Menstruation. Is there any other biological process that is so widely experienced yet is still discussed in hushed tones or with an air of disgust? Period product commercials that never mention menstruation (and what’s with the blue liquid?), sex education classes covering what periods are without advising how to manage them, the endless list of menstruation euphemisms, prominent evolutionary hypotheses dismissing periods as maladaptive, even proposed laws forbidding the discussion of periods in school (looking at you, Florida) - these are just a few examples of the ways that we have been taught to be ashamed or grossed out by a natural biological process. In this TPWKY book club episode, we chat with Dr. Kate Clancy, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Illinois, about her recently published book Period: The Real Story of Menstruation, a compelling must-read that examines both scientific and societal perceptions of periods. Our conversation with Dr. Clancy takes us through the origins of period stigma, the leading hypotheses as to why we get periods, the observed link between the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and menstruation, the hopeful period future, and so much more. Tune in to learn where a uterus pancake fits into this discussion and stay to have all of your period myths busted.
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Ep 116 It's never lupus (except this time)
Ep 115 Altitude Sickness: Balloons though?
Special Episode: Angela Saini & Superior
Ep 114 Listeria: It put dairy on the map
Special Episode: Sarah Everts & The Joy of Sweat
Ep 113 Vitamin D: The D stands for drama
Special Episode: David Quammen & Breathless
Ep 112 Epilepsy: It’s always the phlegm
Ep 111 RSV: What’s syncytial anyway?
Ep 110 Influenza, Take 2: Fowl Play
Ep 109 Chikungunya: Not dengue (or is it?)
Ep 108 Gout: Toetally fascinating
Ep 107 Sepsis: It's a mess
Ep 106 Turner Syndrome: Let's talk about X
Ep 105 Down in the Mumps
Ep 104 The Bends: Industrial Revolution, baby
Ep 103 Leptospirosis: Don't blame the rats
Ep 102 Arsenic: Paris Green with Envy
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