Orla O’ Flaherty on Cortisol, Estrogen and Female Fat Loss, The Contraceptive Pill and Managing An Underactive or Overactive Thyroid! (From The 2021 Archive)

This episode first aired on 15th March 2021

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Orla O’ Flaherty is a herbalist, naturopath, and nutritionist who specialises in female health.

She’s also one of my closest friends, and we go deep on hormones (for women and men) in today’s podcast.

This one is worth saving for a couple of relistens as there are knowledge bombs left, right, and center in today’s episode.

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Key Points

· Most people know that what we put into our system has a direct effect on our health. That said, the general public has accepted as healthy certain foods that actually have negative effects on your body. Oats are a great source of carbohydrates, reduce anxiety, and promote sleep; but at the same time oats are proinflammatory because they contain what are known as phytates. Then there is soy, which contains phytoestrogens that may adversely affect hormones. Unless your soy is organic, non-GMO, and fermented, Orla advises keeping it out of your diet.

· Before looking at how to boost your sex drive, the first thing to ask yourself is why your sex drive is low in the first place. For women, predominantly, there is an issue with their estrogen and testosterone—their estrogen levels may not be rising optimally, and their testosterone isn’t being activated. Women on the pill will automatically have a lower sex drive. For men, especially those over 45, low sex drive is usually due to low testosterone levels. Men under 45 with low sex drive, on the other hand, may be experiencing psychological issues.

· Stress is not only one of the biggest culprits when it comes to fertility issues, but it makes the sex act itself robotic. “My first thing is to get women to stop trying,” says Orla. In addition, beware “The Two-Week Wait” following ovulation when a woman

waits to see whether they are pregnant. Those two weeks may turn into two months or two years, which only serves to compound their stress levels.