Episode 11: Tracking your cycles as a fat person
Episode Summary:
In this episode I'm sharing my experience of tracking my irregular cycles as a fat person and exploring what tools are most useful for cycle tracking.
We explore what things you need to be aware of as a fat person so you can track your cycles to support getting pregnant.
What to Expect from the Podcast
The episode emphasises the value of reconnecting with your body through natural signals and creating a tracking system that aligns with your needs and budget. Nicola encourages listeners to use tracking as a tool for empowerment, not stress, and to approach the process with curiosity and compassion.
Highlights
Importance of Tracking Cycles
Challenges with Tracking as a Fat Person
Building Connection with Your Body
Links and Resources
Nicola’s book, Fat and Fertile
Get Involved
Nicola would love to hear from you! If this episode resonates, share your story, ask a question, or leave a review.
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If you’re enjoying Fat and Fertile, please share this episode on social or leave a review! Every share helps make this info more accessible to everyone who needs it.
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Hey, my lovely Welcome to fat and fertile the podcast. I'm Nicola salmon, fat positive fertility coach and author of the book fat and fertile. I'm obsessed with helping folks navigate getting pregnant in an anti fat world on this podcast, we'll explore the complexities that fat folks face when you want to grow your family. If you want to support this podcast, I would love for you to share it on social media or leave me a review on your podcast app. Are you ready? Let's dive in. You.
Hey folks, and welcome to a new episode of fat and fertile. I am so happy that you have joined me today, and I cannot wait to get into this topic of tracking cycles as a fat person. Last time we talked about irregular cycles, and what that means about being fat, and why fatness does not cause irregular cycles. Today, we're going to explore a little bit about how we can track our cycles, what's useful, what we need to know as a fat person, and how we can use this information to support ourselves as we're navigating getting pregnant. I think it's really important that we just plus this from a fat lens, because there are some components, some parts of it that are not well understood, not really discussed, and can have a big impact on tracking cycles. So I'm really, really excited to talk about this with you today, so let's dig into a little bit about how why it's important to track cycles. So cycle tracking can be really helpful to help you figure out what's going on with your reproductive hormones. So it can help you in noticing trends over time. It can also help you identify your fertile window. If you are having sex in a heterosexual relationship and you are using penis and vagina sex to make your baby, knowing your fertile window can be super important. If you have a regular cycle, then that you know, just noticing when you ovulate is really useful, because although we're told that ovulation always happens on day 14 of a 28 day cycle, most folks don't have a 28 day cycle, and most vocal ovulation day can vary both in terms of when it is some people can ovulate slightly earlier, some slightly later, and also kind of consistently over the months, like some people will ovulate the same time every part of their cycle. And some people it can vary by a day or two or more. So having an idea of what that looks like for you can be really helpful when you're deciding when to have sex, if you are navigating it that way, when to use insemination, if you're in a queer couple and using insemination techniques, there is a lot of benefit from identifying where your fertile window is now. Tracking isn't always helpful, and I think it's really important to acknowledge that too. Sometimes tracking can become really obsessive. Sometimes it can be really it can take over your thoughts, your day. It can be because there's so little that's within our control when we're navigating, getting pregnant, having tracking can sometimes take over, as it's something that you can control, and it can feel quite draining, quite difficult to navigate. So I think it's helpful to recognize if you ever get to a point where the data points are really upsetting, or it's getting really frustrating, or you're tracking multiple times a day, those are kind of the red flags when tracking like to start become unhelpful. It could also it's also important to recognize the labor of tracking this often is place the onus on one person to track, and that is a lot of labor to do through this process. And also it takes you away from what your body is telling you. So when you're just focused on what the data is saying, whether that's positive negative numbers, it takes away from the experience within your body. So often, your body will give you signs and symptoms that something is going on, for example, ovulation, or you're starting your period. And when we're so upset with