I remember noticing all of a sudden that my regular 28-day menstrual cycles shifted to 25-days at age 42. I had just taken a round of antibiotics and didn’t think much of the connection. Those 25-day cycles became my norm and I figured that I was entering perimenopause on my way to menopause. Unpleasant symptoms included bloating and massive hair loss.

At age 47, I visited a functional medicine physician who did comprehensive lab testing including stool testing and let me know that I had candida in my gut. I started an herbal treatment that included Caprylic Acid and Oil of Oregano and voila my cycles magically shifted back to 28-days and my hair slowly shed less and less.

It all finally made sense. The broad spectrum antibiotic that I had taken all those years ago eliminated much of my normal bacteria in my gut. What I didn’t realize at that time was how important it is to take a probiotic when you take an antibiotic to help maintain the body’s normal levels of “friendly” bacteria. Oral antibiotics can dramatically increase Candida levels in the intestinal tract. That Candida in my gut actually had the power to shift my sex hormone levels too!

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