Vicious Cycle

We've got our most-Catholic blost bringing you our most Catholic research yet: CATHOLIC HOSPITALS. Guess what? They are problematic. :) We dig into how and why some major reproductive health options are NOT options for patients, how these hospitals are world-wide and often the only health care option for people in rural places. But don't worry, we also have saint trivia to keep your spirits bright. So, take a shot of holy water, say whaddup to the new Pope (Midwest in the HOUSE - what could go wrong lol) and listen in!

We're talking all things *climax* babyyyyyy! From biologically what's going on, to historical understandings of female genitalia, female pleasure erasure and the triumphant discovery of the clitoris... by men. Because, ya know, if you have a clitoris you prooooobably discovered it a long time ago. We also cover pleasure techiniques, play a lil game and get personal . Basically, this episode is here to help encourage more orgasms for all bleeders. Go on and get comfortable, keep your vibe nearby and hit play! Books discussed in this episode: She Comes First by Ian Kerner Vagina Obscrua by Rachel E. Gross Bonk by Mary Roach Your Sexual Health by Dr. Kate White (friend of the pod!!)

In this month's episode, Kate prepped some incredible bleedsearch for us all about PAP SMEARS. If you've ever wondered what the hell your gyno is doing up there, why it's important, who developed this test, who was married to the doctor who developed this test and what else was going on in the world when they were first taking a lil scrapper to cervixes... well, this episode covers it all. And like you have to ask, but yes - there is absolutely a song in this episode. So pop some speculums into your ear holes and hit play. (Don't have tiny speculums? Earbuds should also work fine.)

hey, hello there, hi. We're so excited to be back and venting about the state of the world while also dealing with having a uterus! (...excited might be the wrong would, but we digress...) For our first episode of the season, we're doing a lot of catch-ups: we fill you in on the last 2.5 years of our lives, cover some newsy-doozies (lol there have been so many) and have a song or two for you to enjoy — because even though time has passed, we're still, deep down, some surprise-song-lovin blosts. Recommended activity for while you listen: find some fabric scraps, a needle and thread and sew some cute reusable pads for when the government inevitably makes period products (and periods themselves) illegal. :)

Your eyes do not decieve - we're back! We took an *extended* meno-pause after our last episode in Sept of 2022, but with the country crumbling around us, we thought: why not scream into the void with mics?! Keep an eye out for our first episode of season seven, dropping soon. Music: Funk Fashion Groove by BlackTrendMusic is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/blacktrendmusic/single/funk-fashion-groove/

Your eyes do not decieve - we're back! We took an *extended* meno-pause after our last episode in Sept of 2022, but with the country crumbling around us, we thought: why not scream into the void with mics?! Keep an eye out for our first episode of season seven, dropping soon. Music: Funk Fashion Groove by BlackTrendMusic is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/blacktrendmusic/single/funk-fashion-groove/

It's our last episode of the season and part two of our deep dive into 10 sometimes scary, often funny, and always meaningful abortions on screen. This episode is fully set in the 2010's, and we get into some of our favorite shows: CW darlings Jane the Virgin and Crazy-Ex Girlfriend, Shonda's soapy magnum opus Scandal, animated delight BoJack Horseman and thoughtful, funny Netflix original Dear White People. We also have our final Why I Cried of the season (featuring a blistener's submitted musical accompaniment!) and a surprise song because why not!? Thank you for joining us for season 6, dear blisteners. We loved making it for you. Enjoy this episode and PLEASE VOTE IN NOVEMBER FOR CANDIDATES WHO SUPPORT BODILY AUTONOMY FOR BLEEDERS AND TRANS PEOPLE! Much love, the VC gals.

We had such a blast when we covered periods on television, so we knew we HAD to get into how abortions have been portrayed on screen. We cover a century of TV shows and films, and talk about some of our favorites, some of the funniest, and one of the creepiest movies we've ever seen. In part one, we run the gamut, from a 1916 silent film, a show from 2012 set in the 50's, and a 90's classic. Enjoy this ep, and catch part two (and our final episode of the season) later this week!

