The PCOS Girls Podcast

We wish we had this to listen to when we were first diagnosed!

This episode is all about the swaps you can make in your home (and some for in your cupboard) that are hormone friendly and so good for managing your PCOS.

Making your home free from endocrine disrupting chemicals is a journey and most of us can't all dive in all at once but we hope this episode gives you some ideas of where to start.

Follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo

Yep...we've talked about gluten before. But this episode goes into where we are at with gluten now, and why.

If you're confused about whether on not to try going gluten free - this one is for you!

Follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo

Today's ep is all about self-care! Specifically, we dive into the self-care practices we personally are LOVING having in our lives right now.

Definitely some we haven't talked about before so we are excited to share!

Follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo

Bit of a deep one this week. After two months of no episodes, we might as well jump into the depths with you guys.

For a while we've wanted to do an  episode where we just talk about the whole experience of pregnancy loss.  How we navigated it, the things we've learnt, the things we'd love to  see handled differently.

We weren't ready until now but here it is...the real behind the scenes of pregnancy loss.

This one is undeniably for all our listeners who have experienced  pregnancy loss, but we think it's also really helpful for anyone to  listen to and learn some things that might help them to support someone  going through pregnancy loss in the future.

Listening to people who've gone through pregnancy loss is one of the  only ways the topic will become less taboo and one of the only ways you  can become educated on what to/not to do when supporting someone who's  going through it.

To all our beautiful listeners who have experienced pregnancy loss or  are in the depths of it now - we feel you so deeply and hope more than  anything, that you have all the support you need.

Big content notice on this one obviously xx

p.s. follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Another Q + A ep - back by popular demand!

We cover everything from cycles to postpartum to body love (plus teething, weaning and co-sleeping - oh my!).

Make sure you follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo

This episode is such a special one!

We talk about Ayurveda a fair bit on the podcast and we've both used Ayurveda on our journeys, but this is the first time we've actually brought an Ayurvedic practitioner on to share their wisdom!

And oh my did we bring in an absolutely incredible woman!

To learn all about Ayurveda and how it can be used for PCOS and fertility, we have interviewed Myra Lewin, the founder of Hale Pule - 

@hale_pule

www.halepule.com

Myra is an Ayurvedic practitioner and master yogini who has been practicing for 30 years. She is also the author of four acclaimed books on Ayurveda and Ayurvedic cookning, and is the host of two podcasts on holistic healing, “Everyday Ayurveda and Yoga at Hale Pule” and “Spark Your Intuition”.

We learnt so much from Myra - make sure you listen to the end because she shares some incredible, practical, eye opening tips that you can start exploring right away.

Follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Also please leave a review if you're feeling it and subscribe to our podcast!

Mel and Brig xo

Today we have Jessica Maguire from @repairing_the_nervous_system on to chat all about a key area of health that is often not even known about - the nervous system.

This is an epic, highly informative episode that is going to really open your eyes to how truly connected our whole body is. It's also going to shed light on what may be a massive factor for you on your healing journey.

Nervous system regulation should not be overlooked - but so many of us don't even know to look at it, which is why we are so excited to be bringing you this episode!!

In it we cover:

- Nervous system 101

- Vagus nerve 101 (soooooo important!!!)

- How the nervous system effects our hormonal system and cycles

- How the nervous system is connected to our mental health

- Signs and symptoms of a dis-regulated nervous system

- Where to turn if we think we need to work on our nervous system

You can find Jessica Maguire on instagram @repairing_the_nervous_system or on her website www.jessicamaguire.com

Make sure you follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo

We get asked a lot about what we eat and what we recommend people eat for PCOS, hormones and fertility.

We definitely both believe that nutrition is very much about the individual but thought we would do an episode all about a super important part of our plates - protein.

In the ep we cover:

- Why protein is part of a balanced meal

- What our favourite protein sources are

- Tips and tricks for getting protein into every meal

- Why plant proteins are so important

- How to combine plant protein to get a complete protein on your plate

Make sure you follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo

We're back!! We've had a nice big break whilst Brig's family has grown and we are so happy to be back on the mic talking all things hormones, fertility and LIFE.

In today's episode we do a big catch up and get to hear all about Brig's birth story for little Willa and what postpartum life has been like. 

We also get an update on where Mel is at with her thyroid and mental health journey. 

Plus we answer some listener questions!

So happy to be back!!

Make sure you follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo

We’re back! Couldn’t help ourselves.

We’ve spent the entire season talking about Brig’s pregnancy and it felt wrong to not have one final catch up before the precious little bundle arrives.

So today we hear all about where Brig is up to –

- Birth plans

- All about home birth

- Where the baby is positioned

- All of the “boy or girl” speculation!

- How Brig plans to manage balancing her businesses and having a newborn

- And most importantly – NAME HINTS!

We also do a quick catch up on where Mel is at but her response is about as messy as her life right now. Definitely going to do a deep dive episode/mini series next year on thyroid health and the whole new journey Mel is now on.

