Podcasts by Women’s Healthcast

Contraceptive Coercion from 2023-11-29T14:40:39

Reproductive coercion – any behavior that interferes with someone’s ability to make decisions about their reproductive health – can happen in the context of intimate relationships, family relati...

REPLAY: Promoting Pelvic Floor Health from 2023-11-01T09:05:52

November is Bladder Health Month. To celebrate, we’re replaying an interview with Angie Sergeant, a nurse practitioner in the UW Health Women’s Pelvic Wellness Clinic. In this interview from 202...

Health Equity Innovations from 2023-10-25T09:12:12

Health disparities in the United States are a pressing issue – and we see gaps in health outcomes across all aspects of ob-gyn care, too. What role does the health care...

E-Visits for Contraception from 2023-10-11T10:53:09

Can starting a new birth control method, or changing your method, be as easy as opening an app, answering a few questions about your health, and picking up your prescription? E-visits for contra...

Palliative Care and Advance Care Planning from 2023-09-27T13:24:35

Palliative care – medical care to help relieve symptoms and improve quality of life for people with serious illnesses – is often a key component of cancer care and trea...

Perineal Tears: Cause and Recovery from 2023-09-22T11:25:50

Perineal tears, or perineal lacerations, are a very common complication that can happen during childbirth – somewhere between 60-70 percent of people who give birth exp...

Over-the-Counter Birth Control from 2023-09-13T08:27:32

In July 2023, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved a birth control pill for over-the-counter use, meaning most consumers could buy it from a pharmacy ...

What’s Next in Menopause Management? from 2023-05-10T09:52:47

Vasomotor symptoms, also known as hot flashes, are one of the most common and most disruptive symptoms of the perimenopause transition. For some people, they can happen ...

Equity and Access in Fertility Care from 2023-04-26T12:28:28

In early April 2023, the World Health Organization released a new repor...

Back to Basics: Pregnancy Prevention from 2023-04-12T15:47:42

There’s a lot to consider when choosing the right birth control -- what will work with your lifestyle? What are your goals? Are there other health issues you should cons...

Back to Basics: STIs and Safer Sex from 2023-03-22T10:06:33

Sexually transmitted infections (or STIs) are incredibly common – over half of people in the U.S. will have an STI at some point in their life. Despite being so common, ...

Back to Basics: Consent and Bodily Autonomy from 2023-03-08T16:46:44

Understanding bodily autonomy and consent can be crucial tools for navigating healthy relationships of all kinds, including romantic relationships. But helping young peo...

Back to Basics: Sex, Gender, Sexuality from 2023-02-22T18:11:09

Our understanding of gender identity, gender expression, sexuality, and sexual orientation has expanded so much over time. On this Back to Basics episode of the Women’s ...

Back to Basics Bonus: Period Products from 2023-02-10T15:00:11

Just about half the world’s population has had or will have a period at some point. But despite how common menstruation is, there can still be some confusion or even sti...

Back to Basics: Menstrual Cycle and Periods from 2023-01-26T12:15:34

Welcome to Back to Basics, a new series from the Women’s Healthcast answering some of the most common questions about sexual and reproductive health.

Guest experts Dr. David P...

Privacy, Security, and Cycle Tracking Apps from 2022-08-04T10:47:37

Lots of questions about menstrual tracking or cycle tracking apps popped up after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to an abortion in June 2022...

Choosing Lubricants and Vaginal Moisturizers from 2022-06-15T11:33:54

Vaginal moisturizers, lubricants, and vaginal estrogen can be helpful tools for improving sexual wellbeing, but how many of us know how to choose the right ones? Dr. Jon Pennycuff joined the Wom...

The State of Abortion Rights in 2022 from 2022-06-01T13:13:39

We’re releasing this episode on June 1, 2022, and sometime in the next few weeks, the United States Supreme Court will issue a decision in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. ...

Finding Out About Fibroids from 2022-05-25T13:35:48

Uterine fibroids are incredibly common – between 20 and 70 percent of people with uteruses will develop fibroids during their lifetimes. And while they’re often benign, they can still cause some...

Effective Advocacy in Healthcare Settings from 2022-04-27T14:37:39

Preparing for a doctor’s visit can feel intimidating. How do we make sure all our questions are answered and our concerns are taken seriously? How many of us know how to be effective self-advoca...

