5 Ways To Connect To Your Natural Cycle (even on birth control!)

Today I want to answer a question I get all the time…

Brandy, I’m on birth control and don’t want to go off of it BUT I do want to feel more connected to my cycle. Can I still work with you?!

The answer is a big, giant HELL YES.

Many of the women I work with are on hormonal birth control and really enjoying it. They recognize that at some point in their life they will probably go off their birth control, but for now the thing that feels best to them is remaining on it. To these women I say, I want you to do what feels best for you, your life, and your goals. My role is to serve and support you in making empowered choices and connecting to your cycle at every phase of life.

You might be wondering how I work with women even when they are still on hormonal birth control, so I’m going give you an inside look. Yay!

Today I’m sharing with you my top 5 ways I teach women to connect with their natural cycles even while on hormonal birth control. Let’s goooo…

5 Ways To Connect To Your Natural Cycle (even if you're on birth control)

1. Track your cycle.

Just because your cycle is dictated by synthetic hormones doesn’t mean you can’t start tracking it now. Tracking your cycle while still on birth control will give you powerful insights into your cycle health including: if you are able to ovulate on your current method of birth control, if you’re struggling with estrogen-excess issues like swollen breasts, and constipation, if your body is struggling to digest and breakdown the hormones in your pill and causing digestive upset, the hormonal timing of things like yeast infections and UTI’s, and the quantity and quality of your bleeding time.

To track your cycle, simply keep track of body awareness symptoms in a journal or planner and note what day of your cycle you are on for each day of the month. My favorite body awareness symptoms to observe are cervical fluid (discharge), emotions, digestion/pooping, hair + skin, energy level, breast health, pms, and period symptoms.

*Note - The bleeding that occurs while on the pill and some IUDs is not a true period. Because ovulation does not occur on the pill and often does not occur with the IUD, the bleeding you see is simply an withdrawal bleed occurring as a result of an anovulatory cycle (a cycle without ovulation).

2. Do a womb meditation.

That’s a sentence I never thought I would ever write. I’m often skeptical of practices that feel really woo-woo. I’m a spiritual person, but things like talking to my womb always seemed bonkersville - then, I started doing it and I’m in love.

I learned womb meditations during my Women’s Healing Arts Teacher Training and fell in love immediately. They allow us to draw our attention to our womb area - uterus, cervix, ovaries, vagina, etc. This is an area of our body that we as women rarely ever think about or send intentional loving energy to. Our wombs go through so much in a lifetime - monthly ovulation and menstruation, production of our sex hormones, a home for new humans, a superhero that births babies out into the world, and a source of wisdom that knows how to shut down our fertility so we can thrive later in life. Our wombs are straight-up magic and deserve to be treated as such.

To do a womb meditation you need nothing except for a cozy place to sit or lie down, your hands, and maybe some soothing music.

Here’s how it’s done…

1. Sit or lie down in a cozy place.

2. Put on your favorite meditation music.

3. Place your hands over top of your womb area (lower abdomen) in the shape of an upside down triangle with your palms down, thumbs touching lightly at your belly button, and fingertips sliding in to meet at your pelvic bone.

4. Close your eyes and draw awareness down into your womb.

5. Feel the warmth in your womb beneath your palms

6. Notice any sensations or messages that arise.

7. Send a loving message to your womb by silently repeating a mantra or prayer. I like the simple - I love you.

8. Rest here for 3-10 minutes.

3. Detox your estrogen.

Women everywhere - on or off of hormonal birth control - are bombarded with an overabundance of estrogen due to environmental toxins and xenoestrogens in things like plastics, cleaning supplies, pesticides, and beauty products. These artificial estrogens mimic estrogen and wreak havoc on our cycles.

For women on hormonal birth control detoxing excess estrogen becomes even more important because things like the pill are sending the body a daily dose of added estrogen.

Estrogen is broken down in the digestive system and by the liver, so it’s important to support digestion and elimination in order to effectively flush out excess estrogen.

My favorite way to detox estrogen is through diet. Cruciferous veggies like brussel sprouts, broccoli, and kale contain diindolylmethane or DIM which helps to break down estrogen so it can be better used or flushed out of the body. Increasing fiber also helps the body bind up estrogen and flush it out via daily bowel movements.

Many naturopaths these days agree that if you’re not pooping daily then you’ve got an excess of estrogen in your system!

4. Connect with crystals.

Here I go being woo-woo again, but I don’t care. I LOVE crystals. I have them all over my house, my office, and in the pocket of every coat I own.

My philosophy on crystals goes something like this… Crystals are said to hold powerful properties that impact our bodies and lives on an energetic level. There are crystals for calming stress, supporting fertility, promoting financial success and more. If crystals actually do these things, amazing. If they don’t, then at least by carrying them around I’m intentionally thinking about calling in ways to achieve my health and life goals. When I carry a stone that is said to promote sexual vitality I have sexy time on my mind more often, I consciously choose clothes that make me feel sexy, and - guess what - I, therefore, have sex more often. Win, win.

A few of my favorite crystals for cycle, sexual, and womb health include: moonstone (fertility and connecting to your menstrual, or moon, cycle), bloodstone (for promoting healthy bleeding time), and carnelian (for sexual fiesty-ness!).

5. Respect your ebbs & flows.

A major part of honoring your cycle and living in alignment with your body is respecting their rhythms. It’s slowing down when your body is telling you to slow down. It’s moving your body when it’s telling you its antsy and needs to break a sweat. It’s sleeping when you’re tired. It’s taking a day off when you get your period and feel like crap.

Aligning your life with the ebbs and flows of your cycle allows you to fully tap into the energy of each day. Embrace your low energy days by tackling more introverted, gentle tasks. Take advantage of your high energy days by timing meetings and social events during that phase of your cycle.

Creating the habit of respecting your cycle and hormonal fluctuations even if you’re on hormonal birth control helps you solidify the habit of honoring your body even before you get your natural cycle back!

Are you on hormonal birth control and looking for aligned ways to connect to your cycle without ditching the pill or IUD?

I’m currently offering a limited number of VIP coaching sessions to women, just like you, so that you can finally be in-tune with your body and tap into the wisdom of your cycle. Message me today to scoop up one of those sessions!

Disclaimer: Brandy Oswald is not a medical provider and cannot give medical advice or provide any information concerning the diagnosis or treatment of any health condition. The information provided by Brandy Oswald and Do It Naturally is of a general nature and is intended only for educational purposes to help with your personal health improvement goals and should not be relied on as medical advice. Always consult a physician with any health concerns and prior to changing your diet, lifestyle, supplements, or prescription medicine routine. Should you choose to use the information provided by Brandy Oswald it is of your own volition and you recognize that neither Brandy nor Do It Naturally is not held liable for any intended or unintended outcomes.