don’t judge you for taking it, especially when it’s presented as the be all and end all of women’s health issues

I’m not here to convince you that you shouldn’t use hormonal birth control, it’s your body and your choice, and I’m 100 per cent behind whatever you feel is appropriate for you, but it is my job to let you know what the negative effects of taking the drugs like the pill can be, because most of the time, it’s the benefits which are touted