Fertility & Pregnancy
From evidence-based strategies, to supplements, to my personal experience, dive into everything fertility and pregnancy.
Why Needed Prenatal Collagen Protein is Superior, My Review
Did you know that 95% of moms are nutrient deficient? Before, during, and after pregnancy are very demanding times on the body. After all, you’re growing and sustaining another human! Unfortunately, the combination of modern diet and depleted soil makes it nearly impossible to get all your nutrients from diet alone, and most prenatal vitamins just don’t cut it. Needed Prenatal Collagen Protein can help.
Needed offers products for all perinatal stages, including TTC, pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond. They’re one of my favorite supplement brands because of their high-quality ingredients, the purity of their ingredients, and their commitment to sustainability. I’ve been taking their Needed Prenatal Collagen Protein Powder for years because it’s the cleanest I’ve found anywhere. And when they introduced Needed Academy, I jumped at the chance to talk about Needed products and get exclusive discounts for you!
Needed offers bundles for different stages and areas of support, depending on your needs. You can save time and money by simplifying with a product plan that’s tailored to your stage, such as the Complete Plan with a Prenatal Multi, Collagen, Omega-3, and Pre/Probiotics, the Fertility Support Plan for Two (both male and female support!), or the Gut Health Plan.
Use this link and code: MERRITT for up to 40% off pre-bundled plans or 25%+ off your first subscription order!
Now let’s review Needed’s Prenatal Collagen Protein Powder.
Check out my other reviews for Needed products, coming soon on the blog!
Why Extra Protein is Needed During Pregnancy
When pregnant, the demands of a growing baby and the changes in the woman’s body to support this require 80 to 100 grams of protein daily. That’s a lot of protein! Getting that amount of protein in a day can be difficult. Instead of reaching for quick options like processed meats or protein bars to bridge the gap, instead look for a high-quality collagen supplement. Collagen provides unique amino acids that are needed in higher amounts during pregnancy. Bonus: it’s known for supporting healthy hair and glowing skin!
Needed uses third-party testing on every batch of their collagen protein. They earned a Clean Label Project Purity Award and are certified pesticide free. Clean Label Project is a great, free resource where you can check the accuracy and purity of certain product labels! Check them out.
In addition, Needed Prenatal Collagen Protein is just that — there are no added ingredients! Many other proteins on the market come with added flavors, or other fillers. Last but not least, Needed Prenatal Collagen Protein Powder is grass-fed and sustainably sourced. The collagen is ethically sourced from the hides of grass-fed, pasture-raised, hormone-free bovines. This is some seriously clean collagen!
How I Take My Prenatal Collagen Protein
So now you know that Needed Prenatal Collagen Protein is a grass-fed, third-party tested, no-added-ingredients way to get the extra protein you need for a supported pregnancy. But what does it taste like?
One of my philosophies is that the “best” product in the world is not worth too much if you won’t actually use it. For sunscreen, this means it needs to feel good and work well under makeup (see this article with my favorites!). For collagen protein, this means it needs to mix well and you need to actually want to eat it! Needed Prenatal Collagen Protein Powder is unflavored, meaning you can dissolve it into just about whatever you want. Many women like to mix it into their coffee for a protein-fueled start to their day. Another option is to mix it into a bowl of oatmeal for some morning power oats. My favorite way to take Needed Collagen Protein is to mix it into a green smoothie for breakfast! Here’s my recipe for a protein-packed, low-sugar breakfast. My husband drinks it, too, so this recipe is for two!
Needed Prenatal Collagen Protein Green Goddess Smoothie
Ingredients
- 3 scoops Needed Prenatal Collagen Protein Powder
- 1/2 cup organic, unsweetened almond milk (I like Elmhurst or Califia)
- 3 TBSP organic hemp hearts
- 1 TBSP organic ground ginger
- 1 cup organic arugula
- 1 cup organic pineapple chunks (frozen or fresh)
- 1 handful organic mint leaves (optional)
Whether you’re TTC, pregnant, postpartum, or just looking for supportive supplements, I hope you found this post helpful. Don’t forget that my unique link and code: MERRITT gets you up to 40% off pre-bundled plans, and 25%+ off your first subscription order with Needed!
Dive in — to radically better nutrition!
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links on this page are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I would never recommend anything I wouldn’t personally use, and the income goes to keeping this site updated and free for everyone!
