You know how many diseases are diagnosed or monitored by drawing blood from a vein in your arm and running tests on it? Would those tests still work if you ran them on menstrual blood? It's not THAT crazy, right? So why did the first research into this only start TWELVE YEARS AGO?? In this subscriber-only episode, Kate covers the (brief) history of how western medicine has thought of menstrual blood, and introduces you to three organizations currently developing diagnostic tests to be done on period blood. What if you could dip a test strip in your menstrual cup and find out if you have endometriosis?? Or diabetes, or cervical cancer, or an STI? What if a natural bodily fluid that's been thought of as "stinky and useless" throughout the course of modern medicine could...actually be the key to solving the mysteries of these diseases? To listen to the full episode, join the CRAMPED Patreon at any level: https://www.patreon.com/c/CRAMPED Check out the ROSE Study here: https://www.northwell.edu/news/insights/outsmarting-endometriosis See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kate brings on a friend for a Case Study episode all about recurring UTIs and the vaginal microbiome. They take a microbiome test and talk to a health provider to understand how whats living in their "villages" impacts yeast infections, UTIs, BV, fertility, and so much more. CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. Support CRAMPED by joining the Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/CRAMPED See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Everybody's always telling us patient advocacy is the way to solve systemic issues in women's healthcare - ok so what exactly IS patient advocacy? What does it look like? HOW does it get us better care, research and treatments? Kate asks these questions to Noa Fleischacker, executive director of Tight Lipped, a grassroots movement by and for people with chronic vulvovaginal and pelvic pain that's actually been able to make change in OB-GYN education programs. CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. Support CRAMPED by joining the Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/CRAMPED See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Why does it feel so hard to talk about our period pain? Who benefits when we stay quiet? How do we build a world where information about period pain travels as easily as a casual chat? In this how-to episode, Kate gives some tips on what helps her speak up - in one-on-one situations with friends & family & coworkers, and in organizing groups of people with uteruses to share information and support. CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. Support CRAMPED by joining the Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/CRAMPED See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kate talks to Dr. Sara Reardon, aka The Vagina Whisperer - a board-certified pelvic floor physical therapist and author of the new book Floored, a woman's guide to pelvic floor health at every age and stage. They discuss what the pelvic floor even is, how pelvic floor muscles are involved in period pain, and how we're all peeing and pooping wrong! CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. Support CRAMPED by joining the Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/CRAMPED See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kate is back from surgery! In Part 2 of this 2 part episode, Kate walks through the day of the surgery, from arriving at the hospital to the 4 weeks of recovery thus far, and the surgical and pathology results that finally gave her answers to questions about her cramps she's had for 22 years. Hopefully this episode is helpful to anyone curious about endometriosis excision surgery, or anxious about recovery. CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. Support CRAMPED by joining the Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/CRAMPED Patreon members will get access to subscriber-only episodes, ad-free episodes, and the CRAMPED Discord community. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kate is back from surgery! In Part 1 of a 2 part series, she goes step by step through the imaging result that gave her the information that lead her to commit to surgery, and the physical, administrative, and financial preparations for her surgery. Get ready to hear real numbers and honesty about the factors contributing to the decision. Hopefully this episode is helpful to anyone on the fence about the decision or trying to figure out how to make surgery feasible. CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. Support CRAMPED by joining the Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/CRAMPED Patreon members will get access to subscriber-only episodes, ad-free episodes, and the CRAMPED Discord community. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this Case Study episode, Kate brings on Deanna Hart-Nokes, who just went off hormonal birth control for the second time in 20 years, and has been experiencing some mysterious symptoms. Kate deep-dives into the clinical research to understand how hormonal birth control works, and what might be causing Deanna's increased period pain, soreness, and increased sensation. CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. Support CRAMPED by joining the Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/CRAMPED Patreon members will get access to subscriber-only episodes, ad-free episodes, and the CRAMPED Discord community. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fibroids are a super common cause of severe period pain - up to 80% of people with a uterus will get fibroids at some point! So...why don't we know why they grow? Why don't they get caught and treated sooner? Kate talks with Jonelle Henry from The White Dress Project, an organization that spreads awareness, education, and resources about fibroids. Jonelle tells her own story of how fibroids impacted her life as a high-powered political journalist, having to leave the room where the president was addressing the press to manage a period that fibroids made unbearable. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kate talks to Laura Federico and Morgan Miller, authors of The Cycle Book, all about cycle tracking. What is it? How do I do it? Am I already doing it if I'm tracking my period with an app? To access subscriber-only episodes, join the Patreon at www.patreon.com/CRAMPED See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kate is getting endometriosis excision surgery today! She shares some details, and a story of her (hopefully last) experience with "death cramps". See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kate answers her guest's questions about ovarian cysts, ruptures, and treatments

Kate answers listener questions

CRAMPED is back with new episodes - but we need your help! Subscribe to our Patreon to make our work possible at www.patreon.com/cramped See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kate calls up biological anthropologist Kate Clancy to find out why we're even in this pain to begin with

If 51% of the population has a uterus, and 91% of menstruating people experience period pain, why do we literally never hear about it in the media we consume??

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kate checks in with comedian and recent hysterectomy patient Max Gross, as well as therapist Suzanne Garrison to figure out - what is medical trauma, and do we have it? How does undiagnosed and untreated pain affect mental health? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kate sees a specialist and finally gets a diagnosis for the condition causing her severe period pain

Kate gets sucked down a rabbit hole of "hormone balancing" content on TikTok, and wonders...this whole time, have her cramps just been due to a hormone imbalance? She talks with Alex Sujong Laughlin (Normal Gossip, Defector) about her experience trying to balance her hormones with info from TikTok, and then gets real answers from Dr. Thara Vayali on hormone function, cortisol, and how our hormones ACTUALLY work. Transcript at: www.katehelendowney.com/episode-5-transcript See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.