Special Episode: Dr. Kate Clancy & Period

Menstruation. Is there any other biological process that is so widely experienced yet is still discussed in hushed tones or with an air of disgust? Period product commercials that never mention menstruation (and what’s with the blue liquid?), sex education classes covering what periods are without advising how to manage them, the endless list of menstruation euphemisms, prominent evolutionary hypotheses dismissing periods as maladaptive, even proposed laws forbidding the discussion of periods in school (looking at you, Florida) - these are just a few examples of the ways that we have been taught to be ashamed or grossed out by a natural biological process. In this TPWKY book club episode, we chat with Dr. Kate Clancy, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Illinois, about her recently published book Period: The Real Story of Menstruation, a compelling must-read that examines both scientific and societal perceptions of periods. Our conversation with Dr. Clancy takes us through the origins of period stigma, the leading hypotheses as to why we get periods, the observed link between the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and menstruation, the hopeful period future, and so much more. Tune in to learn where a uterus pancake fits into this discussion and stay to have all of your period myths busted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Om Podcasten

This podcast might not actually kill you, but Erin Welsh and Erin Allmann Updyke cover so many things that can. In each episode, they tackle a different topic, teaching listeners about the biology, history, and epidemiology of a different disease or medical mystery. They do the scientific research, so you don’t have to.   Since 2017, Erin and Erin have explored chronic and infectious diseases, medications, poisons, viruses, bacteria and scientific discoveries. They’ve researched public health subjects including plague, Zika, COVID-19, lupus, asbestos, endometriosis and more. Each episode is accompanied by a creative quarantini cocktail recipe and a non-alcoholic placeborita. Erin Welsh, Ph.D. is a co-host of the This Podcast Will Kill You. She is a disease ecologist and epidemiologist and works full-time as a science communicator through her work on the podcast. Erin Allmann Updyke, MD, Ph.D. is a co-host of This Podcast Will Kill You. She’s an epidemiologist and disease ecologist currently in the final stretch of her family medicine residency program. This Podcast Will Kill You is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including science, true crime, comedic interviews, news, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, Buried Bones, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast and more.