We know our blisteners love a good story (don't all podcast lovers?) so we KNOW you'll love Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall. Maggie joined us for our Bleeding Rainbow episode about her graphic novel Squad — a story centered around four teen girls who have a unique, yet very effective way of fighting the patriarchy — and have a strong relationship to the moon... (they're werewolves, get it?). Maggie talks periods, the power of feminine anger, hashtag author life, and oh so much more. Haven't read Squad yet? Take a listen and then get to your library or local indie bookstore to grab a copy! And then read while you're collecting your blood for future blood magik. Enjoy!

Alternative title to this episode: The Church of Jesus Christ ANOTHER UTI?! We were lucky enough to talk with Sasha Piton a few months back about Mormon undergarments and how they are NOT conducive for vaginal health and menstruation — which she made clear to the LDS church leaders (and even got some press - hello NYT!). We talk periods, divine femininity, and that old chestnut we know so well: religion + bodily shame. Sasha has since left the church, but our convo is still so relevant for the Mormon faith and other religions that continue to silence femme voices. So go on — take off those undies, find a cool breeze and tune in.

Did you know that one form of a uterine anomaly is having no uterus at all? It's crazy but it's true! This is known as MRKH syndrome (named after the four doctors who discovered it) and we had the privilege to talk to Riddhi Patel about their experience with this rare disorder. They tell us all about their diagnosis, symptoms they've experienced, and the struggle finding a doctor in a small California town. We also relish in the fact that your three Millennial blosts got to chat with a very cool Gen Z-er about bodies and sex. So, give your pad wings a middle part and start listening.

It seems like only yesterday we were joking on the podcast about tubal litigators (lol - sometimes our words not good!), and now here we are, devoting a whole episode to the various forms of sterilization a uterus-haver can consider! Kate brings us surprise bleedsearch and we are truly SURPRISED by what we learn in this episode. We talk procedures, bad doctors, outdated societal norms AND we've got a song! Grab your Fallopian tubes like little horse reigns and giddy-up to that play button! (I'm really stretching with these body metaphors, folks.)

This week we are so lucky to have Cera Merrick on the pod to tell us about being an abortion doula — including what kind of support someone can expect when they work with a doula and why that kind of support is so important for someone getting an abortion (no matter their circumstances). Cera also tells us how they ended up in this line of work, and (of course) answers our three crazy questions. Set up your stock-pile of abortion pills like a cute little armchair, settle in and press play! Learn more about Cera here!: ceramerrick.com

It's still summer! And your three co-blosts continue to enjoy our various summer adventures (read: hoping our tampon strings aren't poking out of our swimsuits). So we thought we'd rerun our first ever interview with a VIB from way back in 2018. Enjoy this episode with writer and comedian Allison Page, who tells us all about her struggles with endometriosis. There's laughs, poems, a song and more. So chase that Midol with some ginger tea and enjoy this episode!

Picture it: It was January 2020. The three co-blosts were holed up in a downtown San Francisco hotel room for a one-night retreat. We had wine, gummy bears and DayQuil (Kate had a cold), and we were recording our first Everything is Fine episode. Fast forward to 2.5 years later: It's the year of our lord-who-is-a-man 2022 and those very same co-blosts are all on a brief summer break away from the pod. So in honor of that magical wintry night, we're re-releasing this episode, full of fun quizzes, songs and staged readings. So relax those Kegels and take a trip down memory lane with us. Enjoy!

(Re-uploaded to fix audio glitch!) Welcome to the pod Adam Segal — abortion advocate, breaker-down of toxic masculinity, and our first cis man guest! Adam brings his own perspective to the fight for abortion rights, having had a partner go through it. Knowing how important it is for cis men to be a part of the conversation, we wanted to talk to Adam about his experience, and talk about ways other cis men can join the fight, including his mens' group New Masculinities. And don't worry, we also ask him our 3 krazy kwestions. So, go on and hit play already!