the data, it can be really easy to forget to notice those things. So it can be super helpful in noticing trends, but it also can be. Be harmful if it gets to a point where it's, you know, it's causing you negative emotional impact. And I don't see a lot of people talking about that, so I think it's really important to know that your mental health is more important than the data that you're tracking. So there are lots of different types of methods that you can use to track your menstrual cycle, the most basic thing to do is to use an app or use a calendar, like a paper calendar, and track when you're the days that you bleed, so when you're on your period, that is kind of the most basic way of tracking cycles, and that can be really useful to know how often you're bleeding, so you can tell your your length of your menstrual cycle from that, you can see how much it varies over time. And there are other things that you can do to get a little bit more information. So you can track something called your basal body temperature, which is where you use a more accurate thermometer. So I think it needs to be two decimal places to track your temperature very first thing in the morning, which is like your lowest body temperature. So it's before you get up to go pee, before you talk to your partner in the morning, very first thing you do upon waking after at least four hours sleep is track your temperature, and that can give you information around ovulation, around your progesterone levels, around lots of different things. There's huge tombs of books that you can buy that tells you all the information about that. And that can be super useful, but it's really important to notice that it's trends of data, and each individual data point doesn't have a huge meaning. It's all about what the data looks like over two or three cycles, at the very least, rather than deciding what and interpreting what each individual data point means. So tracking your body temperature can be a quite low cost way of looking at your cycles and getting some information and data from that. There are also more fancier ways that you can do that you can get something called a daisy thermometer, which kind of links to your phone and measures it that way. There are other types of things that measure the body you can get, like wearable watches and devices and all kinds of things. But looking at basal body temperature, it basically your body temperature rises after you've ovulated. So you'll get another biphasic is what they call it, like shift in your graft so it will be lower, lower, lower, and then jump up after you've ovulated, which is due to the increased levels of progesterone which are in your body. Which is very cool. Another thing that you can do is you can track your cervical mucus, so that your body in your vagina, where has different mucus over the month. It's not something I was really aware of until I became a fertility coach, but it changes in kind of consistency and amount over the month for most folks. So you can track that. You could also track the position of your cervix, which changes where depending on where you are in your cycle as well. So there's that information that you can use, and then also ovulation predictor kits. So this is a little stick, like a pee stick, that you can use to test the levels of LH within your pee. And what happens is that when you are about to ovulate, your LH spikes, so it goes up really high quite quickly. And the P sticks can measure that and kind of give you a predictor that you're about to ovulate, which, again, can be useful sometimes, especially giving you that little heads up that you're about to ovulate with irregular cycles can be super helpful, but we're going to go into a little reason why that can be a little bit problematic in a minute. But the final kind of traffic met tracking method is you can now get these fancy they're basically tiny computers that you do a P stick on and it gives you actual numbers. So rather than just like a smiley face or like a concentration line, it gives you real world values as to things that your different types of hormones are doing. So your LH, your progesterone, your estrogen, your FSH, all the different hormones you can have checked on a regular basis, which, again, can give you lots of information and lots of data, but it can be sometimes a little bit overwhelming, depending on how you're using it. So there's lots of different methods. I have another blog post where I kind of go into it a little bit more detail, which I will share in the in the show notes, if you want more of a like laid out guide to follow through, to look at that, happy to share that with you. But yeah, depending on what your needs are, depending on how regular your cycles are, and depending on what you feel, is going to support you and your needs. You may choose any, all, none of those things to track. Your cycles, and all of them can be really helpful, and all of them can be overwhelming, so it's really important that you recognize what's going to be useful for your own unique circumstances.
