Hormonal

This season on Hormonal we've learned a lot about birth control. From the origin of the pill, to how side effects can be beneficial, to the history and future of Reproductive Justice. But that doesn't mean that there isn't more to learn, especially when it comes to those pesky myths that just never seem to completely disappear.

This week on the Hormonal podcast, we are assembling a super squad of science-backed Mythbusters. They're ready to tackle questions from real users like you.

On the mythbusting squad we're welcoming back Dr. Lynae Brayboy, Clue's Chief Medical Officer–and also joining us is Amanda Shea, Clue's Head of Science, and Dr. Hajnalka Hejja, Clue's Science Lead for Product.

"It feels like it's constantly being reinforced that we should have an exactly 28-day cycle that comes at the exact day we expect, month after month after month. And then it's completely not true."

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended healthcare systems around the world, especially reproductive healthcare. People who relied on face-to-face visits with their doctor or timely appointments are now facing cancellations and rescheduling. And those who had employer-based care in countries that have limited alternatives, like the United States, are now asking themselves, "What now?"

We wanted to know more about how COVID-19, as well as the pandemic and recession associated with it, are influencing people's birth control options and choices.

On this episode of Hormonal, we're joined by Gillian Sealy. She's the interim CEO of Power to Decide–a nonprofit in the U.S. focused on preventing unplanned pregnancy and helping young people find a birth control option that works for them. She joins us today from Tampa Bay, Florida.

Nothing quite brings your fertility front and center like a pregnancy. Whether a pregnancy ends in a baby or not, it causes big changes to your body. Hormonal changes, like an increase in estrogen and prolactin, can cause or are directly related to physical changes, such as breast and milk duct growth.

What do people who've just had a pregnancy, need to know about their birth control options afterwards?

To discuss this, we're joined by two midwives: Imogen Raye Minton is a home birth midwife and co-founder of the Queer Feminist Midwifery Collective here in Berlin; and Yasmeen Bruckner is a certified nurse, midwife and women's nurse, health practitioner at the University of Washington Northwest Campus Midwives Clinic.

The birth control pill, which many of us just call "the pill," officially turns 60 years old this year. Instead of just breaking out the cake and candles, we're telling you the story of the pill. Where did this remarkable invention even come from? And what doors did it open up for our parents and grandparents?

Additionally, when considering the history of remarkable inventions, how do we address the harm that was done along the way?

"College jobs, families, sex. So much came from the pill. And it came because people suffered for it. That that women, black and brown women in particular, were treated like second class citizens. And, you know, you just, that's a sad part of the world that we live in."

Inequality is all around us and manifests in tricky ways. When it comes to healthcare in particular, for many of us, reproductive care is a large part of how we interact with the healthcare system.

So how do systems of oppression such as racism, ableism, sexism, and so many more, make it harder for some of us to access reproductive care?

To talk about this, we're going to explore the theory of reproductive justice. And who better to explain it than Dr. Loretta Ross. She's a professor at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, co-founder of the Sister-Song Collective in Atlanta, Georgia, and one of the co-originators of the concept of reproductive justice.