Nutrition plays a HUGE role in the creation of life and the health of both mum and baby. In this episode and just 4 days before I gave birth to my first daughter, Nova, I  spoke to fellow dietitian Stefanie Valakas on a very broad range of topics from  Preconception, Pregnancy, Postpartum and Fertility Concerns. In this episode we talk about common factors affecting fertility including HA, PCOS and endometriosis. We also look at the role the male plays in fertility, chat about miscarriage and...

When it comes to the treatment of Hypothalamic Amenorrhea or HA, many of us wish that there was a magic pill we could take or that there was another reason why our period has gone missing. Lets face it, eating more, cutting out or reducing exercise and for some, needing to gain weight is a scary concept. Many of my clients have sought alternative treatments hoping for a way to bypass doing the deeper work, working on the root cause. Many of my clients have tried acupuncture, saw naturopaths,...

My passion to help women have a healthy relationship with food, exercise and body was not found at university. Nor was my dedication to help women recover their period and fertility.   It was fuelled by my own personal journey, challenges and growth.   Many of you may know that when I started out as a dietitian I worked mainly in the area of weight loss. Through my university degree and then stepping straight into private practice I just did what I felt I was trained to do and what my clients...

In this episode we delve deep into what's at the roots for disordered eating for many, we will help you to understand why you may have come to a place of fear, disconnect and distrust in your body and provide relatable concepts and practical strategies to help you develop a healthy and more self compassionate relationship with yourself. If you are struggling with your relationship with food, exercise or body and feeling stuck or confused this episode is a must to listen to! This episodes...

Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (HA) is a common symptom or outcome of disordered eating and eating disorders. The hypothalamus is an area of the brain that plays a central role in maintaining the balance of body systems. It receives input from throughout the body in the form of hormones and chemicals. It responds by secreting hormones that affect other organs including those involved in reproduction. HA is essentially a condition where the Hypothalamus senses stress in the body, mostly due to low...

Poor digestion is a common symptom in those with Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (HA), which is the loss of period and in those with disordered eating or eating disorders. The main underlying driver is low energy availability. When there is a chronic energy deficiency the body responds by becoming more “energy efficient”. The loss of period is a common and more obvious outcome for women. Stopping menstruation and fertility is a way the body responds to the stress of low energy availability. But there...

Body Image is a VITAL piece in the Recovery of an Eating Disorder and Disordered Eating. Too often it is neglected that Eating Disorders are psychological illnesses and that weight restoration does not mean full recovery. Further, people suffering from eating disorders and a poor relationship with food can live in ANY size body.  Treatment goes much deeper than just “food” and “eating” and will involve improving one's RELATIONSHIP with food, exercise and body. Recovery will involve looking at...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common hormonal disorder in women of reproductive age. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects 12-18% of women of reproductive age and up to 21% in some high-risk groups, such as Indigenous women. PCOS can cause irregular periods, trouble falling pregnant, acne, excess hair growth, an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and difficulty managing weight. Hypothalamic Amenorrhea is a condition that shares some similarities with PCOS including absent or...

Binge eating is a problem many of my clients present with and want to eliminate.  Someone struggling with binge eating will often experience guilt, loss of control, failure and have a belief that the answer lies in having better control and willpower! In reality treatment for binge eating has nothing to do with willpower or failure. Binge eating is a normal physiological response to restriction.  In this episode I chat with fellow dietitian Nina Mills about what binge eating is and how we...

In this episode I talk to fellow dietitian Joanna Baker who specializes in gut health to uncover the cross over between gut health and digestive function with Eating disorders and Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (HA). It is common for people with HA and Eating disorders to struggle with digestion function and in this episode we explain why and the best way to treat and manage your symtoms and overall health. Joanna also talks about the importance of gut health and your gut microbiome. The gut...

Julie Duffy Dillon is a Fat Positive Dietitian, PCOS Specialist, and Food Behavior Expert who partners with people along their Food Peace journey.  In this episode I talk to Julie about PCOS and how she supports women with this condition without restrictive weight loss diets. Julie shares with us some of the common struggles women with PCOS experince such as confusion, hunger, weight gain, their relationship with food, poor body image, stress and anxiety and difficulty in falling pregnant and...

Relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) is the result of insufficient energy intake and/or excessive energy expenditure. Consequences of this low-energy condition can alter many physiological systems, including metabolism, menstrual function, bone health, immunity, protein synthesis, and cardiovascular and psychological health. The RED-S concept has been adapted from a previously identified syndrome, the female athlete triad, which affects active women with low-energy availability,...