Welcome to the pod Adam Segal — abortion advocate, breaker-down of toxic masculinity, and our first cis man guest! Adam brings his own perspective to the fight for abortion rights, having had a partner go through it. Knowing how important it is for cis men to be a part of the conversation, we wanted to talk to Adam about his experience, and talk about ways other cis men can join the fight, including his mens' group New Masculinities. And don't worry, we also ask him our 3 krazy kwestions. So, go on and hit play already! Other ways to get to know Adam: adamjacobsegal.com IG: newmasculinitiesgroup

We're back with part two! We've got more abortion stories, ways you can support people seeking abortions, and general venting about the state of the world, mixed in with laughs and love. We're so grateful for Carla joining us and sharing her story, and for everyone who called in with their stories.

One of our favorite guests, Carla Lee, is sitting in for Meg Hayes this week as we take phone calls from blisteners shouting their abortions. As you can tell from the title, we had enough calls, stories and things to talk about that we had to split it into two parts! Keep an eye out for part two later this week, and then press play to laugh, cry and NORMALIZE abortion with us. Much love, bleeders.

We're coming at you with more bleedsearch! You got a taste of it last week with Meg Hayes' abortion history segment, and now here's the main course. Learn about when abortions first entered the annals of history, play games along with Meg T and Kate, and learn about another new patron saint of the podcast (we're collecting enough to start our own church)! Smash the play button while smashing the patriarchy, blisteners! Links from Meg H's research: https://daily.jstor.org/abortion-remedies-medieval-catholic-nun/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_abortion https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/the-complex-early-history-of-abortion-in-the-united-states https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/abortion-central-history-reproductive-health-care-america#:~:text=Leaders%20didn't%20outlaw%20abortion,around%20four%20months%20of%20pregnancy https://www.feminist.com/resources/ourbodies/abortion.html

We're 100 episodes old! We celebrated with a live show at PianoFight in San Francisco and we talk ABORTION(FYI - this was recorded on June 18, before Roe was officially overturned). MeyHay brings us a taste of her bleedsearch on the history of abortion, Kate plays a fun new game where we guess which state is truly the worst (there are so many!), and Meg T covers resources you can turn to if your access to abortion just disappeared. BUT WE ALSO LAUGH AND SING. We bring back some of our favorite games, bits and have two fresh parodies you're going to get stuck in your head immediately. We're mourning and raging with you in this post-Roe world, blisteners.

This week we're covering the topic that you (like the blosts) may know very little about – abortion pills! And contrary to what you may have heard, abortion pills are effective, safe, and even used among racehorse breeders to stop their horses from having foals. If it's good enough for Seabiscuit, it's good enough for us! Renowned reproductive justice advocate Susan Yanow joins us to tell us all the details of this (once again) very safe and effective method of terminating a pregnancy, and gives us a little hope in these dark AF times. abortionpillinfo.org plancpills.org aidaccess.org

Raise your hand if you use a period tracking app! All three blosts certainly have (we talked about it in episode 7 of the pod!), but over the past few years, we've heard more and more about how the way these apps handle data is less than ideal. So, in this episode, Meg T dives deep into what these tracker apps know about us, what they do with that info and who they sell it to. Especially as Roe v. Wade may soon be gutted and the government may insert itself deeper into our bodies, it's important to know the ways your very private data may be at risk. Open a pad and your phone settings and settle in! The copious articles Meg T referenced: Will My Period Tracking App Betray Me? Menstrual Surveillance in a Post-Roe World https://msmagazine.com/2022/05/09/period-tracking-app-menstrual-surveillance-roe-v-wade-abortion/ Spotty privacy practices of popular period trackers https://blog.mozilla.org/en/internet-culture/privacy-practices-period-trackers/ What Your Period Tracker App Knows About You https://www.consumerreports.org/health-privacy/what-your-period-tracker-app-knows-about-you-a8701683935/ Is your pregnancy app sharing your intimate data with your boss? https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/04/10/tracking-your-pregnancy-an-app-may-be-more-public-than-you-think/ “Failed” abortions, a period-tracking spreadsheet, and the last clinic standing: the controversy in Missouri, explained https://www.vox.com/2019/10/31/20939890/missouri-abortion-clinic-hearing-periods-roe-wade Data Broker Is Selling Location Data of People Who Visit Abortion Clinics https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7vzjb/location-data-abortion-clinics-safegraph-planned-parenthood Your Apps Know Where You Were Last Night https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/12/10/business/location-data-privacy-apps.html

