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CRAMPED

Kate Helen Downey

Tired of suffering from "death cramps" for 20 years, Kate Helen Downey has to find her own answers. She interviews top doctors and researchers, and delves into topics from period poops to endometriosis surgery to TikTok wellness scams, all to figure out why menstrual pain is so often dismissed and untreated. What she finds will change how you think about your own body and the medical system. Because having a microphone gets you more answers than having a uterus.

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S2 · E42
Thursday · 10 min
Are There Heavy Metals in Our Tampons, and Is That...OK?
Join the Patreon (even at the free tier) to listen to the full episode! https://www.patreon.com/CRAMPED Back in 2024, there were a ton of headlines about heavy metals being found in tampons. So...what happened with that? ARE there heavy metals in our tampons? And is that...bad for us? Where'd we land with that? I take you on a ride down a research rabbit hole about the 2024 UC Berkeley study that kicked this all off, the FDA's follow-up study, and the computational model that gives us as much of an answer as we're going to get. UC Berkeley study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412024004355 FDA study: https://academic.oup.com/toxsci/article/209/6/kfag065/8698879?login=false CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. Thank you to Beducated for sponsoring CRAMPED! Take the Beducated Quiz: https://beduc.at/pd2659-cramped The Pelvic People make a device called Kiwi to help with tight pelvic floor muscles - visit https://thepelvicpeople.com/CRAMPED and use code CRAMPED for 10% off anything on the site. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
S2 · E41
August 18 · 45 min
New Non-Invasive Tests for Endometriosis w Dr. Gail Busby
Huge news for anyone with painful periods who's ever thought "I wonder if I have endometriosis??" - now you can either spit in a tube, or stick some electrode pads on your belly, and know within a few minutes or days, with a high degree of certainty, if you do in fact have endometriosis!! If you live in the UK, Canada, or some countries in Europe, that is. Not in the US...yet. So what are these tests? How accurate are they? When will we get them in the US? Dr. Gail Busby, a UK gynecologist who advocated for these tests to be available through the NHS, tells us all about it. CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. Join the CRAMPED Patreon: https://patreon.com/cramped Thank you to Beducated for sponsoring CRAMPED! Take the Beducated Quiz: https://beduc.at/pd2659-cramped The Pelvic People make a device called Kiwi to help with tight pelvic floor muscles - visit https://thepelvicpeople.com/CRAMPED and use code CRAMPED for 10% off anything on the site. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
S2 · E40
August 11 · 44 min
FIBROIDS: Everything You Need To Know
I don't want to freak you out, but between 70-90% of people with uteruses WILL get fibroids at some point in their menstruating years. So what do we need to know?? Dr. Soyini Hawkins, gynecologist, minimally invasive surgeon, and founder of the Fibroid and Pelvic Wellness Center of Georgia, answers my technical questions. Tanika Gray Valbrun, founder of The White Dress Project and award-winning journalist, goes deep on community, education, and how we can advocate for ourselves and each other. They've co-authored a book: From Fibroids to Freedom, From Silence To Strength: https://bookshop.org/p/books/from-fibroids-to-freedom-from-silence-to-strength-tanika-gray-valbrun/6a392db8b6fe38d4?ean=9781399817295&bkshp-astro=t The White Dress Project: https://www.thewhitedressproject.org/ (and on IG at @wecanwearwhite) Dr. Hawkins' Fibroid and Pelvic Wellness Center of Georgia: https://fibroidandpelvicwellness.com/ Join the CRAMPED Patreon: https://patreon.com/cramped Thank you to Beducated for sponsoring CRAMPED! Take the Beducated Quiz: https://beduc.at/pd2659-cramped Visit https://thepelvicpeople.com/CRAMPED and use code CRAMPED for 10% off anything on the site! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
August 4 · 56 min
Unladylike: Where Does Perimenopause End and Capitalism Begin?