Seems Sus: Health Claims and Social Media from 2022-04-13T09:51:04

As health misinformation grows and spreads online, more and more doctors are spending time on social media breaking down health myths. On this episode of the Women’s Healthcast, we’re joined by ...

Healthy Pregnancy at Any Weight from 2022-03-31T09:42:14

On this episode, Dr. Katie Antony joins us to talk about some of the concerns or considerations for pregnant people with overweight or obesity, and how to have a healthy, safe pregnancy at any w...

Know Your STIs: Syphilis from 2022-01-12T12:10:28

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, rates of the sexually transmitted infection syphilis have been climbing across the country. In Wisconsin in particular, the state’s Department ...

Sexual Health and Cancer Survivorship from 2021-12-15T14:08:03

As our ability to detect and treat cancer has improved, more people are living longer after their cancer diagnosis. For survivors of breast and gynecologic cancer, that can mean more time living...

REPLAY: Understanding Your Breast Health from 2021-10-27T12:49

About one in eight U.S. women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’re replaying this interview with Dr. Laura Bozzuto. Dr. Bozzuto tal...

REPLAY: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome from 2021-09-29T10:03:43

September is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Awareness Month, so we're replaying this popular interview with Dr. Laura Cooney! 

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome affects between 10 and 20 percen...

REPLAY: Cervical Cancer Prevention, Detection, Treatment from 2021-08-26T17:07:24

Cervical cancer is the third most common type of gynecologic cancer in the United States. Since September is Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month, we’re replaying this popular episode featuring Dr...

COVID Vaccines and Women’s Health Myths from 2021-07-26T15:47:06

Vaccines for COVID-19 became available in late 2020, and were immediately followed by a rash of myths and misinformation online. Many of the most pervasive myths – that the vaccine causes infert...

Reproductive Health Worldwide from 2021-07-14T14:50:18

Reproductive health care trends, norms and policies in the United States shape global reproductive health in a big way. UW Ob-Gyn Health Disparities Research Scholar Dr. Leigh Senderowicz joined...

The Science of Clinical Trials from 2021-06-24T14:52:13

On this episode of the Women’s Healthcast, we speak with Dr. Elisavet Paplomata to learn more about clinical trials. We talk about why researchers do trials, why people might choose to enroll in...

When to Seek a Second Opinion from 2021-06-09T09:14:54

It's not uncommon for people to ask their doctors for second opinions, especially when facing a challenging diagnosis or intense treatment. On this episode of the Women’s Healthcast, Dr. Ellen H...

Trans Health and Ob-Gyn from 2021-05-26T11:54:59

Dr. Ruth Yemane is one of the UW-Madison Department of Ob-Gyn’s leading experts in gender affirming surgery and gynecologic care for transgender people. On this episode, we discuss Dr. Yemane’s ...

REPLAY: Infertility 101 from 2021-04-22T09:45:51

In honor of Infertility Awareness Week, which is April 18-24 this year, we’re replaying one of our most popular episodes. In February 2020, we talked with Dr. Bala Bhagavath about common causes ...

The Doctor Will Tweet You Now from 2021-04-01T09:39:42

More and more, you can find doctors and other health care professionals talking about their expertise on social media, whether that’s answering questions on an Instagram Live, or adding a medica...

Emergency Contraception from 2021-03-17T13:41:23

Discussions around emergency contraception often include some myths and misunderstandings. Dr. Molly Lepic joined the women’s Healthcast to help clear up some common questions about emergency co...

Vulvar Health, Care and Cleaning from 2021-03-03T17:01:22

Walk through any drugstore and you’ll find a whole aisle dedicated to “feminine hygiene” – wipes, cleansers, washes and more. But, do we actually need those products? Dr. Laura Jacques joined th...

Pregnancy, Vaccines, and COVID-19 from 2020-12-22T15:55:22

2020 was a year shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the women’s health realm, we have been especially concerned about what COVID means for pregnancy. On this episode of the Women’s Healthcast, D...

Promoting Pelvic Floor Health: PT, Pessaries and More from 2020-11-11T12:51:09

How much do you know about your pelvic floor? Angie Sergeant, nurse practitioner in the UW Health Women's Pelvic Wellness Clinic, joined the Women's Healthcast to talk about common pelvic floor ...

Strengthening Your Health Literacy from 2020-10-28T15:40:25

Health literacy – how well we can find, understand, and apply information to help us make health decisions – affects many areas of our lives. Reading nutrition labels in the grocery store, follo...