We are once again blessed with the presence of Dr. Kate White, this time to ask her all about her first book, "Your Guide to Miscarriage & Pregnancy Loss." We talk about the impetus behind this book, who this book is for, and how cool it is that she is now a bonafide published author whose book is going to help a lot of people. We also take phone calls and discover a new segment we like to call "Fill Our Love Taint," which, of course, is where we discuss what's lifting us up these days. Throw on a heating pad and smash that play button. Links to Dr. Kate's books: Your Guide to Miscarriage & Pregnancy Loss https://www.drkatewhite.com/miscarriage-book/ Your Sexual Health https://www.drkatewhite.com/yoursexualhealth/

Your blosts are back — and we. are. ANGRY! We kick off this season during a real bleak month (millenium?) reminding us that society is still a hot pile of steamy garbage. That's why we're so glad to have each other this season — and you, dear blisteners — to process, rage and ACT (hint: upcoming live show to rally the troops around abortion rights). Catch up with us as we cover Where We Bled, take some phone calls from our extended meno-PAUSE, and hear what's to come this season. Oh, and laugh! Pop in a light day just because and hit play!

Tickets and more information at viciouscyclepodcast.com

It's a movie that COULD NOT be more up our alley: a tale of tweens in the early aughts livin' life, gettin' horny & startin' their periods, all while stanning boy bands. We reviewed Pixar's latest masterpiece, TURNING RED, for our Patreon supporters — but we're giving ALL the blisteners this sneak peek of the episode. If you want to hear our entire review, hop on over to Patreon.com/viciouscyclepodcast and get more cool content while supporting our show! Vicious Cycle merch!: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/vicious-cycle-podcast?ref_id=21954

We're calling this a breakthrough episode because we have to laugh through the pain, right blisteners?! We've got a great ep for you, with special guest Liv Vasquez, who is suing the city of Portland, Oregon for the adverse effects police tear gas had on her menstrual health. Liv was living in Portland, Oregon in the summer of 2020 during the demonstrations sparked by the murder of George Floyd, in which tear gas was used against protesters daily. We talk with Liv about how her period has changed, the importance of cases like this setting a precedent, and - of course - we cover some new crazy questions that will definitely make you chuckle. Slap on a gas mask and an overnight pad and get cozy with your blosts.

Ok, we know at this very moment everything may not be *totally* fine — maybe you're getting a root canal, a colposcopy, a subpoena... we know life gets messy and sometimes you need to tune out. That's why we recorded another Everything Is Fine episode as our finale to season five! We needed it, and we figured you might, too. Join us for songs, quizzes and dramatic readings from the most ridiculous abstinence-only book that scarred Catholic school kids for years and years. And then continue to bleed everywhere. We love you, blisteners!

We've got another episode dedicated to a reusable period product — you know we love those!! This week we're covering menstrual discs with special guest Rachael Newton, who created the reusable Nixit disc. We reminisce with Rachael about our first meeting (at a party with a boob-ball pit of course), talk about where Nixit came from, and get into her menstrual journey. We also break down what menstrual discs are, how they work, and the many benefits (ya know, like helping the earth AND mess-free period sex). So join your hosts for some chat, some laughs and a surprise song!

If you're like the blosts, you were insanely curious about what the other room learned about puberty when they split up the classes for sex ed. We've joked about it and even wagered some guesses, but Meg Hayes did the dirty work to get some real answers. This week's episode is all about puberty for kids assigned male at birth. We find out what we have in common (spoiler: A LOT) and cover the giggle-inducing differences (spoiler: we have not matured since puberty). Hide your erection and hit that play button! (Psst: there was so much bleedsearch, we couldn't contain it in one episode! Check out our Patreon for the video clips that didn't make it in.)

