Hormonal Ep. 2: Hormonal Birth Control, Fertility Treatments, and Pregnancy Considerations

At Feisty Media, we are all about reclaiming language and turning it on its head. That's why we're proud to present our limited series, HORMONAL - Periods, Pills, and Pregnancy: How Women’s Hormones Impact Sports Performance. This series is hosted by double-board certified Obstetrician and Reproductive Endocrinologist Dr. Carla DiGirolamo, who has been featured in Boston Magazine as one of "Boston's Best Doctors" every year since 2019. Carla is joined by Feisty's own Selene Yeager, who has been hosting the Hit Play Not Pause podcast since 2020, and has conducted over 160 interviews with leading experts and top athletes in the perimenopause and menopause space. Combined with her background as a health and science journalist, Selene is great at reading the research and translating it into actionable steps for active women. During these four episodes, you will learn what you need to know to work with your body's fluctuating hormones and perform your best. Episode two discusses questions around hormonal birth control and IUDs, fertility treatments, and pregnancy, including:What are hormonal contraceptives? How do they work? How do they impact what would be a "normal" cycle?How does Dr. DiGirolamo counsel women when it comes to hormonal contraceptives and exercise?Do hormonal contraceptives make it harder to identify Low Energy Availability and REDs?Do women need to stop exercising if they want to get pregnant? What about women who are undergoing fertility treatments? What are the special considerations there?For everyone who is sick of the narrative that women's hormones are a curse, we are here for you. Together, we will learn how amazing it actually is to be hormonal.Have a hormonal question for Dr. DiGirolamo and Selene? Leave a voicemail at https://www.speakpipe.com/Hormonal or DM us at https://www.instagram.com/feisty_womens_performance/Listen to Episode 1Research:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32666247/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK164632/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060104232338.htmhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33993156/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29283683/https://globalsportmatters.com/health/2022/02/28/what-happens-female-athletes-pill-oral-contraceptives/https://www.outsideonline.com/health/training-performance/hormonal-birth-control-athletic-performance-research/https://runnersconnect.net/birth-control-and-running/https://fasterskier.com/2011/08/it-shouldnt-be-at-all-surprising-a-link-between-birth-control-and-performance/Join us at Feisty Fest - September 18-20th, 2026: https://feisty.co/events/feisty-fest/Sign up to Receive The Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter:https://feisty.co/newsletters/feisty-womens-performance/Follow us on Instagram:@feisty_womens_performanceVisit the Feisty website at https://feisty.co/ for info on all of our events and podcastsSupport our Partners:Use code PERFORMANCE for 20% off at http://cozyearth.comMomentous: Head to https://www.livemomentous.com/ and use promo code PERFORMANCE for up to 35% off your first orderWahoo: Learn more about Wahoo Fitness Products at: https://wahoofitness.pxf.io/0GAByRTifosi Optics: Use code FEISTY2026 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/