Smear Campaign: The Cold, Hard Truth About Speculums

Smear Campaign: The Cold, Hard Truth About Speculums

This week, Heather and Lisa dive into one of gynecology's most dreaded instruments — the speculum — and the wave of new, more comfortable designs headed to doctors' offices. They cover updated cervical cancer screening guidelines, applaud the medical community's call for less-frequent Pap smears, and trace the speculum's surprisingly dark and ancient history. Plus: Find out which book they have chosen as the next Another Bloody Book Club pick. Resources & Sources Mentioned: • 2025 Harris Poll / BD survey https://news.bd.com/2025-01-09-New-Survey-Finds-Women-Are-Skipping-Their-OB-GYN-Exams,-Increasing-Risks-for-Cervical-Cancer [https://news.bd.com/2025-01-09-New-Survey-Finds-Women-Are-Skipping-Their-OB-GYN-Exams,-Increasing-Risks-for-Cervical-Cancer] • American College of Obstetricians and Gynocologists (ACOG), Updated Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines, 2026  httphttps://www.acog.org/news/news-releases/2026/04/acog-publishes-updated-cervical-cancer-screening-guidance [https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/practice-advisory/articles/2021/04/updated-cervical-cancer-screening-guidelines] • An Innovative Design for the Vaginal Speculum, Medical Devices: Evidence and Research, 2023 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10542509/ [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10542509/] • Reinventing the Vaginal Speculum: Women’s Health, University of California, Irvine, 2023 https://engineering.uci.edu/news/2023/9/reinventing-vaginal-speculum-women-s-health [https://engineering.uci.edu/news/2023/9/reinventing-vaginal-speculum-women-s-health] • Screening for Cervical Cancer, Obstetrics & Gynocology, 2026 https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/fulltext/2026/07000/screening_for_cervical_cancer.30.aspx [https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/fulltext/2026/07000/screening_for_cervical_cancer.30.aspx] • Wellcome Collection's history of the speculum, including the Pompeii find and the Sims/Graves lineage https://wellcomecollection.org/stories/a-nasty-history-of-the-vaginal-speculum [https://wellcomecollection.org/stories/a-nasty-history-of-the-vaginal-speculum] • The controversial Dr. J. Marion Sims, International Urogynecology Journal, 2020 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32328679/ [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32328679/] • Statue celebrates 'Mothers of Gynecology' at Black women's birthing conference, NPR, 2022 https://www.npr.org/2022/03/28/1089062082/statue-celebrates-mothers-of-gynecology-at-black-womens- birthing-conference [https://www.npr.org/2022/03/28/1089062082/statue-celebrates-mothers-of-gynecology-at-black-womens-birthing-conference]  New speculum designs: ◦Bouquet Speculum™ — five-petal radial design https://viospex.com/about-the-product [https://viospex.com/about-the-product] ◦Lilium — three-petal rubber speculum from TU Delft researchers Tamara Hoveling and Ariadna Izcara Gual https://www.tudelft.nl/en/ide/delft-design-stories/new-vaginal-speculum-design-might-motivate-women-to-go-for-health-checkups [https://www.tudelft.nl/en/ide/delft-design-stories/new-vaginal-speculum-design-might-motivate-women-to-go-for-health-checkups] ◦OneSpec — tampon-sized, self-insertable design from UC Irvine's Feminora team https://engineering.uci.edu/news/2023/9/reinventing-vaginal-speculum-women-s-health [https://engineering.uci.edu/news/2023/9/reinventing-vaginal-speculum-women-s-health]   • O&G Magazine roundup of alternative speculum options, 2026 https://www.ogmagazine.org.au/28/2-28/new-and-emerging-alternative-speculum-options/ [https://www.ogmagazine.org.au/28/2-28/new-and-emerging-alternative-speculum-options/] Our July Another Bloody Book Club pick: The New Perimenopause by Dr. Mary Claire Haver https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/777456/the-new-perimenopause-by-mary-claire-haver-md/ [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/777456/the-new-perimenopause-by-mary-claire-haver-md/]

