CRAMPED

Epizodes

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  The Impact of Endometriosis on Male Partners Study, w/ Comedian Jenny Zigrino 28.07.2026 17min

  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/ 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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  The HER Agenda: Three Bills About Period Pain, w/ Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari 21.07.2026 35min

  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/crampedSee the co-sponsors of H.R.8158 - the Reproductive Healthcare Leave Act: https://bit.ly/4fkDYUvFind your representative & contact info: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-memberCRAMPED 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.
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  What If My Healthiest Self Isn't My Thinnest Self? 14.07.2026 46min

  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/crampedCRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice.BEDUCATED QUIZ LINK: https://beduc.at/pd2623-crampedNancy Chen's TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/nancy_n_chen_the_inaccurate_link_between_body_ideals_and_healthSarah 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.
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  Melasma, Drugs That Delay Menopause, and Girl Gone Wild with Courtney Kocak 07.07.2026 45min

  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/crampedCRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice.BEDUCATED QUIZ LINK: https://beduc.at/pd2623-crampedPEARL 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/f3c06a53692352f1Courtney'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.
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  Forgetting Everything I've Learned: Acupuncture, Fertility, and the Sunk Cost Fallacy 30.06.2026 11min

  PATREON-ONLY EPISODE TEASERJoin the CRAMPED Patreon to listen to the full episode: https://patreon.com/crampedI'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-crampedCRAMPED 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.
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  The Pain Scale Is Useless and Everybody Knows It 23.06.2026 43min

  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/crampedCRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice.BEDUCATED QUIZ LINK: https://beduc.at/pd2623-crampedOverlooked 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.
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  The Comorbidity Queen: EDS, POTS, Endo, Fibroids, Cysts, SIBO, Arthritis, and more! 16.06.2026 47min

  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-crampedJoin the CRAMPED Patreon: https://patreon.com/crampedCRAMPED 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 supportText 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.
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  The Endo Attractiveness Study: Are You F**king Kidding Me?? 09.06.2026 20min

  PATREON-ONLY EPISODE TEASERJoin the CRAMPED Patreon to listen to the full episode: https://patreon.com/crampedDid 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.
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  Can Capitalism Fix What the Healthcare System Broke? One Endo App Founder Is Trying 02.06.2026 38min

  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/crampedCRAMPED 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.115.002224Ask 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.
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  What Does Tinnitus Have To Do With Your Hormones? An Audiologist Explains 27.05.2026 28min

  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/crampedCRAMPED 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.
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  Using AI To Help Get To A Diagnosis 12.05.2026 52min

  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-shareCRAMPED 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.
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  Your Period Blood Has a Weird Origin Story: Spiral Arteries, Uterine Milk, and Monkey Eyeballs 08.05.2026 15min

  PATREON-ONLY EPISODE TEASERJoin the CRAMPED Patreon (even at the free tier!) to listen to the full episode: https://patreon.com/crampedI 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.
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  PMDD, Intrusive Thoughts, Hormones & Medication: Riven's Diagnosis Story 28.04.2026 18min

  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 741741PMDD Support (not Crisis Support): International Association for Premenstrual Disorders - IAPMD.orgStudies 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.
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  Sex Ed with DB: Testosterone, Pleasure, and the Libido Myth 21.04.2026 57min

  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.
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  The Boner Pill That Might Cure Period Pain 14.04.2026 24min

  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.
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  Taking No Shit From Her Endo Specialist: Daphne's Diagnosis Story 08.04.2026 29min

  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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  How To Spot A Garbage Period Pain Study with Prof Jones-Rooy 02.04.2026 17min

  PATREON-ONLY EPISODE TEASERJoin the CRAMPED Patreon (even at the free tier!) to listen to the full episode: https://patreon.com/crampedWe 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 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.
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  An Endometriosis Historian Breaks Down 2000 Years of Medical Misogyny 24.03.2026 40min

  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.patreon.com/c/CRAMPEDCRAMPED 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.
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  Can Talking About Cramps Improve Your Sex Life? 17.03.2026 50min

  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 get into the stigmas that keep both sexual pleasure and period pain from being out-in-the-open topics, the systems that keep it that way, and how to break free and shout both your pain AND your pleasure from whatever rooftop you want! 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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  Period Pain in Fiction: Two Artists Who Turned Their Diagnosis Into Art 10.03.2026 33min

  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 debilitating symptoms from her endometriosis, adenomyosis, M-CAS, EDS, and POTs since she was 11, and has struggled to get doctors to take her seriously or treat her. She's woven those experiences into a classic haunted-house story with many twists that is SO FUN to read! Find the Scald Crow by Grace Daly anywhere that books are sold, or order on bookshop.org here: https://bit.ly/4uehIlDFilmmaker Brooke H. Cellars had period pain so excruciating it made it impossible for her to finish college or hold down a full time job. It took her 20 years to finally get diagnosed and treated surgically for endometriosis. Post-surgery, with hormone treatments to manage the endo, she was able to finish college and begin a career in writing and directing. Her feature film The Cramps: A Period Piece blends her real-life experience with a "darkly colorful", campy 80s aesthetic. Watch the trailer on youtube here: https://bit.ly/4cziaER__________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.com/c/CRAMPED See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.