Understanding the Economics of Health from 2020-10-14T12:17:16

Economic policy has a significant effect on our individual health. And policies are not always equitable. Dr. Tiffany Green joined the Women's Healthcast to discuss ways systems and structures a...

Endometrial Cancer from 2020-09-09T10:31:17

September is Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month. On this episode of the Women’s Healthcast, Dr. Ryan Spencer talks about endometrial cancer, the most common gynecologic cancer in the United Stat...

Closing the Preterm Birth Gap from 2020-08-31T15:05:17

As we learned on the last Women’s Healthcast, preterm birth is fairly common. But the rate of preterm birth is elevated for Black women in the United States, with approximately 13.8% of babies b...

Preterm Birth from 2020-08-11T16:00:41

Preterm birth is fairly common, with one in eight women going into labor prior to 37 weeks of gestation, which qualifies as preterm. 

On this episode of the Women’s Healthcast, Dr. Janine...

Cultivating Curiosity in Medical Education from 2020-07-29T10:27:35

After giving her keynote lecture “What’s My Impact?” at the UW-Madison Department of Ob-Gyn’s Resident Research Day in early 2020, Dr. Amy Young joined the Women’s Healthcast to talk about the i...

How to Manage Chronic Hypertension from 2020-07-08T12:25:26

Hypertension, or chronic high blood pressure, affects nearly half of U.S. adults. On this episode of the Women’s Healthcast, maternal-fetal medicine specialist Dr. Kara Hoppe and research manage...

REPLAY: Safe Spaces: Making Ob-Gyn Care LGBT-Friendly from 2020-06-18T12:20:10

To celebrate LGBT Pride, we’re re-airing one of our most popular episodes: Safe Spaces: Making OB-Gyn Care LGBT-Friendly.

For many LGBT people, past discrimination or concerns about discr...

Is it Safe to See the Doctor? Clinical Safety and COVID-19 from 2020-05-20T15:05:36

Our healthcare system mounted a rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, which included pausing or delaying some non-essential or elective care, ramping up telehealth or video visi...

Stress, Anxiety, and COVID-19 from 2020-04-28T15:49:30

Stress, anxiety, grief, peace, joy, fear - pick an emotion, and it's likely been part of your COVID-19 pandemic experience. On this episode of the Women's Healthcast, Dr. Julianne Zweifel talks ...

Best of the Women's Healthcast from 2020-04-14T14:54:41

For 50 episodes and more than two years, the Women’s Healthcast has brought you informative interviews with a wide variety of women’s health experts. On this episode, we look back at clips from ...

COVID-19 and Pregnancy from 2020-03-25T12:44:23

COVID-19 – also referred to as coronavirus – has drastically changed the way many of us live our lives. This episode is intended as a quick update and overview of resources related to COVID-19, ...

Gynecology for Teens: What to Expect from 2020-03-11T12:16:54

A stu...

Body Image and Eating Disorders from 2020-02-26T13:23:50

February 24-March 1, 2020 is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. On this episode, UW Health pediatrician Dr....

Infertility 101 from 2020-02-12T14:18:28

Infertility – the inability to get pregnant after one year of trying, or after six months for women over age 35 – is very common. 10 percent of women younger than 35, and about 25 percent of wom...

Ectopic Pregnancy: Fact and Fiction from 2020-01-22T16:26:48

An ectopic pregnancy is any pregnancy that implants and starts to grow outside the uterus. These pregnancies can be dangerous, and require immediate treatment. Dr. Ashley Jennings joined the Wom...

Universal Contraceptive Care from 2020-01-08T15:28:10

We’ve talked a lot about birth control on this podcast before – how different methods work, what to think about when choosing birth control, how new technology is changing the landscape. But it'...

Women's Health 2020 from 2019-12-18T15:36:23

What were some of the biggest policies and issues that affected women’s health in 2019? What’s on the horizon for 2020? And how can we head into an important election year as informed voters? To...

Telehealth and the Future of Birth Control from 2019-11-13T11:19:42

Imagine if getting a birth control prescription was as easy as picking up the phone or opening an app and answering a few questions about your health. Dr. Mary Landry made that possible for some...

Understanding Your Breast Health from 2019-10-23T11:18:55

About one in eight U.S. women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Laura Bozzuto joined the Women’s Healthcast to talk about breast cance...

Miscarriage and Pregnancy Loss from 2019-10-09T11:19:49

Miscarriage is both fairly common (occurring in somewhere between 15 and 25% of pregnancies) and under-discussed. Since October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, Kristen Sharp joined...

