Another Bloody Podcast

Underbabied, Underspermed: Unpacking MAHA's Maternal Healthcare Policies

Last week, President Trump gathered RFK Jr., Dr. Mehmet Oz, and a room full of pronatalists to push his fertility and maternal healthcare agenda — and hosts Heather and Lisa had a lot of feelings about it. Sure, they had a field day with Dr. Oz's declaration that one in three Americans are "underbabied" and RFK Jr.'s, er, passionate interest in teen sperm counts. (Yes, really.) But once the laughing died down, things got a lot more serious. In this episode, Heather and Lisa dig into the policy proposals that came out of that press conference — ones that could have genuinely dangerous consequences for maternal healthcare — and unpack the complicated, often misunderstood research behind declining birth rates in the U.S. and around the world.  Show Notes The following sources were consulted in preparation for this discussion: The Daily Show's segment on President Trump’s press conference on maternal healthcare: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWF4XLGBEAU [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWF4XLGBEAU] Full Maternal Healthcare Press Conference https://www.c-span.org/program/white-house-event/president-trump-hosts-maternal-health-care-event/678967 [https://www.c-span.org/program/white-house-event/president-trump-hosts-maternal-health-care-event/678967] "Temporal Trends in Sperm Count," Levine et al., Human Reproductive Update, November 2022. https://academic.oup.com/humupd/article/29/2/157/6824414 [https://academic.oup.com/humupd/article/29/2/157/6824414?login=false] “710,000 Fewer Babies Were Born Last Year in U.S. Compared With Two Decades Ago” by Brian Mann, NPR https://www.npr.org/2026/04/09/nx-s1-5779627/birthrate-united-states-babies-immigration [https://www.npr.org/2026/04/09/nx-s1-5779627/birthrate-united-states-babies-immigration] “A Dangerous Shift in Maternal Health Policy” by Stephanie Psaki [https://time.com/author/stephanie-psaki/], Dara Kass [https://time.com/author/dara-kass/] and Elizabeth Tobin-Tyler [https://time.com/author/elizabeth-tobin-tyler/], Time https://time.com/article/2026/04/29/a-dangerous-shift-in-maternal-health-policy/ [https://time.com/article/2026/04/29/a-dangerous-shift-in-maternal-health-policy/] “No More Babies? Nobel Laureate’s Take On Fertility Decline” by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox [https://www.forbes.com/sites/avivahwittenbergcox/], Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/avivahwittenbergcox/2025/06/16/no-more-babies-nobel-laureates-take-on-fertility-decline/ [https://www.forbes.com/sites/avivahwittenbergcox/2025/06/16/no-more-babies-nobel-laureates-take-on-fertility-decline/] Babies and the Macroeconomy by Claudia Goldin https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w33311/w33311.pdf [https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w33311/w33311.pdf] Why So Few Births? Hoover Institution https://www.hoover.org/research/why-so-few-births [https://www.hoover.org/research/why-so-few-births] “Funding Cut for Landmark Study of Women's Health” by Rob Stein, NPR https://www.npr.org/2025/04/23/nx-s1-5372892/womens-health-initiative-research-funding-gets-cut [https://www.npr.org/2025/04/23/nx-s1-5372892/womens-health-initiative-research-funding-gets-cut] “What Happens to Health Research When 'Women' and 'Diversity' Are Banned Words?” by Shefali Luthra [https://19thnews.org/author/shefali-luthra] and Barbara Rodriguez [https://19thnews.org/author/barbara-rodriguez], The 19th/PBS https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/what-happens-to-health-research-when-women-and-diversity-are-banned-words [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/what-happens-to-health-research-when-women-and-diversity-are-banned-words] Documentary: “Liberty Lost”  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/liberty-lost/id1815337795 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/liberty-lost/id1815337795] Documentary: “Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever” 2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kf9e1o7rUeo [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kf9e1o7rUeo] These organizations are working to increase women’s healthcare access: Women’s Healthcare Access Matters https://whamnow.org/ [https://whamnow.org/] The Guttmacher Institute https://www.guttmacher.org/ [https://www.guttmacher.org/] Center for Reproductive Rights https://reproductiverights.org/ [https://reproductiverights.org/]

