PCOS, Inflammation & Insulin

Dr. Jolene BrightenPublished: Sex Hormones Leave a Comment

What do PCOS, inflammation & insulin have in common? Like many chronic conditions and disease, inflammation and insulin dysregulation are at the root of the issue, with PCOS being no exception. Is there a PCOS insulin resistance connection? In fact, inflammation and insulin resistance can lead to infertility, difficult and painful periods, PCOS, high testosterone, mood disorders, and many other …

Do Birth Control Pills Stop Your Period?

Dr. Jolene BrightenPublished: Birth Control Leave a Comment

The birth control pill is used for many symptoms and conditions outside of just preventing pregnancy. Some women wonder, does birth control stop periods? It can, but should we really be doing that? When it comes to using the pill to stop periods altogether we need to ask whether it’s a good idea to use tablets to stop your period.  …

The Ovarian Adrenal Thyroid Axis Connection

Dr. Jolene BrightenPublished: Thyroid & Hormone Balance Leave a Comment

The Ovarian-Adrenal-Thyroid Axis or OAT for short is the most important axis to assess when striving for balanced hormones. The OAT is the way in which these three hormone producing glands (your ovaries, adrenals and thyroid) communicate and truly–rule your world. The 3-Legged Stool I like to think of the OAT as a 3-legged stool, which each gland representing a leg. When …

Vitamin B12 Deficiency Impacts More Than Just Energy

Dr. Jolene BrightenPublished: Wellbeing Leave a Comment

Vitamin B12 is a vital nutrient for energy, brain health, hormone function and pregnancy. Which is why a vitamin B12 deficiency impacts more than just energy. Here are some of the other equally serious vitamin b12 deficiency symptoms. Deficiency is Common Depending on which study you look at, anywhere from 20-40% of the U.S. population has suboptimal levels of this …

Is Pain Keeping You From Getting Pregnant?

Dr. Jolene BrightenPublished: Fertility Leave a Comment

Are you one of the millions of women who is struggling with chronic pain? Well, it may just surprise you to hear that your pain may be keeping you from getting pregnant.  Headaches, gut pain, menstrual cramps, joint pain, backaches and old injuries have many women reaching of a bottles of Ibuprofen, Naproxen, Midol, and NSAIDs to get symptom relief. And …

Can gluten cause infertility?

Dr. Jolene BrightenPublished: Fertility Leave a Comment

Can gluten cause infertility? It is a question on many women’s minds… especially when they’ve tried everything to get pregnant. There’s a lot to say about gluten and its effects on your health. Practitioners may recommend that you avoid gluten for a number of reasons – to lower systemic inflammation, increase cognitive function, or to help reduce the symptoms of …

Balance Your Hormones in 4 Easy Steps

Dr. Jolene BrightenPublished: Sex Hormones Leave a Comment

Hormones…they can completely rock our world at times. Leaving us feeling like we are at the mercy of their seemingly sporadic bursts, it may seem impossible to ever regain balance of your hormones. But I want to tell you that today, you can begin creating amazing hormone health in 4 easy steps. If you missed my last post on the …

Prescribed Birth Control for PCOS? Why That’s Dangerous

Dr. Jolene BrightenPublished: Birth Control Leave a Comment

The symptoms of PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) can be so frustration. As a solution, a woman with PCOS is often met with the birth control pill, maybe an androgen blocker and then sent along her merry way. Told there is nothing that can be done. Told she will never conceive naturally. And told that it’s just in her genes. And …

Navigating Autoimmune Disease During Pregnancy

Dr. Jolene BrightenPublished: Pregnancy Leave a Comment

When my friend Joe Tatta asked me to share with his audience how to navigate autoimmune disease in pregnancy and postpartum, my answer was “of course!” This is a topic that I speak on often and one that I work with daily in my clinical practice. But it is also a topic that is near to my heart. A little …