Tight Lipped

Bonus episode: "Holding It In" in Spanish!

Cualquier noche de la semana no es nada raro encontrarse a Gabriela perreando al ritmo de Bad Bunny. Ella ama bailar, pero hay una razón por la que está en la pista de baile: tiene que "soltar la pelvis". Hoy Gabriela está viviendo su mejor momento. Aunque hace poco tiempo no era todo color de rosas. Estaba atada por dolorosos síntomas urinarios que no comprendía aparte de estar estancada en una relación con un hombre que no era el compañero que ella necesitaba. En este episodio, conoceremos como mediante su experiencia con el dolor pélvico crónico Gabriela transformó su relacion con las citas, el sexo y (aun más importante) con ella misma.

Over and over again we hear stories from patients with vulvovaginal and pelvic pain who have struggled for years to find care. These patients have been told things like “just drink a glass of wine” or “you must have repressed sexual trauma.” We wanted to find out, what are medical students and residents taught about these conditions? And why don’t most OB/GYNs know the steps to help?

In today’s episode, we’re getting a peek into another side of the conversation: what’s missing from medical education and training. We hear from medical providers and students who are working to close the gaps and we learn about Tight Lipped’s advocacy work, focused on ensuring that every OB/GYN residency program teaches about pain. 

Jazzmine and Jordan have been together for almost a decade. They’ve built a beautiful and fulfilling life in Iowa and you could say that they’re the “perfect” couple. But, there’s one thing that most people don’t know about their relationship: they’ve never had penetrative sex. While Jazzmine used to keep this secret, now she and Jordan are ready to share how they navigate chronic vulvovaginal and pelvic pain together.

Even as recently as the 1960s, American courts were declaring that a marriage without regular penetrative sex was an invalid marriage. In today’s episode, we hear how Jazzmine and Jordan have worked to redefine intimacy in their relationship and resist social and historical narratives about marriage and sex. 

In 1991, Marjorie Wantz made headlines when she died through physician-assisted suicide. She had suffered for years with chronic vulvovaginal and pelvic pain. Marjorie hoped that an autopsy would prove what she’d insisted all along: that her pain was real. But, in the aftermath of her death, the medical community painted Marjorie’s condition as psychological, and imaginary. 

Why did doctors still not believe Marjorie Wantz even after she took her own life to stop the pain? In today’s episode, we’re exploring how and why vulvovaginal pain became understood as a psychological issue. We hear from Hannah Srajer, who researched the development and evolution of “vaginismus” as a diagnosis over the last 100 years. 

On a typical weekday night, you can find Gabriela twerking to Bad Bunny. She loves to dance, but there’s another reason she’s out on the dance floor: to release her pelvic floor. Gabriela’s living her best life these days. Yet, not that long ago, things looked pretty bleak. She felt held back by painful urinary symptoms she didn’t understand, and stuck in a relationship with a man who wasn’t the partner she needed. 

In today’s episode, we hear how Gabriela’s experience with chronic pelvic pain transformed her relationship to sex, dating, and (most importantly) herself.

We are thrilled to be back with the second season of Tight Lipped’s podcast. Our first episode drops on Friday, May 5th! 

You can learn more at https://dothepot.com/.

Today, we’re bringing you a story of change. One that gives a glimpse of what’s possible when patients, researchers, and policy makers come together to fight for a healthier, more hopeful future.

In 1994, Phyllis Mate led a small, dedicated group of women to found the National Vulvodynia Association, the NVA. Their mission was to be the central destination for the most up to date resources and research on vulvodynia. The problem? There wasn’t any medical information on the condition. On today’s episode we learn how a small group of vulvodynia patients fought for research and solutions to a problem they were taught not to talk about.

Full Disclosure: The National Vulvodynia Association is a sponsor of The Tight Lipped Podcast.

A note on gendered language in this episode: we want to be clear that not all women have vaginas, and that not all people with vaginas are women. In this episode, you'll hear the term "women" used to be consistent with clinical research and data available on this topic. However, vulvar pain can affect people of all genders and across the spectrum of gender identities.