PERIOD Podcast

Well, we were going to talk menstrual stigma, but then the pandemic happened. Join me and Drs. Amber Wutich and Alex Brewis as we talk about stigma - what it is, how it affects people, and its repercussions on health. Race is playing a significant role in how stigma is laying on people through this pandemic - first through where this novel coronavirus originated, and then through who seems to have the worse health outcomes. Race-related stigma is allowing us to scapegoat certain groups, which has profound consequences for how we handle this disease and help those who are most affected. Please be sure to check out more from Drs. Wutich and Brewis through their new book, Lazy, Crazy, and Disgusting: Stigma and the Undoing of Global Health (there's even a coupon code if you click the link!). They also have a fabulous blog, Diagnosis: Human, and recent posts elaborate on the things we talk about in this episode.

Return guests Drs. Jodi Flaws and Jessica Brinkworth help us understand why disposable menstrual pads as masks should NOT be a thing (see example here)... but that some cloth masks may do at least a little something. One of the better options is from Suay LA. And see Dr. Brinkworth's page on cloth masks more generally.

Go With the Flow is a new graphic novel about friendship and periods, written by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann. My kid has read it about twenty times, so I thought you should hear all about it too! Enjoy a short departure from Tiger Kings and pandemics, and expect a few more of these in the coming months. Buy the book here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250143174

This week we put aside the scholarly tone this podcast usually takes in order to speak to a patient living with endometriosis. I've known Chris, and her experiences with endo, for over a decade. Chris had a hysterectomy recently to see if she could put an end to all of the pain she has had, but it wasn't the straightforward resolution she hoped for. I hope you'll join me in listening to this experience and learning more about this condition.

Dr. Christian studies how epilepsy’s effects on the brain have consequences beyond that organ, like on reproductive hormones and the menstrual cycle. We had a wide-ranging and really interesting discussion about whether and when to study the effects of the menstrual cycle on whatever thing you are interested in studying in your lab. Also, no, it's really not that hard to study female mice so more scientists should get over themselves and do so.

I talk to information security doctoral candidate Laura Shipp about her recent work to understand the privacy policies of the most popular menstruapps out there. We tell these apps our moods, our periods... even when we have sex. Is this something we want corporations sharing with advertisers?

Join me as I chat with Dr. Meredith Reiches of the University of Massachusetts-Boston about periods and athletic performance. Trainers for the US Women's National Team claim they harnessed their knowledge of menstrual cycles to maximize performance and help these athletes win the World Cup for the fourth time. But is it true? Oh come on, if you're a regular listener you know the answer! But listen anyway because Dr. Reiches is brilliant and it's probably the one and only chance I'll get to gush with someone about Megan Rapinoe on this here podcast.

This is PERIOD Podcast, episode 31. I am so pleased to bring you this week’s episode with guest Dr. Julie Hennegan. Dr. Julie Hennegan is a Research Associate at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In this episode, Dr. Hennegan and I talk about the concept of menstrual hygiene management, and how what we assume menstruators need isn’t always what they actually need. I also really appreciated what Dr. Hennegan had to say about making sure that the evidence we collect on menstruation is good. You’ll see what she means in the interview - have a listen!

Join me as I interview the brilliant Dr. Jodi Flaws of the University of Illinois on her research on how phthalates affect the female reproductive system. I'm grateful for the research on how endocrine disrupting chemicals affect kids... but not enough folks seem to center their research on direct effects of women. Learn about what our cosmetics, toys, and food contain, how to reduce exposure to these chemicals, and the kinds of effects these chemicals have on our menstrual cycles, menopausal symptoms, and more.

The mother of menstrual cycle research is here! I spoke with Dr. Jerilynn Prior, one of my personal heroines, about her early and more recent work on menstrual cycles, perimenopause, and estrogen. Dr. Prior made several important interventions in clinical research on the menstrual cycle, asking: Why are we comparing two groups of women who are so different, then blaming all those differences on physical activity? Why are we acting as though physical activity is so damaging to fertility? And, why do we do so little to translate this work to the menstruators who so desperately need it?

