Dr. Laura Payne, the best-named clinical & research psychologist studying menstrual pain, joins us to talk about how our brains process the sensations of pain. Are there psychological interventions that can actually relieve chronic pain? Does having severe period pain mean we're doomed to chronic pain forever? What's the difference between a doctor telling you "you're just anxious" and a pain psychology specialist helping you reprocess your pain pathways? Will Dr. Payne ever start a band? LETS FIND OUT! 

Listen to the full episode and support CRAMPED by joining the Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/CRAMPED

CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In our last episode of 2025, Kate looks back on 2025 and attempts to answer the question "Are crampers better off in 2025?" We take a tour through SUPER FUN stuff that impacts people with period pain like federal funding decisions, new endometriosis research centers, new pain medications, and medical guidance releases. We get a zoomed-out sense of the state of dysmenorrhea in 2025, and what we have to look forward to next year.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You know how many diseases are diagnosed or monitored by drawing blood from a vein in your arm and running tests on it? Would those tests still work if you ran them on menstrual blood? It's not THAT crazy, right? So why did the first research into this only start TWELVE YEARS AGO??

In this subscriber-only episode, Kate covers the (brief) history of how western medicine has thought of menstrual blood, and introduces you to three organizations currently developing diagnostic tests to be done on period blood. What if you could dip a test strip in your menstrual cup and find out if you have endometriosis?? Or diabetes, or cervical cancer, or an STI? What if a natural bodily fluid that's been thought of as "stinky and useless" throughout the course of modern medicine could...actually be the key to solving the mysteries of these diseases?

To listen to the full episode, join the CRAMPED Patreon at any level: https://www.patreon.com/c/CRAMPED

Check out the ROSE Study here: https://www.northwell.edu/news/insights/outsmarting-endometriosis

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kate brings on a friend for a Case Study episode all about recurring UTIs and the vaginal microbiome. They take a microbiome test and talk to a health provider to understand how whats living in their "villages" impacts yeast infections, UTIs, BV, fertility, and so much more.

CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice.

Support CRAMPED by joining the Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/CRAMPED

You can find Vienna here: https://thecuntsultant.com

More info on Daye: https://www.yourdaye.com/en-us/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Everybody's always telling us patient advocacy is the way to solve systemic issues in women's healthcare - ok so what exactly IS patient advocacy? What does it look like? HOW does it get us better care, research and treatments? Kate asks these questions to Noa Fleischacker, executive director of Tight Lipped, a grassroots movement by and for people with chronic vulvovaginal and pelvic pain that's actually been able to make change in OB-GYN education programs.

CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice.

Support CRAMPED by joining the Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/CRAMPED

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Why does it feel so hard to talk about our period pain? Who benefits when we stay quiet? How do we build a world where information about period pain travels as easily as a casual chat?

In this how-to episode, Kate gives some tips on what helps her speak up - in one-on-one situations with friends & family & coworkers, and in organizing groups of people with uteruses to share information and support.

CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice.

Support CRAMPED by joining the Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/CRAMPED

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kate talks to Dr. Sara Reardon, aka The Vagina Whisperer - a board-certified pelvic floor physical therapist and author of the new book Floored, a woman's guide to pelvic floor health at every age and stage. They discuss what the pelvic floor even is, how pelvic floor muscles are involved in period pain, and how we're all peeing and pooping wrong!

CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice.

Support CRAMPED by joining the Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/CRAMPED

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kate is back from surgery! In Part 2 of this 2 part episode, Kate walks through the day of the surgery, from arriving at the hospital to the 4 weeks of recovery thus far, and the surgical and pathology results that finally gave her answers to questions about her cramps she's had for 22 years. Hopefully this episode is helpful to anyone curious about endometriosis excision surgery, or anxious about recovery.

CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice.

Support CRAMPED by joining the Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/CRAMPED

Patreon members will get access to subscriber-only episodes, ad-free episodes, and the CRAMPED Discord community.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kate is back from surgery! In Part 1 of a 2 part series, she goes step by step through the imaging result that gave her the information that lead her to commit to surgery, and the physical, administrative, and financial preparations for her surgery. Get ready to hear real numbers and honesty about the factors contributing to the decision. Hopefully this episode is helpful to anyone on the fence about the decision or trying to figure out how to make surgery feasible.

CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice.

Support CRAMPED by joining the Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/CRAMPED

Patreon members will get access to subscriber-only episodes, ad-free episodes, and the CRAMPED Discord community.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this Case Study episode, Kate brings on Deanna Hart-Nokes, who just went off hormonal birth control for the second time in 20 years, and has been experiencing some mysterious symptoms. Kate deep-dives into the clinical research to understand how hormonal birth control works, and what might be causing Deanna's increased period pain, soreness, and increased sensation.

CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice.

Support CRAMPED by joining the Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/CRAMPED

Patreon members will get access to subscriber-only episodes, ad-free episodes, and the CRAMPED Discord community.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.