Enjoy this episode of Cristen Conger's excellent podcast Unladylike! The perimenopause boom is old news, but where did it come from, and why does it make some ob-gyns wary? Cristen investigates what we do – and don’t – know about perimenopause and what to expect when you’re expecting The Change(s). And as an industry “growth opportunity” at the intersection of beauty, aging and healthcare (usually in that order), how do we tell the difference between our own perimenopause needs and what’s being sold to us? Highlights include: perimenopause, the TikTok personality; the study that set hormone therapy back a generation; and why the menopause market is now coming for women in their thirties. More Unladylike here: https://www.unladylike.co/ sources: How Perimenopause Became the New Midlife Catchall for Aging Women. (Elle) Insights into Perimenopause: A Survey of Perceptions, Opinions on Treatment, and Potential Approaches. (Women) Is it Perimenopause or Is It Aging? (The Vajenda) Perimenopause is the new buzzword in the business of women’s health (Stat News) The missing piece of menopause science. (Nature) The perimenopause movement sells women the lie that they are ruled by their hormones. (Stat News) Towards a more accurate global picture of perimenopause. (Bulletin of the World Health Organization) Thank you to Beducated for sponsoring CRAMPED! Take the Beducated Quiz: https://beduc.at/pd2659-cramped Visit https://thepelvicpeople.com/CRAMPED and use code CRAMPED for 10% off anything on the site! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
S2 · E39
July 28 · 17 min
The Impact of Endometriosis on Male Partners Study, w/ Comedian Jenny Zigrino
Join the Patreon (even as a free member!) to listen to the full episode: https://www.patreon.com/CRAMPED Comedian Jenny Zigrino was posting so many hilarious videos about endo studies on Instagram that I invited her over to my house to do a deep dive on 2017's "A qualitative study of the impact of endometriosis on male partners". As you can imagine, we get heated. Plus we get deep into Jenny's experience with endo, a frank conversation about pain with sex, her recent autoimmune diagnosis, and the treatment that has helped her endo a lot lately. Join the Patreon at a paid tier to make CRAMPED my full-time job! Without 374 people joining a paid tier this month, I will have to cut down CRAMPED episodes to 1-2 a month. Keep it weekly! Go to the CRAMPED Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/CRAMPED) Make sure you are logged in Click the Membership tab at the top of the page. Pick the paid tier you want and click Join Follow Jenny Zigrino on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennyzigrino/?hl=en The study: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5850214/ Thank you to Beducated for sponsoring CRAMPED! Take the Beducated Quiz: https://beduc.at/pd2659-cramped See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
S2 · E38
July 21 · 35 min
The HER Agenda: Three Bills About Period Pain, w/ Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari
Representative Yassamin Ansari has passed out from cramps in a New York bodega and in a hair salon with foils in her hair. She KNOWS period pain. She is also the Arizona congresswoman who just introduced the HER Agenda to Congress, a package of bills proposing 12 days of paid reproductive health leave, better pain management for gynecological procedures, and more research into PMDD. Kate talks to her about her pain meds, how the HER Agenda came together, and the single most useful thing a cramper can do right now to help get it passed. Join the CRAMPED Patreon: https://patreon.com/cramped See the co-sponsors of H.R.8158 - the Reproductive Healthcare Leave Act: https://bit.ly/4fkDYUv Find your representative & contact info: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. Thank you to Beducated for sponsoring CRAMPED! Take the Beducated Quiz: https://beduc.at/pd2659-cramped See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
S2 · E38
July 14 · 46 min
What If My Healthiest Self Isn't My Thinnest Self?