The blosts were honored to have DivaDelux herself on the pod this week — that's right, we talk with Danielle Perez about comedy, periods and all the various ways the comedy world (and hey, the world in general) really need to up their accessibility game. Danielle is also a Catholic-education survivor from SoCal, so she and MeyHay had a lot to unpack together. Pop in an OB, pray it doesn't get lost, and press play!

After five seasons of talking about uteri, it has come to our attention that one of our very own blosts has had a very special uterus this whole time! Meg T walks us through various uterine anomalies — how they form, their various shapes and diagnoses, and exactly what is going on with her baby box. It's a classic bleedsearch episode with lots of interesting info and even more follow-up questions. From the half-uterus folks to those with two cute lil utes, give this week's episode a listen.

WARNING: After listening to this episode, you will never think about your period the same way! The blosts were delighted to talk with the Cycle Magic Sisters (AKA Rachel LaForest and Angie Ilg), two bad ass VIBs who started Cycle Magic, a program all about harnessing the natural power of our menstrual cycles and tapping into our 'womb wisdom.' It sounds witchy and it IS! Hunker into those hormones and tune in. (And check out their program here: cyclemagic.co)

DREAMS REALLY DO COME TRUE! We've fantasized about swag for a long time and now that day is here. You can wear, carry, lay on, write in and drink out of stuff that has our logo on it - and we hope to do more designs soon. First, we just want to give people what they want - a big ol' uterus.

We enjoy nothing more than digging into retro period product ads and this time we do it with our friend and fellow podcast host Aviva Siegel! Aviva hosts the pod Ad Wizards (Kate was on her show a few weeks ago talking about compilation CD commercials - check it out wherever you get your podcasts!), so we wanted to bring her on to help break down some classic tampon ads. Oh, and Meg H introduces us to our new favorite character actress — we know you'll love her, too. Tease your hair and get ready to dance in some white shorts, it's tampon ad time! Here are some of the commercials we watched! Courtney Cox: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOHCtQfFn7E Brenda Vaccaro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCwqyO4hPQo Brenda Vaccaro again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gpmPWI3wZE That weird rap battle: https://youtu.be/9zj4NhC8ahM

We've got some good ol' fashioned bleedsearch for ya this week! Kate did a bit of a deep dive into emergency contraception (aka, the morning after pill, aka Plan B). She tells us how it works, the various brands out there (we see you Option 2), and adamantly reminds us IT IS NOT AN ABORTION PILL, MARJORIE. And then Kate destroyed us with a quiz that you are not ready for. Throw on an expired condom and learn with us! Oh, and here is a resource on emergency contraception! https://ec.princeton.edu/questions/dose.html#dose

We've had the pleasure of knowing this gem-of-a-human since college and she's been a blistener since episode one... and now you're very lucky to get her in your ear holes — it's NADIA VAZQUEZ! Nadia joined us to talk about one of the best shows on television today: PEN15. We get into the episodes that cover menstruation and then gush about the creators, being a teen in the 90's and early aughts, Nadia's menstrual journey and oh so much more. Nadia hosts one of our fave pods Prolly Shoulda Known Better, where she and cohost Tony examine the comedies we loved that have aged poorly - check them out here (your fave blosts were guests on their pod this week!): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prolly-shoulda-known-better/id1403156777

Carla Lee is back, blisteners! Our dear friend and hilarious human returned to fill us in on what's terrifyingly coined as the "fourth trimester," aka, the first three months post-birth. When Carla was last on the pod, she was unknowingly pregnant with her second baby — now she's on the other side with stories of placenta pills, vagina care after labor, and just general insights into how super easy and care free it is to be a parent LOLOLOLOL. Seriously, hold someone else's baby close and press play.

Karla Welch and Sasha Markova were sick of the toll disposable period products were taking on the environment — and society's general attitude towards our cycles. So, they founded The Period Company and made affordable, size-inclusive, cute period undies while embracing and celebrating our bleed. We talk origins, menstrual journeys, and hear some of the most badass leak stories of our lives. Go find a white chair to bleed on and blisten in.