Midwives Change Lives from 2019-09-25T11:31:10

This year, National Midwifery Week is September 29 through October 5. What better opportunity to learn more about the difference midwives can make in healthcare? Hannah Copp, certified nurse mid...

Cervical Cancer: Prevention, Detection, Treatment from 2019-09-11T10:02:58

Cervical cancer is the third most common gynecologic cancer in the United States, with nearly 13,000 new cases diagnosed every year. Since September is Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month, Sumer ...

Opioids and Pregnancy: Focusing on Harm Reduction from 2019-08-28T10:57:58

Opioid use during pregnancy is happening more and more across the country, which can lead to some complications for moms and babies. On this episode, Jackie Adams talks about opioid use disorder...

Rhythm Method 2.0 from 2019-08-14T08:00

We use smartphones for so many things throughout the day – they can be cameras, grocery lists, work stations, more. But…can they also be birth control?

Fertility tracking, or menstrual tr...

Grit, Robotics, and Other Surgical Education Stories from 2019-07-24T11:40:20

Physicians and surgeons go through many years of training to hone their skills. But have you ever wondered what that training looks like? How do surgeons learn these extremely technical, hands-o...

Diabetes and Pregnancy from 2019-07-10T08:54:28

Diabetes can complicate pregnancy in some very important ways, including increased risk for high blood pressure and premature birth. And, pregnancy can complicate diabetes – whether it’s Type 1,...

Safe Spaces: Making Ob-Gyn Care More LGBT-Friendly from 2019-06-26T09:41:03

For many LGBT people, past discrimination or concerns about discrimination from medical professionals can deter them from seeking health care. Pride Month (and every month) is a great time to lo...

Does Vitamin D Affect Fertility? from 2019-06-12T10:25:59

Vitamin D has a lot of important jobs in the body, from promoting bone strength to supporting the immune system. And ongoing research suggests vitamin D may also play a big role in fertility and...

Sexual Health After Cancer from 2019-05-22T11:15:52

Cancer treatments can come with a variety of physical and emotional side effects. As awkward as it may be to talk about, that includes side effects that might change our ability to have or enjoy...

Beyond the Baby Blues from 2019-05-08T09:46:38

Most women - up to 75 percent, according to Dr. Julianne Zweifel - will experience some mood changes in the first couple weeks after having a baby. But for between 12 and 20 percent of those wom...

Well Woman Visits from 2019-04-24T11:30:50

The well woman visit – the annual check-up with a gynecologist – is not always anticipated with excitement. But this regularly-scheduled visit is a great opportunity to check in with your health...

The Power of Reproductive Justice from 2019-04-11T15:06:24

In early March, the UW Department of Ob-Gyn hosted the first-ever Wisconsin Contraceptive Care Summit, helping women’s health providers and advocates strengthen their contraceptive care skills t...

A Period Primer from 2019-03-27T10:36:04

More than half the world's population menstruates. But for such a common biological process, how many of us really understand the mechanics of the menstrual cycle? Dr. Lauren Verrilli, 4th-year ...

Understanding Endo from 2019-03-13T11:15:04

Endometriosis affects around one 1 in 10 women, who can experience symptoms like pelvic pain, irregular bleeding, pain during sex, and much more. In honor of Endometriosis Awareness Month, UW Ob...

Zika Virus and Safe Travel While Pregnant from 2019-02-27T13:52:54

Spring break season is nearly upon us, and a warm weather getaway sounds pretty amazing after this brutal winter. But traveling to tropical locations – and traveling in general – could present s...

You Had a C-Section. What’s Next? from 2019-02-13T11:24:10

On the last episode of the Women’s Healthcast, Dr. Ryan McDonald joined us to talk about C-sections - if you missed it, check out Prep...

Preparing for Cesarean Delivery from 2019-01-23T15:03:26

Cesarean deliveries, or C-sections, are among the most common surgical procedures performed in the United States. Nearly one in three babies is delivered via cesarean. But even though C-sections...

Clinical Trials: Your Health Depends on It from 2019-01-09T14:11:05

Medical innovations, from cold medicine to chemotherapy, happen with the help of clinical trials. But how do trials get started? Who pays for the research? And does who participates make a diffe...

Mind the Pleasure Gap from 2018-12-12T11:02:18

What matters to you when choosing a birth control? Effectiveness, ease of use, safety…what about how it affects your sex life? It’s not uncommon to remove sexuality from conversations about choo...