Join me as I nerd out with anthropologist Dr. Elizabeth Miller as we talk about iron stores, iron deficiency, and all the ways menstruators are pathologized for bleeding.

Check out the fabulous Dr. Sharra Vostral as she walks us through the contentious and fascinating history of tampons and toxic shock syndrome. She uncovers the largely ignored history of the many consumer advocates who pushed for change long before menstrual product companies were willing to.

Join Kate as she talks to Dr. Caroline Signore, Deputy Director of Extramural Research at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health. We talk about Dr. Signore's path to obstetric and gynecological research. And, we discuss PregSource, a very important program at the NIH designed to involve pregnant women in research understanding the normal experience of pregnancy. Too often we think whatever we are experiencing is normal when it isn’t, or is abnormal when everything is fine, and that’s because there is so little data on pregnant women at all.

Join Kate as she talks to Dr. Annaliese Beery, professor and member of the Psychology, Biology, and Neuroscience programs at Smith College. I wanted to talk to Dr. Beery because of her work on sex, gender, and estrus cycles in animal research. People often avoid studying females because they believe we are all too variable because of the effects of the menstrual cycle on physiology and behavior. Dr. Beery tells us how that isn't at all true! She also tells us about the research that shows that males are often the ones who are more variable.

I've missed you, fellow period enthusiasts! Here's a sneak peek of season 3, first full episode will be up August 12 2019!

Join Kate for the last episode of season 2. She talks to Imani Gandy and Jessica Pieklo (AKA @AngryBlackLady and @Hegemommy on Twitter), the hosts of Boom! Lawyered and Senior Legal Analysts at Rewire News.

Join Kate as she talks to grad student Holly Horan from her fieldwork in Puerto Rico on the effects of stress on pregnancy and preterm birth. Show notes can be found at kateclancy.com/period23. And don't forget to use coupon code "periodpodcast" for 50% off your order at elleboxco.com!

Kate talks to Dr. Andrea Ichino about research indicating that some women miss work in a cyclical pattern. Is the problem the data, the interpretation, the way we view women, or the way we view the workplace?

Kate talks to Dr. Jessica Kiley about periods and contraception, with a particular focus on long-acting contraception. Consider an implant and become a biohacker ahead of the Silicon Valley dudebros!

Kate talks to Dr. Marla Lujan, PCOS expert and professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell University. We geek out on testosterone and how the body makes eggs.

Liz and Kate chat about pelvic prolapse, and Kate interviews the amazing Julie Wiebe, a pelvic floor therapist who pioneered the "pelvic floor piston" method of breathing. Check out the show notes at www.kateclancy.com/period19.

Dr. Claudia Valeggia of Yale University joins me for a wonderful conversation about biological and cultural variation in the experience of the postpartum period. Check out the show notes at www.kateclancy.com/period18

Join me in a conversation with Maysa Haque, masters student at the University of Regina, as she shares her research into the wide variability of experience Canadian Muslim women have about their periods. For more see kateclancy.com/period17

We learn about periods through history, and those moments when corporate interests, scientific knowledge, and women's lives align. Guest is historian Dr. Lara Friedenfelds. Head to the show notes for more, at kateclancy.com/period16.

Eating Psychology Coach Lu Uhrich teaches me a thing or two about body image, nourishing yourself, and how to get back your period. Check out http://www.kateclancy.com/period15 for the full show notes.

We learn about the female athlete triad, and how menstrual disturbances have more to do with not eating enough and adhering to cultural conceptions of beauty than overexercising. See www.kateclancy.com/period14 for full show notes.

Liz Lerner, Kate's sister, hosts the first episode of season 2. Liz interviews Kate and learns the moment she learned where babies come from, and the times she thought she had gotten her period but didn't.

We are so excited to share the next season with you! Hear about some of our upcoming episodes and our new sponsor!

I talk to Dr. Molly Fox, Assistant Professor of Biological Anthropology at UCLA, about why grandmas are cool, and you should listen to this episode with your female relatives. Check out the show notes at kateclancy.com/period12, and support this podcast at patreon.com/periodpodcast2. This is the last episode of this season, make sure you subscribe so you don't miss bonus content before season 2!

