FFP 631 | Are You Really Ovulating? | Luteinized Unruptured Follicle Syndrome (LUFS)

In this episode, Lisa reviews a landmark 2023 study that followed over 700,000 women across 26 years to examine the association between menstrual cycle characteristics and cardiometabolic outcomes. Lisa highlights how different types of menstrual cycle irregularity appear to be associated with distinct cardiometabolic risk factors, reinforcing the case for treating the menstrual cycle as a vital sign rather than an exclusively reproductive concern. This episode offers meaningful context for women's health practitioners who want to better understand how cycle patterns may reflect broader systemic health. Follow this link to view the full show notes page! This episode is sponsored by Lisa's new book Real Food for Fertility, co-authored with Lily Nichols! Grab your copy here! Would you prefer to listen to the audiobook version of Real Food for Fertility instead? 🎧 Listen here! This episode is also sponsored by FAMM, the Fertility Awareness Mastery MentorshipTM program! Apply now to join the waiting list for our next class! Have you grabbed your copy of the Fertility Awareness Mastery Charting Workbook? It is the first fully customizable paper charting workbook of its kind, available in both Fahrenheit and Celsius editions. Click here to grab your copy today! 📚 If you haven't grabbed your copy of The Fifth Vital Sign, grab it here! Would you rather listen to the audiobook version of The Fifth Vital Sign? 🎧 Listen here!

In episode 631, Lisa explores luteinized unruptured follicle syndrome (LUFS) — a lesser-known ovulatory dysfunction in which the dominant follicle fails to rupture and release the egg despite a normal-appearing LH surge and progesterone rise. Because LUFS can mimic a textbook ovulatory cycle on a fertility awareness chart, it represents one of the more challenging silent contributors to unexplained infertility that practitioners may encounter in clinical practice. This episode offers fertility awareness practitioners essential clinical context for supporting clients with apparently ovulatory charts who continue to face unexplained fertility challenges. Follow this link to view the full show notes page! This episode is sponsored by Lisa's new book Real Food for Fertility, co-authored with Lily Nichols! Grab your copy here! Would you prefer to listen to the audiobook version of Real Food for Fertility instead? 🎧 Listen here! This episode is also sponsored by FAMM, the Fertility Awareness Mastery MentorshipTM program! Apply now to join the waiting list for our next class! Have you grabbed your copy of the Fertility Awareness Mastery Charting Workbook? It is the first fully customizable paper charting workbook of its kind, available in both Fahrenheit and Celsius editions. Click here to grab your copy today! 📚 If you haven't grabbed your copy of The Fifth Vital Sign, grab it here! Would you rather listen to the audiobook version of The Fifth Vital Sign? 🎧 Listen here!

In this solo episode, Lisa takes a critical look at two recent studies examining the return of fertility after stopping hormonal contraception, one published in 2020 and one published in the BMJ in 2023. Rather than accepting their conclusions at face value, Lisa walks through the methodology of each study and identifies significant design flaws that call their findings into question. Lisa discusses the difference between time-to-pregnancy studies and discontinuation studies that track cycle characteristics, and makes the case for more robust, inclusive research designs that could provide clearer answers for women and the practitioners supporting them. Follow this link to view the full show notes page! This episode is sponsored by Lisa's new book Real Food for Fertility, co-authored with Lily Nichols! Grab your copy here! Would you prefer to listen to the audiobook version of Real Food for Fertility instead? 🎧 Listen here! This episode is also sponsored by FAMM, the Fertility Awareness Mastery MentorshipTM program! Apply now to join the waiting list for our next class! Have you grabbed your copy of the Fertility Awareness Mastery Charting Workbook? It is the first fully customizable paper charting workbook of its kind, available in both Fahrenheit and Celsius editions. Click here to grab your copy today! 📚 If you haven't grabbed your copy of The Fifth Vital Sign, grab it here! Would you rather listen to the audiobook version of The Fifth Vital Sign? 🎧 Listen here!

Lisa examines a peer-reviewed study that tracked liver consumption and vitamin A status in young children from an impoverished South African community — and what the findings reveal about food as a nutrient delivery system. Lisa unpacks a striking paradox at the heart of the research: the poorest households consumed the most liver not for health reasons, but out of economic necessity and were consequently the most protected against vitamin A deficiency. Whether through whole food sources or desiccated liver capsules, Lisa makes the case that eating liver for vitamin A remains one of the most efficient and nutrient-dense strategies available for supporting fertility and reproductive health. Follow this link to view the full show notes page! This episode is sponsored by Lisa's new book Real Food for Fertility, co-authored with Lily Nichols! Grab your copy here! Would you prefer to listen to the audiobook version of Real Food for Fertility instead? 🎧 Listen here! This episode is also sponsored by FAMM, the Fertility Awareness Mastery MentorshipTM program! Apply now to join the waiting list for our next class! Have you grabbed your copy of the Fertility Awareness Mastery Charting Workbook? It is the first fully customizable paper charting workbook of its kind, available in both Fahrenheit and Celsius editions. Click here to grab your copy today! 📚 If you haven't grabbed your copy of The Fifth Vital Sign, grab it here! Would you rather listen to the audiobook version of The Fifth Vital Sign? 🎧 Listen here!

