Podcasts about royal women

Olga of Kyiv started out life as an obscure Rus noblewoman until she was thrust onto the centre stage by marrying the most powerful man in Eastern Europe. Soon enough, she was faced with a crisis when that man died, and she was left regent of a whole principality with a baby son and no protection. However, she rose to the occasion kicking asses and taking names and making sure no one would forget the name, Olga. She was so good at her job that she even became a saint in the catholic church. Join me on today's episode to hear her blood-soaked story.This podcast is sponsored by Common Era Jewelry. Use code: AYDEN for 15% off your entire purchase!BibliographyBloks, Moniek. “Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga - A Most Brutal Saint.” History of Royal Women, February 16, 2017. https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/olga-of-kiev/holy-equal-apostles-olga/.Contributors to Wikimedia projects. “Igor of Kiev.” Wikipedia, October 24, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_of_Kiev.———. “Olga of Kiev.” Wikipedia, November 4, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olga_of_Kiev#Legacy.———. “Sviatoslav I.” Wikipedia, November 23, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sviatoslav_I.Duits, Simon. “Olga of Kiev: History's Most Vengeful Saint.” Medieval Reporter, June 1, 2022. https://medievalreporter.com/olga-of-kiev/.Johnson, Alex. “Olga of Kiev: The One Saint You Don't Want to Mess With.” Museum Hack, May 30, 2018. https://museumhack.com/olga-of-kiev/.Morris, Deianira. “Olga of Kiev: Pious Saint or Murderous Queen?” TheCollector, February 19, 2022. https://www.thecollector.com/olga-of-kiev-russian-saint-or-queen/.The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Saint Olga.” Encyclopedia Britannica, July 20, 1998. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Olga.

We chat to Tracey van Stigt, a midwife at the Royal Women's Hospital, to answer all of our questions about the reality of pregnancy, the body and birth. Descriptive and candid discussion about all parts of birth.Follow us and ask anything you want or tell us what to TRY:INSTAGRAM - instagram.com/elizaandlibertyTIKTOK - tiktok.com/@elizaandlibertypSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Empress Josephine was one of the most fascinating women of the French Revolutionary period. Little Jo started out as the oldest daughter of a French noble family in the Caribbean with plenty of clout but not enough cash, so she was soon married off to her first husband, who provided her with the cash she needed but not the love. The French Revolution turned her life upside down, and in the fight for financial security, she met a rising star named Napoloan, who would carry her from being the wife of a soldier to being the empress of his short-lived empire. Learn about her fascinating life on the season primer of season seven. This podcast is sponsored by Common Era Jewelry use code AYDEN for 15% off your entire purchase. BibliographyBloks, Moniek. “The Bonaparte Women - Joséphine de Beauharnais (Part One).” History of Royal Women, March 29, 2019. https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/josephine-de-beauharnais/the-bonaparte-women-josephine-de-beauharnais-part-one/.———. “The Bonaparte Women - Joséphine de Beauharnais (Part Three).” History of Royal Women, April 12, 2019. https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/josephine-de-beauharnais/the-bonaparte-women-josephine-de-beauharnais-part-three/.———. “The Bonaparte Women - Joséphine de Beauharnais (Part Two).” History of Royal Women, April 5, 2019. https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/josephine-de-beauharnais/the-bonaparte-women-josephine-de-beauharnais-part-two/.Contributors to Wikimedia projects. “Alexandre de Beauharnais.” Wikipedia, August 15, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandre_de_Beauharnais.———. “Eugène de Beauharnais.” Wikipedia, October 30, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eug%C3%A8ne_de_Beauharnais.———. “Hortense de Beauharnais.” Wikipedia, November 21, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hortense_de_Beauharnais.———. “Joséphine de Beauharnais.” Wikipedia, November 26, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9phine_de_Beauharnais.———. “Napoleon.” Wikipedia, November 27, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon.McIlvenna, Una. “Napoleon and Joséphine: Their Tumultuous Love Story.” HISTORY, November 20, 2023. https://www.history.com/news/napoleon-josephine-bonaparte-love-story-marriage-divorce.The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Josephine.” Encyclopedia Britannica, July 20, 1998. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Josephine.

In this episode of A Right Royal Podcast, we're back after a short break—just in time for spring in London! We're diving into President Trump's upcoming state visit with King Charles, the royal family's new furry additions, plus we go very deep into Meghan Markle's big Netflix lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan. We're joined by pop culture guru Nick Ede, who joins us to share his thoughts after binge-watching every episode! We also have a look at our collector's edition, HELLO! Royal Women. A special release for International Women's Day, which is now available in shops across the UK and the USA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the heart of meaningful conversations! On each episode of my podcast, I engage extraordinary leaders with a pivotal question: What is Brave Feminine Leadership does it need to change? Hear the perspectives from Kieran Flanagan (CoFounder of The Behaviour Report), Lisa Lynch (Chief Operating Officer, The Royal Women's Hospital), Alessandra Edwards (Health Scientist & Clinical Nutrionist), Melissa Webster (CEO ADHD Australia) & Jacqueline Chow (NED ASX listed orgns). Connect with me and tell me your favourite. -----------------------   Craving inspiration? I send an email each Sunday about leadership reflection, top tips to build an intentional & sustainable life and other things that have captured my attention and are too good not to share! Sign up here: https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/leadershipinspiration   Loving the podcast? Leave us a short review. It takes less than 60 seconds & will inspire like-minded leaders to join the conversation!   Access Your Free Clarity Tool Between the endless to-do lists, competing priorities, and decisions piling up, it's easy to lose sight of what matters most. But here's the truth: you can't give more if you're running on empty. That's why we created Balance Your Brave—a free 15-minute diagnostic tool to help you regain control and clarity. In just 15 minutes, you will: ✅ Pinpoint energy drains holding you back. ✅ Identify where to focus for the biggest impact. ✅ Walk away feeling calmer and more confident in your next steps. Think of it as your personal roadmap to balance and alignment. ⬇️ Click here to access your free Balance Your Brave diagnostic tool. https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/Balance-Your-Brave   Are we friends? Connect with Us. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bravefeminineleadership Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravefeminineleadership Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brave-feminine-leadership Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bravefeminineleadership

Send us a textIn this episode, Ben and Daphna are joined by Dr. Risha Bhatia, director of neonatal services at the Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, to discuss the ECLAT trial. This groundbreaking study explores extubation success in extremely preterm infants by comparing CPAP levels of 7 versus 10 cm H₂O. Dr. Bhatia shares insights into the challenges of extubation, the importance of individualized care, and the implications of trial findings for clinical practice. This conversation sheds light on the intricacies of neonatal respiratory management and future research opportunities.As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below. Enjoy!

In this episode we're going to be learning about the updated NICE guideline on the identification and management of the menopause. Our guests are Marie Anne Ledingham, a Consultant Clinical Adviser at NICE and an NHS obstetrician and gynecologist. And Professor Martha Hickey, consultant in Gynaecology at the Royal Women's Hospital, Victoria, Australia and topic advisor on the NICE guideline committee. Learn more about the guideline here: And the discussion aid here:

Today we are exploring infertility evaluation, history and diagnosticsThis podcast is sponsored by Genea Fertility. Genea has been helping create families for almost four decades. Their world leading IVF science and technology delivers success rates consistently higher than the national average, ensuring your patients have the best chance of a healthy baby. Referral and patient resources can be found at genea.com.au'To discuss this topic, we are joined by Dr Genia Rozen is a Senior Clinical Lecturer and Clinical School Tutor at Melbourne University. Dr Rozen is involved in the fertility preservation service at Genea and Royal Women's Hospital.

In this episode, host Ellie Woodacre interviews three guests on their recently released works on medieval queens in Routledge's Lives of Royal Women series. We talk to Matt Firth, Gabby Storey and Caroline Wilhelmsson about the development of queenship in the early and high Middle Ages, the key elements of the exercise of the queen's office, how these women were styled (or styled themselves) with titles and which queens have been often overlooked but deserve much more attention.Guest Bios:Matt Firth is an Associate Lecturer of medieval history and literature at Flinders University and a 2025 Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow. His research primarily focuses on historiography, cultural memory, and the transmission of historical narrative across time and place. His most recent article, revising the transmission history Alfred the Great's sobriquet has just been published in The English Historical Review. His first monograph, Early English Queens 850–1000: Potestas Reginae, released earlier this year, examines the history and evolving legacies of England's tenth-century queens. Gabrielle (Gabby) Storey is a historian of monarchy, gender, and sexuality. She has published widely in both popular and academic print on medieval monarchy, rulership, and representations of queenship and power in modern media. Her first book, Berengaria of Navarre, queen of England, Lord of Le Mans, was published by Routledge in 2024. She is currently working on her second book which will be for the general public. Gabby is the founder of Team Queens, an online global queenship resource, and her most recent publication is an edited collection with Zita Eva Rohr on Premodern ruling sexualities, published MUP in 2024.  Caroline Wilhelmsson is an early career historian of state formation and national identity in medieval Sweden. She studies the legal, political, and religious frameworks which led to the emergence of Sweden as a concept. Her first monograph, a group biography of Sweden's earliest recorded queens, sheds light on the inner workings of the nascent Swedish "state" at a time when the monarchy was still ill-defined, and the Church was weak. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at University College Cork where she is mapping medieval Irish walled towns. 

Preterm birth is the greatest cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity, with infants born extremely preterm at highest risk. Author Brett J. Manley, PhD, the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, discusses a new study of the effect of intratracheal corticosteroid administration on survival free of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants, with JAMA Deputy Editor Tracy A. Lieu, MD, MPH. Related Content: Intratracheal Budesonide Mixed With Surfactant for Extremely Preterm Infants

The human brain is an incredibly complex organ. We are all wired to process emotions, thoughts, and behaviours differently due to a range of factors, including our genetics and the environment. Sometimes, individuals develop serious mental health disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, or are considered neurodivergent, with neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism or ADHD. Learning how to understand the way that these experiences shape us is crucial to our overall wellbeing, which is why we are joined by our expert guest, Marie Bismark, to unpack all the nuances behind diagnosing mental health disorders and the best ways to manage them. Marie's biography: Professor Marie Bismark is a psychiatrist, public health physician, and health lawyer. She divides her time between New Zealand and Australia. In addition to her clinical work, Marie leads a research team at the University of Melbourne, focusing on the interface between patient safety and clinician wellbeing. She serves as a Director of several health sector organisations including the Royal Women's Hospital and Summerset aged care. Marie completed a Harkness Fellowship at Harvard and her research has influenced regulatory policy in Australia and internationally. In this episode, we dive deep into answering the following thorny questions:0:00 - Intro 2:35 - What is the definition of a mental health disorder?3:40 - What is bipolar disorder?7:35 - What is schizophrenia?9:55 - What is the role of medication and therapy in mental health treatment?12:40 - What is the role of the social determinants of health in developing mental health illness?14:00 - What are the causes of mental health disorders?15:55 - Why is developing self-awareness is the first step towards treatment?19:40 - Are there tests that can be done to confirm a mental health diagnosis?22:10 - How to determine the severity of a mental illness?26:10 - The role of family in supporting mentally unwell individuals28:05 - How should we be supporting caregivers?29:45 - What are the challenges and strengths of being neurodiverse? (Autism and ADHD)33:25 - What can workplaces do to support neurodiverse individuals?35:00 - How to best manage your ADHD to optimise functioning37:25 - How to best manage your Autism to optimise functioning38:50 - What happens if you are misdiagnosed42:05 - Why neurodiverse individuals often also have mental illness45:35 - The over-medicalisation of normal emotional responses48:30 - Why Marie decided to become a psychiatrist50:45 - What are the consequences of untreated mental health illness54:35 - What workplaces can do to support employees' mental wellbeing and resilience 56:40 - What is Marie's one wellbeing practice?57:20 - What is the role of nutrition and lifestyle changes to maintain mental wellbeing?Learn more about Marie:https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-bismark-2397831b/Learn more about Clearhead: https://www.myclearhead.com/

In this episode, we explore the crucial topic of fertility preservation for those facing the challenge of cancer. Joined by Dr. Genia Rozen, a highly regarded fertility specialist and gynaecologist at Genea Fertility Melbourne City, we discuss the options available to individuals and couples who wish to safeguard their fertility during cancer treatment.  Dr. Rozen, who co-leads the Fertility Preservation Service at the Royal Women's Hospital and holds a PhD focused on fertility after cancer, brings both clinical expertise and compassionate care to this conversation. Whether you're in the midst of a diagnosis, supporting a loved one, or simply curious about fertility preservation, this episode is filled with invaluable insights, hope, and guidance.This episode is proudly supported by Genea Fertility

In this episode, Ellie Woodacre interviews three members of the organizing committee for next year's Kings & Queens 14 conference: Manuela Santos Silva, Maria Dávila and Inês Olaia. We talk about the conference theme, plans for the conference (including the much loved excursions), celebrating the anniversary of Leonor de Lencastre's death and tips for those who are planning to attend. The call for papers for Kings & Queens 14 “Beyond the King: Diplomacy, Social Roles and Family Dynamics of Monarchies” is out now--the deadline for submissions is 15 December and the conference will take place from 2-5 June 2025 at the University of Lisbon. The full call for papers and more information can be found on the Royal Studies Network website.Errata: please note that the Call for Papers for Kings and Queens 14 is due on 15 December 2024, not 2014.Guest Bios:Manuela Santos Silva is an Associate Professor at the History Department of the School of Arts and Humanities of the University of Lisbon, at present supervisor of the Specialize Program in Gender and History. As a Researcher of the Centre for History of the University of Lisbon, she coordinates the research group “Court Studies and Diplomacy”.Within her various fields of interest and research, queenship has been one of the most productive, as she has co-edited several books and collections with colleagues and authored books and a substantial number of articles in collective volumes and scientific journals.She is a researcher in some international projects such as “MUNARQAS: La reginalidad ibérica desde hacia la Europa Atlántica Economías territoriales, escenarios curiales y geografías relacionales (ss. XII-XV)"”, "(REGINET) REDES DE PODER Y AUTORIDAD DE LAS REINAS E INFANTAS EN LAS MONARQUÍAS IBÉRICAS (1350-1500)", “Examining the Resources & Revenues of Royal Women in Premodern Europe”, and in a Portuguese project about Latin urban legislation.Maria Dávila is an Assistant Professor at the University of Lisbon and a researcher at its Centre for History. Her main research interests include Court Studies, especially the relationship of women and power, during the late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period, and the beginning of the Portuguese expansion. She is a member of several international research projects, including Munarqas coordinated by Diana Pelaz, "Examining the Resources & Revenues of Royal Wemen in Premodern Europe”, and the “Poder Feminino e Mecenato” project coordinated by Ana Maria Rodrigues and Murielle Gaude Ferragu. She has published several papers about elite women in the 15th century and is currently working on a new book about women at the Portuguese court, with Pedro Urbano. Inês Olaia is a PhD candidate in Medieval History at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Lisbon. She's working on a thesis titled “By the Grace of God Queen of Portugal: queens' functions and practices in Medieval Portugal”, for which she was granted a Scholarship (04440.2020.BD) from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia. She holds a MA in Medieval History, with a dissertation studying the jurisdictions of Alenquer and Aldeia Galega da Merceana [alternatively: two medieval adjacent towns near Lisbon] and the queens' rule over these towns. She has published several articles in scholarly publications, including a study on emotions and political change in Portuguese chronicles in 2020, an inquest into Filipa of Coimbra, sister of queen Isabel, wife of Afonso V, in 2022, a study on the rule of queens Teresa and Sancha over a few towns in Portugal and a work on the itineraries of the queens from the time of Manuel I in 2023. Inês has also worked in the history of emotions and published a dozen sources. She's a team member of several projects, including the eReginae Project (devoted to ed

A couple has copped an "outrageous" parking fine outside of the Royal Women's Hospital in the early hours of this morning, in a dramatic story told on 3AW Drive.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Presented in partnership with Fertility and Sterility onsite at the 2024 ANZSREI meeting in Sydney, Australia.  The ANZSREI 2024 debate discussed whether patients with unexplained infertility should go straight to IVF. Experts on both sides weighed the effectiveness, cost, and psychological impact of IVF versus alternatives like IUI. The pro side emphasized IVF's high success rates and diagnostic value, while the con side argued for less invasive, cost-effective options. The debate highlighted the need for individualized care, with no clear consensus reached among the audience. View Fertility and Sterility at https://www.fertstert.org/ TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Fertility and Sterility On Air, the podcast where you can stay current on the latest global research in the field of reproductive medicine. This podcast brings you an overview of this month's journal, in-depth discussion with authors, and other special features. F&S On Air is brought to you by Fertility and Sterility family of journals in conjunction with the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, and is hosted by Dr. Kurt Barnhart, Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Eve Feinberg, Editorial Editor, Dr. Micah Hill, Media Editor, and Dr. Pietro Bordoletto, Interactive Associate-in-Chief. I'd just like to say welcome to our third and final day of the ANZSREI conference. We've got our now traditional F&S podcast where we've got an expert panel, we've got our international speaker, Pietro, and we've got a wonderful debate ahead of us. This is all being recorded. You're welcome, and please think of questions to ask the panel at the end, because it's quite an interactive session, and we're going to get some of the best advice on some of the really controversial areas, like unexplained infertility. Hi, everyone. Welcome to the second annual Fertility and Sterility Journal Club Global, coming to you live from the Australia and New Zealand Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility meeting. I think I speak on behalf of everyone at F&S that we are so delighted to be here. Over the last two years, we've really made a concerted effort to take the podcast on the road, and this, I think, is a nice continuation of that. For the folks who are tuning in from home and listening to this podcast after the fact, the Australia and New Zealand Society for Reproductive Endocrinology is a group of over 100 certified reproductive endocrinologists across Australia and New Zealand, and this is their annual meeting live in Sydney, Australia. Today's debate is a topic that I think has vexed a lot of individuals, a lot of patients, a lot of professional groups. There's a fair amount of disagreement, and today we're going to try to unpack a little bit of unexplained infertility, and the question really is, should we be going straight to IVF? As always, we try to anchor to literature, and there are two wonderful documents in fertility and sterility that we'll be using as our guide for discussion today. The first one is a wonderful series that was published just a few months ago in the May issue, 2024, that is a views and reviews section, which means there's a series of three to five articles that kind of dig into this topic in depth. And the second article is our professional society guideline, the ASRM Committee Opinion, entitled Evidence-Based Treatments for Couples with Unexplained Infertility, a guideline. The format for today's discussion is debate style. We have a group of six experts, and I've asked them to randomly assign themselves to a pro and a con side. So I'll make the caveat here that the things that they may be saying, positions they may be trying to influence us on, are not necessarily things that they believe in their academic or clinical life, but for the purposes of a rich debate, they're going to have to be pretty deliberate in convincing us otherwise. I want to introduce my panel for today. We have on my immediate right, Dr. Raewyn Tierney. She's my co-moderator for tonight, and she's a practicing board-certified fertility specialist at IVF Australia. And on my immediate left, we have the con side. Going from left to right, Dr. Michelle Quick, practicing board-certified fertility specialist at IVF Australia. Dr. Robert LaHood, board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and clinical director of IVF Australia here in Sydney. And Dr. Clara Bothroyd, medical director at Care Fertility and the current president of the Asia Pacific Initiative in Reproduction. Welcome. On the pro side, going from right to left, I have Dr. Aurelia Liu. She is a practicing board-certified fertility specialist, medical director of Women's Health Melbourne, and clinical director at Life Fertility in Melbourne. Dr. Marcin Stankiewicz, a practicing board-certified fertility specialist and medical director at Family Fertility Centre in Adelaide. And finally, but certainly not least, the one who came with a tie this morning, Dr. Roger Hart, who is a professor of reproductive medicine at the University of Western Australia and the national medical director of City Fertility. Welcome, pro side. Thank you.  I feel naked without it. APPLAUSE I've asked both sides to prepare opening arguments. Think of this like a legal case. We want to hear from the defence, we want to hear from the plaintiffs, and I'm going to start with our pro side. I'd like to give them a few minutes to each kind of introduce their salient points for why we should be starting with IVF for patients with unexplained infertility. Thanks, Pietro. To provide a diagnosis of unexplained infertility, it's really a reflection of the degree investigation we've undertaken. I believe we all understand that unexplained infertility is diagnosed in the presence of adequate intercourse, normal semen parameters, an absence ovulatory disorder, patent fallopian tubes, and a normal detailed pelvic ultrasound examination. Now, the opposing team will try to convince you that I have not investigated the couple adequately. Personally, I'm affronted by that suggestion. But what possible causes of infertility have I not investigated? We cannot assess easily sperm fertilising capability, we cannot assess oocyte quality, oocyte fertilisation potential, embryonic development, euploidy rate, and implantation potential. Surely these causes of unexplained fertility will only become evident during an IVF cycle. As IVF is often diagnostic, it's also a therapeutic intervention. Now, I hear you cry, what about endometriosis? And I agree, what about endometriosis? Remember, we're discussing unexplained infertility here. Yes, there is very good evidence that laparoscopic treatment for symptomatic patients with endometriosis improves pelvic pain, but there is scant evidence that a diagnostic laparoscopy and treating any minor disease in the absence of pain symptoms will improve the chance of natural conception, or to that matter, improve the ultimate success of IVF. Indeed, in the absence of endometriomas, there is no negative impact on the serum AMH level in women with endometriosis who have not undergone surgery. Furthermore, there is no influence on the number of oocytes collected in an IVF cycle, the rate of embryonic aneuploidy, and the live birth rate after embryo transfer. So why put the woman through a painful, possibly expensive operation with its attendant risks as you're actually delaying her going straight to IVF? What do esteemed societies say about a diagnostic laparoscopy in the setting of unexplained infertility? The ESHRE guidelines state routine diagnostic laparoscopy is not recommended for the diagnosis of unexplained infertility. Indeed, our own ANZSREI consensus statement says that for a woman with a minimal and mild endometriosis, that the number of women needed to treat for one additional ongoing pregnancy is between 3 and 100 women with endometriosis. Is that reasonable to put an asymptomatic woman through a laparoscopy for that limited potential benefit? Now, regarding the guidelines for unexplained infertility, I agree the ASRM guidelines do not support IVF as a first-line therapy for unexplained infertility for women under 37 years of age. What they should say, and they don't, is that it is assumed that she is trying for her last child. There's no doubt if this is her last child, if it isn't her last child, sorry, she will be returning, seeking treatment, now over 37 years of age, where the guidelines do state there is good evidence that going straight to IVF may be associated with higher pregnancy rates, a shorter time to pregnancy, as opposed to other strategies. They then state it's important to note that many of these included studies were conducted in an area of low IVF success rates than those currently observed, which may alter this approach, suggesting they do not even endorse their own recommendations. The UK NICE guidelines, what do they say for unexplained infertility? Go straight to IVF. So while you're listening to my esteemed colleagues on my left speaking against the motion, I'd like to be thinking about other important factors that my colleagues on my right will discuss in more detail. Consider the superior efficacy of IVF versus IUI, the excellent safety profile of IVF and its cost-effectiveness. Further, other factors favouring a direct approach to IVF in the setting of unexplained infertility are what is the woman's desired family? We should not be focusing on her first child, we should be focusing on giving her the family that she desires and how we can minimise her inconvenience during treatment, as this has social, career and financial consequences for those impediments for her while we attempt to help her achieve her desired family. Thank you. APPLAUSE I think the young crowd would say that that was shots fired. LAUGHTER Con side? We're going to save the rebuttal for the time you've allocated to that, but first I want to put the case about unexplained infertility. Unexplained infertility in 2024 is very different to what it was 10 and 20 years ago when many of the randomised controlled trials that investigated unexplained infertility were performed. The armamentarium of investigative procedures and options that we have has changed, as indeed has our understanding of the mechanisms of infertility. So much so that that old definition of normal semen analysis, normal pelvis and ovulatory, which I think was in Roy Homburg's day, is now no longer fit for purpose as a definition of unexplained infertility. And I commend to you ICMART's very long definition of unexplained infertility, which really relies on a whole lot of things, which I'm going to now take you through what we need to do. It is said, or was said, that 30% of infertility was unexplained. I think it's way, way less than that if we actually look at our patients, both of them, carefully with history and examination and directed tests, and you will probably reduce that to about 3%. Let me take you through female age first. Now, in the old trials, some of the women recruited were as old as 42. That is not unexplained infertility. We know about oocyte aneuploidy and female ageing. 41, it's not unexplained. 40, it's not unexplained. 39, it's not unexplained. And I would put it to you that the cut-off where you start to see oocyte aneuploidy significantly constraining fertility is probably 35. So unexplained infertility has to, by definition, be a woman who is less than 35. I put that to you. Now, let's look at the male. Now, what do we know about the male, the effect of male age on fertility? We know that if the woman is over 35, and this is beautiful work that's really done many years ago in Europe, that if the woman is over 35 and the male is five years older than her, her chance of natural conception is reduced by a further 30%. So I put it to you that, therefore, the male age is relevant. And if she's 35 and has a partner who's 35 years older than her or more, it's not unexplained infertility. It's related to couple age. Now, we're going to... So that's age. Now, my colleagues are going to take you through a number of treatment interventions other than IVF, which we can do with good effect if we actually make the diagnosis and don't put them into the category of unexplained infertility. You will remember from the old trials that mild or moderate or mild or minimal endometriosis was often included, as was mild male factor or seminal fluid abnormalities. These were really multifactorial infertility, and I think that's the take-home message, that much of what we call unexplained is multifactorial. You have two minor components that act to reduce natural fecundability. So I now just want to take you through some of the diagnoses that contribute to infertility that we may not, in our routine laparoscopy and workup, we may not pick up and have previously been called unexplained infertility. For instance, we know that adenomyosis is probably one of the mechanisms by which endometriosis contributes to infertility. Chronic endometritis is now emerging as an operative factor in infertility, and that will not be diagnosed easily. Mild or minimal endometriosis, my colleagues will cover. The mid-cycle scan will lead you to the thin endometrium, which may be due to unexpected adhesive disease, but also a thin endometrium, which we know has a very adverse prognostic factor, may be due to long-term progestin contraception. We are starting to see this emerge. Secondary infertility after a caesarean section may be due to an isthma seal, and we won't recognise that unless we do mid-cycle scans. That's the female. Let's look at the male. We know now that seminal fluid analysis is not a good predictor of male fertility, and there is now evidence from Ranjith Ramasamy's work that we are missing clinical varicoceles because we failed to examine the male partner. My colleagues will talk more about that. We may miss DNA fragmentation, which again may contribute via the basic seminal fluid analysis. Now, most of these diagnoses can be made or sorted out or excluded within one or two months of your detailed assessment of both partners by history and examination. So it's not straight to IVF, ladies and gentlemen. It's just a little digression, a little lay-by, where you actually assess the patient thoroughly. She did not need a tie for that rebuttal. LAUGHTER Prasad. Thank you. Well, following from what Professor Hart has said, I'm going to show that IVF should be a go-to option because of its effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and safety. Now, let me first talk about the effectiveness, and as this is an interaction session, I would like to ask the audience, please, by show of hands, to show me how many of you would accept a medical treatment or buy a new incubator if it had a 94% chance of failure? Well, let the moderator please note that no hands have been raised. Thank you very much. Yet, the chance of live birth in Australian population following IUI is 6%, where, after IVF, the live birth is 40%. Almost seven times more. Now, why would we subject our patients to something we ourselves would not choose? Similarly, findings were reported from international studies that the hazard ratio of 1.25 favouring immediate IVF, and I will talk later about why it is important from a safety perspective. Cost-effectiveness. And I quote ESHRE guidelines. The costs, treatment options have not been subject to robust evaluations. Now, again, I would like to ask the audience, this time it's an easy question, how many of you would accept as standard an ongoing pregnancy rate of at least 38% for an average IVF cycle? Yeah, hands up. All right, I've got three-quarters of the room. OK. Well, I could really rest my case now, as we have good evidence that if a clinic has got an ongoing pregnancy rate of 38% or higher with IVF with single embryo transfer, then it is more effective, more cost-effective, and should be a treatment of choice. And that evidence comes from the authors that are sitting in this room. Again, what would the patients do? If the patients are paying for the treatment, would they do IUI? Most of them would actually go straight to IVF. And we also have very nice guidelines which advise against IUI based on cost-effectiveness. Another factor to mention briefly is the multiple births, which cost five to 20 times more than singleton. The neonatal cost of a twin birth costs about five times more than singletons, and pregnancy with delivery of triplets or more costs nearly 20 times. Now, the costs that I'm going to quote are in American dollars and from some time ago, from Fertility and Sterility. However, the total adjusted all healthcare costs for a single-dom delivery is about US$21,000, US$105,000 for twins, and US$400,000 for triplets and more. Then the very, very important is the psychological cost of the high risk of failure with IUI. Now, it is well established that infertility has a psychological impact on our patients. Studies have shown that prolonged time to conception extends stress, anxiety, and depression, and sexual functioning is significantly negatively impacted. Literature shows that 56% of women and 32% of men undergoing fertility treatment report significant symptoms of depression, and 76% of women and 61% of men report significant symptoms of anxiety. Shockingly, it is reported that 9.4% of women reported having suicidal thoughts or attempts. The longer the treatment takes, the more our patients display symptoms of distress, depression, and anxiety. Safety. Again, ESHRE guideline says the safety of treatment options have not been subjected to robust evaluation. But let me talk you through it. In our Australian expert hands, IVF is safe, with the risk of complications of ectopic being about 1 in 1,500 and other risks 1 in 3,000. However, let's think for a moment on impact of multiple births. A multiple pregnancy has significant psychological, physical, social, and financial consequences, which I can go further into details if required. I just want to mention that the stillbirth rate increases from under 1% for singleton pregnancies to 4.5% for twins and 8.3% for higher-order multiples, and that multiple pregnancies have potential long-term adverse health outcomes for the offspring, such as the increased risk of health issues through their life, increased learning difficulties, language delay, and attention and behavior problems. The lifelong disability is over 25% for babies weighing less than 1 kilogram at delivery. And please note that the quoted multiple pregnancy rates with IUI can reach up to 33%, although in expert hands it's usually around 15%, which is significantly higher than single embryo transfer. In conclusion, from the mother and child safety perspective, for the reason of medical efficacy and cost effectiveness, we have reasons to believe you should go straight to IVF. We're going to be doing these debates more often from Australia. This is a great panel. One side, please. Unexplained infertility. My colleagues were comparing IUI ovulation induction with IVF, but there are other ways of achieving pregnancies with unexplained fertility. I'm going to take the patient's perspective a little bit here. It's all about shared decision-making, so the patient needs to be involved in the decision-making. And it's quite clear from all the data that many patients with unexplained infertility will fall pregnant naturally by themselves even if you do nothing. So sometimes there's definitely a place in doing nothing, and the patient needs to be aware of that. So it's all about informed consent. How do we inform the patient? So we've got to make a proper diagnosis, as my colleague Dr. Boothright has already mentioned, and just to jump into IVF because it's cost-effective is not doing our patients a justice. The prognosis is really, really important, and even after 20 years of doing this, it's all about the duration of infertility, the age of the patient, and discussing that prognosis with the patient. We all know that patients who have been trying for longer and who are older do have a worse prognosis, and maybe they do need to look at treatment quicker, but there are many patients that we see that have a good prognosis, and just explaining that to them is all they need to achieve a pregnancy naturally. And then we're going to talk about other options. It's wrong not to offer those to patients, and my colleague Dr. Quick will talk about that in a moment. Look, we've all had patients that have been scarred by IVF who've spent a lot of money on IVF, did not fall pregnant, and I think the fact that they weren't informed properly, that the diagnosis wasn't made properly, is very frustrating to them. So to just jump into IVF again is not doing the patients a justice. And look, there are negatives to IVF. There's not just the cost to the patient, the cost to society. As taxpayers, we all pay for IVF. It's funded here, or sponsored to some degree, and it's also the family and everyone else that's involved in paying for this. So this is not a treatment that is without cost. There are some harms. We know that ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome still exists, even though it's much less than it used to be. There's a risk of infection and bleeding from the procedures. And we can look at the baby. The data still suggests that babies born from IVF are smaller and they're born earlier, and monozygotic twinning is more common with IVF, so these are high-risk pregnancies, and all this may have an impact on the long-term health of the babies somewhere down the track at the moment. That is important to still look out for. But I come back to the emotional toll. Our colleagues were saying that finishing infertility quicker helps to kind of reduce the emotional toll, but the procedure itself does have its own toll if it doesn't work, and so we've got to prepare patients, have them informed. But at the end of the day, it's all about patient choice. How can a patient make a choice if we don't make a proper diagnosis, give them a prognosis and offer them some other choices that exist? And running the anchor leg of the race for the pro side. IVF in couples with unexplained infertility is the best tool we have in our reproductive medicine toolkit for multiple reasons. Professor Hart has clarified the definition of unexplained infertility. As a reflection of the degree of investigation we've undertaken. He's explained that IVF is often importantly diagnostic as well as therapeutic, both demonstrating and overcoming barriers to natural conception. Dr Stankiewicz has convinced us that IVF is efficient, safe and cost-effective. My goal is to show you that IVF is the correct therapy to meet the immediate and big picture family planning goals for our patients with unexplained infertility. More than 80% of couples with defined unexplained infertility who attempt IVF treatment will have a baby. In Australia, ANZSREI data shows us that the average age of the female patients who present with primary unexplained infertility is over 35 years. And in fact the average is 38 years. We're all aware that the average age of first maternity in Australia has progressively become later over the past two decades. Currently it stands in the mothers and babies report at 32 years. If the average age of first maternity is 32 years, this means that at least 50% of women attempting their first pregnancy are over 32 years. Research I conducted in Melbourne University with my student Eugenie Pryor asking university students of their family planning intentions and aspirations demonstrated that most people, male and female, want to be parents and most want to have more than one child. However, in Australia, our most recent survey shows that births are at an all-time low, below replacement rate and falling, with an ever greater proportion of our population being unable to have the number of children they aspire to and an ever growing proportion seeking assisted reproductive care. Fertility declines with age. Factors include egg quality concerns, sperm quality concerns and the accumulation of pathologies over time. Adenomyosis, fibroids, endometriosis are concerns that no person is born with. They exist on a spectrum and progress over time and may be contributing factors for unexplained infertility. Our patients, when we meet them, are the best IVF candidates that they will ever be. They are the youngest they will ever be and they have the best ovarian reserve they will ever have. They will generate more euploid embryos now than they will in years to come. The sooner we get our patients pregnant, the sooner they will give birth. It takes nine months to have a baby, 12 months potentially to breastfeed and wean and of course most patients will need time to care for a young infant and recover prior to attempting another pregnancy. IVF and embryo banking may represent not only their best chance of conception with reduced time to pregnancy but also an opportunity for embryo banking to improve their cumulative live birth rate potential over time. By the time our 38-year-old patient returns to try to conceive for a second child, she will undoubtedly be aged over 40. Her chance of live birth per cycle initiated at IVF at this stage has reduced phenomenally. The ANZSREI dataset from our most recent report quotes that statistic to be 5%. Her chance of conception with an embryo frozen at 38 years, conversely, is one in three to one in four. There is no room for doubt that IVF gives couples with unexplained infertility not only the most effective treatment we have to help them have a baby, but their best opportunity to have a family. Last but certainly not least, Dr. Quick, to round out the con sides arguments before we open up for rebuttal. And I'll make a small plea that if you have questions that you'd like to pose directly to the panel, prepare them and we'll make sure we get to them from the audience shortly. Thank you. So, whilst we have heard that we may be bad doctors because we're delaying our patients' time to pregnancy, I would perhaps put it to you that unexplained infertility is a diagnosis which is made based on exclusion. So perhaps you are the bad doctors because you haven't looked hard enough for the cause of the unexplained infertility. So, in terms of the tests that we all would do, I think, we would all ensure that the woman has an ovarian reserve. We would all ensure that she has no structural anomaly inside the uterus. We would all ensure that her tubes are patent. We would all ensure that she has regular cycles. We would ensure that he has a normal semen analysis. I think these are tests that we would all do when trying to evaluate a couple for fertility who are struggling to conceive. And therefore, the chance of them getting pregnant naturally, it's never going to be zero. And one option therefore, instead of running straight to IVF, would be to say, OK, continue timed intercourse because the chance of you conceiving naturally is not actually zero and this would be the most natural way to conceive, the cheapest way to conceive, the least interventional way to conceive. And whether that be with cycle tracking to ensure appropriate timed intercourse, whether that be with cycle tracking to ensure adequate luteal phase support. When you clear the fallopian tubes, we know that there are studies showing an improvement in natural conception. Lipidol or oil-based tubal flushing techniques may also help couples to conceive naturally. And then you don't have this multiple pregnancy rate that IVF has. You don't have the cost that you incur with IVF, not just for the couple but to Australian society because IVF is subsidised in this country. You don't have the risks that the woman goes through to undergo IVF treatment. You don't have the risks that the baby takes on being conceived via IVF. And so conceiving naturally, because it's not going to be zero, is definitely an option for these couples. In terms of further tests or further investigations that you could do, some people would argue, yes, we haven't looked hard enough for the reason for infertility, therefore we know that ultrasound is notoriously bad at picking up superficial endometriosis. We know that ultrasound cannot pick up subtle changes in the endometrium, as Dr Boothroyd referred to chronic endometritis, for example. So these patients perhaps should undergo a hysteroscopy to see if there is an endometrial issue. Perhaps these patients should undergo a laparoscopy to see if there is superficial endometriosis. And there are meta-analyses showing that resecting or treating superficial endometriosis may actually help these couples conceive naturally down the track and then therefore they avoid having more interventional treatment in order to conceive. There is also intrauterine insemination with or without ovarian stimulation, which may improve their chances of conceiving naturally. And that again would be less invasive, less intervention and cheaper for the patient. And we know that therefore there are a lot of other treatment options available to help these couples to conceive. And if it's less invasive, it's more natural, it's cheaper, that ends up being better for the patient. Psychologically as well, which the other side have brought up, even with Dr Stankiewicz's 38% ongoing pregnancy rate, that also means that 62% of his patients are not going to be pregnant. The psychological impact of that cannot be underestimated because for a lot of patients, IVF is your last resort. And when you don't get pregnant with IVF, that creates an issue too for them. Embryo banking, which was also brought up, what happens when you create surplus embryos and what's the psychological impact of having to deal with embryos that you are then not going to use in the future? So therefore for those reasons we feel that IVF is not your first line treatment for couples who are diagnosed with unexplained infertility. There are many other ways to help these couples to conceive. We just have a multitude of things to unpack. And I want to start off by opening up an opportunity for rebuttal. I saw both sides of the panel here taking diligent notes. I think all of us have a full page worth of things that kind of stood out to us. Since the pro side had an opportunity to begin, I'm actually going to start with the con side and allow the con side to answer specific points made by the pro side and provide just a little bit more detail and clarity for why they think IVF is not the way forward. My learned first speaker, wearing his tie of course, indicated that it was all about laparoscopy and IUI, and it's way more than that. I just want to highlight to you the paper by Dressler in 2017 in the New England Journal of Medicine, a randomised controlled trial of what would be unexplained infertility according to the definition I put out, the less than 35 ovulatory normal semen analysis. And the intervention was an HSG with either oil-based contrast or water-based contrast. And over the six months, there was clear separation, and this is an effective treatment for unexplained infertility or mild or minimal endometriosis, however it might work. And there's probably separation out to three years. So as a single intervention, as an alternative to IVF, the use of oil-based contrast is an option. So it's not just about laparoscopy and IUI. I guess the other thing the second speaker did allude to, fairly abysmal success rates with IUI being 6%. That is a problem, and I would like to allude to a very good pragmatic trial conducted by Cindy Farquhar and Emily Lu and their co-workers in New Zealand that really swung the meta-analysis for the use of clomiphene and IUI to clinical efficacy. And they reported a 33% chance of live birth in their IUI and clomiphene arm. I'm going across to Auckland to see what the magic is in that city. What are they doing? The third speaker did allude to the problem of declining fertility, a global problem, and Australia is not alone. We have solved the problem to date, which we've had for 40 years, with immigration. But Georgina Chambers' work shows beautifully that IVF is not the answer to the falling fertility rates. It is a way more complex social problem and is probably outside the scope of today's discussion. So those are my three rebuttals to our wonderful team. Thank you very much. So... You can't bury them. We'll give them an opportunity. Thank you for the opportunity. So I'd like to address some of the points that my learned debaters on the opposition raised. The first speaker really suggested quite a few things that we probably omitted, like endometritis, failing to examine the male. I think things like that... I think, at a good history, that is essential what we do as part of our investigation. We're looking for a history of cesarean section, complications subsequent to that. We're doing a detailed scan, and that will exclude the fact that she's got a poor endometrium development, she's got a cesarean scar niche. A good history of a male will allude to the fact that he has some metabolic disorder, degree of hypogonadism. So we're not delaying anything by these appropriate investigations. Adenomyosis will be raised. I talked about a detailed gynaecological examination. So I honestly think that a very... As my opening line was, a detailed gynaecological scan, obviously with a very good history taken, is essential. We're not delaying her opportunity to go straight to IVF if we've addressed all these factors. The second speaker talked about shared decision-making, and we'd all completely agree with that. But we have to be honest and open about the success, which my second speaker talked about, the success of the treatment we're offering. And one thing we should sort of dwell on is it's all... It's a fundamental description of the success of treatment is probably all about prognostic models, and that who not model, that's the original model about the success of conception, is really... Everything flows on from that, which basically talks about a good prognosis patient. 30% chance of live birth after a year. That's what they talk about, a good prognosis patient. Perhaps the rest of the world is different to your average Australian patient, but if we talked about that being a good prognosis, you've got a one in three chance of being pregnant by a year. I think most of our patients would throttle us. So that is what all the models are sort of based on, that being a good prognosis patient. So I completely agree with the second speaker that we do have a shared decision. We have to be honest with our patients about the success. We have to be honest about giving them the prognosis of any treatment that we offer. But really, as my third speaker was talking about, it's about giving the patient the opportunity to have a family, minimal career disruption, minimal life disruption. We have to be honest and talk about the whole picture. They're focused on the first child because really they can't think beyond that. We're talking about giving them the family that they need. The third speaker spoke very eloquently about the risks associated with the treatment we offer. I believe we offer a very safe service with our IVF, particularly in Australia, with our 2% twin pregnancy rate. We talk about the higher risk of these pregnancies, but they perhaps don't relate to the treatment we're offering. Perhaps, unfortunately, is the patient, if she's got polycystic ovary syndrome, if she's more likely to have diabetes, premature delivery, preeclampsia. So I think often the risks associated with IVF and potentially the risks associated to the child born from IVF perhaps don't relate to the treatment of IVF per se. It may well be the woman and perhaps her partner, their underlying medical condition, which lead those risks. So I strongly would encourage you to believe that you take a very good history from your patient, you do a thorough investigation, as I've alluded to, looking for any signs of ovulatory disorder, any gynaecological disorder by a detailed scan, checking tubal patency and a detailed history and the similarities from the man, and then you'll find you're probably going straight to IVF. APPLAUSE I'd like to talk a bit about the embryo banking and having been in this field for a long time, as a word of caution, we're setting a lot of expectations. I remember going to an ASRM meeting probably 10 years ago where they had this headline, all your embryos in the freezer, your whole family in the freezer, basically expecting that if you get four or five embryos frozen that you'll end up with a family at the end. We all know that for the patient, they're not a percentage, it's either zero or 100%. And if all the embryos don't work, they don't have a family at the end, you know, it didn't work for them and their expectations haven't been met. And the way we talk about the percentages and that we can solve the patient's problems, that we can make families, it doesn't always happen. So the expectations our position is setting here, we're not always able to meet and so we're going to end up with very unhappy patients. So this is just a warning to everyone that we need to tell people that this doesn't always work and sometimes they'll end up with no success at all. And from that point of view, I think the way it's presented is way too simplistic and we've got to go back to looking at the other options and not promising things we can't always deliver. So just taking into account all our esteemed interlocutors have said, we don't necessarily disagree with the amount of investigations that they described because nowhere in our argument we said that as soon as the patient registers with the receptionist, they will direct it to an IVF lab. I think to imply so, we'd be very rich indeed. Maybe there are some clinics that are so efficient. I don't know how it works overseas, but certainly not in Australia. The other point that was made about the cost of IVF and our, again, esteemed interlocutors are very well aware from the studies done here in Australia that actually every baby that we have to conceive through IVF and create and lives is actually more than 10 to 100 times return on investment because we are creating future taxpayers. We are creating people that will repay the IVF treatment costs over and over and over again. So I'll put to you, Rob, that if you are saying that we can't do IVF because it costs money, you are robbing future treasurers of a huge amount of dollars. I hope the American audience is listening. In America, we call embryos unborn children in freezers in certain parts and here they're unborn taxpayers. Con side, final opportunity for rebuttal before some audience questions and one more word from the pro side. Well, actually, Dr Stankiewicz was very happy to hear that you're not going to send your patients straight to the IVF lab because we've managed to convince you that that's not the right thing to do. I clearly have forgotten how to debate because I did all my rebuttals at the end of my presentation but essentially I'll recap because when we're talking about IVF, as we're saying, the chance of pregnancy is not going to be 100% and so there is a psychological impact to IVF not working. There is a psychological impact to banking embryos and creating surplus embryos that eventually may not be used and they were my main rebuttal points in terms of why IVF was not the first-line treatment. Thank you. So we've heard from the opposition some very valid points of how our patients can be psychologically impacted when fertility treatment is unsuccessful. I will again remind you that IVF is the most successful fertility treatment we have in our treatment armoury. We are most likely to help our patients have a baby with IVF. The cumulative pregnancy rates for IVF have started back in the late 70s and early 80s in single-digit percentages. We now, with a best prognosis candidate, have at least a one-in-two chance of that patient having a baby per embryo transfer and in our patients with unexplained infertility, the vast majority of our patients will have success. We also heard from the negative team about the significant chance of pregnancy in patients with expectant management. You're right, there's not a 0% chance of natural conception in patients who have unexplained infertility, but there is a not very good chance. We know from data that we've had for a really long time, going back as far as the Hutterite data, to today's non-contradictory models, which tell us that a couple's chance of conception per month in best prognosis candidates is one in five. If they've been trying for six months, it's one in ten. If they've been trying for 12 months, it's only 5%, and if they've been trying for 24 months, it's less than 1%. So it may not be zero, but it isn't very good. In terms of our team reminding us of the extended ICMART definition of unexplained infertility, we don't argue. When we say someone has unexplained infertility, we make the assumption that they have been comprehensively diagnosed by a robust reproductive endocrinologist, as everyone in this room is. And I would say one closing rebuttal. IUI success rates have been the same for the last 50 years, whereas IVF success rates continue to improve. Why would you offer your patient a treatment from 50 years ago when you can offer them one from today? Thank you. APPLAUSE I'm going to take a personal privilege and ask the first question, in hoping that the microphone makes its way to the second question in the audience. My colleagues on the pro side have said IVF, IVF, IVF. Can you be a little bit more specific about what kind of IVF? Do you mean IVF with ICSI? Do you mean IVF, ICSI, and PGT? Be a little bit more deliberate for us and tell us exactly how the patient with unexplained infertility should receive IVF. As I said in my statement, I think it's a diagnostic evaluation. I think there is an argument to consider ICSI, but I think ICSI does have some negative consequences for children born. I think perhaps going straight to ICSI is too much. I think going straight to PGTA perhaps is too much, unless there is something in their history which should indicate that. But we're talking about unexplained infertility. So I believe a standard IVF cycle, looking at the opportunity to assess embryonic development, is the way to go. I do not think you should be going straight to ICSI. I think the principle of first do no harm is probably a safe approach. I don't know whether my colleagues have some other comments, but I think that would be the first approach rather than going all guns blazing. I can understand, though, in different settings in the world, there may have... We're very fortunate in Australia, we're very well supported from the government support for IVF, but I think the imperatives in different countries may be different. But I think that approach would be the right one first. We'll start with a question from the audience. And if you could introduce yourself and have the question allowed for our members in the audience who are not here. It's Louise Hull here from Adelaide. The question I would like to put to both the pro and con team is that Geeta Mishra from the University of Queensland showed that if you had diagnosed endometriosis before IVF, you were more likely to have a pregnancy and much less likely to have high-order IVF cycles. Given that we now have really good non-invasive diagnostics, we're actually... A lot of the time we can pick up superficial or stage 2 endometriosis if you get the right scan. We're going to do IVF better if we know about it. Can you comment on that impacting even the diagnosis of unexplained infertility? Thanks. I'd love to take that. Can I go first, Roger? LAUGHTER Please do. Look, I'd love to take that question. It's a really good question. And, of course, this is not unexplained infertility, so this is outside the scope here. And I think, really, what we're seeing now, in contrast to where we were at the time of the Markku study, which was all... And the Tulandy study on endometrioma excision, we now see that that is actually damaging to fertility, particularly where there is ovarian endometriosis, and that we compromise their ovarian reserve by doing this surgery before we preserve their fertility, be it oocyte cryopreservation or embryo cryopreservation. So I think it's a bit outside the scope of this talk, but I think the swing of the data now is that we should be doing fertility preservation before we do surgery for deeply infiltrated ovarian endometriosis. And that would fit with Gita's findings. A brief response. Thanks very much, Louise. Yeah, we're talking about unexplained infertility here, and my opening line was we need a history, but a detailed gynaecological ultrasound. I think it's important it's a really good ultrasound to exclude that, because the evidence around very minor endometriosis is not there. I agree with significant endometriosis, but that's not the subject of this discussion. But I do believe with very minimal endometriosis there is really no evidence for that. Janelle MacDonald from Sydney. I'm going to play devil's advocate here. So everyone is probably aware of the recent government inquiry about obstetric violence. I'm a little concerned that if we are perceived to be encouraging women to IVF first, are we guilty as a profession of performing fertility violence? That's just digressing a little bit, just thinking about how the consumers may perceive this. I think our patients want to have a baby, and that's why they come to see us, and that's what we help them to do through IVF. I'm not sure the microphone's working. And just introduce yourself. I'm from Sydney, Australia. Can I disagree with you, Roger, about that question about minimal and mild endometriosis? I'm 68, so I'm old enough to have read a whole lot of papers in the past that are probably seen as relics. But Mark Khoo published an unusual study, because it was actually an RCT. Well, sorry, not an RCT. It was a study whereby... Well, it was an RCT, and it was randomised really well. It was done in Canada, and there were about 350 subjects, and they were identified to have stage 1 or stage 2 endometriosis at laparoscopy. And the interesting thing is it was seen as an intervention which didn't greatly increase the chance of conception, but it doubled the monthly chance of conception. So there was clearly a difference between those patients who didn't have endometriosis and those that had stage 1 and stage 2 endometriosis. So the intervention did actually result in an improvement. One of the quotes was, well, I heard since then, well, it didn't make much difference. But when you realise that infertility is multifactorial, there were probably other factors involved as well. So any increase like that in stage 1 and stage 2 endometriosis sufferers was clearly beneficial for them. So I wouldn't disagree with you completely, but I do think you've got to take it on board that there is some evidence that surgical intervention can help. And certainly in those patients whereby the financial costs of IVF are still quite, even in Australia, astronomical. Many patients can get this through the public sector or the private sector treatment of their endometriosis laparoscopically very cheaply or at no cost. Thanks, Dr Persson. So you're right that there was also a counter-randomised controlled trial by the Grupo Italiano which was a counter to that. And actually did not show any benefit. But I believe the Marcu study demonstrated an excess of conception and with treatment of minima and endometriosis of about 4% per month for a few months. So absolutely, that shared decision-making. Personally, I wouldn't like a laparoscopy to give me an extra 4% chance of a natural conception for four months, which I think the data was. So basically, the basis to my statement that I said without going into great detail was a review article published by Samy Glarner recently in Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology. And their conclusions were what I basically said, that from looking at all the data, there is no real evidence of intervention for minor endometriosis. We're not talking about pain or significant diagnosed endometriosis on the outcomes of IVF, ovarian reserve, egg quality, embryo development, and euploidy rate. So that was the basis of my... I hate to disagree... I hate to agree with my opponents in a debate, but I'm going to... But there is actually a new network analysis by Rui Wang and some serious heavyweights in evidence-based medicine that pulls together the surgical studies. And the thing that made the most difference to this of mild and minimal endometriosis from a fertility point of view, not pain, is the use of oil-based uterine contrast. And I commend that paper to you, which fits with exactly what Roger is saying. Hi, my name's Lucy Prentice.  I work in Auckland. And I just wanted to point out the New Zealand perspective a little bit. Where we come from a country with very limited public funding for IVF. I'm currently running an RCT with Cindy Farquad directly looking at IVF versus IUI for unexplained infertility. And I'd just like to point out that both the ASRM and ESHRE guidelines, which are the most recent ones, both suggest that IUI should be a first-line treatment with oral ovarian stimulation. We have no evidence that IVF is superior based on an IPD meta-analysis published very recently and also a Cochrane review. And although we would love to be able to complete the family that our patients want from IVF and embryo banking, that option is really not available to a lot of people in New Zealand because of prohibitive costs. We know that IUI with ovarian stimulation is a very effective treatment for people with poor prognosis and unexplained infertility. And I also would just like to add that there's not a cost-effectiveness analysis that shows an improvement in cost-effectiveness for IVF. There's also never been a study looking at treatment tolerability between the two, so I don't think that you can say that IVF is a treatment that people prefer over IUI. So I may turn around and shoot myself in the foot based on our results that will be coming out next year, but I think at the moment I don't think you can say that IVF is better than IUI with ovarian stimulation for unexplained. We have time for two more questions from the audience, and we have two hands in the back. Now we can. It's the light green. OK. Hossam Zini from Melbourne. Thank you very much for the debate. It's very interesting. The problem is that all of the studies that have been done about comparing IUI to IVF, they are not head-to-head studies. The designs are different. They are having, like, algorithmic approach. For example, they compare three or four or five cycles of IUI to one cycle of IVF. But about 10 years ago, our group at the Royal Women's Hospital, we have done a study, a randomized control study, to compare IUI to IVF head-to-head, and we randomized the patients at the time of the trigger who only developed, so we did a low stimulation to get two to three follicles only, and that's why it was so hard to recruit lots of patients. So the criticism that was given to the study that it's a small sample size, but we end up with having IVF as a cost-effective treatment. Our IVF group had a live birth rate about 38%, and on the IUI, 12%. And with our cost calculations, we find out that the IVF is much more cost-effective than the IUI. But I believe that we all now believe in individualized kind of treatment, so patients probably who are younger than 34 years old probably wouldn't go straight to IVF. Maybe I'll do a laparoscopy and a histroscopy first, okay, and we may give them a chance to achieve a natural conception in the next three months or so. Patients who are older than 35, 37 years old probably will benefit straight from IVF. But again, in day-to-day life cases, we will not force the patient to go straight to IVF. I will talk to her and I'll tell her, these are your options, expectant treatment. This is the percentage that you would expect. IUI, this is what you expect. IUI with ovulation induction, this is what you expect. IVF, this is what you expect. And then she will discuss that with her partner and come back to me and tell me what she wants to do. Thanks. I saw a hand show up right next to you, so I'll add one more question given our time limitation. Thanks so much, Kate Stone-Mellon. I'd like to ask our panel to take themselves out of their role playing and put themselves in another role where they were the head of a very, very well-funded public service, and I'd like to ask the two sides what they really think about what they would do with a patient at the age of 35 with 12 months of unexplained infertility. Well, can I say that? Because that's my role in a different hat. LAUGHTER So, yeah, I run the state facility service in Western Australia. We looked at the data, because obviously that's what we're doing, IUI, IVF, and unfortunately we stopped doing IUI treatment. The success rate was so low. So we do go straight to IVF with unexplained infertility. Disappointing, as I'm sure you hear that, Kate, that we do. We looked at the data. Yeah, I think that I would still offer the patients the options, because some people don't want to do IVF. Even though it's completely free, they may not still want to do the injections and the procedure and take on the risks of the actual egg collection procedure. I don't know, religious issues with creating embryos. Yeah, I would still give patients the option. We have time for one more question in the back. We'll take the other ones offline afterwards. We'll get you a microphone just to make sure our listeners afterwards can listen. Following on from the New Zealand experience, which I've experienced... Hello? Yeah. From the New Zealand experience, and having worked here extensively and in New Zealand, you're not comparing apples with apples, Claire. That unexplained couple in New Zealand will wait five years to get funding and currently perhaps another two years to get any treatment. That's then an apples group compared to the pilot group who may, in fact, walk past the hospital and get treatment. The other thing about this, I think, that we need to forget, or don't forget, is the ethics of things here, two of which is that the whole understanding of unexplained infertility needs research and thinking. And if it wasn't for that understanding of what is the natural history of normal and then the understanding of pathology, we wouldn't do a lot of things in medicine. So if we have got a subgroup here that's unexplained, it's not just to the patient, we have a responsibility to future patients and ourselves to be honest and do research and learn about these factors. Now, it doesn't answer the debate, but it is something that's what drives the investigation and management of unexplained delay. And, for example, at the moment, there's quite a discussion about two issues of ethics, one about the involuntary childlessness of people that don't get to see us but don't have those children that they wanted to have because they didn't want to undergo treatment, or it was the involuntary childlessness of a second or subsequent child. And that's quite a big research issue in Europe, I realise, at the moment. And the final thing is about the information giving. The British case Montgomery 2015 has changed consent substantially, for those of you from England, that all information given to patients must include and document the discussion about expectant management versus all the different types of treatment, for and against and risks. And we're not currently doing that in IVF in this area, but if you read about what's happened in England, it's transformed consent in surgery. And I think a lot of our decision-making isn't in that way. So there are a couple of ethical principles to think about. Wonderful questions from the audience. Since we're coming up at the end of our time, we typically end the debate with closing remarks, but we'll forego that for this debate. And I'd actually like to just poll the audience. After hearing both the pro and the con side's arguments, by a show of hands, who in the audience believes that for the patient with unexplained infertility, as defined and detailed here broadly, should we be beginning with IVF? Should we be going straight to IVF? So by a show of hands. And I would say probably 50% of the room raised their hand. And those who think we should not be going straight to IVF? It feels like a little bit more. 40-60, now that I saw the other hands. Well, I'm going to call this a hung jury. I don't know that we have a definitive answer. Please join me in a round of applause for our panelists. In America, we would call that election interference. I wanted to thank our panelists, our live audience, and the listeners of the podcast. On behalf of Fertility and Sterility, thank you for the invitation to be here at your meeting and hosting this debate live from the Australian New Zealand Society for Reproductive Endocrinology meeting in Sydney, Australia. Thank you. This concludes our episode of Fertility and Sterility On Air, brought to you by the Fertility and Sterility family of journals in conjunction with the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. This podcast was developed by Fertility and Sterility and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine as an educational resource and service to its members and other practicing clinicians. While the podcast reflects the views of the authors and the hosts, it is not intended to be the only approved standard of living or to direct an exclusive course of treatment. The opinions expressed are those of the discussants and do not reflect Fertility and Sterility or the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.    

To celebrate the release of the Royal Studies Journal special issue 'Defining Aristocracy' (issue 11.1: June 2024), we have two roundtable episodes with the guest editor, Cathleen Sarti, and her contributors--one in English and another in German: a first for our podcast!This episode (in English) is hosted by Ellie Woodacre and features Cathleen Sarti and two contributors, Alexander Isacsson and Nicola Clark. In this roundtable we discuss the "fuzzy" definition of aristocracy, Alexander's article on the perception of the aristocracy in Swedish historiography and Nikki's ideas of "hard" and "soft" aristocracy in her study of women at the Tudor court. To find out more about our guest, see their bios below.Guest bios:Cathleen Sarti: Cathleen Sarti is Departmental Lecturer for History of War at the University of Oxford. She holds a Phd from the University of Mainz which has been published as Deposing Monarchs: Domestic Conflict and State Formation, 1500-1700 with Routledge in 2022--see our episode on her book here. She often works together with Charlotte Backerra from the University of Göttingen, in particular on all things regarding Monarchy & Money – there is a research seminar, several publications, and of course the book series with AUP.  The research is also connected to the wider project from within the RSN on Examining the Resources and Revenues of Royal Women in Premodern Europe. Cathleen is currently working a book on War Materials in European Warfare from the Baltic (introduced in a blog), and will then turn to the question of Economic Agency of Danish Queens. Dr Nicola Clark is a Senior Lecturer in early modern history at the University of Chichester. Her first book, Gender, Family, and Politics: The Howard Women, 1485-1558 was published by Oxford University Press in 2018, and she has issued widely on women's roles, the Reformation, and sixteenth century politics. She also writes for public audiences, and her latest book The Waiting Game: The Untold Story of the Women Who Served the Tudor Queens was published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in 2024.Alexander Isacsson is a researcher in history at Lund University, Sweden. He obtained his doctorate in 2023 after having published his dissertation Defining Dukeship: The Problem of Royal Spares and Dynasty Formation in Sweden, 1556–1622. He is currently working within a project financed by the Swedish Research Council and headed by Liesbeth Geevers at Lund University. The project, entitled New Princes: Duke Johan of Östergötland (1589-1618) and Archduke Charles of Austria (1590-1624), explores how the role of second sons changed in European monarchies in the seventeenth century from a comparative perspective. Besides royal studies and dynastic history, Alexander is also interested in historiography and media history.

To celebrate the release of the Royal Studies Journal special issue 'Defining Aristocracy' (issue 11.1: June 2024), we have two roundtable episodes with the guest editor, Cathleen Sarti, and her contributors--one in English and another in German: a first for our podcast! This episode is the German version, hosted by Erik Liebscher and featuring Cathleen Sarti, Nadir Weber and Marion Dotter. You can find out more about all of the participants in this episode in the guest bios below.Cathleen Sarti: Cathleen Sarti is Departmental Lecturer for History of War at the University of Oxford. She holds a Phd from the University of Mainz which has been published as Deposing Monarchs: Domestic Conflict and State Formation, 1500-1700 with Routledge in 2022. She often works with Charlotte Backerra from the University of Göttingen on Monarchy & Money: the research seminar, several publications, and a book series with AUP.  The research is connected to Examining the Resources and Revenues of Royal Women in Premodern Europe. Cathleen is currently working a book on War Materials in European Warfare from the Baltic and the Economic Agency of Danish Queens.Marion Dotter: Marion Dotter is a research assistant at the Collegium Carolinum in Munich, Germany. From 2018 to 2021, she wrote her dissertation on Noble Politics in the late Habsburg Monarchy as part of the research project The Desk of the Emperor. Her research interest in Habsburg administrative practice led to the publication of the anthology "Allerunterthänigst unterfertigte Bitte. Bittschriften und Petitionen im langen 19. Jahrhundert". She is currently working on a study on the relationship between the Catholic Church and Communism in East-Central and South-East Europe in the Second Half of the 20th century.Nadir Weber: Nadir Weber is Professor of Early Modern Swiss History at the University of Bern and is currently leading the SNF Eccellenza project Republican Secrets: Silence, Memory, and Collective Rule in the Early Modern Period. He completed his PhD in Bern on the Principality of Neuchâtel and its political relations with Prussia. He then explored the history of hunting and human-animal relations, particularly at court, in various publications including a recent article on the concept of aristocracy in the political language of the early modern period.   Erik Liebscher: Erik Liebscher's work focusses on personal testimonies, the lower nobility, societies and sociability in the 18th century. He holds a PhD from the University of Erfurt (2024) which analyzed diaries of the Gotha court nobility around 1800. Since May 2024, he has been a research assistant at the Chair of Early Modern History at the University of Leipzig.

Queen Boudicca of the Iceni is by far one of the most impressive queens I have ever read about. Boudicca grew up in a time before the Romans came to Britain, but in her adult life, she had to deal with constant Roman oppression against her pepole. When the Romans refused to honour the will of her husband and attacked her and her daughters, she called upon her fellow Celts. She started one of the most destructive rebellions that the Romans ever dealt with, all to avenge her pepole and her children. Join me on today's episode to learn about her remarkable story. This podcast is sponsored by Common Era Jewelry. Use code: AYDEN for 15% off your entire order. Bibliography “Boudica.” Accessed June 10, 2024. https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/britannia/boudica/boudicanrevolt.html. Contributors to Wikimedia projects. “Boudica.” Wikipedia, May 6, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boudica#Background. ———. “Prasutagus.” Wikipedia, March 6, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prasutagus. Express, Britain. “Celtic Britain - History and Culture.” Britain Express. Accessed June 10, 2024. https://www.britainexpress.com/History/Celtic_Britain.htm#google_vignette. ———. “Iceni Tribe in Roman Britain.” Britain Express. Accessed June 10, 2024. https://www.britainexpress.com/History/roman/iceni.htm. Roman Britain. “Iceni Celtic Tribe,” April 13, 2021. https://www.roman-britain.co.uk/tribes/iceni/. Jacks, Lauralee. “Boudicca - The Celtic Queen Who Defied Rome.” History of Royal Women, March 3, 2018. https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/boudicca/boudicca-celtic-queen-defied-rome/. Pruitt, Sarah. “Who Was Boudica?” HISTORY, May 31, 2016. https://www.history.com/news/who-was-boudica. Historic UK. “Queen Boudica (Boadicea) of the Iceni,” October 26, 2016. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Boudica/. Historic UK. “Roman England, the Roman in Britain 43 - 410 AD,” October 25, 2016. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/The-Romans-in-England/. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Boudicca.” Encyclopedia Britannica, July 20, 1998. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Boudicca. English Heritage. “The Roman Invasion of Britain.” Accessed June 10, 2024. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/story-of-england/romans/invasion/.

Memphis Mark reviews a huge show that aired 6/18/2024.Go AD-FREE and get this show plus hundreds more by heading to Patreon.com/WWEPodcastBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-wwe-podcast--2187791/support.

In this episode we feature a project which aims to collect all known images of queens and royal women, called “Reines en images”. Host Ellie Woodacre interviews the project's creator, Matthieu Mensch, discussing the genesis of the project, plans for future expansion and the relevance to images of royal women today. If you are interested in getting involved with the project, Matthieu would love to hear from you, see his contact details below to get in touch.Guest information:Matthieu's webpage at the University of StrasbourgSocial Media:Instagram @matthieu.menschTwitter/X  @MatthieuMenschBio: Matthieu Mensch obtained his PhD in History from the University of Strasbourg, under joint supervision with the University Federico II of Naples. He worked on the construction and use of images of the Duchesses of Angoulême and Berry from their lifetime to our contemporary reappropriations. He is currently a research associate at the ARCHE Laboratory in the Faculty of Historical Sciences at the University of Strasbourg. His research focuses on queenship and representations, and his first book on the female entourage of Louis XVIII (Les Femmes de Louis XVIII) will be published in September 2024 with Perrin. He is also preparing a book on Marie-Thérèse Charlotte de France, to be published by Routledge in its Lives of Royal Women series.

Date: May 13, 2024 Guest Skeptics: Dr. Rebecca Szabo is an obstetrician/gynecologist and medical educator specializing in simulation from Melbourne, Australia working at The Royal Women's Hospital and The University of Melbourne. This is her first time as a guest skeptic on the SGEM, she has created FOAMed content through various media, including the MedEd […] The post SGEM Xtra: Yeah, Might Be All that You Get – How Ted Lasso Made Us Better first appeared on The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine.

Spurs Chat: Discussing all Things Tottenham Hotspur: Hosted by Chris Cowlin: The Daily Tottenham/Spurs Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tara Veldman, Principal and Health Sector Leader at BLP brings over 15 years' experience designing projects across Australia, Europe, and the Middle East. She initially joined BLP in 2003 to work on the Royal Melbourne Hospital, the Royal Women's Hospital and led the masterplan and feasibility for the Royal Children's Hospital Redevelopment.Tara's expertise in mental health design began in the Netherlands, working on Regional Mental Health Centres,  Intensive Care clinic and  Protected Living including mental health rehabilitation units.In this podcast, Tara explains how she is shaping the future of social infrastructure by designing health care spaces that promote collective wellbeing.This Podcast was brought to you by Siniat, proud sponsors of our 2024 Aged & Healthcare series.

China has had many influential and ambitious Empresses in its history, such as Empress Wu, but Zhao Feiyan certainly gives them all a run for their money. Zhao Feiyan was born into a relatively poor family, but due to her talent as a dancer, she was able to get the attention of the emperor, and from there, hijinx ensued. Join me on today's episode to learn about China's most underrated and controversial Empress. Bibliography Contributors to Wikimedia projects. “Emperor Cheng of Han.” Wikipedia, March 21, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Cheng_of_Han. ———. “Imperial Chinese Harem System.” Wikipedia, March 4, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Chinese_harem_system. ———. “Zhao Feiyan.” Wikipedia, March 8, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Feiyan. ———. “Zhao Hede.” Wikipedia, March 21, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Hede. Encyclopedia Britannica. “Han Dynasty,” July 20, 1998. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Han-dynasty/Cultural-achievements-of-the-Han-dynasty. Jacks, Lauralee. “Zhao Feiyan - Her Notorious Reputation as a Wanton Empress.” History of Royal Women, January 21, 2022. https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/zhao-feiyan/zhao-feiyan-her-notorious-reputation-as-a-wanton-empress/#google_vignette. Keats School. “The Dancing of the Han Dynasty.” Accessed March 30, 2024. https://keatschinese.com/china-culture-resources/the-dancing-of-the-han-dynasty/. ChinaFetching.com. “Zhao Feiyan - From Dancer to Queen of Han.” Accessed March 30, 2024. https://www.chinafetching.com/zhao-feiyan. Schottenhammer, Angela (1 August 2003). "Slaves and Forms of Slavery in Late Imperial China (Seventeenth to Early Twentieth Centuries)." Slavery & Abolition. 24 (2): 143–154. doi:10.1080/01440390308559161. ISSN 0144-039X. S2CID 143643161. Fairbank, John King and Merle Goldman 1992. China: a new history. 2nd enlarged edition 2006. Cambridge, MA; London: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-01828-1 MacMahon, Keith (2013), Women Shall Not Rule: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Han to Liao, Rowman & Littlefield, p. 11, ISBN 9781442222908 Book of Han, vol. 97, part 2. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 31, 32, 33, 34, 35. Lee, Lily Xiao Hong & Stefanowska, A.D. (2007). Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity through Sui, 1600 B.C.E-618 C.E. M.E. Sharpe, Inc. Milburn, Olivia, and Xuan Ling. 2021. The Empress in the Pepper Chamber: Zhao Feiyan in History and Fiction. Seattle: University of Washington Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/j.ctv1p2gjd6

Once upon a time, back in the Middle Ages, four sisters would come to shape the Crusader States called Outremer. One would rebel (several times) against their father; another would come to rule more or less in her own right. All would see a healthy heaping of conflict while living in a chaotic time and place. In Part 2, we'll rejoin our royal sisters as they weather scandal, trial by combat, suspicious deaths, and rebellious sons.  For show notes for this episode, go to The Exploress website. (If you're dying for a full transcript of the episode, you'll find it over on my Patreon.) To learn about Katherine Pangonis and her book, Queens of Jeruasalem, check out her website. Ways to support The Exploress: Buy Kate's novel, NIGHTBIRDS, and pre-order its sequel, FYREBIRDS, out Aug. 27, 2024 Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including one about the daughters and granddaughters of the stars of this episode Check out the merch and art at the Exploress shop

Once upon a time, back in the Middle Ages, four sisters would come to shape the Crusader States called Outremer. One would rebel (several times) against their father; another would come to rule more or less in her own right. All would see a healthy heaping of conflict while living in a chaotic time and place. In Part 1, we'll explore the many roles women played in the Crusades, and we will meet our leading ladies - Alice, Yvette, Hodierna, and Melisende - the daughters of the second Crusader King of Jerusalem.  For show notes for this episode, go to The Exploress website. (If you're dying for a full transcript of the episode, you'll find it over on my Patreon.) To learn about Katherine Pangonis and her book, Queens of Jeruasalem, check out her website. Ways to support The Exploress: Buy Kate's novel, NIGHTBIRDS, and pre-order its sequel, FYREBIRDS, out Aug. 27, 2024 Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes (and more!) Check out the merch and art at the Exploress shop

If I had an award to give out for the messiest Queen of England, I'm sure Isabella of Angoulême would be in the running. Isabella started out as a young child heiress in France and had the unfortunate experience of being married to bad King John. It gets worse from there. Come join me this week to hear her crazy story. Bibliography Rebecca Starr Brown. “A Legacy of Destruction: King John & Isabella of Angouleme,” June 7, 2017. https://rebeccastarrbrown.com/2017/06/07/a-legacy-of-destruction-king-john-isabella-of-angouleme/. Bloks, Moniek. “Isabella of Angoulême - Queen of England.” History of Royal Women, June 17, 2017. https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/isabella-of-angouleme/isabella-angouleme-queen-england/. Contributors to Wikimedia projects. “Alice of Courtenay.” Wikipedia, June 1, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_of_Courtenay. ———. “Aymer, Count of Angoulême.” Wikipedia, September 17, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aymer,_Count_of_Angoul%C3%AAme. ———. “Hugh IX of Lusignan.” Wikipedia, October 7, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_IX_of_Lusignan. ———. “Hugh X of Lusignan.” Wikipedia, November 3, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_X_of_Lusignan. ———. “Isabella of Angoulême.” Wikipedia, December 12, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_of_Angoul%C3%AAme. ———. “John, King of England.” Wikipedia, January 14, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John,_King_of_England. “History of Isabella of Angoulême.” Accessed January 14, 2024. https://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/plantagenet_31.html. History... the interesting bits! “Isabelle d'Angoulême: A Complicated Queen,” January 22, 2022. https://historytheinterestingbits.com/2022/01/22/isabelle-dangouleme-a-complicated-queen/. The Freelance History Writer. “Isabelle of Angoulême, Queen of England,” May 15, 2015. https://thefreelancehistorywriter.com/2015/05/15/isabelle-of-angouleme-queen-of-england/. Lewis, Jone Johnson. “Isabella of Angouleme: Young Queen Consort of John of England.” ThoughtCo, December 4, 2010. https://www.thoughtco.com/isabella-of-angouleme-biography-3530277. Ratio7.com, Steve -. “Isabella of Angoulême, Wife of King John.” Magna Carta Trust 800th Anniversary | Celebrating 800 years of democracy, August 29, 2014. https://magnacarta800th.com/schools/biographies/women-of-magna-carta/isabella-of-angouleme-wife-of-king-john/. Roller, Sarah. “How Did King John Lose the Crown Jewels?” History Hit. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://www.historyhit.com/day-king-john-loses-crown-jewels-wash/.

We're on the cusp of Women's History Month, and finishing up Love Month, so this week we're focusing on the love lives of Three Royal Tudor Women who often had to choose between love and duty, with varying degrees of success. Thank you so much for your listenership!Tudorcon tickets are available at https://www.englandcast.com/Tudorcon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the woman who inspired one of the best known artefacts from ancient Egypt. The Bust of Nefertiti is multicoloured and symmetrical, about 49cm/18" high and, despite the missing left eye, still holds the gaze of onlookers below its tall, blue, flat topped headdress. Its discovery in 1912 in Amarna was kept quiet at first but its display in Berlin in the 1920s caused a sensation, with replicas sent out across the world. Ever since, as with Tutankhamun perhaps, the concrete facts about Nefertiti herself have barely kept up with the theories, the legends and the speculation, reinvigorated with each new discovery. WithAidan Dodson Honorary Professor of Egyptology at the University of BristolJoyce Tyldesley Professor of Egyptology at the University of ManchesterAnd Kate Spence Senior Lecturer in Egyptian Archaeology at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Emmanuel CollegeProducer: Simon TillotsonReading list:Dorothea Arnold (ed.), The Royal Women of Amarna: Images of Beauty from Ancient Egypt (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1996) Norman de Garis Davies, The Rock Tombs of el-Amarna (6 vols. Egypt Exploration Society, 1903-1908) Aidan Dodson, Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb and the Egyptian Counter-reformation. (American University in Cairo Press, 2009 Aidan Dodson, Nefertiti, Queen and Pharaoh of Egypt: her life and afterlife (American University in Cairo Press, 2020)Aidan Dodson, Tutankhamun: King of Egypt: his life and afterlife (American University in Cairo Press, 2022)Barry Kemp, The City of Akhenaten and Nefertiti: Amarna and Its People (Thames and Hudson, 2012)Dominic Montserrat, Akhenaten: History, Fantasy and Ancient Egypt (Routledge, 2002)Friederike Seyfried (ed.), In the Light of Amarna: 100 Years of the Nefertiti Discovery (Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussamlung Staatlich Museen zu Berlin/ Michael Imhof Verlag, 2013)Joyce Tyldesley, Tutankhamun: Pharaoh, Icon, Enigma (Headline, 2022) Joyce Tyldesley, Nefertiti's Face: The Creation of an Icon (Profile Books, 2018)Joyce Tyldesley, Nefertiti: Egypt's Sun Queen (Viking, 1998)

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the woman who inspired one of the best known artefacts from ancient Egypt. The Bust of Nefertiti is multicoloured and symmetrical, about 49cm/18" high and, despite the missing left eye, still holds the gaze of onlookers below its tall, blue, flat topped headdress. Its discovery in 1912 in Amarna was kept quiet at first but its display in Berlin in the 1920s caused a sensation, with replicas sent out across the world. Ever since, as with Tutankhamun perhaps, the concrete facts about Nefertiti herself have barely kept up with the theories, the legends and the speculation, reinvigorated with each new discovery. WithAidan Dodson Honorary Professor of Egyptology at the University of BristolJoyce Tyldesley Professor of Egyptology at the University of ManchesterAnd Kate Spence Senior Lecturer in Egyptian Archaeology at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Emmanuel CollegeProducer: Simon TillotsonReading list:Dorothea Arnold (ed.), The Royal Women of Amarna: Images of Beauty from Ancient Egypt (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1996) Norman de Garis Davies, The Rock Tombs of el-Amarna (6 vols. Egypt Exploration Society, 1903-1908) Aidan Dodson, Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb and the Egyptian Counter-reformation. (American University in Cairo Press, 2009 Aidan Dodson, Nefertiti, Queen and Pharaoh of Egypt: her life and afterlife (American University in Cairo Press, 2020)Aidan Dodson, Tutankhamun: King of Egypt: his life and afterlife (American University in Cairo Press, 2022)Barry Kemp, The City of Akhenaten and Nefertiti: Amarna and Its People (Thames and Hudson, 2012)Dominic Montserrat, Akhenaten: History, Fantasy and Ancient Egypt (Routledge, 2002)Friederike Seyfried (ed.), In the Light of Amarna: 100 Years of the Nefertiti Discovery (Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussamlung Staatlich Museen zu Berlin/ Michael Imhof Verlag, 2013)Joyce Tyldesley, Tutankhamun: Pharaoh, Icon, Enigma (Headline, 2022) Joyce Tyldesley, Nefertiti's Face: The Creation of an Icon (Profile Books, 2018)Joyce Tyldesley, Nefertiti: Egypt's Sun Queen (Viking, 1998)

The wives and daughters of Dubai's ruler live in unbelievable luxury. So why do the women in Sheikh Mohammed's family keep trying to run away? The New Yorker staff writer Heidi Blake joins In the Dark's Madeleine Baran to tell the story of the royal women who risked everything to flee the brutality of one of the world's most powerful men. In four episodes, drawing on thousands of pages of secret correspondence and never-before-heard audio recordings, “The Runaway Princesses” takes listeners behind palace walls, revealing a story of astonishing courage and cruelty.“The Runaway Princesses” is a four-part narrative series from In the Dark and The New Yorker. To keep listening, follow In the Dark wherever you get your podcasts.

Is feminism a modern movement or have women always resisted control imposed on them by oppressors? What role did the queens and courtesans play in shaping Indian history? Why were they written out of history and how can we reclaim these lost stories? We answer these questions and more in this episode! For Week 3 of SparX's Indian History Month, we have Manu Pillai delving deep into the women figures of Indian history, often written out of mainstream narratives. About SparX Indian History Month:In January, we dive into India's history. In a four-part Series, we immerse ourselves in the complex net of human experiences that has shaped our world today. Manu Pillai, a best selling writer and one of India's leading voices on historical academia, joins us for an intimate and thought provoking conversation. For every history buff out there, you don't want to miss out on this!Chapters 00:00:00 - 00:00:50 - Coming Up00:00:50 - 00:01:02 - Opening Theme  00:01:02 - 00:05:34 - Where Are the Women in History?  00:05:34 - 00:07:48 - Women in the Mughal Era  00:07:48 - 00:08:40 - Source of Education for Women 00:08:40 - 00:16:42 - Stories of Feminine Resistance: Mirabai, Janabai, and More!  00:16:42 - 00:28:06 - Royal Women and Their Quest for Power00:28:06 - 00:32:30 - Iconic Women in Indian Politics - Vijaylakshmi Pandit, Rani of Jhansi and More!00:32:30 - 00:38:50 - The Feminist Movement and Devadasi Culture00:38:50 - 00:42:14 - Reason Behind India's Universal Suffrage 00:42:14 - 00:46:42 - Indira Gandhi's Rise to Power00:46:42 - 00:49:30 - How a Namboodiri Woman Fought the Charge of Adultery  00:49:30 - 00:53:17 - Daily Acts of Resistance00:53:17 - 00:56:44 - Why Were There So Many Lawyers in Pre-Independence Era India?00:56:44 - 00:59:52 - Indians in England: Cultural Assimilation, Health Issues, and More!  00:59:52 - 01:12:29 - Comical Anecdotes from History: Krishnadevaraya, Gauhar Jaan and More!01:12:29 - 01:16:34 - Repercussions of Colonisation: Interracial Relations01:16:34 - 01:17:52 - The Last Burmese King in Ratnagiri  01:17:52 - 01:19:47 - The Cambodian Pallava King, Nandivarman II, and Stories of Migration01:19:47 - 01:20:33 - Ending Comments  01:20:33 - 01:21:18 - Closing ThemeFollow us on Instagram: @sparxbymukeshbansal  Website: https://www.sparxbymukeshbansal.comYou can also listen to SparX on all audio platformsFasion | Outbreak | Courtesy EpidemicSound.com

A clinic inside Melbourne's Royal Women's Hospital is quietly changing lives through the power of tattoos.  The Combined Breast Service offers breast reconstruction, including making nipples anew with tattoo ink. It's an offering that empowers post-mastectomy patients and breast cancer survivors, who often grapple with accepting their new chests.  Today, author Katherine Wilson will be reading her piece from the May issue of The Monthly. (This episode first aired in August 2023) Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Author Katherine Wilson

In this weeks episode Alex Pike talks with Plastic Surgeon Professor Mark Ashton has led a stellar medical career.He is the Clinical Professor of Surgery and Honorary Professor of Anatomy at the University of Melbourne and also the chairman of plastic surgery at Epworth Freemasons Hospital. Prof Ashton used to be the head of plastic surgery at both the Royal Melbourne and Royal Women's hospitals and was the president of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons.His areas of expertise include reconstructive breast surgery, such as breast augmentation, breast implant revision, breast lift, breast reconstruction surgery following cancer and breast reduction.Professor Mark Ashton exemplifies a Plastic Surgeon deeply committed to patient safety. He has shone a light on some of the dangerous practices within the Australian aesthetic space and has campaigned government for better regulationsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

El departamento de apoyo del hospital Royal Women's de Melbourne ofrece ayuda a los pacientes vulnerables sin necesidad de que dominen inglés.

Los servicios de interpretación que se ofrecen en los hospitales australianos pueden marcar una diferencia en cómo se enfrenta una crisis de salud en un país donde se habla un idioma distinto. Los interpretes son una pieza clave al momento de entender un diagnóstico, darle seguimiento a un tratamiento o conocer claramente la enfermedad que afecta a la persona. La intérprete Angélica Oliva comparte con SBS Audio Australia en Español cómo es su día a día en el Royal Women's Hospital.

Hoy en el programa nos vamos al hospital Royal Women´s de Melbourne para conocer cómo funcionan los servicios de traducción e interpretación en español en el sector sanitario de Australia. También hablamos de la iniciativa Get Online que incluyen cursos gratuitos para adultos mayores sobre tecnología y habilidades digitales, entre otras noticias.

Many of you know my deep love for my birthday twin Queen Claude of France but have you heard of Claude's little sister Renee? Renee had a turbulent life from almost the second she was born from the death of her parents to her disinheritance at a young age. Renee also lived at the height of the religious wars in France and was a princess caught between worlds and it almost cost her everything. Join me to learn about her fascinating life on today's episode. Bibliography Barlow, Jill. “Renée de France: A Woman of the Reformation.” The Village Church. Accessed August 12, 2023. https://www.thevillagechurch.net/resources/articles/renee-de-france-a-woman-of-the-reformation. Contributors to Wikimedia projects. “Anne of Brittany.” Wikipedia, August 10, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_of_Brittany. ———. “Ercole II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara.” Wikipedia, May 1, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ercole_II_d%27Este,_Duke_of_Ferrara. ———. “Louis XII.” Wikipedia, August 6, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XII. ———. “Michelle de Saubonne.” Wikipedia, July 3, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_de_Saubonne. ———. “Renée of France.” Wikipedia, July 13, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9e_of_France. Editor. “Renée of France: Kept by God's Grace.” Leben, December 19, 2016. https://leben.us/renee-france-kept-gods-grace/. Jansen, Sharon L. “Renée of France, Duchess of Ferrara.” Accessed August 12, 2023. https://www.monstrousregimentofwomen.com/2015/10/renee-of-france-duchess-of-ferrara.html. Kelly, Amy Eloise. “Renée of France - The Protestant Duchess of Ferrara.” History of Royal Women, October 24, 2017. https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/renee-of-france/renee-france-protestant-duchess-ferrara/. kyra. “Renée of France – Kyra Cornelius Kramer.” Accessed August 12, 2023. https://www.kyrackramer.com/2017/10/24/rene-of-france/. Longueville, Olivia. “Renée of France: A Valois Princess, a Protestant Duchess of Ferrara.” Olivia Longueville, October 26, 2020. https://olivialongueville.com/2020/10/26/renee-of-france-a-valois-princess-a-protestant-duchess-of-ferrara/. The Freelance History Writer. “Princess Renée de France: Staunch Huguenot ~ A Guest Post by Keira Morgan,” March 10, 2021. https://thefreelancehistorywriter.com/2021/03/10/princess-renee-de-france-staunch-huguenot-a-guest-post-by-keira-morgan/. Musée protestant. “Renée de France (1510-1575).” Accessed August 12, 2023. https://museeprotestant.org/en/notice/renee-de-france-1510-1575-2/. The Horoscope. “October 25 Zodiac - Full Horoscope Personality.” www.thehoroscope.co. Accessed August 12, 2023. https://www.thehoroscope.co/zodiac-signs/october-25-zodiac-scorpio.html.

The Taj Mahal is one of the most famous buildings to ever exist. No matter who you are or what language you speak you've probably heard of the building, but I bet you haven't heard of the woman who it was built for. Mumtaz Mahal was the most beloved wife of the Mughal emperor Shah Jehan but while Mumtaz may be famous for dying, I'm more interested in the things she did in her life that made her so beloved to everyone. Join me on this episode to learn about the Mughal's most beloved empress. Biography of Mumtaz Mahal, the Woman for Whom the Taj Mahal Was Built.” Accessed July 19, 2023. https://www.wonders-of-the-world.net/Taj-Mahal/Mumtaz-Mahal.php. Bloks, Moniek. “A Love to Remember - Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan.” History of Royal Women, February 14, 2016. https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/the-royal-women/a-love-to-remember/. Contributors to Wikimedia projects. “Abu'l-Hasan Asaf Khan.” Wikipedia, May 21, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu%27l-Hasan_Asaf_Khan. ———. “Aurangzeb.” Wikipedia, July 16, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurangzeb. ———. “Mirza Ghiyas Beg.” Wikipedia, June 13, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirza_Ghiyas_Beg. ———. “Mumtaz Mahal.” Wikipedia, July 13, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumtaz_Mahal#Bibliography. ———. “Shah Jahan.” Wikipedia, July 18, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shah_Jahan. Your Article Library. “Education of Women in Medieval India: Hindu and Muslim,” August 11, 2015. https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/education/indian-education/education-of-women-in-medieval-india-hindu-and-muslim/63503. etajmahaltour. “Queen Mumtaz Mahal.” Taj Mahal Tour. Accessed July 19, 2023. https://www.etajmahaltour.com/mumtaz-mahal.html. New World Encyclopedia. “Mumtaz Mahal.” Accessed July 19, 2023. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Mumtaz_Mahal. Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. “Mumtaz Mahal - Mumtaz Mahal Life History - Mumtaj Mahal Biography.” Accessed July 19, 2023. https://www.tajmahal.org.uk/mumtaz-mahal.html. Regan, Sarah. “Scorpio Sign 101: Personality Traits, Compatibility & More.” Mindbodygreen, October 24, 2021. https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/scorpio. Sherriff, Lucy. “Ever Wondered Who Built India's Most Iconic Structure? It's a Romantic Love Story.” Discovery, August 23, 2022. https://www.discovery.com/exploration/the-taj-mahal-s-love-story. srinivas, pendem. “Mumtaz Mahal History, Biography, Love Story and Facts.” India the Destiny, August 2, 2017. https://indiathedestiny.com/indian-kings/mumtaz-mahal-hisotry/. The Big Fat Indian Wedding. “The Essential Guide to Mughal Weddings: Wedding Traditions.” The Big Fat Indian Wedding, October 28, 2013. http://thebigfatindianwedding.com/2013/the-essential-guide-to-mughal-weddings-wedding-traditions. “The Cause of The Taj:: Mumtaz Mahal.” Accessed July 19, 2023. https://www.tajmahal.gov.in/the-cause-of-the-taj.aspx. Zeidan, Adam. “Mumtaz Mahal.” Encyclopedia Britannica, June 24, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mumtaz-Mahal.

A clinic inside Melbourne's Royal Women's Hospital is quietly changing lives through the power of tattoos.  The Combined Breast Service offers breast reconstruction, including making nipples anew with tattoo ink. It's an offering that empowers post-mastectomy patients and breast cancer survivors, who often grapple with accepting their new chests.  Today, author Katherine Wilson will be reading her piece from the May issue of The Monthly. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Author Katherine Wilson Background Reading: Making a point

Today we talk wrestling musical diva Shaloncé Royal. Since we last talked with she been making waves at new places and having some historic championship reigns. We discuss her ranking in the #BRP50 and much more. FOLLOW SHALONCÉ ROYAL ON SOCIAL MEDIA : https://linktr.ee/Shalonce https://twitter.com/shalonce_royal https://instagram.com/shalonce_royal FOLLOW WE LUV WRESTLING SOCIAL MEDIA: https://instagram.com/weluvwrestling https://twitter.com/weluvwrestling1 https://m.facebook.com/WeLuvWrestling/ Apple Podcast : bit.ly/AppleWLW Spotify : bit.ly/SpotWLW Google Podcast : bit.ly/GoogWLW PWTees : bit.ly/PWTWLW

Maria of Portugal is often remembered for her decent into madness. Much like her contemporary George III, Maria suffered from severe mental health issues that made her seem like a raving lunatic but before all that she was an accomplished and beautiful princess who was preparing to be the first queen of Portugal. Join me to hear about the story of Portugal's Mad Queen. Factinate. “42 Tormented Facts About Maria I, Portugal's Mad Queen,” September 10, 2019. https://www.factinate.com/people/facts-maria-i/. “Biography of Queen Maria I of Portugal (1734-1816).” Accessed June 6, 2023. https://www.madmonarchs.nl/madmonarchs/maria1/maria1_bio.htm. Bloks, Moniek. “Queens Regnant - Maria I of Portugal.” History of Royal Women, December 14, 2015. https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/the-royal-women/queens-regnant-maria-portugal/. Contributors to Wikimedia projects. “John VI of Portugal.” Wikipedia, June 1, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_VI_of_Portugal. ———. “Joseph I of Portugal.” Wikipedia, March 15, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_I_of_Portugal. ———. “Maria I of Portugal.” Wikipedia, May 1, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_I_of_Portugal. ———. “Mariana Victoria of Spain.” Wikipedia, May 21, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariana_Victoria_of_Spain. Magazine, Hakai. “The Earthquake That Brought Enlightenment.” Hakai Magazine. Accessed June 6, 2023. https://hakaimagazine.com/features/the-earthquake-that-brought-enlightenment/. Susan. “Maria I, Queen of Portugal.” Unofficial Royalty, August 8, 2022. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/maria-i-queen-of-portugal/. ———. “Pedro III, King of Portugal.” Unofficial Royalty, August 12, 2022. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/pedro-iii-king-of-portugal/.

Queen Seondeok of Silla is by far one of the most fascinating Asian queens I have ever read about. Her father fought ferociously for her right to rule and she presided over a golden age for the Korean kingdoms in terms of art and culture. However the political situation between the various Korean kingdoms was always shaky and Queen Seondeok spent most of her reign trying to keep Silla from tearing itself apart. Join me to learn about Korea's first ever queen regent. Bibliography Bloks, Moniek. “The Three Queens of Silla.” History of Royal Women, November 24, 2016. https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/the-queens-regnant-series/three-queens-silla/. Cartwright, Mark. “The Gold Crowns of Silla.” World History Encyclopedia. Accessed April 17, 2023. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/957/the-gold-crowns-of-silla/. Contributors to Wikimedia projects. “Jinpyeong of Silla.” Wikipedia, April 6, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinpyeong_of_Silla. ———. “Kim Yongchun.” Wikipedia, August 13, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Yongchun. ———. “Princess Cheonmyeong of Silla.” Wikipedia, January 4, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Cheonmyeong_of_Silla. ———. “Queen Maya of Silla.” Wikipedia, January 4, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Maya_of_Silla. ———. “Queen Seondeok of Silla.” Wikipedia, April 14, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Seondeok_of_Silla. Katie. “Warrior Princess: Queen Seondeok of Korea.” Girl Museum, October 21, 2016. https://www.girlmuseum.org/warrior-princess-queen-seondeok-of-korea/. New World Encyclopedia. “Queen Seondeok of Silla.” Accessed April 17, 2023. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Queen_Seondeok_of_Silla. Szczepanski, Kallie. “Ancient Silla, a Korean Great Power.” ThoughtCo, June 29, 2011. https://www.thoughtco.com/what-was-the-silla-kingdom-195405. ———. “Korea's Bone-Rank System.” ThoughtCo, August 19, 2011. https://www.thoughtco.com/what-was-koreas-bone-rank-system-195711. ———. “Meet Korea's First Female Ruler, Queen Seondeok.” ThoughtCo, August 18, 2011. https://www.thoughtco.com/queen-seondeok-of-koreas-silla-kingdom-195722. Asia Society. “The History of Korean Beauty Part 2: Goryeo Dynasty.” Accessed April 17, 2023. https://asiasociety.org/korea/history-korean-beauty-part-2-goryeo-dynasty. TOTA. “Traditional Gender Roles of Korea.” Accessed April 17, 2023. https://www.tota.world/article/107/.

Compared to Queen Liliuokalani, Queen Emma gets very little attention in the grand scheme of things. Like her cousin Lili, Emma was born into Hawaiian royalty, but she hardly could have conceived that she would not only be a popular consort but also have the chance to campaign to run the kingdom in her own name. Emma was fashionable, beautiful and a true jewel of the Hawaiian royal family. Come learn about her story on today's episode. Bibliography Bloks, Moniek. “Emma of Hawaii - A Beloved Queen (Part One).” History of Royal Women, February 27, 2019. https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/emma-of-hawaii/emma-of-hawaii-a-beloved-queen-part-one/. ———. “Emma of Hawaii - A Beloved Queen (Part Two).” History of Royal Women, March 6, 2019. https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/hawaii/emma-of-hawaii-a-beloved-queen-part-two/. Contributors to Wikimedia projects. “Albert Kamehameha.” Wikipedia, January 2, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Kamehameha. ———. “Fanny Kekelaokalani.” Wikipedia, September 6, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Kekelaokalani. ———. “George Naea.” Wikipedia, July 11, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Naea. ———. “Grace Kamaikui.” Wikipedia, August 31, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Kamaikui. ———. “Kamehameha IV.” Wikipedia, January 12, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamehameha_IV. ———. “Queen Emma of Hawaii.” Wikipedia, December 31, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Emma_of_Hawaii. ———. “Thomas Charles Byde Rooke.” Wikipedia, November 14, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Charles_Byde_Rooke. Royal Family Hawaii. “Royal Family of Hawaii Official Website.” Accessed February 4, 2023. https://www.crownofhawaii.com/queen-emma-rs.

We're back at it again entering the Tudor era. However instead of discussing women married to Henry VIII it's time to discuss the women unfortunate enough to be related to him. Margaret was Henry VIII older sister and a force to be reckoned with. As a young girl she was married to the king of Scot's and spent her entire life navigating bloody Scottish politics while annoying the hell out of her brother in the process. Bloks, Moniek. “Margaret Tudor - The Thistle.” History of Royal Women, January 9, 2019. https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/margaret-tudor/margaret-tudor-the-thistle/. Cartwright, Mark. “James V of Scotland.” World History Encyclopedia. Accessed January 19, 2023. https://www.worldhistory.org/James_V_of_Scotland/. Contributors to Wikimedia projects. “Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus.” Wikipedia, January 6, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archibald_Douglas,_6th_Earl_of_Angus. ———. “Elizabeth of York.” Wikipedia, January 13, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_of_York. ———. “Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven.” Wikipedia, November 12, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Stewart,_1st_Lord_Methven. ———. “Henry VII of England.” Wikipedia, January 18, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_VII_of_England. ———. “Margaret Tudor.” Wikipedia, December 15, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Tudor. Elton, Matt. “The Forgotten Tudor: Margaret Tudor, Sister of Henry VIII.” HistoryExtra, August 7, 2020. https://www.historyextra.com/period/tudor/margaret-tudor-the-forgotten-tudor/. King James IV of Scotland. “History of the Stewarts.” Accessed January 19, 2023. https://www.stewartsociety.org/history-of-the-stewarts.cfm?section=famous-stewarts&subcatid=17&histid=158. cldyson. “Margaret Tudor Queen of Scotland Facts & Biography,” February 10, 2015. https://englishhistory.net/tudor/relative/margaret-tudor/. Margaret Douglas: The other Tudor princess. “The History Press.” Accessed January 19, 2023. https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/margaret-douglas-the-other-tudor-princess/. Margaret Douglas: The other Tudor princess. “The History Press.” Accessed January 19, 2023. https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/margaret-douglas-the-other-tudor-princess/.

Queen Zabel of Armenia is a little-known, often-forgotten reigning queen due to her short life and the lack of information on her. However, in her short life, she became a very successful first queen of the Armenian crusader state but also suffered much tragedy as a child queen in a world of complex crusade politics. Join me to learn about Zabel's complicated life. Bibliography Alvarez, Sandra. “The Crusaders through Armenian Eyes.” Medievalists.net, July 12, 2011. https://www.medievalists.net/2011/07/the-crusaders-through-armenian-eyes/. Encyclopedia Britannica. “Armenia,” July 26, 1999. https://www.britannica.com/place/Armenia/The-marzpans. Avetisyan, Vigen. “The Traditional Armenian Wedding Dress.” Art-A-Tsolum, July 9, 2020. https://allinnet.info/culture/the-traditional-armenian-wedding-dress/. Bloks, Moniek. “Queens Regnant - Isabella, Queen of Armenia.” History of Royal Women, February 15, 2019. https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/the-queens-regnant-series/queens-regnant-isabella-queen-of-armenia/. Contributors to Wikimedia projects. “Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia.” Wikipedia, December 9, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Kingdom_of_Cilicia. ———. “Hethum I of Armenia.” Wikipedia, June 13, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hethum_I_of_Armenia. ———. “Isabella, Queen of Armenia.” Wikipedia, August 7, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella,_Queen_of_Armenia. ———. “Leo I, King of Armenia.” Wikipedia, October 8, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_I,_King_of_Armenia. ———. “Leo II, King of Armenia.” Wikipedia, June 12, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_II,_King_of_Armenia. ———. “Philip of Antioch.” Wikipedia, March 15, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_of_Antioch. ———. “Rubenids.” Wikipedia, February 15, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubenids. ———. “Sibylla of Cyprus.” Wikipedia, December 20, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibylla_of_Cyprus. ———. “Stephanie of Armenia.” Wikipedia, January 19, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephanie_of_Armenia. Smithsonian Folklife Festival. “Hopa! Rituals and Symbols of an Armenian Wedding.” Accessed December 28, 2022. https://festival.si.edu/blog/rituals-symbols-armenian-wedding-celebration.

Grand Duchess Marie has often been called the grandest of the grand duchess's and boy did she certainly earn that title. Marie was a breath of sophisticated air to the Russian court and she kept her composure even in hardships like the Russian Revolution. Join me to learn about her fascinating life. Bloks, Moniek. “Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin - ‘A Grand Duchess to Her Fingertips.'” History of Royal Women, June 12, 2020. https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/marie-of-mecklenburg-schwerin/marie-of-mecklenburg-schwerin-a-grand-duchess-to-her-fingertips/. Contributors to Wikimedia projects. “Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.” Wikipedia, November 18, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchess_Marie_of_Mecklenburg-Schwerin. ———. “Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.” Wikipedia, October 31, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Francis_II,_Grand_Duke_of_Mecklenburg-Schwerin. ———. “Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia.” Wikipedia, October 31, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duchess_Elena_Vladimirovna_of_Russia. ———. “Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich of Russia.” Wikipedia, October 3, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duke_Andrei_Vladimirovich_of_Russia. ———. “Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich of Russia.” Wikipedia, October 3, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duke_Boris_Vladimirovich_of_Russia. ———. “Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia.” Wikipedia, December 17, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duke_Kirill_Vladimirovich_of_Russia. ———. “Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia.” Wikipedia, December 7, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duke_Vladimir_Alexandrovich_of_Russia. ———. “Princess Augusta Reuss of Köstritz.” Wikipedia, October 31, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Augusta_Reuss_of_K%C3%B6stritz. liamfoley63. “Life of Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (Later Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia the Elder).” European Royal History, November 27, 2019. https://europeanroyalhistory.wordpress.com/2019/11/27/life-of-duchess-marie-of-mecklenburg-schwerin-later-grand-duchess-maria-pavlovna-of-russia-the-elder/. Scott. “Augusta Reuss of Köstritz, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.” Unofficial Royalty, January 29, 2018. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/augusta-reuss-of-kostritz-grand-duchess-of-mecklenburg-schwerin/. Susan. “Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia.” Unofficial Royalty, July 20, 2018. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/marie-of-mecklenburg-schwerin-grand-duchess-maria-pavlovna-of-russia/.

Links from the show:* Secret Lives of Royal Women: Fascinating Biographies of Queens, Princesses, Duchesses, and other Regal Women* Connect with Marlene* Subscribe to the newsletterAbout my guest:The frigidity of the Torontonian winters-not to mention shyness-led to becoming a life-long bibliophile. And, like most voracious readers, at the pinnacle of my bucket list was the dream of seeing my name on the spine of a book. However, until I could pen the Great Canadian Novel, there was the matter of economic survival. After reading The Great Gatsby, I decided to become an English teacher, and to that end, attended York University where I received an Honors B.A. followed by teacher's college at The University of Toronto. I made the great sacrifice of leaving my winter wonderland when I moved to San Diego and currently am an English teacher in National City, California. I always tell my students that dreams do not just have to be for sleeping and several times, in the quest to pursue my own, I sent out my novels to literary agents. The result: enough rejection notices to wallpaper my home. And then serendipity stepped in. In 2008, I read Peyton Place and became intrigued by its Dedication Page: To George for all the reasons he knows so well. I turned to Google and discovered that George was Grace Metalious' long-suffering husband, and their marriage was as tempestuous as the ones in the novel. I then had my Eureka moment—a book that explored the backstories of the world's literary masterpieces. Fired with enthusiasm, I told my husband my idea, and he responded, “Don't think you're quitting your day job.” Undaunted, I sent out query letters, and after signing up with a literary agent, three days later I had a contract with Penguin Publishers. One of the great moments of my life was seeing Joel's jaw drop when I showed him my advance check. Get full access to Dispatches from the War Room at dispatchesfromthewarroom.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode Renee discusses her surprise first pregnancy and the fact that she had no knowledge whatsoever of her birth options. She missed out on the MGP programme at her local hospital but requested to stay on their waitlist and managed to get a place at 30 weeks. From then on she felt deeply supported by her midwives and she actively prepared for a physiological birth. Her first labour was long but she birthed in the water and returned home the next day. As soon as she fell pregnant with her second daughter she requested to have a homebirth through the Royal Women's Hospital in Randwick. There were a few obstacles in late-pregnancy that she navigated with informed and respectful conversation and despite a very swift labour she experienced a joyful birth at home. Did you know I wrote a book? 'The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth' covers everything you need as you journey through pregnancy and prepare for a positive birth experience. --> Pre-order it now.