Now for me personally, I have super regular cycles. I have polycystic ovarian syndrome, and life cycles can vary from like 35 up to like 100 plus days. Like, there's a massive variation. And whilst I never used any of these tools when I was getting pregnant, like, since kind of doing more research on the tools, something that I found really helpful for my regular cycles is something called the mirror, which is one of these little computers. They are not cheap. They are a few 100 pounds or dollars, and the sticks that they use again quite pricey, but it gives you so much information about when you're going to ovulate, what your hormones are doing. And for someone with the regular cycles, it was a really helpful exercise in looking at how my body functions and when I'm ovulating, and what that feels like and looks like for me. So there was a lot of value that I found from the process of using that. But again, depending on your own unique circumstances, there will be different things that will work best for you. This episode of fat and fertile is proudly sponsored by supported the 12 month community program that offers the support you truly deserve, compassionate, respectful, evidence based, and above all, led by you. It provides a safe haven where you can feel validated and acknowledged amidst the prevailing inequality and anti fat bias that often accompanies fertility. Care. To learn more, visit the link in our show notes, or send me a message on Instagram at facts positive fertility. Now, let's get back to the show. Now, I know I alluded to this a little bit earlier, but it's really important that we recognize that these numbers that we get out or the ovulation predictor kits, which look at use a concentration line to decide whether you are ovulating or not, or whether the LH is higher, isn't necessarily very accurate for fat Folks, and I'm going to explain a little bit as to why. So recent research has found that LH levels, which are really important for predicting ovulation, can be lower in folks with a higher BMI. So there was a study, and again, I can pop this in the show notes. There's a study in 2017 that found that folks with a higher BMI may have lower LH levels, and hypothetically, a positive test may be less frequent. So what that means is that you have a higher BMI, it could be harder to detect a positive LH surge, which makes it harder to pinpoint ovulation, which is very frustrating. There was another study done in 2020 that showed similar results. That LH levels could be lower in folks with a higher BMI. Now they didn't find any difference in pregnancy rates with people with different BMI. So it's really important to remember that LH, if your Lh is lower, that doesn't mean that getting pregnant will be harder. But what I think is actually happening is that historically, when these tests were made, the people that they use to define the range in which LH, quote, unquote should be are very likely thin people, and something that I've seen in other tests, such as pregnancy tests and progesterone tests, is that we as folks in bigger bodies may just have a lower concentration. We may have exactly the same amount of the hormone, but it's a lower concentration because our body the bigger, so we have a higher total volume. And what that means is that they're not working as well for us, and they're not showing us those positives purely because of our higher total volume and absolutely nothing to do physiologically with what is going on. And if, when they'd made these tests, they'd used a much bigger variation in body sizes, we might have different tests that work differently, but that's not the reality we live in, which is why the mirror can be really useful, because it gives you an actual number so you can compare that to your own baseline, rather than relying on this arbitrary range which they have determined which might not be as effective for folks in bigger bodies. So yeah, if you're having difficulty using op case or tracking ovulation, this could be the reason why. And something like basal body temperature, thermal cervical mucus changes, you can track those, or use one of these fancier bits of kit, which you can access as well, if that's available, something else that's really in. Interesting is that our temperature, so our basal body temperature, which is historically what has been used in the past to track menstrual cycles before we had a lot of the technology we have now, our temperature, our basal body temperature, is impacted by our metabolism, and something else that we know is impacted by our metabolism. That impacts our metabolism is changes in what we eat. So whether that's kind of restrictive, calories could be a history of dieting. It could be a history of weight cycling. So when your your body weight goes up and down because of the way that we're told that we have to diet all the time, all these things may impact our metabolism, and I haven't found any good quality research on the impact of these things, but I think it's really interesting to note that if you are measuring your basal body temperature, that that temperature could be impacted by any food restrictions that you're currently undergoing, or any that may have happened in the past. It could be something to keep an eye on and keep in your brain as you're kind of navigating this. So there are all these different tech tools, there are all these different things that are available on the market. Something that's useful to watch out for is that a lot of the apps, a lot of the trackers that you can download onto your phone, have kind of inbuilt nutrition and diet advice, which can be problematic. It can be triggering who folks who have history of disordered eating or eating disorders. So it's useful when you're downloading those kinds of apps to kind of keep an eye on what kind of information they're giving you, what's how that's impacting your mental health. You might think that, oh, a few diet things here and there will be fine, but if you're tracking it regularly, if you're looking at every day and it's giving you anti fat bias or like diet centric information every single