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CRAMPED

CRAMPED

Kate Helen Downey 49 Episodes Oct 13, 2026

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.

Episodes

Rediscovered: The Rete Ovarii, Not So Vestigial After All!
Rediscovered: The Rete Ovarii, Not So Vestigial After All! Oct 13, 2026 00:36:28 Maybe you've heard - if you've got ovaries, you've got a whole new organ! Well, "new" as in "recognized by science for the first time since the 1800s". It's been in there, doing stuff, this whole time. So what's the deal with the Rete Ovarii? What's it doing in there? Why did this organ get "mysteriously orphaned" after its discovery? And how do you minimize coffee jitters when dissecting
PCOS is now PMOS: Why Did It Take 20 Years of Debate To Get A Medically Accurate Name?
PCOS is now PMOS: Why Did It Take 20 Years of Debate To Get A Medically Accurate Name? Oct 6, 2026 00:31:39 You probably saw the news: the condition formerly known as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is now Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovary Syndrome (PMOS). So...what does that mean exactly? Why did the name need to be changed? And why did it take 20 years to actually make it happen? Dr. Helena Teede, the Director of the Monash Centre for Health Research Implementation in Australia, has been leading
Endo Excision Surgeon Dr. Iris Orbuch: Why She Can't Take Insurance
Endo Excision Surgeon Dr. Iris Orbuch: Why She Can't Take Insurance Sep 29, 2026 00:18:41 Join the Patreon (even at the free tier) to listen to the full episode! https://www.patreon.com/CRAMPEDWhy do so few endometriosis excision surgeons take insurance? In this 2024 interview with leading endo excision surgeon Dr. Iris Kerin Orbuch, we get a transparent look into the finances behind a surgical practice, and what's causing insurance companies to undervalue an extremely complic
Your Uterus Sends a Monthly Report. Someone's Finally Reading It! w/ Ridhi Tariyal
Your Uterus Sends a Monthly Report. Someone's Finally Reading It! w/ Ridhi Tariyal Sep 22, 2026 00:45:37 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, an
The GYRL Lab is Doing The Viagra For Cramps Follow-Up Study!
The GYRL Lab is Doing The Viagra For Cramps Follow-Up Study! Sep 15, 2026 00:34:46 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 Citrat
The Personal Finances of Period Pain w Tori Dunlap
The Personal Finances of Period Pain w Tori Dunlap Sep 8, 2026 00:47:47 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 a
Are There Heavy Metals in Our Tampons, and Is That...OK?
Are There Heavy Metals in Our Tampons, and Is That...OK? Aug 27, 2026 00:10:38 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 stu
New Non-Invasive Tests for Endometriosis w Dr. Gail Busby
New Non-Invasive Tests for Endometriosis w Dr. Gail Busby Aug 18, 2026 00:45:10 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
FIBROIDS: Everything You Need To Know
FIBROIDS: Everything You Need To Know Aug 11, 2026 00:44:58 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-wi
Unladylike: Where Does Perimenopause End and Capitalism Begin?
Unladylike: Where Does Perimenopause End and Capitalism Begin? Aug 4, 2026 00:56:17 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
The Impact of Endometriosis on Male Partners Study, w/ Comedian Jenny Zigrino
The Impact of Endometriosis on Male Partners Study, w/ Comedian Jenny Zigrino Jul 28, 2026 00:17:30 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 Jenn
The HER Agenda: Three Bills About Period Pain, w/ Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari
The HER Agenda: Three Bills About Period Pain, w/ Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari Jul 21, 2026 00:35:48 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

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