Origin Stories: the freezer vs. the future (and choices we made along the way)

Your sex drive isn’t the problem. The system is.

Skims dropped underwear with a fake bush on it. The internet lost its mind. And honestly, we couldn’t stop thinking about it, because underneath the hot take is something real: women are constantly told what to do with their bodies, then sold something to undo it, then sold something to undo that. It’s a good on-ramp for where this episode goes, which is deep into sexual health: the version that’s actually about your whole life, not just the avoid-getting-pregnant talk we got in school. The WHO has had a definition of sexual health since 2022 that nobody talks about. Shireen spent three and a half years on endo medication that made her feel nothing, and her gynecologist never mentioned it could. Kait had a full nervous system crash and spent weeks not knowing what was wrong. We get into the broken trust with the healthcare system and what it looks like to rebuild a relationship with your body outside of it. Plus: why Berlin talks about bodies differently than New York, what our stress data looked like during burnout (not good), and whether the longevity industry is just selling us our own anxiety with a better aesthetic. Sexual health is healthcare. It just never got the memo. We want to hear from you Has a diagnosis, medication, or health experience ever changed your relationship to your body in ways nobody prepared you for? What about to a partner? Have you found tools, practices, or communities outside the traditional healthcare system that actually helped? What does sexual health mean to you and is anyone in your healthcare team actually talking about it? Nothing is TMI. Slide into our DMs on Instagram. Because friendship is medicine. And sharing is caring — one person’s health hack can be transformational for someone else. Subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode. The truth has always been in the tea. ☕ Connect with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chronically_female@chronically_female [https://www.instagram.com/chronically_female] Website: https://chronicallyfemale.comchronicallyfemale.com [https://chronicallyfemale.com] Content warning & medical disclaimer: This episode discusses sexual health, hormonal medications, chronic pain, burnout, mental health, and reproductive health. Nothing in this episode should be taken as medical advice, go see your doctor!

73 lesions, a drained 401k, and a movement. In honor of Endo Action Month, a special episode with Nicole Notar.

You can’t mindfulness your way out of a system that wasn’t built for you and no amount of wellness hacks will fix a CPT code that’s actively working against you. In this week’s special episode ahead of a congressional briefing for Endometriosis and Adenomysosis at Capitol Hill, and in honor of Endo Action month, we sat down with Nicole, founder of Endo Excision for All — a nonprofit with one mission: get endo patients the gold standard of care, regardless of what’s in their bank account. Nicole spent 15 years dismissed, misdiagnosed, and bounced between 50+ gynecologists before draining her 401k to fund a surgery that found 73 lesions and changed her life. What came next wasn’t just recovery. It was rage, then action. We get into the real reason excision surgery isn’t covered by insurance (spoiler: surgeries on men are reimbursed higher than those on women, across the board), why gynecologists keep performing ablations that don’t work, what’s happening on Capitol Hill right now, and why March 10th matters. Policy is medicine. And it’s time we started treating it that way. We want to hear from you Have you ever been denied coverage for excision surgery? Have you ever felt like navigating the healthcare system was a second full-time job? What would change for you if policy actually caught up with the science? Nothing is TMI. Slide into our DMs on Instagram. Because friendship is medicine. But sometimes, friendship needs backup from a senator. Subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode. The truth has always been in the tea. ☕ Connect with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chronically_female@chronically_female [https://www.instagram.com/chronically_female] Website: https://chronicallyfemale.comchronicallyfemale.com [https://chronicallyfemale.com] Find Nicole & Endo Excision for All: Nonprofit & Patient Surgery Fund: https://www.endoexcisionforall.orgendoexcisionforall.org [https://www.endoexcisionforall.org] Patient-Vetted Excision Surgeon Directory: available on the Endo Excision for All website Women’s Health Advocates: https://www.womenshealthadvocates.orgwomenshealthadvocates.org [https://www.womenshealthadvocates.org] Endo Hill Day — March 10th: Register and find your state’s meeting at the Endo Excision for All website Content Warning & Medical Disclaimer: This episode discusses medical trauma, insurance denials, chronic pain, surgical recovery, and reproductive health. Nothing in this episode should be taken as medical advice, go see your doctor!

