Women who do report period pain tend to have prostate gland and levels upwards of four times the levels of women who don't.

So I shared this information so that we can kind of start thinking differently about the pain.

It's obviously extremely common for women to experience pain with their period.

And you mentioned a little bit ago about

understanding how much you're bleeding and that too little, we think that a light period means

better, right? But too light of a period is associated with a higher risk of fertility problems

and miscarriage. Because so many women struggle with early miscarriage or fertility issues,

and if you aren't bleeding enough, that's a sure sign that you have insufficient hormones

stimulating the uterine lining. I'm Cynthia Overgard, owner of hypnoborthing of Connecticut,

childbirth advocate, and postpartum Support Specialist.

And I'm Trescia Ludwig, certified nurse midwife and international board-certified lactation consultant.

And this is the Down to Birth podcast.

Childbirth is something we're made to do, but how do we have our safest and most satisfying experience in

today's medical culture? Let's dispel the myths and get down to birth.

Hi, I'm Lisa Hendrickson Jack, author of The Fifth Vital Sign and Real Food for Fertility.

And I have been a fertility awareness educator for many, many years.

Really excited to chat with you today about all things menstrual cycle.

So how did this become a passion topic for you?

Well, I mean, it's a long story, so I will truncate it. But my first

periods were heavy and painful. And so I was put on the pill by choice at an early age

because I was super active. I was in ballet. No one wants to be in a leotard bleeding out, right? So

that wasn't going to work. But what happened in my case was that I wasn't taking the pill for birth

...