In this solo episode, Lisa breaks down the findings of a large cross-sectional study analyzing nutrient intake data from just under 4,000 women aged 18 to 44, drawn from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The study compared dietary intake between women who self-reported infertility — defined as difficulty conceiving for at least one year — and women who had conceived within a 12-month period. Researchers examined 21 nutrients across both food-only and food-plus-supplement intake, revealing that women experiencing infertility had measurably lower intakes of several nutrients known to play a role in reproductive health, including vitamin A (retinol), vitamin E, vitamin K, lutein and zeaxanthin, selenium, vitamin C, and calcium. Lisa highlights that these nutritional gaps were significantly more pronounced in women between the ages of 35 and 44, a population commonly seen in fertility-focused clinical practice.  Follow this link to view the full show notes page! This episode is sponsored by Lisa's new book Real Food for Fertility, co-authored with Lily Nichols! Grab your copy here! Would you prefer to listen to the audiobook version of Real Food for Fertility instead? 🎧 Listen here! This episode is also sponsored by FAMM, the Fertility Awareness Mastery MentorshipTM program! Apply now to join the waiting list for our next class! Have you grabbed your copy of the Fertility Awareness Mastery Charting Workbook? It is the first fully customizable paper charting workbook of its kind, available in both Fahrenheit and Celsius editions. Click here to grab your copy today! 📚 If you haven't grabbed your copy of The Fifth Vital Sign, grab it here! Would you rather listen to the audiobook version of The Fifth Vital Sign? 🎧 Listen here!

In this episode, Lisa  continues her PCOS series by reviewing a newly published research letter titled "Ovarian Cysts in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome", a cross-sectional analysis of nearly 2,000 women asking one key question: do women with PCOS actually have more pathological ovarian cysts than women without PCOS? Contrary to what the name implies, the study found no statistically significant difference in pathological ovarian cysts between the two groups. Lisa contextualizes these findings within a foundational understanding of the menstrual cycle, explaining how insulin resistance may interfere with the normal progression toward ovulation, resulting in arrested follicular development rather than the presence of abnormal cysts. Follow this link to view the full show notes page! This episode is sponsored by Lisa's new book, Real Food for Fertility, co-authored with Lily Nichols! Grab your copy here! 🎧 Would you prefer to listen to the audiobook version of Real Food for Fertility instead? 🎧 Listen here! 💥This episode is also sponsored by FAMM, the Fertility Awareness Mastery MentorshipTM program! Apply now to join our next class! We start on May 12th! 📚Have you grabbed your copy of the Fertility Awareness Mastery Charting Workbook? It is the first fully customizable paper charting workbook of its kind, available in both Fahrenheit and Celsius editions. Click here to grab your copy today! 📚 If you haven't grabbed your copy of The Fifth Vital Sign, grab it here! 🎧Would you rather listen to the audiobook version of The Fifth Vital Sign? 🎧 Listen here!

In this episode of the Fertility Friday Podcast, Lisa down the landmark renaming of PCOS to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), published officially on May 12, 2026, following an 11-year global consensus process involving input from over 22,000 patients and clinicians. Lisa explores the rationale behind the name change, explaining how the term PCOS has long been criticized for implying a pathological ovarian condition when the underlying drivers of the syndrome are primarily metabolic and endocrine in nature. Drawing on her clinical experience and the framework she developed in Real Food for Fertility, Lisa offers a measured and informed perspective on whether renaming the condition will translate into meaningful changes in how women are diagnosed and cared for in practice. Follow this link to view the full show notes page! This episode is sponsored by Lisa's new book, Real Food for Fertility, co-authored with Lily Nichols! Grab your copy here! 🎧 Would you prefer to listen to the audiobook version of Real Food for Fertility instead? 🎧 Listen here! 💥This episode is also sponsored by FAMM, the Fertility Awareness Mastery MentorshipTM program! Apply now to join our next class! We start on May 12th! 📚Have you grabbed your copy of the Fertility Awareness Mastery Charting Workbook? It is the first fully customizable paper charting workbook of its kind, available in both Fahrenheit and Celsius editions. Click here to grab your copy today! 📚 If you haven't grabbed your copy of The Fifth Vital Sign, grab it here! 🎧Would you rather listen to the audiobook version of The Fifth Vital Sign? 🎧 Listen here!