Why female athletes need to train differently (and why we've been doing it all wrong), with Dr. Emily Sauck

The Olympics may be over but we aren’t done talking about women in sports. We sit down with Dr. Emily Sauck, practicing gynecologist, former competitive athlete, and one of the rare humans working at the intersection of hormones, performance, and female physiology. She came to deliver. We're talking about everything the fitness world has been sleeping on when it comes to training women, like not including them in studies until 1993. We've been out here training on borrowed science and we're done with it. We get into why your Oura ring is probably not telling you the full story about your cycle phase. Why chronic stress is doing way more damage than your cortisol TikToks are letting on, and why your vinyasa class is not the recovery day you think it is. The pelvic floor therapy conversation that nobody thought to have with women post-surgery but absolutely should have been. What actually fueling a female body looks like when you stop following plans built for men. And what Dr. Emily is quietly building to help women quit guessing and start actually understanding their bodies. Female athletes are finally getting the attention they deserve. It's time science caught up. . We Want to Hear From You Has training ever felt completely wrong for your body but you couldn't figure out why? Has anyone ever recommended pelvic floor therapy? What would change if you actually trained for your cycle? Nothing is TMI. Slide into our DMs on Instagram. Because friendship is medicine. And everyone watches women's sports, it's time the science caught up. Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode. The truth has always been in the tea. ☕ Connect With Us: Instagram: @chronically_female Website: chronicallyfemale.com Find Dr. Emily Sauck: LinkedIn: Emily Sauck | Website: emilysauck.com | App waitlist: teamhack.com Content Warning & Medical Disclaimer: This episode discusses chronic pain, endometriosis, hormonal health, and athletic training. Nothing in this episode should be taken as medical advice, go see your doctor!

Origin Stories: the endo pre-op you didn’t know you needed (the unfiltered version)

Nobody told us about the surgical options. Nobody told us about the nerve pain. Nobody told us what to ask our surgeons before going under the knife. So we're spilling the tea and sharing everything we wish we knew. We're breaking down the surgical options for endo: laparoscopy vs. laparotomy, excision vs. ablation, and why the gold standard is rarely what you're offered first. The air they pump into your abdomen that no painkiller will touch (and why). The vibe check that made Kait fly to Boston mid-pandemic for a second (and third) opinion and the specialist who sent her right back home. The gynecologist who told Shireen, verbatim, "since you didn't do this with me, this is no longer my problem." These are the questions nobody tells you to ask before Endo surgery: Can you try to save my fallopian tube? Should I freeze my eggs before you go in? Can we place an IUD while I'm already under? And yes - whether your belly button comes out of surgery cuter than it went in. (Reasonable ask. Non-negotiable, actually.) If you're heading toward surgery, just out of it, or trying to figure out who the hell is actually responsible for your care on the other side, this one's for you. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: What questions do you wish you'd asked before your surgery? What do you know now that you wish someone had told you going in? What does aftercare actually look like when your doctors aren't talking to each other? Nothing is TMI. Follow us on Instagram and slide into our DMs - we're building out a real pre- and post-op question guide and we want your input in it. Because friendship is medicine. And someone should have handed you this information years ago. Subscribe so you don't miss Episode 4. The truth has always been in the tea. ☕ CONNECT WITH US: Instagram: @chronically_female Website: chronicallyfemale.com Content Warning & Medical Disclaimer: This episode discusses medical trauma, surgical recovery, chronic pain, gaslighting, and reproductive health. Nothing in this episode should be taken as medical advice, go see your doctor!

Origin Stories: the freezer vs. the future (and choices we made along the way)

To freeze or not to freeze? Your eggs that is… We're unpacking the difference between "medical" and "social" egg freezing (and the misogyny that goes with it). The reality that IVF coverage in Germany requires you to be in a straight marriage and under 39 - but men can be 49. The medical tourism industry is booming because so many countries just... don't allow certain options. And the twisted irony that endo supposedly "goes away" after pregnancy, but often prevents you from getting pregnant in the first place. We're talking about the medical advice that keeps coming up: "Just get pregnant and it'll go away." (Spoiler: pregnancy isn't a cure for Endometriosis OR a bad marriage.) The insurance system that covers egg freezing for cancer but not endometriosis - even when it's the exact same surgery. The stress that tanked Kait's first egg retrieval, and the nervous system reset that gave her 5x the eggs on her attempt just 3 weeks later. The existential weight of potentially losing the option to have kids for a condition you never asked for - especially when you're not even sure you want them. If you've been told pregnancy is the solution, or you're wrestling with the optionality vs. reality of freezing your eggs, this episode is for you. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: Have you been told pregnancy would "cure" your condition? What convinced you to freeze (or not freeze) your eggs? What's the wildest fertility "advice" you've received? Nothing is TMI. Follow us on Instagram and slide into our DMs to share your story. Because friendship is medicine. And we're building a community where impossible choices get real talk, not platitudes. Subscribe now so you don't miss Episode 3. The truth has always been in the tea. ☕ CONNECT WITH US: Instagram: @chronically_female [https://www.instagram.com/chronically_female] Website: chronicallyfemale.com [https://chronicallyfemale.com] *Content Warning: This episode discusses medical trauma, gaslighting, chronic pain, and reproductive health.