Hormone Health Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

This episode is a must for those preparing for labour and birth and for those, including birth partners, who will be present during a labour and birth. We were lucky enough to speak with well-known, Rhea Dempsey, who over the last 40 years has attended thousands of births.

This was such a fascinating chat about:

• The stats mothers are up against birthing in this modern world
• Understanding pain in labour - functional physiological pain vs pathological pain
• The hormonal changes that happen during normal physiological birth - the dance between Queen Oxytocin, Endorphins, and Adrenaline
• The similarities between Runner's High and "the magic of 7cm" during normal physiological birth
• The "Crisis of Confidence" many women face throughout labour
• How to prepare for a powerful, positive birth with tips on creating a conducive environment, when the right time is to get into a birth pool, as well as Rhea's thoughts on tools like the birth comb and the TENS machine

If you are wanting to learn more, Rhea has two phenomenal books - Birth With Confidence and Beyond The Birth Plan.

I know many of you have been longing for this episode so we would absolutely love to hear your thoughts. Send us an email at hello@hormonehealthstudio.com or tag us on Instagram.

What can you do to thrive through peri-menopause?

Today we chat with the amazing Kimberly Vucurovic, also known as The Menopause Psychologist. This podcast episode is a must for every woman - whether you are currently in the journey of peri-menopause or whether it feels years away.

We talk about the negative thoughts associated with peri-menopause, the overwhelm, and how we can work to shift our mindset on such a journey.

Download! Share! DM us on Instagram! Flick us an email at hello@hormonehealthstudio.com! We'd love to hear your thoughts on this one.

In this weeks episode, we chat to Dr Melanie Jackson, home birth midwife and host of The Great Birth Rebellion Podcast.

Melanie kindly talks us through her personal journey of birthing her two children at home with her learnt experiences as a midwife. Such a powerful birth story, with a sneak peak quote from Mel:

"and I started hysterically laughing like a mad women, and I remember thinking maybe to myself, maybe I should tone this down, and then immediately telling myself ""no Mel, you're amongst friends here and you need to just let out whatever it is you want to do"".

We also chat with Mel all about how she supports her clients attempting Vaginal Birth After Caesarean (VBAC) at home, along with common VBAC questions and concerns with, and yes - we ask about uterine rupture.

In August this year, Mel is hosting The Convergence of Rebellious Midwives Conference with some incredible birthing experts, an event not to be missed.

As always, we'd love to hear your thoughts so DM us on Instagram or flick an email to hello@hormonehealthstudio.com.

Content Warning: this episode discusses pregnancy and pregnancy loss which may be triggering for some listeners.

This short and sweet episode touches on a few exciting topics. Georgia has an announcement, we have an update on what's happening at Hormone Health Studio in 2024, and Chloe shares a third trimester pregnancy update.

Thank you for joining us for another year of Hormone Health Podcast and following along on our work and personal journeys. We have so much planned for 2024 and, as always, we'd love to hear from you. Send us a DM on Instagram or email us at hello@hormonehealthstudio.com

"PCOS- what a stupid, pompous title that is." - Dr Soji Swaraj

Imagine having a hour with an Endocrinologist to ask them all there is to know about PCOS? Well we did, and we couldn't wait to release this episode.

There is so much confusion and shame around PCOS - it's diagnosis; its true effect on fertility; its management. So we got none other than expert in the field, Endocrinologist Dr Soji Swaraj, on the podcast to understand exactly what PCOS is, why it happens, who it happens to (hint: Olympians and Netballers get a special mention), and how we can best manage it.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with PCOS, this episode is not to be missed.

As always, we'd love to hear your thoughts so DM us on Instagram or flick an email to hello@hormonehealthstudio.com.

You may have already heard of Lauren, she is the face of One Mama Midwife whose highly regarded Antenatal and Birth Classes are offered across Sydney, Central Coast and Brisbane.

Lauren is a mum of four, and has experienced four cesareans, all with a differing reasons and experiences. In this episode, we chat to Lauren about cesareans (of course)- her personal experiences, how she supports her clients through planned or emergency C-sections, and the journey of a maternally-assisted cesarean section.

Whether you are currently pregnant, are planning on becoming pregnant, are booked for a planned C-section, or are wanting to learn how you can have a positive, beautiful cesarean, we think you'll really enjoy our chat with Lauren.

Also, for those who have previously had a cesarean, Lauren is currently undertaking research into the lived experiences of women who have had a cesarean. If you are interested in sharing your story, you can visit this link.

As always, we'd love to hear your feedback. Send us a DM on Instagram or email at hello@hormonehealthstudio.com.

Seven in ten people will experience some degree of nausea and vomiting in their pregnancy. Was that you, or were you one of the lucky ones who didn't feel unwell?

Unfortunately 1-3% of people will be diagnosed with a serve form of pregnancy sickness known as Hyperemesis Gravidarum (AKA HG).

HG can be completely debilitating and negatively influence almost all aspects of your health and life as you knew it - even proving to be fatal to foetus and mum if not managed correctly.

So when we say we are very excited about the new research confirming a direct link with a hormone that causes Pregnancy Nausea and Vomiting and HG, we mean we are very excited!

For far too long, the inequities with women's health care has been so bolding underrepresented and this new research may provide much needed support and reprieve for those who are and have suffered with HG.

Please note, the advice given in this episode is of general nature and should not replace any treatment given by your primary care provider. This episode also discusses pregnancy loss.

This week’s episode is for you if you are embarking on an assisted reproductive technology (ART) journey to conceive as a same sex couple, or going it alone using donor sperm.

Sam and Lauren are two of our lovely clients at Hormone Health Studio who have kindly shared their personal IVF and health journey with us, and all we can say is WOW - what a couple!

We ask them how they navigated the more technical side of having a baby from the referrals, appointments and sperm donor decisions to deciding who will undergo egg collection and who would carry the pregnancy.

Along the way, Sam and Lauren both uncovered health concerns which left them jumping hurdles in what they assumed would be a relatively straightforward process.

An episode not to be missed! And, as always, we'd absolutely love to hear your thoughts. You can email us at hello@hormonehealthstudio.com or DM us on Instagram.

Please note: this episode does discuss early pregnancy loss.

This weeks episode we are chatting with our very own Hormone Health Studio Naturopath, T'Keyah all about her home birth.

Before we get into the juicy details of her birth, T'Keyah talks us through her preconception planning, fertility journey and how she decided that homebirth with a private midwife would be her chosen model of care throughout her pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

T'Keyah shares practical advice on how she prepared her body for birth, and more importantly, how she created her desired environment during the early postpartum period.

So whether you are interested in a home birth, or you are just wanting some valuable information about how to feel empowered through your pregnancy journey, this episode is worth a listen.

T'Keyah has also kindly shared a listed of her favourite home birth resources which you can find as a post on @hormonehealthstudio instagram page.

And as always, we'd love to hear from you, so flick us a hello on socials or reach out via email at hello@hormonehealthstudio.com.

You may have heard about the gut microbiome and its influence on digestive concerns, anxiety, energy, weight. But have you heard about the vaginal microbiome

This is a fascinating new area of research that is providing valuable insight into how the vaginal microbiome might be affecting common concerns including thrush, bacterial vaginosis, vaginal dryness or burning, different discharge colours and smells, as well as fertility outcomes.

In this episode we chat about the common vaginal concerns our team of Naturopaths see at Hormone Health Studio as well as the testing we often order for our clients to gain a thorough understanding of how the vaginal microbiome may be affecting our health.

Enjoy this deep dive and let us know your learnings at hello@hormonehealthstudio.com or send us a DM on Instagram.