Lisa Hendrickson-Jack, BA, FAE, is a certified Fertility Awareness Educator and Holistic Reproductive Health Practitioner who trains other practitioners to use the menstrual cycle as a vital sign in their practices. She is the founder of the Fertility Awareness Mastery Mentorship™ program and the author of three bestselling books: The Fifth Vital Sign, the Fertility Awareness Mastery Charting Workbook, and her most recent book Real Food For Fertility (co-authored with Lily Nichols, RDN). Lisa has been teaching fertility awareness for over 20 years. She has empowered thousands of women worldwide to take control of their fifth vital sign through her podcast, books, online courses, and group coaching programs.

On this podcast, Lisa talks with Julie Kelly about the value of using fertility awareness techniques for family planning, predicting a woman’s cycle, and avoiding the downsides of traditional birth control. She explains why a woman’s cycle is a fifth vital sign, always relaying essential health information when you pay attention. She also discusses her goal of changing the conversation around birth control for today’s young women and the resources she offers to do this.

[00:00:14] Book: Real Food for Fertility: Prepare your body for pregnancy with preconception nutrition and fertility awareness, by Lily Nichols and Lisa Hendrickson-Jack.

[00:00:17] Podcast: How to Optimise Diet and Lifestyle for Fertility, with Lily Nichols.

[00:01:10] Interest in fertility awareness.

[00:07:23] Correcting health issues with birth control pills.

[00:07:59] Book: The Fertility Doctor, by Margaret Marsh and Wanda Ronner.

[00:16:04] Copper IUD.

[00:21:25] Hormonal IUDs.

[00:23:09] Nutritional demands of pregnancy.

[00:25:50] The Fertility Awareness Method of Family Planning.

[00:30:37] Cultural expectations around maternal age.

[00:42:00] Predicting your cycle.

[00:44:24] Changing the conversation for young women.

[00:47:30] Book: The Fifth Vital Sign: Master Your Cycles & Optimize Your Fertility, by Lisa Hendrickson-Jack.

[00:51:50] Podcast: Fertility Friday.

[00:52:08] Website: fertilityfriday.com.

[00:52:22] How to interpret virtually any chart your client throws at you.