On this week’s 51%, we wrap our series on endometriosis. “Endo Dietitian” Stefanie Valakas explains how some endometriosis patients shift to an anti-inflammatory diet to self-manage their symptoms. We also learn about a new endometriosis research hub at the University of Pittsburgh.

Guests: Stefanie Valakas, accredited dietitian and nutritionist and founder of The Dietologist 

On this week’s 51%, we speak with Dr. Karen Tang about everything from fibroids and PCOS to sexual pain and pelvic floor therapy. Tang is a board-certified gynecologist and surgeon who, in her spare time, debunks reproductive health myths for millions of viewers on Tik Tok, YouTube, and Instagram. In her new book, It’s Not Hysteria, Tang presents a comprehensive guide on common pelvic issues and various treatment options for them.

Guest: Dr. Karen Tang, MD and author of "It’s Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health (But Were Never Told)"  

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Jody Cowan, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue. 

On the latest 51%, we continue our series on endometriosis, speaking with doctors, patients, advocates, and researchers about a disease that impacts roughly 1 in 10 women worldwide. Patient advocate and “Endo Girls” blogger Kate Boyce discusses her journey with endometriosis treatment, and an often-overlooked aspect of gynecologic surgery: recovery. 

Guest: Kate Boyce, BCPA and co-founder of the blog "Endo Girls" 

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Jody Cowan, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue. 

On this week’s 51%, we kick off our series on endometriosis, an inflammatory disease impacting roughly 1 in 10 women. Dr. Lora Liu, a gynecologic surgeon and endometriosis excision specialist in New York City, discusses the basics of the disease – and why we still know so little about it. Dr. Liu also dives into treatment options for patients, and offers her advice for those considering excision surgery. 

Guest: Dr. Lora Liu, gynecologic surgeon and excision specialist

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Jody Cowan, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue. 

The Arizona state Supreme Court has cleared the way for the revival of an abortion ban dating back to the 1860s. On this week’s 51%, Rutgers Law School professor Kimberly Mutcherson breaks down the court’s decision, and analyzes the current tumultuous legal landscape for abortion rights in the U.S. WAMC’s Ian Pickus also speaks with NPR political correspondent Sarah McCammon about her new book The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church.

Guests: Kimberly Mutcherson, professor and former co-dean at Rutgers Law School; Sarah McCammon, NPR political correspondent and author of The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Jody Cowan, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue. 

On this week’s 51%, WAMC’s Sarah LaDuke sits down with singer-songwriter Dawn Landes to discuss her new record reimagining "The Liberated Woman’s Songbook" from 1971. WAMC’s Samantha Simmons also meets a couple with a decades-long story of love and friendship that finally tied the knot during the Great North American eclipse.

Guest: Dawn Landes, The Liberated Woman's Songbook

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Jody Cowan, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue.

On this week’s 51%, we speak with mountain athlete and fertility doula Angie Marie to learn how some women are applying the concepts behind cycle syncing to their everyday lives. “Cycle syncing” is the practice of adjusting one’s diet or exercise to the different stages of their menstrual cycle. While the theory has become more popular among female athletes, Marie says she uses cycle syncing to increase her creativity, get in touch with her emotions, and promote self-care. Marie lays out some tips and tricks on how to listen to your body in her new guide, The Cycle Syncing Handbook. 

Guest: Angie Marie, birth and fertility doula and author of The Cycle Syncing Handbook: Identify Hormonal Patterns, Build Holistic Habits, and Embrace the Power of Your Menstrual Cycle

*Disclaimer: This episode discusses subjects like menstruation, ovulation, and specifically, cervical mucus from 8:47-11:17. We've opted to air the more in-depth descriptions of these topics, because we feel it is medically important for women to know.

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Jody Cowan, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue. 

On the latest 51%, Dr. Elizabeth Comen gives us a lesson on gender bias in early medicine, and how it continues to prevent women from getting adequate care. Dr. Comen is a breast oncologist and medical historian with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan. In her new book, All in Her Head, she examines how early medicine failed women in just about every major organ system of their bodies, and why women’s health is still so misunderstood. 

Guest: Dr. Elizabeth Comen, breast oncologist at Memoiral Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and author of All in Her Head: The Truth and Lies Early Medicine Taught Us About Women’s Bodies, and Why it Matters Today

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Jody Cowan, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue. 

On this week’s 51%, public speaker and mentor Chelsey Goodan provides insight on the wisdom and power of teenage girls. For years, Goodan has been working with girls one-on-one and speaking with them about mental health, body image, social media, boys, friendships, and parents. In her new book Underestimated, Goodan explores why we, as a society, so often restrict and belittle girls at an age when they’re supposed to be gaining independence. We also speak with therapist Khara Croswaite Brindle about how to find peace amid parent-child estrangement. 

Guests: Chelsey Goodan, author of Underestimated: The Wisdom and Power of Teenage Girls; Khara Croswaite Brindle, owner of Croswaite Counseling PLLC and author of Understanding Ruptured Mother-Daughter Relationships

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Jody Cowan, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue. 

On this week’s 51%, our associate producer Jody Cowan catches up with NASA astronaut, engineer, and chemist Tracy Caldwell Dyson ahead of her third mission to the International Space Station this month. During her six-month stay, Dyson will help maintain station equipment and contribute to a number of ongoing science experiments. WAMC’s Ian Pickus also speaks with NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce about her new book, Transient and Strange.

Guests: Tracy Caldwell Dyson, NASA astronaut; Rebecca Van Tassell, program coordinator at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies; Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR science correspondent and author of Transient and Strange: Notes on the Science of Life

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Jody Cowan, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue.