The very real, human, tragic fallout courtesy of the repeal of Roe v. Wade and the ongoing assault on reproductive healthcare access and women's rights: in this week’s episode, we’re honored to host Natalie Birnbaum, a distinguished attorney and policy consultant with over a decade of experience in reproductive health, rights, and justice-related advocacy. As the founder of ReproSolutions, Natalie is dedicated to integrating human-centered healthcare systems, destigmatizing abortion and sexual autonomy, and dismantling the systems that uphold and perpetuate systemic inequalities. She dives into the emerging challenges of increased abortion restrictions, the broader implications on healthcare innovation and legal aspects, and the unintended consequences of restrictive laws on healthcare providers and patients while stressing the need for policy reform to address systemic inequities and ensure comprehensive healthcare access for all.

Lastly, we end on an absolute rager of a high note! This is for all the Swifties listening!

Thanks for listening, learning, and being you. And join us back here every Tuesday for all things uterus, in service to you, uterinekind.

Surprise uterinekind! We’re back with a blast from the past! This episode has been itching to hit the airwaves and now it’s finally here. Don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere uterinekind. We are still working on providing you with the top research, data, and resources for your best uterine health! Check out the uterinekind app to keep up with all of our work and take charge of your uterine health.

If you’re an avid Hello Uterus listener, you know that unfortunately, PFAS are not going anywhere anytime soon. These endocrine-disrupting chemicals are everywhere and have even found their way into the food we eat. PFAS and EDCs leeched their way into our daily diets and it’s affecting society’s overall health, but they’re hitting those with a uterus even harder. Even in the warzone of a grocery store, after this episode, you’ll be prepared to optimize your health via food thanks to this week’s guest! Today we’re joined by Beth McLaughlin, a certified nurse practitioner who's written a hormone food bible for the cyclically inclined. Her book, Sink Your Mood With Food, is a comprehensive recipe guide for women to balance hormones and feel fabulous again by improving mood, sleep, and overall health. Throughout this episode, Beth emphasizes the importance of understanding hormone cycles, advocating for whole foods, reducing processed foods, and educating on optimizing health through nutrition to balance hormones and enhance overall well-being.

Lastly, we end on the most expensive high note yet! We’re talking billions!

Thanks for listening, learning, and being you. And join us back here every Tuesday for all things uterus, in service to you, uterinekind.

Welcome to season two Uterinekind! We are delighted to be back with you in the podcasting space, bringing you the latest news in female health, interviews with doctors and researchers, and people who are breaking trails to improve our experience with gynecologic and full-body female healthcare. Make sure to tune in to our episodes to continue to spread awareness and spread education to lift health and body literacy for all uterinekind and have better health as a result! 

The Mahalingaiah Lab at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has launched The Beauty Edit Study! With the increased amount of research that emphasizes the higher usage of hair and consumer products among Black women. The evidence is clear: Black women are at a higher risk of exposure to hormonally active chemicals, or EDCs, and related diseases but it doesn’t just stop there! Chemicals in hair products have also been linked to hormonally mediated endocrine diseases that are more prevalent among Black, Hispanic, and Asian women and girls. We cannot keep dismissing this information for women of color. Want to learn more yourself? Consider joining The Beauty Edit Study! The Beauty Edit Study aims to address these concerns by providing a mobile-friendly website with comprehensive educational content to increase awareness and understanding of the effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on the reproductive and endocrine systems for 3 weeks. 

To learn more information about The Beauty Edit Study, visit https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/mahalingaiah-lab/research/enrolling-studies/the-beauty-edit/

Joining us today is Dr. Eugenio Colón with the Center for Endometriosis Care in Atlanta, a world-class excision surgeon with a passion for shared decision-making and early intervention of endometriosis. He teaches clinicians, he's a minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon, and he's trained to do excision surgery, meaning he has the trifecta you want when choosing a surgeon! In this episode, Dr. Eugenio Colón shares his personal experience that led him to focus on endometriosis treatment, emphasizes the need for specialized surgeons in minimally invasive surgery for endometriosis, and advocates for separate specialties for obstetrics and gynecology. He also gives his best tips on what to do as a patient or doctor when navigating treating endo! It can be hard to access endometriosis specialists, especially one as skilled as Dr. Eugenio Colón, so stay tuned for this interview and share this interview to raise awareness and educate people about this common debilitating condition! 

Lastly, we end on a high note that you’re gonna want to write down! 

Thanks for listening, learning, and being you. And join us back here every Tuesday for all things uterus, in service to you, uterinekind.

Welcome back to part two of our conversation with Professor Heather Bimonte Nelson!

This is an extraordinary two-part episode with the guest of our dreams who is arguably conducting the most essential research on female health! With the current lack of research and understanding of the female body, it is crucial to spread information and develop new research for our health and future. This is exactly why this week our guest and her team’s amazing work is the focus of our entire episode. We are so incredibly honored to be joined by Professor Dr. Heather Bimonte Nelson! 

For over two decades, Dr. Nelson has conducted preclinical evaluations of multiple domains of cognitive and brain function as related to aging, transitional and surgical menopause, and hormone exposure across the lifespan. She and her team over at the Arizona State University’s Behavioral Neuroscience of Memory & Aging Lab are relentlessly researching for groundbreaking information that could impact women’s health forever! She and her team’s research is the holy grail for the future of female health and everyone listening! We are cheering Dr. Nelson and her team on here at uterinekind! Thank you for all you do!

Thanks for listening, learning, and being you. And join us back here every Tuesday for all things uterus, in service to you, uterinekind.

The brain and the uterus have a thing going, and Professor Heather Bimonte-Nelson and her team of talented researchers are on to them. 

We’ve been waiting for this interview since the very beginning of Hello Uterus! This is a very special two-part episode with the guest of our dreams who is arguably conducting the most essential research on female health. Hysterectomies are the most common female surgical procedure, and in many cases, this surgery is elective. We've been led to believe that the uterus is like our tonsils - easy to remove, with no long-term implications. And that's not the case. The team at Arizona State University has discovered that when the uterus is removed, there is a negative impact on working memory. Which is as important as it sounds.  

With the current lack of research and understanding of the female body, it is crucial to draw attention to the important research that IS happening. This is exactly why this week our guest and her team’s amazing work is the focus of this entire episode, and it's just Part 1. We are so grateful for the opportunity to have Professor Bimonte-Nelson walk us through the uterus and the brain, how hormones impact our bodies, and what we do and don't know about the uterus. 

For over two decades, Dr. Nelson has conducted preclinical evaluations of multiple domains of cognitive and brain function as related to aging, transitional and surgical menopause, and hormone exposure across the lifespan. Her history of research has focused on sex differences and hormone effects on the brain and behavior from early development until old age. Her research is the holy grail for the future of female health and everyone listening! Thank you so much to Dr. Nelson and her team we are cheering you on here at uterinekind! Don’t forget to tune in next week for part 2!

Thanks for listening, learning, and being you. And join us back here every Tuesday for all things uterus, in service to you, uterinekind.

_____________________________

Shownotes and links: 

• Heather Bimonte-Nelson bio: https://search.asu.edu/profile/848335
• Behavioral Neuroscience of Memory & Aging: Bimonte-Nelson Laboratory 
• Link to the study: www.endocrine.org/news-and-advocacy/news-room/2018/hysterectomy-may-be-linked-to-brain-function

July was fibroid awareness month, but at Uterinekind, we keep the awareness going. 

Uterine fibroids are insanely common, affecting up to 80% of females and is the most common reason for a hysterectomy. But removing the uterus is NOT the only option, despite what many are told. We’re bringing you a fibroid-focused episode with one of the best.

There's a non-surgical treatment option called Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) that isn't talked about enough. We're honored to be joined by UFE expert and board-certified radiologist Dr. John Lipman from the Atlanta Fibroid Center. 

Dr. Lipman is a high-volume UFE surgeon with over 10,000 UFE procedures under his belt. He gives us a few shocking facts about hysterectomy's, why UFE's are the superior procedure, and the importance of fighting for a better female healthcare experience.

We discuss:
-the reality of fibroids
-what happens when a fibroids “dies” (degeneration)?
-how interventional radiology is replacing surgical procedures
-risks associated with a hysterectomy
-deep dive into what the Uterine Fibroid Embolization process is and how it treats fibroids
-what are “passenger fibroids”?
-who are good candidates for UFE?
-UFE as an adenomyosis treatment (which would then be called UAE 🙂)
-the need for more research money towards fibroids

Lastly, we end on an artsy high note! This pig’s talent will blow your mind. 🐷🤯

Thanks for listening, learning, and being you. Join us back here every Tuesday for all things uterus and beyond, in service to you.

Shownotes

- Dr. John Lipman Instagram: @dr_lipman

- Atlanta Fibroid Center: atlii.com

If you’re an avid listener, then you know how we feel about the chemical industry and PFAS (also known as forever chemicals). Our awareness of these toxic practices has led us to try to consume "clean" products for our bodies, but what if that isn’t enough? In this segment of Uterus in the News, learn the shocking truth behind the organic superfood we all reach for and why we need to hold these companies accountable for damaging our health.
 

Endometriosis is a common chronic condition we will never stop talking about. Our guest in this episode is dedicated to doing the same hard work and goes above and beyond to support those living with endometriosis in her spare time. We’re joined by endometriosis advocate Teni Ogunro who shares her personal story of living with endo, finding out she had ascites (a complication of endo), being pregnant with a frozen pelvis, and how holistic treatments have helped manage her condition.
 

Lastly, we end on a high note from the ocean — this bracelet is the sea's favorite accessory.  🌊

Thanks for listening, learning, and being you. And join us back here every Tuesday for all things uterus, in service to you, uterinekind.

_________________________

Teni's Resources:

Instagram: @notdefinedbyendo

Podcast: notdefinedbyendo.podbean.com

They were right: it IS all in your head.

PMS and PMDD actually starts with the brain, so why aren't we focusing on it more?  

Well, someone named Emilė Radytė is.

There are over 130 different symptoms that are recognized with premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Some experience cognitive and physical symptoms that can cause a real interference with daily life. These should not be dismissed.

In this episode, we dive into this revolutionary science with our brilliant guest Emilė Radytė. Em is the co-founder and CEO of Samphire Neuroscience, the innovative company behind this upcoming, wearable device. She has an undergrad in neuroscience and social anthropology from Harvard, as well as a Master degree in neuroscience from Oxford. 

It's called the Samphire Headband and it's the first medical device designated for treating PMS. The fascinating technology behind it has shown to seamlessly reduce pain, PMS, and PMDD symptoms by wearing it for 20 minutes at a time. 

We discuss:

• the hormone-brain connection during different phases of the menstrual cycle
• what causes PMDD & PMS and what's considered "normal" from a symptoms perspective?
• the science behind the headband
• data from trials so far and production status of the Samphire headband
• how creatives can get involved in the creation of the Samphire headband

Lastly, we end on a high note in the making! This is the perfect app for your next hot girl walk. 

Thanks for listening, learning, and being you. And join us back here every Tuesday for all things uterus, in service to you, uterinekind.

__________

Shownotes:

Learn more about the Samphire Headband and join the waitlist to get early access and $200 off the standard price: www.samphireneuro.com

Massachusetts Participants for Study on Endo: www.umass.edu/news/article/volunteers-needed-new-study-endometriosis