I believe you cannot heal your relationship with food without addressing your relationship with exercise. When it comes to the treatment of disordered eating, eating disorders and Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (the loss of period) addressing one's relationship with exercise and behaviors cannot be ignored. Often dieting and compulsive exercise are looked at separately but often the drivers of the behaviours share the same beliefs. For example fear of gaining weight and/or needing a sense of...

Exercise can offer an endless list of health benefits from improving heart health, bone strength and even mental health. What is less known is the impact of too much exercise, especially when under fuelled. In the recreational athletic setting many athletes believe that to improve performance one needs to push past perceived limits, always be training hard and ignore their bodies telling them to stop. This can also be seen in the fitness culture such as gyms with fitness and weight loss...

I have begun to realise that there are a lot of misconceptions around Hypothalamic Amenorrhea or HA especially around WHO gets it, HOW it is caused, WHAT recovery involves and what the journey to recovering your period offers.  When I “thought” about getting my period back many years ago all I saw was all I had to give up or let go of which lead to fear, denial and ignoring the problem. If I knew then what I do now about what my recovery journey offered me I would not have wasted over 6 years...

Personally not having a menstrual cycle for 7 years (otherwise known has hypothalamic amenorrhea or HA), during my recovery I realised I knew very little about the female reproductive system, hormones involved and I had never gave much thought to cervical mucus because for years I didn’t have any! When I embarked on my journey to recovery my period, fertility and then try to conceive I become very interested in all of these areas. Learning more about my cycle, cervical mucus and tracking...

From my professional experience helping my clients heal from eating disorders and disordered eating and my own personal experience recovering from Hypothalamic amenorrhea (HA) stemming from disordered eating and limiting self-beliefs I recognise that how people describe recovery varies greatly and I often wonder if many are truly healed. Recovery is so much more than weight restoration and or recovering your missing period and I thought fellow HA recovered and also nutritionist Meg Doll would...

As I have touched on in earlier episodes, when energy is insufficient due to restrictive eating and/or excessive exercise our body tries to reduce the threat and in an effort to become more energy efficient it dials down non-essential bodily processes such as our reproductive cycle and digestion.Working in private practice and helping my clients to restore a healthy relationship with food and body I have seen countless clients also presenting with digestive complaints and self-diagnosed food...

In this episode I welcome back to the podcast Dr Nicola Rinaldi, author of ‘No Period Now What?’.Nicola and I spoke in episode 2 and 3 about Hypothalamic Amenorrhea and recovery, and I shared my journey with HA and what it took to regain not only my period and fertility but my whole life back! I have recently learned that the “Trying to Conceive” rollercoaster is a ride that many have not been primed for. We often think that when we get out period back, all the hard work and emotional toll is...

Evelyn Tribole is an award-winning registered dietitian, with a nutrition counseling practice in Newport Beach, California. She has a passion helping people create a healthy relationship with their food, mind and body; whether it's through one-on-one counseling, writing, speaking or media appearances. She has written nine books including the bestsellers Intuitive Eating and The Intuitive Eating Workbook. Evelyn was the nutrition expert for Good Morning America, appearing from 1994-'95 and was...

Rosie is a physiotherapist, pre and post natal exercise specialist, yoga teacher and founder of the pregnancy activewear label Lenny Rose.She has great depth with her own personal struggles with eating and body image and overcoming these hardships has shaped the powerful women she is today and the compassionate lens she looks through in her mission to support women to feel and function their best. In this episode we chat about our views on the fashion, exercise and nutrition industry, our...

Rosie is a physiotherapist, pre and post natal exercise specialist, yoga teacher and founder of the pregnancy activewear label Lenny Rose.She has great depth with her own personal struggles with eating and body image and overcoming these hardships has shaped the powerful women she is today and the compassionate lens she looks through in her mission to support women to feel and function their best.In this episode we delve deep into her struggles with disordered eating, how this transferred...

In this episode we dive back into Hypothalamic Amenorrhea and both Sarah and I take you back to where it all began, when we hit rock bottom and what we did to pull ourselves out. We share how recovery and the return of your cycle is not the end, the journey is never ending and there is still more to learn and grow from.Although it was one of the toughest times of our lives we both look back with immense gratitude and for the courage we found that allowed us to return back to our true,...

I am very excited to introduce a former triathlete competitor, HA’er and now Health Coach, Sarah Menlove.I first met Sarah at a National Qualifying Race for Sprint Distance Triathlon in Moreton Bay, Queensland. I remember when I first spotted her, the comparisons begun. She looked like a very strong swimmer, which was my weakness. We ended up both finishing on the podium.We connected on facebook and as you may have experienced, your Facebook friends, people you follow on Instagram and your...