About three months after her endo excision surgery, Kate noticed something unexpected lurking underneath all her ideas about her health: a subconscious belief that once her period pain was fixed, she would automatically be thinner. Where did that thought come from? How did it get so deep in her head without her even knowing it was there? Kate brings on two experts to help untangle it: medical anthropologist and UC Santa Cruz professor Nancy N. Chen, who traces how cultural ideas about health and bodies have shifted across centuries and medical systems, and body image coach Sarah Simpson (@sarahinyellow), who breaks down how capitalism and diet culture specifically exploit the desire to be fixed. Together they make a surprisingly convincing case that the antidote to all of it is community. Join the CRAMPED Patreon: https://patreon.com/cramped CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. BEDUCATED QUIZ LINK: https://beduc.at/pd2623-cramped Nancy Chen's TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/nancy_n_chen_the_inaccurate_link_between_body_ideals_and_health Sarah Simpson - @sarahinyellow on Instagram See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
S2 · E37
July 7 · 45 min
Melasma, Drugs That Delay Menopause, and Girl Gone Wild with Courtney Kocak
Writer, podcaster, and comedian Courtney Kocak talks about her period pain history, her Hashimoto's diagnosis, and the longevity drug she's currently taking to try to delay menopause and preserve her ovarian reserve. They also get into why perimenopause is basically puberty in reverse, what happens inside your body when an ovarian cyst ruptures in a Taco Bell, and why birth control gave them both a skin discoloration called melasma. Join the CRAMPED Patreon: https://patreon.com/cramped CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. BEDUCATED QUIZ LINK: https://beduc.at/pd2623-cramped PEARL Study: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12074816/ VIBRANT Study: https://reports.obgyn.columbia.edu/2024-annual-report/ground-breaking-clinical-trial-explores-delaying-menopause/ Courtney's book Girl Gone Wild: https://bookshop.org/p/books/girl-gone-wild-courtney-kocak/f3c06a53692352f1 Courtney's podcast Parts Unknown: https://pod.link/1154304419?view=apps&sort=popularity See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
S2 · E36
June 30 · 11 min
Forgetting Everything I've Learned: Acupuncture, Fertility, and the Sunk Cost Fallacy
PATREON-ONLY EPISODE TEASER Join the CRAMPED Patreon to listen to the full episode: https://patreon.com/cramped I've spent spent years learning to advocate for myself, trust my body, and walk out of rooms where I'm not being listened to. So why did I stick with a provider who was dismissing my concerns, prescribing unnecessary medications, and wasting my time and my money? This is the full story of a fertility acupuncture practice that wasn't right for me from day one, the sunk cost fallacy that kept me going back anyway, and the thousands of dollars in supplements, testing devices, and treatments that I'll never get back. BEDUCATED QUIZ LINK: https://beduc.at/pd2623-cramped CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. Portia Nelson's poem Autobiography In Five Chapters: https://www.mindfulnesstherapy.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/autobiography-in-five-chapters-portia-nelson.pdf See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
S2 · E35
June 23 · 43 min
The Pain Scale Is Useless and Everybody Knows It
Scale of one to ten, how much does it hurt? If you have ever sat in an ER thinking "eleven" and said "seven," Golda Arthur of the Overlooked podcast understands completely. She did the same thing during a thunderclap headache episode, and has been thinking about it ever since. Kate and Golda dissect the broken language of pain: the useless pain scale, the research showing doctors are trained to hear men's pain as physical and women's pain as emotional, and how even Virginia Woolf in 1926 complained that there aren't accurate words in the English language to describe pain. Join the CRAMPED Patreon: https://patreon.com/cramped CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. BEDUCATED QUIZ LINK: https://beduc.at/pd2623-cramped Overlooked Podcast: https://overlookedpod.com/ The Girl Who Cried Pain study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11521267/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
S2 · E34
June 16 · 47 min
The Comorbidity Queen: EDS, POTS, Endo, Fibroids, Cysts, SIBO, Arthritis, and more!