Pretty sure this is actually us for the year now – enjoy the holiday season!! p.s. make sure you're following us on Instagram so you can see when Brig announces the birth of her little bundle!! Eeeeeee BOY OR GIRL???!!!!!!

Gahhhh - it's the final episode of season 2!

Officially, anyway. It's very likely a bonus episode may come your way at some point!

Today we get deep answering all of your questions and as usual, it's a real mixed bag!

We cover:

- How we regulated our cycle

- How to stay positive when everyone around you is falling pregnant

- What to do to prepare to ttc in a year

- How our partners have helped on our fertility and PCOS journeys

- Tips for low progesterone

- How long to stick with a practitioner before trying someone new

- How/if we addressed stretch marks

Plus a whole bunch more.

It's been such a great year with you guys! Stay in touch with us in our facebook group - The PCOS Girls Podcast Community and let us know how your journeys are going!

AND - let us know what you'd love to see from us - deep dive mini-series? Live podcast events? Workshops? Online workshops? What do you need?

Mel and Brig xo

This has been a long standing and repeatedly requested episode that we have quite frankly, been hesitant to do. We really wanted to do it right and given neither of us have much experience with this symptom - we wanted to make sure we'd really looked into things.

But we are so happy the episode is finally here!

In it we cover:

- What hirsutism is and the various causes of it

- How to treat hirsutism from the inside out

- How to reduce hirsutism topically

Make sure you follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo

Today we breakdown the different "types" of PCOS!

We look at what the types are, the symptoms of each, how to use testing to figure out your type and the many treatments for each type.

It's a big one!

Make sure you follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo

Before PCOS Awareness Month comes to a close, we wanted to share an episode all about the things we wish people were aware of when it comes to PCOS. These are things we wish the general public knew, things we wish our doctors knew and things we wish all women with PCOS knew.

Make sure you follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo

Given how prevalent it is in the PCOS community and given our own journeys with it - this week’s episode is all about anxiety.

In it we cover:

- Our personal journeys with anxiety

- How miscarriage affected our mental health

- How having PCOS affected our mental health

- Pregnancy anxiety

- Signs and symptoms of anxiety

- Lifestyle practices for anxiety

- Natural medicines for anxiety

- The different types of therapy for anxiety

- What on earth EMDR is

- Food/nutrients for anxiety

Make sure you follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo

This week we have naturopath Dr Samina Mitha on to talk all about tests!

We get asked about PCOS tests and how to interpret them all the time so we are so excited to bring you Samina's expertise. We also talk about treating insulin resistance.

You can find Samina on instagram @dr.saminamitha.nd and her website is www.saminamitha.com

In this episode we cover:

- How to determine what tests someone with PCOS needs

- What on earth functional tests are and when to get them

- How to interpret the test results

- Optimal test result ranges

- How to use test results to determine the root cause of PCOS

- How to treat insulin resistance

Make sure you follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo

Welcome to one of our fave episodes ever!

We love a good Q + A and hope you love it as much as we enjoyed making it.

In this ep we answer a whole bunch of listener questions including:

- Breakfast ideas to keep you full

- Best advice for someone starting their fertility journey

- How we started our businesses

- How to manage low iodine

- How to know how your PCOS is going

- Tips for breastfeeding with PCOS

- Keto vs Vegan

- Skincare products for breakouts

- Fave herb to lower androgens

- Is vitex good for PCOS

- Books we recommend for PCOS

- Workouts to keep stress levels low

Plus a whole bunch of other random bits and pieces!

Make sure you follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo

So excited to be bringing the incredible Bridget Hustwaite to your ears!

Of course, if you've ever listened to Triple J, then Bridget's voice probably isn't a new one.

Beloved radio presenter and author of the super successful How to Endo, Bridget joins us today to share absolutely EVERYTHING about endometriosis.

In it we cover:

- Bridget's own journey with endometriosis and how it led her to start the @endogram instagram account.

- What causes endometriosis

- The most common and the least common symptoms

- How to get diagnosed with endo

- How to support someone with endo

- The main differences between endo and PCOS

- The reason Bridget's book How to Endo is so different to others out there and who it is for.

You can find Bridget on Instagram @bridgethustwaite and her endometriosis account is @endogram. You can get her book from bookdepository.com or booktopia.com.au and Bridget's website is www.bridget-hustwaite.com

Make sure you follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo

Today's episode is all about the ins and outs of PCOS and inflammation and becomes quite a deep dive on gut health.

In it we cover:

- The causes of inflammation

- The symptoms of inflammation

- The wide effects inflammation has in the body

- Anti inflammatory foods and nutrients

- Supplements for reducing inflammation

- The gut -> inflammation -> immune system connection

- The effect of bad bacteria on inflammation

- What is leaky gut, what does it do and how can you treat it

Make sure you follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo

On today's episode we have Caitlin Johnson, a dietitian who specialises in helping women with PCOS balance hormones and get pregnant.

