Health Answers
Evidence-based answers to the questions women actually ask — about periods, pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and menopause. Written by health researchers, reviewed for accuracy.
Menstrual Cycle
Evidence-based answers to the most common questions about periods, cycle phases, fertility, and hormonal health.
Is It Normal for My Period to Not Come?
A missed or late period has many possible causes beyond pregnancy — including stress, weight changes, overexercise, thyroid disorders, and PCOS. A period is considered late at 5+ days past the expected date. If you've missed 3 or more cycles and aren't pregnant, see your doctor.
Blood Clots During Your Period — When to Worry
Small blood clots (smaller than a quarter) during your period are normal, especially on heavy days. They form when blood pools in the uterus before being expelled. Consistently large clots, soaking through a pad every hour, or periods lasting more than 7 days warrant a doctor's visit.
Your Period Has 4 Phases and You're Only Tracking 1
Your menstrual cycle has four distinct phases — menstrual, follicular, ovulation, and luteal — each driven by different hormones that affect everything from energy to mood. Tracking all four phases, not just your period, gives you a complete picture of your health and lets you work with your body instead of against it.
PMS or PMDD? Here's How to Tell the Difference
PMS affects up to 75% of menstruating women and involves manageable bloating, mood swings, and fatigue before your period. PMDD affects 3–8% of women and causes severe depression, rage, or hopelessness during the luteal phase that significantly disrupts daily life — and it requires medical treatment.
Pregnancy
Week-by-week guidance, symptom explanations, nutrition facts, and red-flag awareness for every trimester.
Spotting in Early Pregnancy — Panic or Normal?
Light spotting in the first trimester is common — it happens in 15-25% of pregnancies and is usually caused by implantation bleeding or cervical sensitivity. However, heavy bleeding with clots, severe one-sided pain, or dizziness are emergency warning signs that need immediate medical attention.
Things Nobody Warns You About in the Third Trimester
The third trimester comes with bizarre but normal symptoms like lightning crotch, forgetfulness, vivid dreams, breathlessness, and round ligament pain. Most are caused by your baby's growth, hormonal shifts, and your body preparing for labor — annoying but not dangerous.
Braxton Hicks vs Real Contractions — The Actual Difference
Braxton Hicks contractions are irregular, painless-to-mild, and stop with rest or hydration — they're your uterus practicing for labor. Real contractions are regular, get progressively stronger, and don't stop no matter what you do. Use the 5-1-1 rule: contractions 5 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute each, for 1 hour.
Foods to Actually Avoid During Pregnancy (and Myths That Aren't True)
The real risks during pregnancy are raw or undercooked meat, fish, and eggs; high-mercury fish; unpasteurized dairy and juice; and deli meats unless heated until steaming. Many common fears are myths — cooked sushi, coffee under 200mg, and pasteurized soft cheeses are all fine. Alcohol is the only true zero-tolerance item.
Perimenopause
Science-backed answers about the hormonal transition that can start in your late 30s — symptoms, HRT, and self-advocacy.
You Might Be in Perimenopause and Not Even Know It
Perimenopause is the hormonal transition leading to menopause, and it can begin years earlier than most women expect — sometimes in the late 30s. If you're experiencing new anxiety, sleep disruption, cycle changes, or rage you can't explain, fluctuating hormones are a likely cause.
Perimenopause Brain Fog Is Real — Here's What's Happening
Perimenopause brain fog — difficulty concentrating, forgetting words, losing your train of thought — is caused by fluctuating estrogen levels that directly affect brain regions governing memory and attention. The good news: research shows these cognitive changes are temporary and not linked to dementia.
The Rage Nobody Talks About in Perimenopause
The sudden, explosive anger many women experience in perimenopause is not a personality flaw — it's driven by dropping progesterone (which acts on your brain's calming GABA system) and fluctuating estrogen affecting serotonin and dopamine. Effective treatments include hormone therapy, SSRIs, CBT, and regular exercise.
