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CRAMPED: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Kate Downey
One nerd’s quest to find out why we know next to nothing about period pain. Tired of suffering from "death cramps" with no diagnosis for 20 years, Kate Downey has to look for her own answers. She interviews top doctors and researchers, and delves into topics from Greek history to sitcoms 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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- Today45 min
Your Uterus Sends a Monthly Report. Someone's Finally Reading It! w/ Ridhi Tariyal
I talk to co-founder and CEO Ridhi Tariyal about the information in menstrual effluent that's missing from a regular blood draw, and how NextGen Jane is using it to come at endometriosis from both ends: a non-invasive diagnostic using a tampon, and the hunt for new drug targets to help treat it. We also talk about rats chewing through menstrual cups, the "menstrual defense" for murder, and how our periods are the key to understanding immune system dysfunction. She blew my mind with menstrual science!Oh, and NextGen Jane will pay you to send them your tampons, and they're looking for multiple categories of participants:Sign up for the NextGen Jane studies: https://www.nextgenjane.com/clinical-studiesOr email the team at research@nextgenjane.comCRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice.Join the CRAMPED Patreon: https://patreon.com/crampedThank you to Beducated for sponsoring CRAMPED! Take the Beducated Quiz: https://beduc.at/pd2637-crampedSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
- 1 weeks ago34 min
The GYRL Lab is Doing The Viagra For Cramps Follow-Up Study!
In 2013 a Penn State study found that Viagra was extremely effective for period pain. But the sample size was too small, and requests for funding to continue the study were denied. 13 years later, our friends at the GYRL lab in Evanston, IL are picking up where Penn State left off.Dr. Kevin Hellman (from Season 1) returns to answer all my questions, like why do you think Sildenafil Citrate (Viagra) might work to reduce period pain? How is your study going to find answers? And why did it take 13 years for a promising initial study to get more interest?CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice (or financial advice).Join the CRAMPED Patreon: https://patreon.com/crampedThe GYRL Lab: https://www.cureperiodpain.org/The 2013 Sildenafil Citrate dysmenorrhea study: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3795469/Thank you to Beducated for sponsoring CRAMPED! Take the Beducated Quiz: https://beduc.at/pd2659-crampedThe 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.
- 2 weeks ago47 min
The Personal Finances of Period Pain w Tori Dunlap
One thing I've learned in the last 23 years of severe period pain - it's EXPENSIVE! Between the medications and devices to manage the pain, lost wages from extra sick days, and doctors and procedures that aren't covered by insurance, the cost gets overwhelming real quick! And as a little bit of a personal finance nerd, I started to notice...none of the big personal finance advice people are talking about how to handle medical expenses for conditions that cause severe period pain. So I called up Tori Dunlap, founder of the Her First 100k financial education platform, and host of the Financial Feminist podcast. Tori answers my questions about financial rage, how to plan for unpredictable medical expenses, and whether an expensive surgery or treatment is an appropriate use of our emergency funds. CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice (or financial advice).Join the CRAMPED Patreon: https://patreon.com/crampedHer First 100k Financial Feminism & Money Education: https://herfirst100k.com/Financial Feminist Podcast: https://herfirst100k.com/financial-feminist-podcast/Thank you to Beducated for sponsoring CRAMPED! Take the Beducated Quiz: https://beduc.at/pd2659-crampedThe 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.
- 3 weeks ago10 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/CRAMPEDBack 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/S0160412024004355FDA 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-crampedThe 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.
- Aug 18, 202645 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/crampedThank you to Beducated for sponsoring CRAMPED! Take the Beducated Quiz: https://beduc.at/pd2659-crampedThe 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.
- Aug 11, 202644 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=tThe 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/crampedThank you to Beducated for sponsoring CRAMPED! Take the Beducated Quiz: https://beduc.at/pd2659-crampedVisit 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.
- Aug 4, 202656 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-crampedVisit 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.
- Jul 28, 202617 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/CRAMPEDComedian 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 inClick the Membership tab at the top of the page.Pick the paid tier you want and click JoinFollow Jenny Zigrino on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennyzigrino/?hl=enThe study: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5850214/Thank you to Beducated for sponsoring CRAMPED! Take the Beducated Quiz: https://beduc.at/pd2659-crampedSee 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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About CRAMPED
One nerd’s quest to find out why we know next to nothing about period pain. Tired of suffering from "death cramps" with no diagnosis for 20 years, Kate Downey has to look for her own answers. She interviews top doctors and researchers, and delves into topics from Greek history to sitcoms 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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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Podzilla's CRAMPED daily summary?
It's a free AI-powered email that summarizes new episodes of CRAMPED as soon as they're published. You get the key takeaways, notable quotes, and links & mentions — all in a quick read.
How does the CRAMPED podcast summary work?
When a new episode drops, our AI transcribes and analyzes it, then generates a personalized summary tailored to your interests and profession. It's delivered to your inbox every morning.
Is this an official CRAMPED product?
No. Podzilla is an independent service that summarizes publicly available podcast content. We're not affiliated with or endorsed by Kate Downey.
Can I get summaries of other podcasts too?
Absolutely! The free plan covers up to 3 podcasts. Upgrade to Pro for 15, or Premium for 50. Browse our full catalog at /podcasts.
How often does CRAMPED release new episodes?
CRAMPED publishes weekly. Our AI generates a summary within hours of each new episode.
What topics does CRAMPED cover?
CRAMPED covers topics including Science, Fitness, Documentary, Culture, Health & Fitness, Society & Culture. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
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