Want a Fertility Tracking App? Why You’ll Love Natural Cycles
Today I’m writing all about one of my favorite fertility tracking apps: Natural Cycles!
If you’re a woman, chances are you’ve probably tracked your period with an app at some point. But what was once a glorified digital calendar with a simple average cycle length calculation, is now an advanced wearable with algorithms that can do so much more. Fertility tracking apps are an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to understanding your own fertility, and taking charge of your health journey as a woman. My favorite fertility tracking apps are Natural Cycles, Oura, and Proov, and I’ll walk through how to use each of them during upcoming blog posts!
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links on this page are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a small commission if you make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This income goes to supporting this website. As always, ideas and opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.
Fertility Tracking Apps as Birth Control: the Natural Cycles App
5 years ago, I started to question my use of hormonal birth control. I wondered what the side effects could be on my fertility, and my body in general, in a way I didn’t consider before. I began looking for non-hormonal methods that were more effective than calendar-based methods, and found Natural Cycles. Natural Cycles is not just a fertility tracking app. It’s the first FDA cleared medical device for birth control. I talked to my OB/GYN, stopped hormonal birth control, started Natural Cycles to prevent pregnancy, and I’ve never looked back. Natural Cycles is as effective as hormonal birth control pills with typical use, which includes any mistakes made by the app or by the person using it. You can also use Natural Cycles to plan for a pregnancy, monitor a pregnancy, and track recovery from a pregnancy using their Postpartum mode.
How Natural Cycles Fertility Tracking Works
Natural Cycles works by tracking your basal body temperature (BBT), which is your body’s lowest resting temperature, as it changes during your cycle. After ovulation, progesterone rises, and so does your BBT. An egg can survive for about 24 hours after ovulation, and sperm can survive for up to 5 days in the female body, so about 6 days each cycle could result in pregnancy. By tracking your BBT, the app can identify these fertile days, (and non-fertile days after your ovulation).
If you just want to know which days to use protection to prevent pregnancy, don’t worry: the Natural Cycles app makes it easy. The app’s Home Screen shows either a “red” day where you could be fertile, or a “green” day where you aren’t. No algorithm is perfect, but recall that the app is as effective as hormonal birth control with typical use (93%), so the risk of an unplanned pregnancy is the same.
Using Natural cycles Fertility Tracking App to Plan for Pregnancy
If you’re looking to plan a pregnancy, you’ll use the app the same way, but your target days to use protection or abstain now become your target days to try to conceive (TTC). The app also prompts you to take LH (Luteinizing Hormone) tests at relevant points in your cycle, to better predict your ovulation day. LH rises and peaks 24-48 hours before ovulation, so simple morning urine tests can detect this rise and give you a closer idea of when you may ovulate. My favorite LH test is from Proov— keep an eye out for my post about Proov for my Women’s Health Month series!
Using Natural Cycles with the Oura Ring or Apple Watch
What makes Natural Cycles such a great fertility tracking app is its integrations with the Oura Ring and Apple Watch. Natural Cycles uses the temperature data for your device as part of its algorithm to predict your fertility. All you need to do is keep your device charged, wear it nightly, and check your Natural Cycles app daily. I was thrilled when this integration was announced, because I was already using each app separately! It’s the simplest hormone-free birth control solution, while providing the added bonus of world-class sleep lab data, HR, HRV, and SPO2 monitoring from the Oura Ring for total-body health. This is how I use Natural Cycles, and it’s been such a game-changer.
Buying an Oura Ring along with a Natural Cycles subscription comes with a device and subscription discount. If you don’t want an Oura Ring or Apple Watch, you can always opt for using the NC thermometer to take your temperature manually each morning, included for free with the annual plan.
How Natural Cycles Provides Cycle Insights
Natural Cycles is Now Covered by Health Insurance
Thanks to a federal directive in 2022, health insurance companies are now required to cover other methods of birth control, which includes Natural Cycles as an out-of-network provider. You’ll pay for a subscription out of pocket, then submit your receipt, your Rx from your doctor, and an out-of-network claim form to your insurance for reimbursement. This process can take a while, but Natural Cycles provides resources such as a template to use with your doctor requesting a prescription for Natural Cycles, and instructions and links to your insurance company’s forms. Their customer service is also there to help if you need to appeal your insurance claim. Hopefully this process will be easier in the future, as insurance companies adjust to the directive.