Demystifying Menopause from 2018-11-28T11:46:24

Women will spend one third to half of their lives in menopause, a life stage with a bad reputation. But Dr. Makeba Williams likes...

The Ins and Outs of Incisional Hernia Repair from 2018-11-21T11:17:20

In this bonus episode, UW Ob-Gyn minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon Dr. Cara King spoke with Dr. Jacob Greenberg from the UW Department of Surgery...

Mind Over Matter: Community-Based Incontinence Improvement from 2018-11-14T12:17:01

When Dr. Heidi Brown did her first urogynecology rotation during her residency training, she was struck by how much pelvic floor disorders like incontinence affected her patients' quality of lif...

Protecting Your Pelvic Floor from 2018-10-24T11:43:01

Pelvic floor disorders are incredibly common. Nearly one in three women will talk to their healthcare provider about some kind of pelvic floor dysfunction, including incontinence or pelvic organ...

Adolescent Sexual Health 101 from 2018-10-11T10:46:20

It's hard enough for adults to bring sexual and reproductive health questions to their doctors. Can you imagine trying to talk about those same concerns as a teenager? That’s why doctors like Listen

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome from 2018-09-26T11:38:19

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome affects between 10 and 20 percent of reproductive-aged women, and it's the most common endocrine disorder in that group. But, according to Dr. Laura Cooney, it can be h...

The Surprising Origins of Ovarian Cancer from 2018-09-19T12:00:32

Our Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month conversation continues with a question: What if what we think of as ovarian cancer doesn't actually originate in the ovaries? Research suggests that in man...

BRCA and Ovarian Cancer from 2018-09-12T10:13:13

September is Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month, which seemed like a great opportunity to learn more about BRCA. When present, BRCA mutat...

The Crisis in Rural Women’s Health from 2018-08-22T11:56:52

About one third of counties in Wisconsin don’t have a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist. Nationwide, it’s closer to half of all counties. And hospitals in rural communities across the country...

Dr. Al-Niaimi’s Five Rules for Faster Recovery from 2018-08-09T07:41:42

Dr. Ahmed Al-Niaimi is a gynecologic cancer surgeon in the UW-Madison Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He also leads the department's quality improvement efforts, with a special emphasis...

Does Obesity Change Our Genes? from 2018-07-25T11:05:37

We know obesity can affect women’s health in several ways (see episode 7 – At the Intersection of Obesity and Women’s Health with Dr...

All About Birth Control, Part 2 from 2018-07-11T14:03:49

In All About Birth Control, Part 2, Dr. Eliza Bennett tells us about how long-acting reversible contraceptives (think IUD or implant) work and provides an overview of permanent birth control met...

All About Birth Control, Part 1 from 2018-06-27T09:21:16

More than 60 percent of reproductive-aged women use some kind of birth control. But there's a lot to consider ...

Cultural Competence and Caring for Transgender Patients from 2018-06-13T09:43:18

Studies show that transgender and gender-nonconforming patients are highly likely to experience discrimination in a healthcare setting – up to 70%, according to one study from from 2018-05-23T13:39:06

Obesity can affect many aspects of women's health, from fertility to pregnancy complications to increased risk of some gynecologic cancers. 

In this episode, Listen

Battling Burnout: A Conversation on Physician Wellness from 2018-04-11T09:01:16

David Kushner is a gynecologic oncologist in the UW Department of Ob-Gyn and a national expert in physician wellness. In 2018, ob-gyns reported the fourth-highest rate of burnout among US physic...

The Goal is Cancer Prevention: HPV and Vaccination from 2018-03-14T09:48:59

Nearly 80 million Americans have some strain of the human papillomavirus, which can cause several types of cancer in men and women. The CDC recommends that adolescents receive the HPV vaccine, w...

Pregnancy: Fact and Fiction from 2018-02-14T09:40:12

Dr. Kristen Sharp, assistant professor in general obstetrics and gynecology and medical director of the UW-Madison Department of Ob-Gyn's CenteringPregnancy program, plays pregnancy true or fals...

Infant Mortality in Wisconsin: Where Do We Go From Here? from 2018-02-01T14:15:59

In the first episode of Women's Healthcast, Dr. Deborah Ehrenthal discusses Wisconsin's recent ranking as the worst state in the US for African-American infant mortality, and new health disparit...