Unit 2 lessons

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Overview of this Lesson Mystery magic…. and some misunderstanding. What is the menstrual cycle? How does it work? And how does our interaction with the world affect our menstrual well-being, ease, and challenges? Numerous factors influence the menstrual cycle, including a woman’s nutritional status, stress levels, body weight, exercise patterns, attitudes and beliefs about menstruation, […]

Overview This lesson covers two important topics: menstrual health for teens, and hormonal acne which many women struggle with from their teens thru their 40s. The herbal educator can play an important role in helping teenage girls to develop a positive self-image, and can provide valuable guidance in helping young women learn natural gynecologic self […]

Dysmenorrhea and chronic pelvic pain (CPP) are frequent reasons for which women seek gynecologic care – and also end up on a variety of pharmaceuticals from the Pill to antidepressants to opioid pain relief. They’re also common symptoms that many women assume are ‘just normal’  – especially when it comes to period pain (hint: it’s […]

Introduction Most of us have experienced some irregularity in our lifetime – a late or skipped period, and early period, an unusually heavy period, etc. Most often we can attribute these to something specific – pregnancy (expected or unexpectedly leading to a missed period) stress (leading to a late period) etc, For many women, menstrual […]

Approximately 85% of all women experience at least one PMS symptom with each menstrual cycle, and as many as 40% of women of reproductive age report significant  PMS symptoms associated with their cycles. PMS leads to missed school/work days, decreased ability to concentrate/ function at school/work, and relationship stresses. The symptoms can range from mild […]

Fibrocystic breast changes and fibroadenomas are so common that many practitioners consider some amount of fibrocystic breast tissue a variation of normal and reject the term “benign breast disease,” preferring simply “fibrocystic breasts” or “fibrocystic breast changes.” While these changes are nearly always benign, with only a very small percentage of women who report such […]

Previously considered primarily a gynecologic condition because of the common finding of polycystic ovaries and clinical reproductive problems, it is now recognized that PCOS, which affects approximately 5-10% of women of reproductive age, is a complex endocrine disorder with an uncertain, and likely multifactorial, etiology. It is a hyperandrogenic state characterized by hirsutism, menstrual irregularities, […]

Endometriosis is an inflammatory and hormonal condition in which the tissue that normally lines the uterus, called the endometrium, can be found growing in other locations on the body where it’s not supposed to be. The most common place is inside the abdominal cavity, where it can land on the thin layer of tissue, called […]

Vaginal infections and sexually transmitted infections represent a tremendous health concern for women. They cause physical discomfort, personal embarrassment, are a primary reason for visits to the medical doctor and use of prescriptions and over-the-counter (OTC) medications, and predispose women to serious health consequences, for example, infertility, pregnancy loss, fetal and neonatal death, and HIV/AIDS […]

How To Do Lesson 23 Read the Introduction/Overview Review the learning objectives, terms and botanicals to know Read/Listen to Required Reading Do E-Quiz Download, complete, save, and complete Self-Study Assignment Hands on Herbal Medicine (Optional): Make a cold Uva ursi-Marshmallow Root Infusion Introduction/Overview Liz, a 26-year old sexually active, recently married elementary school teacher has […]

Introduction/Overview Casey is a 46-year old landscape gardener who was diagnosed with uterine fibroids eight months ago after intermittent bouts of irregular, heavy vaginal bleeding, and menorrhagia. She feels chronic abdominal bloating and pelvic heaviness, with occasional constipation and urinary frequency. Her gynecologist has suggested embolization or possibly even hysterectomy, but Casey is reluctant to […]

Introduction/Overview The need or desire to prevent or terminate unplanned pregnancies is as old as the hills, and remains a reality for sexually active women of all ages, across all demographics, and across all relationship statuses (married, unmarried, and as a result of non-consentual sex). Further, pregnancies occur in which a woman is unable to, […]

The materia medica section of each unit provides an overview of a selection of the herbs relevant to understanding the botanical treatment of conditions found in that unit and throughout the course. Unit 2 materia medica relates to general gynecology. General uses of these herbs can be reviewed in any number of herb books, including […]

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