Making the Switch to Non-Hormonal Birth Control
Switching birth control methods can be a scary decision. Make sure you talk with your doctor before stopping any medications. Remind yourself of the efficacy of each method you’re considering. If you can, plan your switch for a time that’s convenient to you. It might make sense to switch after a big event such as a vacation, wedding, big work project or move, since your body will likely need some time to adjust to the change in hormones. If your first period off of hormonal birth control is different or painful, don’t worry too much, you’ll adjust! (If you need period products again, head to my post about menstrual cups and other sustainable period products!) Good luck making the switch! I’m rooting for you.
Have you made the switch to non-hormonal birth control? Drop me a line in the comments below.
Biohacking Women’s Health
Biohacking Women’s Health
Happy Women’s History Month! Today’s post covers all the apps, devices, and tests for biohacking women’s health. From hormone-free birth control, to tracking your fertility– not just your period– there’s an app for that, and I’ve tested them for you. Let’s dive in.
Biohacking your cycle
Natural Cycles app
I’ve been using Natural Cycles since 2019, when I wanted a more natural alternative to hormonal birth control. What I love most about it is that it puts me in control of my body and my health. I’m not vilifying hormonal birth control or medicine–sometimes they’re genuinely needed!– but I love that this app allows me to own my reproductive health naturally. And because I’m not taking medicine, I can see what’s actually going on with my cycle each month.
What is Natural Cycles?
Natural Cycles is a digital birth control app that is FDA cleared for use as birth control. This puts it in a league of its own: no period tracker app can say the same. That’s just one thing that makes Natural Cycles different from any period tracker you’ve been using. It also predicts and confirms your ovulation, helps you track PMS symptoms and onset, and even has a “partner mode” where you can allow your partner access to your daily fertility status. It can be used either to prevent or to plan and monitor a pregnancy.
How Natural Cycles Works
Our body temperatures rise or fall with different hormone levels, and a temperature spike shortly follows ovulation. Natural Cycles tracks your temperature throughout your cycle, and predicts your “fertile window,” during which ovulation may occur, to help you plan for pregnancy, or avoid conception. Natural Cycles is 98% effective at preventing pregnancy with perfect use, and 93% effective with typical use. That’s the same as “typical use” with the pill. For extra convenience, pair Natural Cycles with the Oura Ring and let it measure and sync the data for you. Without the Oura Ring, you’ll use a thermometer provided by Natural Cycles to take your temperature orally, first thing in the morning. The app has a subscription fee, but this ensures your data is never sold to third parties. Use the link below for 25% off!
*Everyone’s medical situation is unique; check with your doctor before stopping/starting/changing any medications.*
Modern Fertility Hormone Test and APP
Speaking of hormones, Modern Fertility, part of Ro, offers a range of tests to measure and track your key fertility hormones to better understand your fertility. Depending on whether or not you’re taking hormonal birth control, you can test 6 hormones, from the comfort of your home. With the Modern Fertility Hormone Test, you’ll test and learn about AMH, TSH, FSH, E2, fT4, and LH, to get a clearer picture of the amount of eggs you may have remaining, whether your hormones are acting as expected each month for successful ovulation, and more insights tailored to you. The Hormone Test requires a blood sample, and you’ll need to take it on a specific day of your cycle, but it’s very easy to do at home with a simple finger stick. Be sure to watch their how-to video first!
proov HORMONE TEST AND APP
Looking for a cycle-by-cycle picture of your hormone levels? Proov Test offers at-home test options to test FSH, LH, and PdG, as well as hCG to confirm pregnancy, and sperm tests for a partner. All of these are tested without a blood draw, and the Proov app makes it easy to interpret the results by reading the colored test lines for you. In addition, the app gives you a “score,” for your hormones, along with suggestions for how to support your hormones throughout your cycle. The Proov app will prompt you when to test, and tracks your hormone levels across multiple cycles so you can identify trends. Interested? Use this link and code “mermade20” for 20% off.
Quick tip: use a reusable shot glass to collect your sample, or compostable cups from Amazon.
To avoid plastic waste, skip plastic cups and use a reusable shot glass to collect your sample. (How cute is this little cup Proov sent me?!).
If you want to avoid glass in the bathroom like me (I’m very prone to breaking things), try these compostable cups instead.
Biohacking overall health
Oura Ring
DIVE in
Looking for more? For tips on how to make your period eco-friendly, check out this post on menstrual cups, and see why they might be the best sustainable swap you could ever make! I recommend starting with the brand Saalt. My favorites are below.