Jesse Ridgway's Abortion Announcement Went Viral—Then the Disability Community Responded

When YouTube creator Jesse Ridgway (McJuggerNuggets) and his wife Audrey announced on X that they'd terminated a pregnancy after a Down syndrome (Trisomy 21) diagnosis, millions saw it — and the backlash was immediate. Death threats. Viral condemnation. Coverage in People. The response from abortion opponents was predictable. But the disability community also pushed back, challenging how Ridgway characterized Down syndrome and what life with an intellectually disabled loved one actually looks like. Lisa, the mother of a child with autism, watched this scandal erupt in real time — scrolling between posts while her son competed at the Special Olympics Summer Games.  This week, we unpack what happened, what it reveals about the abortion debate, and what the disability community wants you to understand. Sources & Further Reading Jesse Ridgway's X Announcement McJuggerNuggets shared his and his wife Audrey's decision to terminate their pregnancy following a Down syndrome diagnosis via amniocentesis at four months. The post quickly surpassed 1.5 million views. https://x.com/McJuggerNuggets/status/2062315803177881822 [https://x.com/McJuggerNuggets/status/2062315803177881822] "Jesse Ridgway speaks out on death threats after ending pregnancy due to Down syndrome" Emily S. Martin, Los Angeles Times, June 4, 2026 https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2026-06-04/jesse-ridgway-says-couple-ended-pregnancy-post-down-syndrome-diagnosis [https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2026-06-04/jesse-ridgway-says-couple-ended-pregnancy-post-down-syndrome-diagnosis] "Mom of Son with Down Syndrome 'Vehemently Disagrees' with View It 'Isn't a Blessing'" Kayla Grant, People https://people.com/mom-of-son-with-down-syndrome-disagrees-not-a-blessing-amid-jesse-ridgway-comments-exclusive-11992515 [https://people.com/mom-of-son-with-down-syndrome-disagrees-not-a-blessing-amid-jesse-ridgway-comments-exclusive-11992515] Living With Down Syndrome Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — an overview of the health implications associated with Down syndrome (Trisomy 21), including congenital heart defects, hearing and vision loss, hypothyroidism, and sleep apnea. https://www.cdc.gov/birth-defects/living-with-down-syndrome/index.html [https://www.cdc.gov/birth-defects/living-with-down-syndrome/index.html] "Abortion Experiences, Knowledge, and Attitudes Among Women in the U.S." KFF Women's Health Survey, 2024 — includes data on abortion rates among women who identify as pro-life (8%) versus pro-choice (17%). https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/abortion-experiences-knowledge-attitudes-among-u-s-women-2024-womens-health-survey/ [https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/abortion-experiences-knowledge-attitudes-among-u-s-women-2024-womens-health-survey/] Family & Individual Needs for Disability Supports (FINDS) Survey The Arc, 2023 — documents the financial strain, chronic illness, and mental health burdens facing caregivers of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. https://thearc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FINDS-Community-Report-2023.pdf [https://thearc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FINDS-Community-Report-2023.pdf] "Down Syndrome Births Rise Unexpectedly" NPR Shots (Health News Blog) https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2009/12/down_syndrome_births_rise_unex.html [https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2009/12/down_syndrome_births_rise_unex.html] "Study: Down Syndrome Births Up" NPR https://www.npr.org/2009/12/01/120994683/study-down-syndrome-births-up [https://www.npr.org/2009/12/01/120994683/study-down-syndrome-births-up] “Abortion Experiences, Knowledge, and Attitudes Among Women in the U.S.” KFF Women’s Health Survey https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/abortion-experiences-knowledge-attitudes-among-u-s-women-2024-womens-health-survey/ [https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/abortion-experiences-knowledge-attitudes-among-u-s-women-2024-womens-health-survey/]