Don't Be a Douche: The History of a Dangerous Hygiene Product

This week we discuss the medically unnecessary product women were taught they couldn’t live without: the douche. About 20% of U.S. women use disposable douche products for vaginal cleansing on a weekly basis. Far more have used them at least once. Yet medical experts say these "hygiene" products are unnecessary and can even be hazardous to your health. So why, despite decades of research linking douching to increased risk of vaginitis, UTI, and even cancer, do women continue to spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year on a product nearly every healthcare expert inists they don't need? We dive into the convoluted history of the modern-day disposable douche and a century's worth of marketing strategies designed to convince women that they ought to be ashamed of their "down there." Show Notes and Sources Consulted: During the recording of this episode Heather asked Lisa if there are warnings about cancer and other serious health risks like vaginitis on the packaging or marketing materials for douching products from companies like Summer’s Eve do contain warnings, but they do not explicitly convey the possible health risks from use or overuse. Instead they caution against douching more than twice a week, during pregnancy, as a form of contraception, or to treat STDs. Douching, Office of Women's Health  https://womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/douching [https://womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/douching] “When Women Used Lysol as Birth Control,” by Nicole Pasulka, Mother Jones, March 2012  https://www.motherjones.com/media/2012/03/when-women-used-lysol-birth-control/ [https://www.motherjones.com/media/2012/03/when-women-used-lysol-birth-control/] “Why You Should Not Ever Need to Douche,” Cleveland Clinic, 2025 https://health.clevelandclinic.org/douche [https://health.clevelandclinic.org/douche] Devices and Desires: A History of Contraception in America by Andrea Tone, 2001 “Study Links Talc Use to Ovarian Cancer,” by Aria Bendix, NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com/health/cancer/talc-baby-powder-linked-ovarian-cancer-jj-lawsuit-rcna152493 [https://www.nbcnews.com/health/cancer/talc-baby-powder-linked-ovarian-cancer-jj-lawsuit-rcna152493]

Another Bloody Book Club: Famesick by Lena Dunham

In our first ever installment of Another Bloody Book Club, Heather and Lisa dig into Famesick, Lena Dunham's raw and surprisingly funny memoir about the collision of ambition, chronic illness, and public life. They explore what the book reveals about the invisible toll of endometriosis, the pressure women face to keep showing up no matter how sick they are, and the particular loneliness of experiencing physical pain that no one can see from the outside. Along the way, they get personal — sharing their own experiences with hysterectomies, pain management, and what it really feels like when your body is altered forever. You can buy Lena Dunham's book Famesick from the following retailers: * Green Apple Books [https://bookshop.org/p/books/famesick-a-memoir-lena-dunham/051a699f988a479a?ean=9780593129326&next=t] * Penguin Random House [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/609917/famesick-by-lena-dunham/] * Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/Famesick-Memoir-Lena-Dunham/dp/0593129326] * Barnes & Noble [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/famesick-lena-dunham/1147924472?irclickid=QMMw0O1JLxyPUaHVah1so20pUkuU1qVPFUVSVw0&sharedid=&irpid=256585&irgwc=1&afsrc=1] The following sources were referenced during this episode:  "Out for Blood: After Years of Medical Gaslighting, a Hysterectomy Set Me Free" by Heather O'Neill, Jenny https://jennymag.com/2024/02/07/endometriosis-hysterectomy-gaslighting/ [https://jennymag.com/2024/02/07/endometriosis-hysterectomy-gaslighting/] What Is EDS? The Ehlers-Danlos Society https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/what-is-eds/  [https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/what-is-eds/] "Linking Stress and Inflammation to Chronic Disease," The Institute for Functional Medicine https://www.ifm.org/podcast/stress-inflammation-chronic-disease [https://www.ifm.org/podcast/stress-inflammation-chronic-disease] "Study Finds Women at Greater Risk of Depression, Anxiety After Hysterectomy," Mayo Clinic https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/study-finds-women-at-greater-risk-of-depression-anxiety-after-hysterectomy/ [https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/study-finds-women-at-greater-risk-of-depression-anxiety-after-hysterectomy/]