In this episode, Lisa welcomes back Dr. Jerilynn Prior, endocrinologist, UBC Professor Emerita, and founder of the Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research (CeMCOR), for a thought-provoking conversation that challenges mainstream narratives about perimenopause and hormone therapy. Dr. Prior shares her research-backed perspective on why perimenopause is often characterized by erratically high estrogen rather than low estrogen, and how this physiological reality reshapes the conversation around symptoms like night sweats, sleep disturbances, heavy flow, and sore breasts. She discusses her randomized controlled trial demonstrating that progesterone is effective for night sweats and sleep in perimenopausal women, and explains why approximately 30% of perimenopausal women experience symptoms severe enough to warrant treatment. Lisa and Dr. Prior also explore findings from the Women's Health Initiative, the difference between treating symptomatic women and prescribing hormones preventively, and why the cultural framing of menopause as a deficiency disease misrepresents what is, for most women, a normal life transition. Tune in as Dr. Prior shares decades of research on the menstrual cycle, ovulation, and the often-overlooked role of progesterone in women's health across the lifespan. Follow this link to view the full show notes page! This episode is sponsored by Lisa's new book, Real Food for Fertility, co-authored with Lily Nichols! Grab your copy here! 🎧 Would you prefer to listen to the audiobook version of Real Food for Fertility instead? 🎧 Listen here! 💥This episode is also sponsored by FAMM, the Fertility Awareness Mastery MentorshipTM program! Apply now to join our next class! We start on May 12th! 📚Have you grabbed your copy of the Fertility Awareness Mastery Charting Workbook? It is the first fully customizable paper charting workbook of its kind, available in both Fahrenheit and Celsius editions. Click here to grab your copy today! 📚 If you haven't grabbed your copy of The Fifth Vital Sign, grab it here! 🎧Would you rather listen to the audiobook version of The Fifth Vital Sign? 🎧 Listen here!

In this episode, Lisa sits down with Stuart James Fischbein, MD — obstetrician, homebirth physician, and host of the Birthing Instincts Podcast — to examine one of the most consequential questions in modern maternity care: is hospital birth actually safer? Dr. Fischbein draws on more than 40 years of obstetric experience to trace how the medical model came to frame pregnancy as a high-risk condition requiring active management, and how that framing has shaped the interventions women encounter today. The conversation explores the steep rise in cesarean section rates, induction rates, and NICU admissions since the 1970s — alongside the sobering reality that maternal and neonatal outcomes have not improved commensurately. Follow this link to view the full show notes page! This episode is sponsored by Lisa's new book, Real Food for Fertility, co-authored with Lily Nichols! Grab your copy here! 🎧 Would you prefer to listen to the audiobook version of Real Food for Fertility instead? 🎧 Listen here! 💥This episode is also sponsored by FAMM, the Fertility Awareness Mastery MentorshipTM program! Apply now to join our next class! We start on May 12th! 📚Have you grabbed your copy of the Fertility Awareness Mastery Charting Workbook? It is the first fully customizable paper charting workbook of its kind, available in both Fahrenheit and Celsius editions. Click here to grab your copy today! 📚 If you haven't grabbed your copy of The Fifth Vital Sign, grab it here! 🎧Would you rather listen to the audiobook version of The Fifth Vital Sign? 🎧 Listen here!

In Episode 623 of the Fertility Friday Podcast, Lisa sits down with Harriet Thorn, a Switzerland-based midwife and recent graduate of the Fertility Awareness Mastery Mentorship (FAMM) program, for a wide-ranging conversation about cycle charting in midwifery practice. Harriet shares her personal journey from biotechnology PhD to midwife — including her own experience navigating heavy and painful periods, hormonal contraception, and eventually discovering fertility awareness charting as a tool for both personal and professional use. The conversation explores why midwives, despite being primary caregivers for women across the full reproductive lifespan, receive minimal training in fertility awareness — and how the FAMM certification has helped Harriet build the structure, confidence, and clinical protocols to support her clients more comprehensively. Lisa and Harriet also dive into a thoughtful discussion on research literacy, including the importance of reading full study texts, understanding researcher bias, and the challenges of accessing fertility awareness research in non-English-speaking countries. Harriet reflects on how her FAMM training has expanded her practice beyond prenatal and postnatal care to include menstrual health support — and why she views cycle charting as a foundational skill for any midwife committed to truly holistic, women-centred care. Follow this link to view the full show notes page! This episode is sponsored by Lisa's new book, Real Food for Fertility, co-authored with Lily Nichols! Grab your copy here! 🎧 Would you prefer to listen to the audiobook version of Real Food for Fertility instead? 🎧 Listen here! 💥This episode is also sponsored by FAMM, the Fertility Awareness Mastery MentorshipTM program! Apply now to join our next class! We start on May 12th! 📚Have you grabbed your copy of the Fertility Awareness Mastery Charting Workbook? It is the first fully customizable paper charting workbook of its kind, available in both Fahrenheit and Celsius editions. Click here to grab your copy today! 📚 If you haven't grabbed your copy of The Fifth Vital Sign, grab it here! 🎧Would you rather listen to the audiobook version of The Fifth Vital Sign? 🎧 Listen here!