how to move through your menstrual cycle with Dr. Liza Klassen
We connected with Dr. Liza Klassen to discuss her ‘Cycle with Your Cycle’ Program.
“You can’t do anything (diet, exercise, rest, etc.) ‘intuitively’ until you tune into the signals your body is sending you. To do this, we need to slow down.”
For the reader who might not be familiar with your offerings, can you tell us a bit about your practice?
I am a fertility-focused naturopathic doctor practicing at Yinstill Reproductive Wellness in their Vancouver and Surrey locations. I work primarily with women and couples, who are trying to conceive both naturally and assisted (ex. IUI, IVF).
I see my role in people’s fertility journeys as a guide. I provide high quality information and investigations, evidence-based recommendations, and mental/emotional/physical support, but my patients are the ones doing the hard work to achieve the outcome they desire.
I love that as a naturopath I have access to a robust toolbox, I can order lab work and functional testing, I can provide supplement, herbal and pharmaceutical prescriptions and I focus heavily of the foundations of health including diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management. I have the time to truly get to know my patients and treat them as a whole person, not just as their diagnosis or chief concern of infertility. I feel deeply honoured to be welcomed in and to walk with my patients on their fertility and reproductive health journeys.
What was the impetus or moment you knew you needed to create the program ‘Cycle With Your Cycle’?
When I repeatedly heard “I wish I knew this sooner” from my patients. When almost all the women sitting in front of me were learning about their cycles and reproductive health AFTER an infertility diagnosis. And how deeply frustrated these women were that they spent their whole lives actively preventing a pregnancy only to wind up in my office struggling to conceive. So, this is the information I wish every woman, everywhere knew and specifically women who desire conception. I believe we all deserve reproductive literacy.
What’s one thing you wish your teenage self knew about her cycle?
That debilitating period pain isn’t normal. From day 1 of that very first period, I experienced significant cramping (the kind where you’re curled up on the bed in the fetal position), and I was told it was ‘normal’. My grandmother had cramps so severe that labour pains felt inconsequential to her, my friends popped Advil like candy and missing school due to menstrual pain was common. As a result, I learned to accept the days of pain, avoidance of activities I loved and heat pack strapped to my abdomen every month.
Years later, I was diagnosed with endometriosis: a condition defined by debilitating pain and cramping, among other a myriad of other systemic symptoms. The average time to diagnosis of endometriosis is 10 years and in part that’s due to our normalization of a period symptoms. I wish I knew that when a symptom (including premenstrual and menstrual symptoms) prevents you from doing activities of daily living (school, work, socializing, etc.) it’s time for further investigation.
“When a symptom prevents you from doing activities of daily living (school, work, socializing, etc.) it’s time for further investigation.”
We are so excited about our upcoming collaboration with you. Can you tell us a bit about the relationship between movement and our cycle?
I am beyond excited about our collaboration! I love looking at movement and our cycle from a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, and in TCM you want to incorporate both aspects of Yin and Yang in your exercise, depending on which phase of your menstrual cycle you are in.
The Yang side of exercise are those that are invigorating, endorphin-releasing and get your heart rate up. This can be achieved through cardio-centric exercise, HIIT, cycling, playing active sports, surfing, skiing, etc. Yang is recommended during your follicular phase (from menses to ovulation when you are not pregnant).
The Yin aspect of exercise are those that focus on regeneration and involve slower controlled movements to relieve stress such as yoga, tai qi, walking, stretching, and meditating. Yin is recommended during your luteal phase (from ovulation to menses, when you may be pregnant).
From a physiological perspective, the fluctuations in our hormones over the course of our cycle make us more attuned to certain types of movement. For example, the follicular and ovulatory phase are estrogen dominant with testosterone rising towards ovulation. During these phases it probably feels the best in your body to prioritize higher intensity and cardio-centric exercises (YANG).
After ovulation, we move into the progesterone dominant half of our cycle and now slower, more mindful movement as well as resistance training/strength building exercises probably feel best (YIN). During menstruation we want to prioritize rest and nourishing movement, we often have the least energy during this time and want to honour our body’s natural need for slowness over those few days of active bleeding.
“The fluctuations in our hormones over the course of our cycle make us more attuned to certain types of movement.”
How has attuning your lifestyle to your menstruation improved your wellbeing?
I was someone who worked out hard all month long. I pushed through the pain, the fatigue, the headaches, the cramps. I didn’t have an ‘off’ switch and it made not only my pre-menstrual and menstrual symptoms worse but also significantly impacted my mental health. Learning to slow down and truly listen to what my body was telling me was one of the greatest things I could do for my health and wellbeing.
You can’t do anything ‘intuitively’ (diet, exercise, rest, etc.) until you tune into the signals your body is sending you, and to do this we need to slow down. Prioritizing rest and restorative movement during my late luteal and menstrual phases were probably the most impactful shifts I made in learning to work with my cycle, and from there everything else followed.
Working with my cycle has minimized my premenstrual symptoms (more months than not, they’re completely absent) and in conjunct with other interventions, has made my menstrual cramping tolerable. I no longer crash for days each time I get my period and when experience more symptoms it’s often because I didn’t honour my body’s needs the month prior.
“The great thing is that I now have tools to meet my cyclical needs, and that brings a sense of peace and trust in my body.”
What projects are you looking forward to in the near future?
Cycle with your Cycle (CWYC) is getting an upgrade! CYWC+ is launching this fall and it’s for the woman who deeply desires conception. It’s the original content layered with fertility specific modules to optimize your chances of conception, natural or assisted, in your 30’s and beyond. It’s designed to give time back to the women who have been told their running out of time and empower you to make informed decisions about your reproductive health.
Who would play you in a movie?
Alicia Vikander
What’s your guilty pleasure on Netflix?
Selling Sunset
What’s a hobby that you would love to do for a living?
Beach Volleyball
If you could eat one meal forever, what would it be?
Pizza!
What’s something you are really thankful for?
That my body feels like home.