Sugaring, Sextortion and What We All Need to Know About Sexual Assualt

In Part 2 of our Sexual Assault Awareness Month conversation, we unpack some of the terminology and ideas mentioned in our interview with advocate Sharon Walker Epps in Episode 10, starting with a roadmap of the terrifying, predatory digital world young people and parents are struggling to navigate. From there, Heather interviews Lisa about her own work as a sexual assault crisis counselor and workshop leader. Finally, we end the episode with a writing prompt from Lisa's Writing Toward Healing workshop that she has developed for sexual assault and intimate partner abuse survivors. Show Notes   The following resources were mentioned or consulted in preparation for this epiisode and Episode 10 of Another Bloody Podcast: RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline, 24/7 confidential support, crisis counseling, and connection to local services across the U.S.: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673); https://www.rainn.org [https://www.rainn.org] The Rowan Center Sexual assault resource agency serving lower Fairfield County, Connecticut. 24/7 Hotline: 203-329-2929; https://www.therowancenter.org National Domestic Violence Hotline, 24/7 confidential support for anyone experiencing intimate partner violence: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233); Text: START to 88788; https://www.thehotline.org/ [https://www.thehotline.org/] National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline to report child exploitation, online enticement, trafficking, or abuse imagery: 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678); https://report.cybertip.org; https://www.missingkids.org Thorn Works to combat online child sexual exploitation: https://www.thorn.org [https://www.thorn.org] KidSafe HQ Digital safety resource created by the Rowan Center to help parents protect children online and offline: https://www.therowancenter.org [https://www.therowancenter.org] National Human Trafficking Hotline, 24/7 confidential support and reporting: 1-888-373-7888; Text: 233733 (BEFREE); https://humantraffickinghotline.org [https://humantraffickinghotline.org] Connecticut Office of Victim Services May provide financial assistance to eligible crime victims: 1-800-822-8428; https://jud.ct.gov/crimevictim/ 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline support for emotional distress or mental health crisis: Call or text 988 24/7; https://988lifeline.org [https://988lifeline.org] CDC: The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, statistics on the frequency of sexual violence: https://www.cdc.gov/nisvs/media/pdfs/sexualviolence-brief.pdf [https://www.cdc.gov/nisvs/media/pdfs/sexualviolence-brief.pdf] National Sexual Violence Resource Center: https://www.nsvrc.org/ [https://www.nsvrc.org/] The Grateful Garment (Go shopping for supplies to support SA survivors!): https://gratefulgarment.org/ [https://gratefulgarment.org/]Way of Healing: How Telling Our Stories Transforms Our Lives, by Louise DeSalvo https://www.beacon.org/Writing-as-a-Way-of-Healing-P436.aspx “Mother” by Lola Ridge (public domain) https://poets.org/poem/mother-1 [https://poets.org/poem/mother-1] The Center for Empowerment and Education, serving victims of interpersonal violence in Danbury, CT https://thecenterct.org/ Find Local Help Anywhere in the U.S. Remember, local rape crisis centers, domestic violence agencies, and child advocacy organizations exist in most communities. RAINN and the National Domestic Violence Hotline can connect you.

From Crisis to Healing: A Conversation with Sexual Assault Awareness Advocate Sharon Walker Epps

In this episode of Another Bloody Podcast, we talk with Sharon Walker Epps, CEO of the Rowan Center, about the long-lasting impact of sexual violence, why so many survivors wait decades to disclose abuse, and what healing can look like when support comes early. Sharon shares her own path from Wall Street to advocacy, shaped in part by her daughter’s experience as a survivor, and explains how sexual assault resource centers help people in the immediate aftermath of trauma and years later. We talk about delayed disclosure, the overlap between midlife and first-time disclosure, the hidden financial and emotional costs of getting help, and the services survivors may not realize are available, from crisis counseling and hospital advocacy to long-term therapy, prevention education, and help navigating the legal system. We also discuss male survivors, victim-blaming, the realities of underreporting, the rise in online exploitation, and why prevention and education matter more than ever. This is a hard but important conversation about trauma, recovery, and the community resources that can help survivors find a way forward. Resources mentioned in this episode: RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline, 24/7 confidential support, crisis counseling, and connection to local services across the U.S.: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673); https://www.rainn.org [https://www.rainn.org] The Rowan Center Sexual assault resource agency serving lower Fairfield County, Connecticut. 24/7 Hotline: 203-329-2929; https://www.therowancenter.org National Domestic Violence Hotline, 24/7 confidential support for anyone experiencing intimate partner violence: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233); Text: START to 88788; https://www.thehotline.org/ [https://www.thehotline.org/] National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline to report child exploitation, online enticement, trafficking, or abuse imagery: 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678); https://report.cybertip.org; https://www.missingkids.org Thorn Works to combat online child sexual exploitation: https://www.thorn.org [https://www.thorn.org] KidSafe HQ Digital safety resource created by the Rowan Center to help parents protect children online and offline: https://www.therowancenter.org [https://www.therowancenter.org] National Human Trafficking Hotline, 24/7 confidential support and reporting: 1-888-373-7888; Text: 233733 (BEFREE); https://humantraffickinghotline.org [https://humantraffickinghotline.org] Connecticut Office of Victim Services May provide financial assistance to eligible crime victims: 1-800-822-8428; https://jud.ct.gov/crimevictim/ 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline support for emotional distress or mental health crisis: Call or text 988 24/7; https://988lifeline.org [https://988lifeline.org] CDC: The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, statistics on the frequency of sexual violence: https://www.cdc.gov/nisvs/media/pdfs/sexualviolence-brief.pdf [https://www.cdc.gov/nisvs/media/pdfs/sexualviolence-brief.pdf] National Sexual Violence Resource Center: https://www.nsvrc.org/ [https://www.nsvrc.org/] The Grateful Garment (Go shopping for supplies to support SA survivors!): https://gratefulgarment.org/ [https://gratefulgarment.org/] Find Local Help Anywhere in the U.S. Remember, local rape crisis centers, domestic violence agencies, and child advocacy organizations exist in most communities. RAINN and the National Domestic Violence Hotline can connect you.