It's an epic episode that covers advice from when you have PCOS but are not yet trying to conceive, to trying to conceive and then early pregnancy.

Caitlin is kindly offering our listeners 10% off her PCOS + Cycle Tracking course and her PCOS and Pregnant course when you use the code PCOSGIRLSPODCAST - it needs to be all caps. You can find Caitlin's courses at www.pcosfertilitynutrition.com/mini-courses and you can follow her on instagram @pcosfertilitynutrition

In this episode we cover:

- What Caitlin looks for when she first meets a client with PCOS

- Food and lifestyle advice for someone who has PCOS but is not yet trying to conceive

- Things your partner can do to optimise their health and fertility

- Food and lifestyle advice for someone who is trying to conceive

- Recommended tests for early pregnancy

- Food and lifestyle advice for early pregnancy.

The tracking app Caitlin refers to in the episode is www.Cronometer.com

And a recipe for "Egg roll in a bowl", which Caitlin refers to is here: www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/keto-egg-roll-in-a-bowl/

Make sure you follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo

This week we share all the ways we have used traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on our PCOS journeys.

In it we cover:

- A brief overview of what TCM is and how it is practiced

- How we used TCM to conceive our babes

- Herbs, granules, acupuncture, massage, cupping and Qi gong – what we’ve done and how they’ve helped

- How Mel used TCM to get her period back post miscarriage and then later postpartum

- How TCM approaches are used to heal gut issues

- How we have used TCM outside of our PCOS and fertility journeys

Make sure you follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo

This is a hugely requested topic by you guys so we are so happy to finally deliver on it!

Today's episode is all about balancing out an elevated LH:FSH ratio (Luteinising Hormone : Follicle Stimulating Hormone ratio).

In the ep we cover:

- how exactly LH becomes elevated

- just how connected each of our hormones are

- how insulin resistance and estrogen levels link in

- the HPO axis - what it does and how it is linked to elevated LH

- specific supplements that can help balance LH:FSH ratio

- how Mel addressed her elevated LH:FSH ratio

Make sure you follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo

P.s. we do want to note here how sorry we are that Mel's audio isn't quite as clear as it usually is! Microphone struggles are real sometimes. We still felt it was good enough to release into the world though and hope you all agree!

Today's episode features the incredibly insightful and wonderful teacher and women's health educator, Demi Spaccavento from Bright Girl Health.

Demi is at the absolute forefront of advocating and actually enacting period, cycle and hormonal health education for students in Australia and worldwide and we absolutely LOVE what she is doing for the future of women's health.

Demi goes to schools in person and now also offers online presentations to educate students on everything we wish we had been taught about in school - from cervical fluid to hormones to cycle length and cups.

In today's episode we cover a lot of ground including:

- period myths/misconceptions

- common gaps in menstrual knowledge

- Demi's personal history of period and hormone health

- Issues with the education system and ways we can empower people going forward

- hormone health

- starting a business

You can follow Demi @brightgirlhealth and to find out more info about Demi's programs head to her website brightgirlhealth.com - if you are a teacher or are the mother of someone in highschool, you could advocate to get Demi's online presentations offered at your school.

Make sure you follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo

Today we talk all about the differences between PCOS and Hypothalamic Amenorrhea. 

There are a surprising amount of similarities but some really key differences your doctor may have missed, that can help you work it out.

Make sure you follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo

Oh hey, welcome to our FAVOURITE EPISODE EVER!

Today, Mel asks all YOUR questions about Brigitte's newly announced pregnancy and it is SO FUN and so insightful and moving and real.

The due date

Pregnancy symptoms

How she found out

How she is navigating her pregnancy after loss

Pregnancy anxiety tips

"Scan-xiety"

HOWWWW Brig got pregnant (pre-conception routine etc)

Pregnancy diet

Pregnancy herbs/supplements

BIRTH PLAN

Plus so many random in-between pieces of our pregnancy journeys and life and trying to conceive and all the rest.

Make sure you follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo

Sometimes you want people to know, sometimes you don't, sometimes you don't know how to say it, sometimes you really don't want to have to say a thing.

In this episode we breakdown how this tricky topic can be navigated, how we have personally approached it and tips for in the moment.

Make sure you follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo

Today is all about STRESS. In particular, ways to reduce that beautifully complicated hormone called cortisol.

In this ep we cover:

- Supplements for decreasing cortisol and improving our reaction to stress

- Lifestyle practices to manage stress and reduce cortisol levels

- The practice that is helping Mel reduce her stress IN THE MOMENT – and that is actually working in a really significant way

- What you can do if you’ve just had a really stressful moment, to help reduce the effect cortisol has just had on your body

Make sure you follow us on Instagram @thepcosgirls and come and join the conversation in our private podcast community at www.facebook.com/groups/thepcosgirls

Mel and Brig xo