If you scour the internet these days, you’ll come across many different “natural remedies” for hormone health and fertility. Some are newer to the market, while others, like castor oil, have been around for centuries. But what is castor oil, exactly, and what are its potential benefits when it comes to your reproductive health? Let’s dive in.    What is castor oil? Castor oil is a pale-yellow liquid extracted from the seeds of the castor plant, scientifically known as Ricinus communis. It contains a unique compound called ricinoleic acid, which is believed to be responsible for many...

Our claim to fame at Rescripted is that our Sex Ed system in America is completely broken, which is showing up in so many women’s lives as they reach their 20s and 30s and realize they know nothing about their own bodies.  “The menstrual cycle has four phases…? I thought the menstrual cycle was just your bleeding period!”  “How do I know when I’m ovulating?”  “Where’s my cervix? I mean, I know it exists but I have no clue where it is.”  “How do I know if I’m fertile? Is there a blood test for that?” ...

Whether you’re navigating infertility or deeper into your family planning journey, here’s what you need to know: In America, people have struggled with their mental health more and more due to the pandemic. COVID-19 prompted everyone, from government officials to families, to ask questions like — how is everyone navigating the stress? What tools are available to support someone who is struggling with mental health?  Women trying to conceive or who are already mothers have been navigating mental health realities that predate the pandemic and have only become more evident since then.  Here are some noteworthy...

You’ve probably heard the old adage that you can’t be “a little bit pregnant.” The idea is that being pregnant — or not pregnant — is a binary thing, with “yes” or “no” being the only answer to that question. At-home pregnancy tests support that idea: You either see a second pink line or you don’t…or, in the case of digital tests, you either see the word “pregnant” or “not pregnant.” But what many people don’t realize is that the hormone that turns those pregnancy tests positive can be measured quantitatively with a blood pregnancy test,...

Ovarian cancer is, put simply, when abnormal cells grow and multiply in the ovaries, destroying healthy body tissue. These cells can also originate in the fallopian tubes or peritoneum, the membrane that lines the inside of your abdomen and pelvis. The American Cancer Society predicts that nearly 20,000 women will receive an ovarian cancer diagnosis in 2023. Sometimes known as the “silent killer,” ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women.  One of the reasons this particular disease carries the unceremonious title of “silent killer” is because ovarian cancer isn’t always easy to detect.  As...

Pregnancy loss is a devastating experience for anyone. Despite its common occurrence (the risk for healthy women ranges from 10-25%), it can take some time to recover both physically and emotionally after a miscarriage.  An interesting result of pregnancy loss, however, is the question of whether or not women become more fertile after miscarriage. This can stem from one of the more repeated (albeit unhelpful) platitudes women tend to receive: “At least you got pregnant!” The possibility of increased fertility post-miscarriage offers women something that they may need during a very painful time in their lives...

When it comes to fertility supplements, there are some basic nutrients we know we have to check off. Essential micronutrients like selenium, iron, zinc, folate, choline, vitamins A-E and K, and iodine all come as semi-no-brainers.  And if you’ve spent any time shopping the aisles for fertility supplements, you know these nutrients are found in just about every single prenatal vitamin you pick up.  These are all great and fully necessary micronutrients, yes, but there are a handful of other, well-researched compounds that help to maintain the health of your reproductive cells (sperm or eggs) and...

When I first saw the description of The Retrievals, a podcast from the New York Times, I was horrified…but I wasn’t exactly shocked. The podcast details the stories of patients who sought out IVF treatments but experienced excruciating pain during their egg retrievals. The pain persisted after these patients went home…and for a while, no one could understand why. As it turns out, a nurse at the clinic was stealing fentanyl and replacing it with saline. This is a specific story with a particular culprit. It happened for a simple reason: Someone tampered with the narcotic...

Let's dive right in: The pelvic floor consists of a series of muscles that sit at the base of your abdomen and connect all the way towards the bone you feel when you sit down for too long — the "sits" bone for short. The pelvic floor helps to support, stabilize, and secure your pelvic organs and has a strong connection to your "core" as well as to maintaining sexual function. Now, the core is a huge buzzword, especially in the fitness world. But do we even truly understand what the core is? Don't worry, I'm...

Cycle-syncing apps have been all the rage lately, and we’re here for them — especially since they help women understand their bodies on a deeper level. Nearly one-third of women in the U.S. use them, too.  It’s crazy when you peel back the layers and realize how many women don’t know anything about their own menstrual cycle, including when they’re ovulating, which "phase" they’re in at any given time of the month, what that means for them and their body, and more.  When we don’t understand what’s going on inside our bodies, we can’t optimize our...