Visited by a lost friend

Attention readers: This post is another one of my very informative posts. It's a little graphic and loaded with women topics. So, if you're not into that, you may want to skip today's reads and return tomorrow. If you are open to it all and like to read about anything and everything, then more power to ya! Enjoy.

In this post, I briefly wrote about my health. My woman health, to be more exact. To sum up the post, I have been without a period for approximately the last two years. Two years is way too long to not have a period. After having an extensive amount of lab work done, finding out that all of my levels are extremely healthy, except for the way too low levels of estrogen and progesterone. If you are not aware, estrogen and progesterone are the female hormones. Without these, you do not have a period, skin and hair are dull, quality of sleep is lowered, mental clarity is fogged, etc., etc. The list goes on and on. Essentially, for the last two years, I have been in menopause. What?! I'm 25 years old. It has been a little depressing.

Aside from all of that junk, I have tried numerous things to jump start my hormones. I have, and still do, taken Maca and added more fats into my diet. I tried using thyroid medication and estrogen patches, both without success. My boss (also MD) suggested I try HCG injections. These are a "last resort" type thing. HCG is a fertility treatment that has some unwanted side effects, along with being expensive and now used as the latest weight loss fad (not recommended!). Pass on that one.

I have done tons of research on why the lack of periods and hormones. I have seen gyno's, endocrinologists, internists, and had two types of ultrasounds. All signs point to Polycystic Ovary Syndrom, PCOS, but to me, this is just a general term that masks an huge underlying problem. Hmmm, sounds like what all these docs have told me to take to "fix" the problem: Birth Control. And no, I'm not saying don't take BC, but in my opinion, this is not the answer for my hormone problems.

So, no luck.

Until...

After one last bout of Google searches and forums, I decided there was one more thing left to try. I decided to try Clomiphene Citrate. Clomid, the brand name form, is an oral fertility treatment, also used for treating PCOS. It works by stimulating an increase in the amount of hormones that support the growth and release of a mature egg (webmd.com). The side effects are less than with the injectible HCG treatments and my boss recommended I use half of the recommended dose. I took Clomid for 19 days. No luck. I stopped. This was about eight days ago. Today, my friends, I started my period!!! Ha, hence the post title, Visited by a lost friend. Honestly, it was nice not having a period for two years but it's great to know I am able to have one and finally have!

Aside from finally being healthy in that aspect of my life, at least for now, I decided to let my digestive tract (and achie tummy) rest and made myself a wholesome, delicious, and refreshing green juice and a smoothie for dinner.

Blueberry Mint Avocado Smoothie (in an almost-empty container of Chocolate Alkamie Ice Cream)

Ingredients:

• 1 whole avocado
• 1/2 cup frozen young coconut meat
• 1 1/2 cups of water
• 1-2 cups spinach
• handful of fresh mint
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 scoop chocolate hemp protein powder
• spearmint extract
• vanilla extract
• handful of raw rolled oats (just for fun)
• 1 dropper full Chocolate Stevia (thank you, healthy sugar-free alternatives!)
•  Ice cubes, however icy you'd like it

Blend all until spinach and mint is liquefied and add 1/8 tsp xanthan gum (optional). Blend again, briefly.

(Please excuse the messy container. The ice cream was enjoyed, thoroughly)

Pour into a glass empty ice cream container and top with more frozen or fresh blueberries and a drizzle of yacon syrup.

I'm new to the whole avocado-in-the-smoothie-train, and let me just say, Wow. I love avocados in a smoothie. This one I devoured ate was very good. It was fluffy like a mousse but icy like ice cream. And so minty fresh. De-licious.

Happy Friday!!!! The weekend is almost here...