Pure Hell: The Rise and Fall of Purity Culture

Inspired by Jen Hatmaker’s 2025 memoir Awake, Lisa and Heather take a deep dive into the hellscape that is evangelical Christian purity culture. A generation ago, purity culture was having a moment. Some of Hollywood’s most popular young actors and teen pop stars were publicly declaring their intention to abstain from sex until marriage. The media responded with a creepy level of curiosity about the sex lives of famous teens. And the buzz all this anti-sex talk created helped grow a movement that affected millions of teens, tweens, and young adult. Now many of these now-adults are renouncing so-called purity culture and talking about the dark side of the movement. Purity culture survivors say the movement pressured young people to embrace an extreme definition of abstinence, made those who failed to do so feel unlovable and unclean, and created an atmosphere that fostered sexual abuse, blaming victims and protecting abusers. We talk about the origins of the movement, why it’s losing steam, and how survivors are creating safe spaces for those seeking help and healing. Trigger warning: In this episode we talk about rape, sexual coercion, and other forms of sexual and emotional abuse. If you’re a survivor of religious trauma, please consider reaching out to: The Reclamation Collective https://www.reclamationcollective.com/ [https://www.reclamationcollective.com/] Sources: Awake, by Jen Hatmaker, 2025 “Evangelical Purity Culture and Its Discontents,” by Kathryn House and Sara Moslener, Theology & Sexuality, 2023 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13558358.2024.2332976 [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13558358.2024.2332976] “How an Abstinence Pledge in the ’90s Shamed a Generation of Evangelicals” by Clyde Haberman, New York Times, 2021 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/06/us/abstinence-pledge-evangelicals.html [https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/06/us/abstinence-pledge-evangelicals.html] https://retroreport.org/video/shamed-by-sex-survivors-of-the-purity-movement-confront-the-past/ [https://retroreport.org/video/shamed-by-sex-survivors-of-the-purity-movement-confront-the-past/] “Findings from the 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study,” Pew Research Center https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/decline-of-christianity-in-the-us-has-slowed-may-have-leveled-off/ [https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/decline-of-christianity-in-the-us-has-slowed-may-have-leveled-off/] Ganster Capitalism, Season 3 https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/introducing-season-3-gangster-capitalism-jerry-falwell/id1460320573 [https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/introducing-season-3-gangster-capitalism-jerry-falwell/id1460320573?i=1000522881647]   “Liberty University Fined $14 Million for Mishandling Sex Assaults and Other Crimes,” by Zack Montague, New York Times, 2024 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/05/us/politics/liberty-university-fine-crime-sexual-assaults.html [https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/05/us/politics/liberty-university-fine-crime-sexual-assaults.html] ““The Liberty Way”: How Liberty University Discourages and Dismisses Students’ Reports of Sexual Assaults,” ProPublica, 2021 https://www.propublica.org/article/the-liberty-way-how-liberty-university-discourages-and-dismisses-students-reports-of-sexual-assaults [https://www.propublica.org/article/the-liberty-way-how-liberty-university-discourages-and-dismisses-students-reports-of-sexual-assaults] “Abuse of Faith,” Houston Chronicle, 2019 https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investigations/abuse-of-faith/ [https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investigations/abuse-of-faith/] “Josh Duggar Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Prison in Child Sex Abuse Image Case,” NBC News, 2022 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/josh-duggar-sentenced-12-years-prison-child-sex-abuse-image-case-rcna30577 [https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/josh-duggar-sentenced-12-years-prison-child-sex-abuse-image-case-rcna30577]

What Is Period Poverty? We Talk With Period Equity Advocate Rakisha Kearns-White To Find Out