Content warning: this episode includes a brief discussion of suicide attempts, please listen with care. Melissa, known on TikTok as the Comorbidity Queen, has endometriosis, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, pelvic congestive syndrome, May-Thurner syndrome, Nutcracker syndrome, thoracic outlet syndrome, POTS, MCAS, Lyme disease, chronic anemia, and a first rib that doctors want to remove. In this episode she tells us everything: the nine-hour emergency surgery at 17, the $65,000 in medical debt, the severe depression that pain and overmedication tipped her into, and the treatment that has done more for her in five minutes than any surgery. BEDUCATED QUIZ LINK: https://beduc.at/pd2623-cramped Join the CRAMPED Patreon: https://patreon.com/cramped CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. CRISIS SUPPORT: Call 988 anywhere in the US for free, 24/7 mental health crisis support Text HOME to 741741 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
S2 · E33
June 9 · 20 min
The Endo Attractiveness Study: Are You F**king Kidding Me??
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 in a real medical journal in 2013. How did this study even get published? Were they even trying to help people with endometriosis? Is there ANYTHING useful we can get from this dumpster fire of a study? Andrea Jones-Rooy: https://www.jonesrooy.com/ CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
S2 · E32
June 2 · 38 min
Can Capitalism Fix What the Healthcare System Broke? One Endo App Founder Is Trying
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 finally get answers, and then quit her job to build a solution. They also gets into the genuinely uncomfortable question of whether an app is an adequate solution to a healthcare system that has catastrophically failed people with period pain, or whether it's a Band-Aid over a gaping wound. Join the CRAMPED Patreon: https://patreon.com/cramped CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. American Heart Association Journal article on endometriosis and heart disease risk: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.115.002224 Ask Nomi link to join the beta test: https://www.asknomi.ai/partners/cramped See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
S2 · E31
May 27 · 28 min
What Does Tinnitus Have To Do With Your Hormones? An Audiologist Explains
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 shifts, and what you can actually do about it besides being told to ignore it. Join the CRAMPED Patreon: https://patreon.com/cramped CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. Dr. Natalie Crossland: https://www.newyorkhearingdoctors.com/team/natalie-crossland-au-d/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
S2 · E30
May 12 · 52 min
Using AI To Help Get To A Diagnosis
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 Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/02/well/live/ai-illness-claude-chatgpt.html?smid=url-share CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. Join the CRAMPED Patreon: https://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.
S2 · E29
May 8 · 15 min
Your Period Blood Has a Weird Origin Story: Spiral Arteries, Uterine Milk, and Monkey Eyeballs
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 intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
S2 · E28
April 28 · 18 min
PMDD, Intrusive Thoughts, Hormones & Medication: Riven's Diagnosis Story
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 and a medication that she says saved her life. CRISIS SUPPORT: Call 988 anywhere in the US for free, 24/7 mental health crisis support Text HOME to 741741 PMDD Support (not Crisis Support): International Association for Premenstrual Disorders - IAPMD.org Studies mentioned in the episode: Prevalence of depression in women vs men: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5532074/ Female-specific pharmacotherapy in ADHD: premenstrual adjustment of psychostimulant dosage: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10751335/ CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. Join the CRAMPED Patreon (even at the free tier!) for ad-free & bonus episodes, plus the discord community and online ClamBakes! https://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.
S2 · E27
April 21 · 57 min
Sex Ed with DB: Testosterone, Pleasure, and the Libido Myth
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 it? What are the risks? And why are the only people who can easily access it cis men? (You know why.) Guest details (please include if possible): Dr. Rebecca Levy-Gantt is an obstetrician and gynecologist who has been taking care of women of all ages for more than thirty years. Learn about her consulting services at premierwomenshealthconsulting.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
S2 · E26
April 14 · 24 min
The Boner Pill That Might Cure Period Pain
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!) for ad-free & bonus episodes, plus the discord community and online ClamBakes! https://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.
S2 · E25
April 8 · 29 min
Taking No Shit From Her Endo Specialist: Daphne's Diagnosis Story
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, she opted to find a different specialist to continue treatment with, because of the unacceptable way that doctor spoke to her about her body. You can find Daphne on Instagram @GodLovesDivorce, and check out her podcast, Love Is a Trip. CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. Join the CRAMPED Patreon (even at the free tier!) for ad-free & bonus episodes, plus the discord community and online ClamBakes! https://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.

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