CRAMPED

Endometriosis Historian & Professor of Medical Humanities Dr Maria Rovito comes on CRAMPED to talk 2000 years of endometriosis, wandering wombs, and hysteria. Her new book, Crippling Endometriosis: Feminist Disability Histories and Reflections on Power and Pain is out now!

Dr. Rovito's website (where you see the classes she teaches & find book links): https://www.mariarovito.com/

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

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Obviously we're big on communicating about your pain here at CRAMPED - we've covered the research that shows talking about your pain actually reduces your pain levels - but what about PLEASURE? Could improving our communication skills around our pain lead to better sex lives? Kate brings on sex communication experts Kels and Tess from Squirm, a company dedicated to helping you gain skills around talking about sex and pleasure. They get into the stigmas that keep both sexual pleasure and period pain from being out-in-the-open topics, the systems that keep it that way, and how to break free and shout both your pain AND your pleasure from whatever rooftop you want!

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If you've been looking up some Oscar-nominated short films to watch before the awards show, you may have noticed one called "Jane Austen's Period Drama". Seeing this in theaters inspired Kate to finally release two interviews with indie artists - one feature filmmaker, and one novelist - who have released work about their period pain!

Novelist Grace Daly, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of The Scald Crow, has experienced debilitating symptoms from her endometriosis, adenomyosis, M-CAS, EDS, and POTs since she was 11, and has struggled to get doctors to take her seriously or treat her. She's woven those experiences into a classic haunted-house story with many twists that is SO FUN to read!

Find the Scald Crow by Grace Daly anywhere that books are sold, or order on bookshop.org here: https://bit.ly/4uehIlD

Filmmaker Brooke H. Cellars had period pain so excruciating it made it impossible for her to finish college or hold down a full time job. It took her 20 years to finally get diagnosed and treated surgically for endometriosis. Post-surgery, with hormone treatments to manage the endo, she was able to finish college and begin a career in writing and directing. Her feature film The Cramps: A Period Piece blends her real-life experience with a "darkly colorful", campy 80s aesthetic.

Watch the trailer on youtube here: https://bit.ly/4cziaER

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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.

Can you imagine waking up with death cramps, and instead of dragging yourself to work with your heating pad and a bucket of ibuprofen or using up one of your sick days, you could just...use a PAID menstrual leave day??

Menstrual leave is a reality in more places than you might think!! Does it already exist where you live? Is there CURRENTLY a bill in your state senate requiring companies to provide it? What are the arguments AGAINST this policy? Kate gets wonk-level deep into the landscape and the history, just for you! 

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Comedian Max Gross is back on CRAMPED for an update on his adventures with endometriosis, hysterectomies, and rebellious ovaries! Max and Kate try to figure out how big their internal organs actually are, what the best "medical green flags" are, and why speaking in "dad talk" to doctors works so well.

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

Find Max Gross on Instagram @maxgotjokes

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What's it like to get period pain in middle or high school today? It's been 20 YEARS since my own pretty abysmal menstrual health education, and I wondered - has it gotten better? Has the internet helped? Are there more resources and support out there for a young cramper?

To answer my questions, I turned to Kat Samedova, who recently graduated from Kingston High School and is the former vice president of the Period Power! Club there. I also talked with the Period Power Club's advisor, Tina the Tampon Lady, and the TMI Project's Organizational & Programs Manager.

LINKS:

Period Power! Club website: https://www.periodpowerclub.com/

Period.org: https://period.org/

Period Power Stories: https://tmiproject.org/period-power-stories/

TMI Project website: https://tmiproject.org/

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.

Sasheer Zamata (SNL, Agatha All Along, Ghosts) hangs out for a little 2 person "clam bake" to tell the story of her period pain and fibroids, how she changed her approach to healthcare, and what it's like to do standup about her period pain to 22 million people.

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

Sasheer on Instagram: @thesheertruth

Sasheer's website: https://sasheer.com/

Watch Sasheer's new special, The First Woman, on Hulu.

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Have you ever sought help for your period pain and been told "just lose some weight", or "exercise more", or "just cut out [insert any food group here]"?

We know that diet and exercise is important, and when we're dealing with period pain (or any of the conditions that cause it), we try to "eat healthy" and "move our bodies". But is there something missing from this equation that's sabotaging our efforts?

Kate brings on Allison Yamamoto (certified fitness & nutrition coach specializing in menstrual disturbances) to answer her questions about about diet, exercise, and period pain.

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

Links Mentioned in Episode:

IOC Consensus Statement: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/17/1073

Allison's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allisonyamamoto/?hl=en

Allison's Website: https://www.koaathletic.health/

Direct link to subscribe to Allison's newsletter: https://subscribepage.io/f4BQFI 

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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.

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