Reproductive coercion – any behavior that interferes with someone’s ability to make decisions about their reproductive health – can happen in the context of intimate relationships, family relationships, or even in health care settings.  

Laura Swan, PhD, LCSW, research scientist in the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Population Health Sciences and the UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity, joined the Women’s Healthcast to talk about her research on reproductive coercion, and why she thinks it’s important for patients as well as providers to understand reproductive coercion and autonomy. 

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November is Bladder Health Month. To celebrate, we’re replaying an interview with Angie Sergeant, a nurse practitioner in the UW Health Women’s Pelvic Wellness Clinic. In this interview from 2020, Angie talks about risk factors for pelvic floor disorders, pelvic floor physical therapy and other interventions, and what visits to her clinic look like. 

If you’d like to learn more about pelvic floor disorders, join providers in the UW Health Women’s Pelvic Wellness Clinic at a free, virtual Healthy Women Community Talk on November 14, 2023, at 6:00pm. More information and registration here: https://www.obgyn.wisc.edu/community-talks

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Health disparities in the United States are a pressing issue – and we see gaps in health outcomes across all aspects of ob-gyn care, too. What role does the health care system have in reducing health disparities?

Dr. Denise Howard sat down with the Women’s Healthcast in advance of delivering the keynote lecture “Our Greatest Challenge: Eliminating Healthcare Disparities” at the 2023 UW Women’s Health and Health Equity Research Lecture & Symposium. Dr. Howard is Chief of Obstetrics & Gynecology at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital and Vice Chair in the Weill Cornell Medicine Department of Ob-Gyn.

Dr. Howard discussed what she views as common causes of disparities in health care, why she frames the conversation around inequities in health care settings, and some of the most promising innovations in healthcare that could help reduce disparities.

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Can starting a new birth control method, or changing your method, be as easy as opening an app, answering a few questions about your health, and picking up your prescription? E-visits for contraception are increasingly popular, whether offered through clinics or online-only services. 

Dr. Eliza Bennett, an ob-gyn at UW Health, and Nicole Shapiro, a nurse practitioner and certified nurse midwife at UW Health, joined the Women’s Healthcast to talk about e-visits for birth control: how the process works, what kinds of birth control are available using this service, and why they launched an e-visit system for UW Health patients. 

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Palliative care – medical care to help relieve symptoms and improve quality of life for people with serious illnesses – is often a key component of cancer care and treatment. During Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Catherine Zhang joined the Women’s Healthcast to talk about palliative care, palliative care’s place in gynecologic cancer treatment, and how people can approach conversations around advance care planning in their own lives.

Dr. Zhang is a gynecologic oncologist in the UW Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, where she cares for people with all types of reproductive cancers.

RESOURCES:

The Conversation Project

What are palliative care and hospice care? - National Institute on Aging

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Perineal tears, or perineal lacerations, are a very common complication that can happen during childbirth – somewhere between 60-70 percent of people who give birth experience some degree of tearing in the skin or muscles between the vagina and anus. Despite their frequency, they’re not a commonly-discussed topic. Our guest today hopes to change that.

Dr. Jon Pennycuff, a Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgeon in the UW Department of Ob-Gyn, joined the Women’s Healthcast to talk about perineal tears – how often they happen, how they’re treated, and what he wishes more people understood about them.

RESOURCES:

Pelvic Floor Health Guide – American Urogynecologic Society

Third and Fourth-Degree Perineal Tears – American Urogynecologic Society

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In July 2023, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved a birth control pill for over-the-counter use, meaning most consumers could buy it from a pharmacy without a prescription. The pill will likely be available sometime in 2024.

To learn more about the progestin-only birth control that’s approved for over-the-counter use, we talked with Dr. Amy Domeyer-Klenske. We discussed how the pill works, important safety considerations for people to know, and the remaining questions about how birth control without a prescription might affect availability and access for people in the U.S.

Dr. Domeyer-Klenske is an obstetrician-gynecologist, director of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn, and president of the Wisconsin section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

RESOURCES:

Progestin-Only Birth Control - American College of Ob-Gyns

FDA Approves First Nonprescription Daily Oral Contraceptive - US Food and Drug Administration

Over-the-counter birth control is coming. Here's what to know about cost and coverage - National Public Radio

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Vasomotor symptoms, also known as hot flashes, are one of the most common and most disruptive symptoms of the perimenopause transition. For some people, they can happen more than seven times a day. And once hot flashes start, people experience them for an average of 2 years (but sometimes as long as 10 to 12 years).

On this episode of the Women’s Healthcast, Dr. Genevieve Neal-Perry joins us to talk about a new understanding of what causes hot flashes, what hot flash management has looked like until now, and her recent studies examining new treatment options for these symptoms.

Dr. Neal-Perry is the Robert A. Ross Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

RESOURCES:

Safety of Fezolinetant for Vasomotor Symptoms Associated With Menopause - Obstetrics and Gynecology

5 of the Most Common Questions About Menopause - American College of Ob-Gyns

Hormone Therapy for Menopause - American College of Ob-Gyns

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In early April 2023, the World Health Organization released a new report that suggests one in six adults – or roughly 17.5% of the world’s adult population – will be affected by infertility in their lifetime. Despite how common infertility is, access to treatment in the United States is inconsistent.

This week (April 23-29, 2023) is National Infertility Awareness Week. For this episode of the Women’s Healthcast, we wanted to focus on equity and access in the infertility world.

First, we’ll hear from Dr. Kate Schoyer, a reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist in the Medical College of Wisconsin Department of Ob-Gyn, about whether everyone in the U.S. has equitable access to fertility care, what kinds of barriers may stand in the way of building a family, and what would need to change to make sure that those one in six adults can take advantage of needed fertility services.

Then we’ll hear from a Wisconsin couple – Karron and Brian – about how the financial realities of fertility care in the U.S. impacted their treatment journey.

IVF – American Society for Reproductive Medicine

ICSI – American Society for Reproductive Medicine

Coverage and Use of Fertility Services in the U.S. – Kaiser Family Foundation

Resolve.org

Building Families Alliance Wisconsin

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There’s a lot to consider when choosing the right birth control -- what will work with your lifestyle? What are your goals? Are there other health issues you should consider before starting a method? Where can you go to find the right birth control for you?

On this Back to Basics episode of the Women’s Healthcast, guest experts Dr. Ryan Luellwitz and Dr. Paula Cody answer all our common birth control questions: what kinds of birth control are available, how they work, and how someone can figure out what might be a good method for them.

Resources for more information:

Birth Control - Bedsider.org

Birth Control - Center for Young Women's Health

Birth Control - Planned Parenthood

Birth Control - Young Men's Health

Title X Clinics Locator - US Dept of Health and Human Services

Women's Healthcast: Emergency Contraception

Women's Healthcast: The State of Abortion Rights in 2022

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