HRT: The Truth Your Doctor Might Not Tell You
The 2002 WHI study that scared millions of women off hormone therapy used synthetic hormones in women over 60 — not the modern bioidentical hormones prescribed to perimenopausal women today. Current evidence shows that for women under 60, the benefits of HRT (reduced hot flashes, bone protection, improved mood and sleep) significantly outweigh the small risks.
Menopause
Honest, research-supported information about life after your last period — from heart health to hot flashes to intimacy.
Bleeding After Menopause — Why You Need to Call Your Doctor Today
Once you've gone 12 full months without a period, you've reached menopause — and any bleeding after that point is medically abnormal and must be evaluated by a doctor. Most causes are benign (vaginal atrophy, polyps, or HRT side effects), but roughly 10% of postmenopausal bleeding is endometrial cancer, and Stage I has a 5-year survival rate above 90% when caught early.
Bone Health After Menopause — Osteoporosis Prevention Guide
Women lose up to 20% of their bone density in the first 5–7 years after menopause due to estrogen withdrawal. One in two postmenopausal women will experience an osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime. The good news: bone loss is preventable and treatable with a combination of weight-bearing exercise, adequate calcium and vitamin D, and — when indicated — medications like bisphosphonates or HRT. A DEXA scan establishes your baseline and guides treatment decisions.
Brain Health After Menopause — Memory, Cognition, and Dementia Risk
Cognitive changes during menopause are real, measurable, and — for most women — temporary. The SWAN study documented declines in verbal memory and processing speed during the menopausal transition that stabilize in postmenopause. However, women carry two-thirds of Alzheimer's diagnoses, and the estrogen withdrawal of menopause is increasingly recognized as a contributing factor. Proactive brain health strategies — including cardiovascular exercise, sleep optimization, social engagement, and managing cardiometabolic risk factors — can meaningfully reduce long-term dementia risk.
Will Hot Flashes Ever Stop? The Honest Answer
The median duration of hot flashes is about 7 years, though some women experience them for a decade or more, and 10–15% still have them into their 70s. The honest answer is that they do generally become milder over time, but they may not disappear entirely — and you absolutely do not have to just endure them, because treatments like HRT, SSRIs, gabapentin, and newer options like fezolinetant can reduce frequency and severity by 45–75%.
Postpartum
Recovery timelines, mental health guidance, breastfeeding support, and what your 6-week checkup should really cover.
Baby Blues vs Postpartum Depression — Here's the Line
Baby blues are mood swings, tearfulness, and anxiety that peak around days 3–5 and resolve by two weeks postpartum — they affect up to 80% of new mothers and don't require treatment. Postpartum depression affects 1 in 7 women, involves persistent sadness, loss of interest, and difficulty functioning beyond two weeks, and is a highly treatable medical condition — not a sign of weakness.
Your Postpartum Body — Weight, Diastasis Recti, and Returning to Exercise
Your body has changed — some changes are temporary, some are permanent, and most are normal. Diastasis recti affects 60% of women at 6 weeks postpartum and usually improves with targeted exercise. Weight loss takes 6–12 months for most women, and 1–5 kg of retained weight at one year is average. Returning to exercise should be gradual, pelvic-floor-first, and guided by how your body responds rather than arbitrary timelines.
Breastfeeding Challenges — Mastitis, Pumping, Combo Feeding, and Weaning
Breastfeeding challenges are incredibly common — not a sign of failure. Mastitis affects up to 20% of breastfeeding women and needs prompt treatment. Clogged ducts respond to continued feeding, massage, and heat. Pumping requires strategy and support, especially when returning to work. Combination feeding (breast milk + formula) is a valid choice that doesn't have to be all-or-nothing. Weaning should be gradual and on your timeline — whether that's 3 months or 3 years.
Breastfeeding — Getting Started, Latch, Supply, and Engorgement
Breastfeeding is natural but not always intuitive — most women need support to get started successfully. Colostrum (the first milk) is produced in tiny but sufficient amounts. Mature milk typically comes in by day 3–5. A proper latch is the foundation of pain-free, effective feeding. Engorgement peaks around days 3–5 and resolves within 24–48 hours with frequent feeding. If breastfeeding hurts beyond initial tenderness, something needs to be adjusted — pain is not normal and shouldn't be endured.