Season 2 - 4: Women's Health
Surviving an almost fatal brain aneurysm, with Alicia Trujillo
When journalist Alicia Trujillo felt a sudden, searing headache while swimming, she knew something was wrong. Doctors finally uncovered the cause a few days later - a ruptured aneurysm in her brain. In this episode, Alicia recounts the harrowing days leading up to her diagnosis, the emergency brain ...
Screening yourself for cervical cancer could be a game changer, with Dr Anita Lim
Cervical cancer is preventable, but nobody really likes showing up at the gynecologist’s office to get their screening done - which is likely the reason the number of women who show up for screening has been falling. Now, a DIY screening kit will allow you to do the test at home. Dr Anita Lim is a c...
Can we talk about menopause in the office yet, and what are menopause benefits?
Despite all the noise about menopause (and there’s a lot), there’s one place where we’re still not talking about it openly, and that’s the workplace. But that’s changing - slowly. Now, some companies are offering menopause benefits too. In this episode, we look at menopause in the workplace, and hea...
Managing pain from an IUD insertion, and the importance of the pelvic floor, with Carine Carmy
Earlier this year, the CDC updated its recommendations on pain management for IUD insertion (intrauterine devices used for birth control), which prompted Carine Carmy to share her story of how an IUD insertion sent her to the emergency room with severe pain, nausea, chills and a fever. She talks abo...
The revelation of a midlife ADHD diagnosis, with Claire Tomkins
Claire Tomkins found out she had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in her early fifties, while going through perimenopause. When it comes to ADHD, women are generally under-diagnosed, and Claire talks about how this late diagnosis helped her understand her own actions and decisions, an...
A full hysterectomy could prevent cancer - but it also kickstarts menopause: Pamela Esposito-Amery’s story
When Pamela Esposito-Amery discovered she had a genetic predisposition to cancer, she took a decision to undergo a full hysterectomy - which also put her in ‘surgical’ menopause. Pamela talks about the physical and emotional impact of this life-changing procedure, as well as the work of her organiza...
Innovating Ovarian Cancer Diagnostics, with Nicole Sandford, CEO of Aspira Women’s Health
How do you bring women’s health innovation to life when the healthcare system is set up to resist change? In this episode, Nicole Sandford, CEO of Aspira Women’s Health, shares the hurdles her company faces in pushing forward diagnostics for ovarian cancer. As a cancer survivor, she also reflects on...
Discovering a borderline tumor in your 20s, with Lucy Rudd
In this episode, host Golda Arthur speaks with Lucy Rudd, a biomedical scientist from the UK, who shares her powerful story of discovering a borderline ovarian tumor at just 28 years old. What began as a small lump quickly spiraled into a period of intense uncertainty, fear, and difficult decisions ...
Not your mother's menopause, with Dr. Gillian Goddard
Episode Description: What’s the difference between menopause and perimenopause anyway? Is there such a thing as menopause misinformation? Why don’t we know more about menopause and HRT? Dr. Gillian Goddard, an endocrinologist and writer behind the Hot Flash newsletter, answers these and other import...
Sharing a difficult story about cervical screening, with writer Brittany Chaffee
Brittany Chaffee talks about navigating cervical health testing, and recounts the moment she received an alarming call from her doctor, leading to years of anxiety, biopsies, and eventually, a harrowing LEEP procedure. Brittany emphasizes the importance of talking publicly about women’s health to co...
Creating a new path in women’s health: Oriana Papin-Zoghbi
Oriana Papin-Zoghbi is the co-founder of a women’s health startup called AOA Dx that is working towards early detection for ovarian cancer. Oriana talks about the challenges the company has faced in navigating the complex world of fundraising, the term ‘femtech’, and the experience of leading a star...
Where do we get our health information from? With Dr Brandi Sinkfield
How much do we really know about our bodies - and did we learn it in real time, when something went wrong, or on a scroll through social media? We need accurate, credible information that is relevant to our health, and in this episode, Dr Brandi Sinkfield, an anesthesiologist and the host of the Wom...
Mapping the ovaries, with Dr. Kathleen E. O’Neill
We still have so much to learn about the ovaries, including describing and naming parts of these organs in detail. Dr. Kathleen O’Neill talks about her work with a multidisciplinary group of researchers to map the ovaries, in order to better understand their profound implications on women’s health. ...
Endometriosis and Pain, with Gabrielle Jackson
Endometriosis is a complex condition and journalist Gabrielle Jackson has spent most of her life dealing with it. She tells her personal story, the pervasive issue of chronic pain in women, and the medical system's historic neglect of women's health. Gabrielle Jackson is the deputy editor of The Gua...