Scicurious, also known as Dr. Bethany Brookshire, chats with Kate about PMS and PMDD. Go to kateclancy.com/period11 for the show notes, and check out Kate's new Patreone to support the podcast, patreon.com/periodpodcast2!

Kate Blazar, CEO and founder of Animosa and the Go With Your Flow Pack, tells us about her new product and Kickstarter. Find my show notes at kateclancy.com/period10 and the Kickstarter at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gowithyourflow/the-go-with-your-flow-pack-a-menstrual-disposal-ki

This is a bonus episode of PERIOD podcast about the US Presidential Election. For a full transcript and show notes go to kateclancy.com/periodbonuselection.

Dr. Roxana Hickey joins Kate to talk ladybugs – or rather, the vaginal microbiome. Check out the show notes at kateclancy.com/period9!

Kate interviews Dr. Felisa Reynolds about their shared experience of a workplace bathroom, and Dr. Jessica Brinkworth about the health consequences of crappy menstrual hygiene.

Kate interviews musician Kiran Gandhi and inventor Heli Kurjanen about having periods in public.

Kate interviews the founder of Periods for Pence, now Periods for Politicians.

This episode was a ton of fun to put together. I was lucky to get to interview Lali DeRosier, a seventh grade science teacher and awesome science outreach advocate. We talk about what kids know, and what cultural conceptions of gender make kids not realize they know… like the several times Lali has had to convince boys in her classroom that girls poop. Then, I talk to Talia Oakley, a sex health educator. We also talk about what kids know and mis-know… and my daughter makes an accidental appearance.

I interview four mothers and their kids -- and my own kid -- about what a period is. We discuss how kids come to understand privacy and secrecy, bodily functions, and growing up.

I interview Dr. Alma Gottlieb about what periods are, culturally – what they mean to us, what they do to us, how they fit or don’t fit into the dominant cultural paradigm. Dr. Gottlieb shares insights into menstrual taboos, in the United States and cross-culturally. She also talks about what it means that 20-25% of the reproductive-aged women you meet are menstruating, even though they are hiding it. What does it mean to hide something fundamental about yourself for a quarter of your lifespan from menarche to menopause?

In my first full episode, I interview Dr. Elizabeth Rowe about her research on menstruation, and why we have periods. Dr. Rowe shares broad evolutionary insights about why people menstruate, as well as quirky tidbits about how researchers have studied periods over the years. Learn how scientists discovered how much monkeys menstruate, and which region of Europe seems to enjoy wringing out sanitary products. Next week, I’ll interview Dr. Alma Gottlieb, a cultural anthropologist who also studies periods, to look at the other side of the menstrual pad on matters periodic. Subscribe to PERIOD so you don’t miss an episode! Once we are in iTunes you can of course subscribe there, there are also lots of Android-friendly ways to subscribe. You can also find information about the podcast at Period Podcast on Facebook.

Welcome to PERIOD! PERIOD is a podcast where I explore anything and everything to do with the menstrual cycle, most especially the bloody bits. I am a biological anthropologist whose research focuses on the ways in which stress, lifestyle, and environment affect women’s health. I also wrote for Scientific American for a few years and do a fair bit of science outreach online and on my campus, the University of Illinois. PERIOD is my chance to spend some time with my favorite topic, hang out with people I admire, and learn more about the social, political, and biological aspects of menstruation. I’m really excited to share with you interviews with researchers, activists, and parents and kids just trying to make their way in the world. I hope this podcast becomes a place where you can share your experience, learn from people who are different from you, and engage in period science and activism. This first run of PERIOD will be twelve episodes long. I hope you’ll be giving me tons of feedback along the way to shape the last episodes of this season, as well as future seasons. Subscribe to PERIOD so you don’t miss an episode! Once we are in iTunes you can of course subscribe there, there are also lots of Android-friendly ways to subscribe. You can also find information about the podcast at Period Podcast on Facebook.