"Your Thyroid levels are normal. Call us if your symptoms get worse."

"Your TSH levels are normal. Call us if your symptoms get worse." 

That's what the pediatric endocrinologist said to my then-14-year-old daughter when we started our quest to find out why she was having hot flashes.

That's also the day I realized that the traditional medicine approach wasn't going to be helpful. The mother bear in me refused to stop there. Fourteen-year-old girls don't get hot flashes. We weren't going to wait until symptoms got worse.

That was the start of a journey that ultimately led us to FEMM. Eventually, with the help of our FEMM practitioner, with the right testing and a more integrative approach to investigating my daughter's symptoms, we were able to determine the origin of her symptoms and make some very simple, non-prescription changes that eliminated the hot flashes and corrected other biomarkers by addressing the root problem.

We are forever grateful to our friend Betsy Hoyt for initially telling us about FEMM and later serving as instructor for the TeenFEMM classes that all three of our daughters have taken. The benefits have been numerous.

TeenFEMM Teaches Daughters AND Mothers

My girls learned more about their own hormone cycles. The six lessons of TeenFEMM cover topics like how to chart your cycle, what's happening during the different phases of your cycle, signs of a healthy cycle vs. signs of irregularity, how your hormones can affect your behavior, ways you can support your reproductive health now that will benefit you later. I particularly appreciated the frank lesson and discussion about birth control according to Catholic teaching. There were many opportunities to ask questions, and there were many "aha moments" when the girls would make the connection between their experiences during puberty and the explanation behind it. The lessons also set my daughters up well for knowing their bodies and cycles in the coming years of (hopefully) fertility. Priceless.

I learned more about MY hormone cycle! And this is coming from someone whose mom did a good job with "the talk" in my early teenage years! I had been charting my cycle since my first period, and I had already been through three pregnancies, but I still learned SO much as I sat with my girls during these lessons. I cannot stress this enough, take the opportunity to sign your daughters up for TeenFEMM lessons and then GO WITH THEM. I've heard other moms say, and it's true for many, "I wish I had known that when I was 13." A better understanding of the reproductive cycle through TeenFEMM is also quite helpful for understanding when changes start happening towards the onset of menopause, and like me, you may decide to start seeing a FEMM practitioner yourself to ensure your own reproductive health as you approach menopause. Invaluable.

My daughters and I are now in a better position to help other teens when they're struggling with things like painful periods, heavy periods, no periods, headaches, bad acne...the list goes on. Girls might complain to each other about these things, but rarely are their peers able to help them by asking good questions or suggesting they see a practitioner who can test their hormone levels and look for irregularities that could explain these symptoms. In traditional medicine, a doctor sees a teen with bad acne and painful cramping and writes a prescription for the pill. This action may or may not "resolve" the problems but with FEMM, we know the medicine is merely masking the symptoms without addressing the cause. Now my girls can tell their friends, "It doesn't have to be like that. The pill is going to do you more harm than good. Let's get you some help." Precious. 

Our Daughters CAN Change the World

Raising daughters in today's culture is not for the faint of heart. There are many influences just begging to get your daughter's attention on the subject of her sexuality before you do, and there are too many voices screaming things like, "Your body, your choice." TeenFEMM is an incredibly powerful tool to help families share the message that our daughters are children of God, made beautifully in His image, with His divine planning over every aspect of their development. You can help them learn that early and surely with TeenFEMM so your daughter doesn't have to grow up and say, "I wish I had known that when I was 13."  

~ Thoughtfully Contributed by a Living Integrated Member & Happy TeenFEMM Mama 

Would you like to know MORE about TeenFEMM for your daughter(s)?  Whether your daughter is cycling or not please reach out to me directly at [email protected] to find out more and get info on the next TeenFEMM virtual cohorts coming in 2026! Cohorts available for Middle School girls and High School girls.