If you've ever been caught without a pad or tampon and felt that flash of panic, you already understand a small piece of what millions of people navigate every single day: period poverty. In this episode, Heather and Lisa sit down with period equity advocate Rakisha Kearns-White, who has spent the past seven years working to end menstrual stigma and provide accurate sexual health information in public spaces. With 37% of U.S. adults and 25% of students reporting that they've struggled to afford menstrual products, the numbers are striking. And as wages stagnate, social safety nets erode, and the cost of living climbs, it's getting even harder for people to afford the products they need so that they can access employment, education, and get on with their lives. Rakisha breaks down what period poverty and menstrual equity actually mean, how her advocacy grew out of a single moment at her library branch, why period stigma makes everything harder, and how anyone — regardless of gender — can get involved.  To help address period poverty, contact: • Rakisha Kearns-White at theperiodlibrarian@gmail.com [theperiodlibrarian@gmail.com] • Period, period.org [http://period.org/], a national organization with school and college chapters across the US that hosts period packing parties and advocacy events • Her Period Dignity, herperioddignity.co, [http://herperioddignity.co/] working to end period poverty and provide dignified access to menstrual products • Aunt Flow, goauntflow.com [http://goauntflow.com/], Columbus, Ohio-based organization fighting period poverty and stigma by providing free period products in schools and workplaces • Simply the Basics, simplythebasics.org [http://simplythebasics.org/], distributing menstrual products, diapers, and personal care items to people experiencing homelessness and low-income communities across the U.S. To help locally * Donate period products to your local food pantry, homeless shelter, or care box drives through scouting groups and religious organizations * Set up a free little pantry in your community stocked with menstrual products alongside other essentials * Sign petitions advocating for EBT/SNAP coverage of menstrual products Show Notes Period Poverty: Why Millions of Girls and Women Cannot Afford Their Periods, UN Women https://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/explainer/period-poverty-why-millions-of-girls-and-women-cannot-afford-their-periods [https://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/explainer/period-poverty-why-millions-of-girls-and-women-cannot-afford-their-periods]   "Period Poverty Is On the Rise," findings from a study by Dignity Grows and the Period Poverty Institute of America  https://dignitygrows.org/period-poverty-in-the-u-s-is-on-the-rise-worsening-education-and-economic-outcomes/ [https://dignitygrows.org/period-poverty-in-the-u-s-is-on-the-rise-worsening-education-and-economic-outcomes/]   Women in the Workplace 2025, McKinsey  https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/women-in-the-workplace [https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/women-in-the-workplace]   "Florida Backs Off on Requiring Athletes' Mentrual Data," Associated Press https://apnews.com/article/florida-menstruation-cycle-athletes-497fbf37a7ca0c6ad28e2f491abe6e92 [https://apnews.com/article/florida-menstruation-cycle-athletes-497fbf37a7ca0c6ad28e2f491abe6e92]

Our Vanishing Vaginas: Vaginal Atrophy and Other Amazing Menopause Symptoms

Your vagina is changing, and nobody warned you. Heather and Lisa are here to give you the 411 on this 911 situation. In this episode, we're diving into vaginal atrophy — the condition affecting roughly 50% of perimenopausal and menopausal women, where tissues dry out, shrink, and generally stage a quiet revolt. Your clitoris can retract like a turtle. Your labia can disappear. Fun times! Heather and Lisa break down the symptoms you might not realize are connected to your hormones (like recurring UTIs, a vanished sex drive and spontaneous pants-peeing), and walk through treatment options — from estrogen patches to a fancy box of dilators. Listen up. Your vanishing vagina deserves better. Show Notes * "Vaginal Atrophy," Cleveland Clinic https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15500-vaginal-atrophy [https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15500-vaginal-atrophy] * "Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause" by Karen Carlson and Hao Nguyen, NIH https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559297/# [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559297/] * "New Analysis of Women's Health Initiative Data Aims to 'Clear the Air' Over Menopausal Hormone Therapy" by Kate Schweitzer, JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2839211 [https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2839211] * "Hormonal Treatments and Vaginal Moisturizers for Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause: A Systematic Review" by Elisheva R. Danan et al., Annals of Internal Medicine, 2025 (includes research on Royal Jelly) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12333043/ [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12333043/]