CRAMPED

PATREON-ONLY EPISODE TEASER

Join the CRAMPED Patreon to listen to the full episode: https://patreon.com/cramped

Did we need a data science professor to tell us why a study titled "Attractiveness of women with rectovaginal endometriosis: a case-control study" is garbage? No, but it's more fun to tear this study to shreds with a professional.

This is a real study: university funded, ethics board-approved, peer reviewed, and published i...

There's a very obvious gap in the healthcare market: millions of people in serious pain every month, and almost no companies trying to solve it. In this episode, Kate talks to Sushma Ravindran, founder of Ask Nomi, an app in beta testing that aims to help people with endometriosis track symptoms, find the right care, and figure out what actually works for their body. Sushma spent 18 years undiagnosed, paid $20,000 out of pocket to ...

Your ears are pretty far away from your uterus, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE NOT LISTENING.

Dr. Natalie Crossland, an audiologist who specializes in tinnitus management (and also has endometriosis), explains the surprising ways that hormones, hearing, and the nervous system are all in conversation with each other. Like why estrogen levels affect your ability to hear in background noise, why tinnitus might pop up during hormonal sh...

Pelvic floor physical therapist Caroline Gamwell experienced a strange constellation of symptoms from the time she was 4. After decades of misdiagnoses, unnecessary surgery, and overmedication, she brought her search to an AI chatbot.

Is it possible to use AI well in this situation? How do you protect yourself from potential AI hallucinations? Can someone with no medical background use AI to help get to a diagnosis?

The New York Ti...

PATREON-ONLY EPISODE TEASER

Join the CRAMPED Patreon (even at the free tier!) to listen to the full episode: https://patreon.com/cramped

I started research for a totally normal episode about spiral arteries in the uterine lining, and SHIT GOT WEIRD.

Get ready for a deep dive into where period blood comes from, all the new organs and tissue you grow every month, and how science got the info on how it all works.

CRAMPED episodes are inte...

When Riven first got her period at age 10, the debilitating cramps weren't even the worst part. Instead, she felt completely out of control for the first day or two of her period, sometimes sobbing for hours, sometimes losing time. But the scariest symptom was the intrusive thoughts of harming herself that came with her period pain. It took over 10 years, but after an incident involving her kid brother, she got a diagnosis of PMDD ...

Today we have a guest episode from another excellent science-based podcast: Sex Ed with DB!

What even is testosterone -- and why do so many menopausal women swear by it? DB and her mom Dr. Rebecca Levy-Gantt dive into a recent New York Times article "I’m on Fire’: Testosterone Is Giving Women Back Their Sex Drive — and Then Some" by Susan Dominus. What does testosterone actually do? Who could benefit from taking i...

We know Viagra (sildenafil citrate) as a treatment for...one specific male problem. But a 2013 study showed it could potentially be SHOCKINGLY effective for dysmenorrhea. So what happened in that study? Why would a boner pill work for period pain? and why didn't it go anywhere?

CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice.

Join the CRAMPED Patreon (even at the free tier!...

You've heard MY diagnosis and treatment story - now I'm handing the mic over to other people who have been through the period pain fire and come out the other side.

Daphne had been on birth control since she was 10 for severe period pain, and every time she tried to come off it, the excruciating pain would come back, putting her right back in the puke-til-you-go-to-the-ER club. After finally getting a diagnosis from a specialist, s...

PATREON-ONLY EPISODE TEASER

Join the CRAMPED Patreon (even at the free tier!) to listen to the full episode: https://patreon.com/cramped

We don't get very many studies on menstrual pain - so when we finally get one, and IT SUCKS, we don't just ignore it. We get data science professor Andrea Jones-Rooy to tell us exactly why it sucks and how we can spot a bad study.

Get more Andrea Jones-Rooy: https://www.jonesrooy.com/

CRAMPED episodes...

Endometriosis Historian & Professor of Medical Humanities Dr Maria Rovito comes on CRAMPED to talk 2000 years of endometriosis, wandering wombs, and hysteria. Her new book, Crippling Endometriosis: Feminist Disability Histories and Reflections on Power and Pain is out now!

Dr. Rovito's website (where you see the classes she teaches & find book links): https://www.mariarovito.com/

Support CRAMPED on Patreon: https://www.patre...

Obviously we're big on communicating about your pain here at CRAMPED - we've covered the research that shows talking about your pain actually reduces your pain levels - but what about PLEASURE? Could improving our communication skills around our pain lead to better sex lives? Kate brings on sex communication experts Kels and Tess from Squirm, a company dedicated to helping you gain skills around talking about sex and pleasure. They...

If you've been looking up some Oscar-nominated short films to watch before the awards show, you may have noticed one called "Jane Austen's Period Drama". Seeing this in theaters inspired Kate to finally release two interviews with indie artists - one feature filmmaker, and one novelist - who have released work about their period pain!

Novelist Grace Daly, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of The Scald Crow, has experienced debilit...

Can you imagine waking up with death cramps, and instead of dragging yourself to work with your heating pad and a bucket of ibuprofen or using up one of your sick days, you could just...use a PAID menstrual leave day??

Menstrual leave is a reality in more places than you might think!! Does it already exist where you live? Is there CURRENTLY a bill in your state senate requiring companies to provide it? What are the arguments AGAINST...

Comedian Max Gross is back on CRAMPED for an update on his adventures with endometriosis, hysterectomies, and rebellious ovaries! Max and Kate try to figure out how big their internal organs actually are, what the best "medical green flags" are, and why speaking in "dad talk" to doctors works so well.

CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice.

Support CRAMPED by joini...

What's it like to get period pain in middle or high school today? It's been 20 YEARS since my own pretty abysmal menstrual health education, and I wondered - has it gotten better? Has the internet helped? Are there more resources and support out there for a young cramper?

To answer my questions, I turned to Kat Samedova, who recently graduated from Kingston High School and is the former vice president of the Period Power! Club there...

Sasheer Zamata (SNL, Agatha All Along, Ghosts) hangs out for a little 2 person "clam bake" to tell the story of her period pain and fibroids, how she changed her approach to healthcare, and what it's like to do standup about her period pain to 22 million people.

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.co...

Have you ever sought help for your period pain and been told "just lose some weight", or "exercise more", or "just cut out [insert any food group here]"?

We know that diet and exercise is important, and when we're dealing with period pain (or any of the conditions that cause it), we try to "eat healthy" and "move our bodies". But is there something missing from this equation that's sabotaging our efforts?

Kate brings on Allison Yam...

Dr. Laura Payne, the best-named clinical & research psychologist studying menstrual pain, joins us to talk about how our brains process the sensations of pain. Are there psychological interventions that can actually relieve chronic pain? Does having severe period pain mean we're doomed to chronic pain forever? What's the difference between a doctor telling you "you're just anxious" and a pain psychology specialist helping you r...