For a young girl, the transition from adolescence into young adulthood can be challenging. The physical indication that she’s made it through the first rite of passage is seen with the onset of her menstrual cycle, somewhere around the 12-year mark. This hormonal shift allows her brain to mature under the influence of estrogen and readies her ovaries to prepare for their 30+ years of activity. This is no small feat for a young girl’s body.

Although her body is capable of managing the wide range of hormonal swings, science believes otherwise. When unpleasant symptoms show up or other more complex issues arise, instead of encouraging her body to have a normal monthly cycle, interventions have been aimed at suppressing hormones, forcing them into hibernation. Sadly, most women believe their only options are to live with uncomfortable symptoms or succumb to a form of birth control or other hormonal intervention to live a ‘normal’ life.

But here’s the deal: these hormonal interventions aren’t solving the problem. They are only masking the symptoms and inevitably, making the problem worse. Scientists don’t really know what the risks are with continued hormone exposure from birth-control pills. In fact, after analyzing data from 12 studies as well as the information on birth-control package inserts, it was determined that some types of birth control pills exposed women to a quadruple dose of progestin (a synthetic form of progesterone) which is known to cause cancer and dramatically increase the risk of stroke.

The full consequences of our blatant disrespect of the female hormone cycle have yet to be seen. But until then, ample amounts of healthy dietary fat along with wheat germ oil and other foods rich in vitamin E will provide hormone precursors to facilitate optimal production. Herbal support along with concentrated whole-food nutrients can also set the stage for an optimal menstrual cycle.

We have seen many women who were only given the option of birth control pills, IUDs or other hormone suppressing interventions to manage their symptoms. But we’ve also seen many women who have made the decision to ditch their hormones and opt for full restoration of their cycle using holistic, alternative options. You don’t have to live with menstrual cycle complications or unwanted symptoms when the solution is often so easy. Decide today that you are ready to ditch the feeling of dread when your cycle rolls around and start feeling normal again!