day, it might be worth just keeping an eye on how it's impacting your mental health. And something else which is really helpful to be aware of is that we need to be careful where we're keeping this type of information, especially for folks in the US where their reproductive rights are being massively impeded right now. It's really important that we take due diligence to understand what companies are doing with our personal health information and specifically around our reproductive health. So just make sure that you're doing your due diligence with any apps that you use, that none of that information will be able to be shared with anybody who may request it. Tracking cycles can be a really nice way to get in touch with our bodies and to build a more positive relationship with them, you can use tracking as a way to connect with your body and begin to listen to its signals. So around ovulation, you might start to notice that you have changes in breast tenderness, one sided abdominal pain, increased libido, increased energy. Those can be really interesting things to track of ways of being in more in connection and in touch with your body. And you may also notice that your mood and your energy varies depending on what part of your cycle you're in. And again, it's almost like creating a little instruction manual for yourself. Of like, this is how I feel at different parts of my cycle. This is what impacts my energy. This is what I'm really good at doing at this part of my cycle, and this is what you know is really important to avoid at different parts of your cycle. That information can be really powerful, and I think it can go a long way to just rebuilding a little sense of trust and wonder in what our bodies do and what our bodies are capable of, it can be really powerful and really supportive. So that's been a whistle top tour of tracking your cycle. There's lots of different ways you can do it, from basal body temperature to looking at things your body's doing to your cervix to using little computers and little sticks to pee on. Not all of them are going to be right for everybody. It really depends on your own unique needs, what your brain finds useful, and also what is within your budget as well. I think that's really important and realistic to to really highlight the bare minimum that you can get from that is, you know, if you're using an app is tracking how long your menstrual cycles are, which is really useful information. If it's looking at any part of your kind of ovulation, you can use it to track your fertile window. And your fertile window is six days, and it's
kind of four days before you ovulate. The day of ovulation, and then sometimes the day after that is kind of the time best when you need to be having sex or doing any kind of insemination, basically where you want the egg to eat the sperm, that is the kind of key window to do it. Because the wonderful thing about sperm is that they can live up to five days in your vagina, uterus, wherever they're swimming towards, if that's what you're doing. So it can be really interesting to know that you've got that kind of window. It doesn't just have to be the time that the test says you're ovulating. You've got a little bit of breathing space and a little bit of leeway. And most often, folks recommend that you have sex or do insemination every other day in that window. So if that feels useful, if that feels helpful, that's a good rule of thumb to remember. But obviously, when you want to get pregnant, if you've been doing this for a little while, it can get boring and monotonous and frustrating, having to kind of perform on cue every month. So please, please, please, do honor your body's needs. Honor what feels good for you, what's going to be the most supportive thing to you to do in any month. So practical tips and takeaways from today. Find a tracking system that works for your brain and budget, I recommend tracking for a few months, at least three months, and just using the trends to inform your actions, rather than worrying and obsessing over every single specific data point, because the data points in themselves each day don't really mean much. It's only when you're looking over time that you can get a good sense of trends, and obviously, if you're tracking ovulation, it can be helpful when you're looking at your fertile window, especially for folks with the regular cycles. But you can use your body signals as well, and that can be a super powerful way to really get back in touch with your body, rebuild that kind of connection and embodiment within your body through this process and to begin to find a little bit more awe and wonder in what your body is capable of. I hope that has been useful. If you found this useful, you may love my fat fertility 101, workshop where we go into this but into so much more about the basics of getting pregnant in a bigger body. I'll pop a link in the show notes if that's something of interest. And I hope that you find the best way for you to track your cycles. I love to hear how you do it, what you find helpful. You can DM me on Instagram at Fat positive fertility, and I can't wait to see you next time to take care. Loves. Thanks so much for joining me today for fat and fertile. If you want to learn more about how to have a fat positive facility journey, then I'd love for you to check out my book, fat and fertile, how to get pregnant in a bigger body. It's available everywhere via Amazon, so just search in your Amazon store for fat and fertile or click in the link in the show notes See you next time you.
Get Involved: Nicola would love to hear from you! If this episode resonates, share your story, ask a question, or leave a review. You can also join the Fat and Fertile Alliance - a friendly space to connect with others on similar paths.
Support the Podcast: If you’re enjoying Fat and Fertile, please share this episode on social or leave a review! Every share helps make this info more accessible to everyone who needs it.
Apologies for any typos - transcribed by https://otter.ai - it can make mistakes! If you need clarification on anything - please get in touch!