Soooo, the past 15 months have been rough, huh? And to pour lemon juice into our very fresh, deep 2020 paper cut, we're learning that some folks have noticed that COVID, the vaccine and tear gas (which we can't BELIEVE is still used by police on it's own people JFC RAAAAGE...ahem) have altered periods. So, we thought an 'On the Bleedia' episode was in order — we did a some bleedsearch and dug into the news to get to the bottom of all of this. We also manage to laugh through the pain and you can, too. Just slap a pad on and hit play.

We had the distinct honor of having comedian and musician Marcia Belsky on the pod! We dig into her hit song 100 Tampons, the space program, cis-dude reactions, first periods, recent periods, writing musical comedy, and selling out to any period brand that is hiring. Throw some loose tampons in your bag and join us on our rocket ship of laughs.

Kate had a baby! And we've got every detail about that experience right here in this episode. Kate leads us through what the day was like, what contractions actually feel like (including recording herself going through one!), the various bodily functions that let rip when you're in the throws of labor, and her c-section (aka, baby came out through the sun-roof). Also relive the day via our text messages to get a taste of what it is like being three best friends deeply engrossed in each other's bodies. Take a deep breath and PUSH... play.

This has been a LONG. TIME. COMING. After getting fully vaxxed, Kate and The Meg's got together in THE SAME ROOM to hold each other's damn hands and talk about their periods. We cover Kate becoming a mom (more on that in next week's episode), Meg T's cystecomy, and Meg H's beast of a new period. Also love, laughs new crazy period questions and our very own PATREON to ring in season five! So get together with your Pfizer Pfriends, hold hands and turn up this episode! You can check out our Patreon at www.patreon.com/viciouscyclepodcast

JUNE JUNE JUNE! 9TH 9TH 9TH! Vicious Cycle season five will PREMIERE PREMIERE PREMIERE! We've got another great season coming at ya, with hilarious guests, lots of bleedsearch, and TOUCHING BECAUSE WE CAN BE IN THE SAME ROOM AGAIN. Stock up on heating pads and products, bleeders, we're back!

Join us for our last episode of season four!

It's no surprise that we had LOTS to talk about with OBGYN Dr. Kate White, so here is part two of our interview. We bring back questions from previous episodes, like how worried should we be about exploding ovaries, and do we stop bleeding in swimming pools? But, Dr. Kate also shares her experience with pregnancy loss and what spurred her to start a miscarriage clinic for those suffering a loss. Live-laugh-love with us in this week's episode - and then go back to cursing your period...it knows what it did.

Next to the pod's impending baby, interviewing gyno extraordinaire Dr. Kate White was our light at the end of the 2020 hellscape-tunnel. (If you're new and wondering who Dr. Kate is, check out our Ask a Gyno episodes in season two!!!) We saved up our most weird and random questions and she delivered the goods. In part one of our chat, we cover topics ranging from cervixes to IUD's and we even get her take on male birth control! Ready to reaffirm your love for Dr. Kate? Throw on a reusable pad and hit play!

With the VAST array of options for uterus-havers, some of us have wondered aloud and loudly "is male birth control ever going to be a thing?" This week, Kate did the bleedsearch to answer that question and many more! We review the history of BC, talk about options in the works for sperm-holders, found more reasons to adore Loretta Lynn, and wrap it all up with a song (of course we did). Come for our hot-take on the failings of cis straight dudes... stay for Kate's pronounciation of 'contraception' and 'ethicist.'

It's the day we've been waiting for in the US (and maybe some of our blisteners on other continents have been watching in horror as well?!). It's the day after the election... but we recorded this episode before the election. It was a simpler time... er, no it was still a really complicated, fucked up time. Anyways, all that to say, this episode barely touches on the election and is just here for you to zone out, laugh, and power up for whatever battles we still have to fight. Love to all bleeders and friends out there. Bleed on.

As we've learned in past episodes, a lot of things have to go right to get pregnant, and getting help is so much more common than we think (that's why it's so important to talk about it!). We learned about Kate's fertility journey last week, and this week, we chat with actor and comedian Millie Brooks about her experience with IVF, her podcast (Me, Myself & Millie), and breaking down infertility stigmas. Learn about hormone suppositories with us and hit that play button!