On Health for Women

Let’s talk about abortion pills. This week, I am joined by the partnerships and engagement manager at Plan C, Imani Wilson-Shabazz. Imani is a beacon of light in the reproductive health and sexuality awareness space who, through education and empowerment, is transforming family planning systems and institutions. On today's episode, we hear all about Imani’s sex-positive upbringing and how her ninth grade "sex education" class inspired her to study reproductive health and advocate for abortion access. She also answers every question you’re likely to have about abortion pills and shares an easy yet powerful way you can support Plan C’s vision.  Aviva and Imani discuss: The failure of abstinence only programs and specifically how communities of color are disadvantaged by those programs What Imani’s research shows us teens want to know more about that they’re not learning in sexuality education classes What Plan C is, how it's used, and how it can facilitate safe at-home abortions Myths and misconceptions about abortion pills Why there is so much stigma surrounding abortion pills in the US as opposed to other countries  What medications are used to facilitate a self-managed abortion and the safety of these medications General guidelines to facilitate an at-home abortion and care for yourself afterwards  To learn more about your lady parts, check out this article: avivaromm.com/lady-parts To learn more about Plan C, visit plancpills.org  Imani Wilson-Shabazz is a recent graduate of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, earning an MPH in Community Health Sciences with a certificate in Population and Reproductive Health. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Social and Behavioral Sciences at Temple University. Ms. Wilson-Shabazz currently works at Plan C as their Partnerships and Engagement Manager, facilitating community partnerships to increase awareness of abortion pill access around the country. She also provides lectures, webinars, and educational videos on how to advocate for and promote medication abortion access in diverse communities.  Thank you so much for taking the time to tune in to your body, yourself, and this podcast! Please share the love by sending this to someone in your life who could benefit from the kinds of things we talk about in this space. Make sure to follow your host on Instagram @dr.avivaromm and go to avivaromm.com to join the conversation. Follow Plan C @plancpill 

This week, I hop on the mic solo to fill you in on everything you need to know about the Pap test, HPV, and pelvic exams. I cover why we can finally say bye bye to routine annual pelvic exams (insert cheer here!) and how often a Pap test and HPV screening should be done. I also answer all of your burning questions about the HPV vaccine, overcoming testing fears, negative test results, and cervical cancer prevention. The great news, ladies—you can skip the shave and keep your britches on for your next annual physical exam.  Let’s explore this further. For the accompanying article, go to https://avivaromm.com/pelvic-exams/ 

It’s not just you. You're not crazy. You're not a bad mom. You're not alone. These are words and deep beliefs that resonate through and form the backbone of today’s guests, Catherine Birndorf, MD, and Paige Bellenbaum, LMSW. Catherine and Paige are dedicated to changing the perinatal mental health terrain, and they do it through The Motherhood Center, a place of radical acceptance, nurturance, and individual and group support. On today’s episode, we pull back the curtain on motherhood and redefine what is considered "normal" and "typical". With PMADs (perinatal mood and anxiety disorders) being the #1 complication associated with birth and the #2 cause of maternal mortality, this is a critical conversation. On today’s episode, we unpack why it’s so important that we talk more about these conditions, how to do your best to prevent PMADs, and what to do if you or someone you love has symptoms.  Aviva, Paige, and Catherine discuss: The definition of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADS) and the different diagnoses that fall under the PMAD umbrella What PMAD taboos still exist today, why this needs to change, and how Roe v. Wade affects these taboos Paige and Catherine’s personal stories with perinatal mood disorders and what brought them to the point of specializing in PMADS and opening the motherhood center The kinds of physical and psychological feelings and symptoms associated with PMADs and signs birthing people and their providers should watch out for Why we need to move in the direction of making it mandatory for OB-GYNs, midwives, pediatricians, and any providers who come in contact with newer expecting mothers to begin educating their patients about PMADS and screening for symptoms  The effects of the pandemic, social isolation, and potential cultural contributors on PMADS  The role of medication and psychotherapy in treating conditions Catherine Birndorf is a reproductive psychiatrist and the co-founder, CEO, and medical director of The Motherhood Center of New York. Dr. Birndorf is the founding director of the Payne Whitney Women’s Program at Weill Cornell Medicine and a clinical associate professor of psychiatry and obstetrics & gynecology. Dr. Birndorf was a regular mental health columnist for Self Magazine and has appeared on numerous television programs, including The Today Show, Good Morning America, MSNBC, and CNN. She is the author of The Nine Rooms of Happiness and What No One Tells You: A Guide to Your Emotions from Pregnancy to Motherhood.    Paige Bellenbaum is the founding director and chief external relations officer at The Motherhood Center of New York. For the past 20 years, she has worked in public policy, advocacy, and clinical care with various populations, including homeless families and incarcerated young adults. She drafted legislation in New York State championed by Senator Liz Krueger, mandating hospitals to provide education on PMADs and strongly encouraging screening of all new and expecting mothers, signed into law in 2014. She has appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, NPR, PBS Newshour, Fortune, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. For more information or to reach out visit themotherhoodcenter.com or call (212) 335-0034. Thank you so much for taking the time to tune in to your body, yourself, and this podcast! Please share the love by sending this to someone in your life who could benefit from the kinds of things we talk about in this space. Make sure to follow your host on Instagram @dr.avivaromm and go to avivaromm.com to join the conversation. Mentioned in this episode:Looking for supplements for yourself and your family, including some of those I talk about in episodes? You can find those - and your 15% discount on every order here: avivaromm.com/supplements

We're living in a time when collective solutions and open dialogue are needed more than ever, but the rise of call-out and cancel-culture has left many important conversations silent. This week, I welcome the absolutely iconic feminist and activist, Loretta J. Ross. Loretta is flipping the script with her newly coined term, "Call-In Culture," and on today’s episode, we learn exactly what that term means and its impact on cancel culture. Loretta is a trailblazer in the reproductive rights movement, and we speak about the major phenomenon she calls "horizontal canceling" and its impact on the effectiveness of movements. Hopefully, this conversation expands your understanding of how we can connect and influence, rather than silence, to create change. Aviva and Loretta discuss: The incredibly challenging obstacles Loretta faced growing up, including sexual abuse and an unintended pregnancy at fourteen, and how these experiences led to her work in reproductive rights, becoming one of the first African American women to direct a rape crisis center and coining of the term reproductive justice.How Loretta defines calling-in, her take on why people tend to go after more vulnerable targets, and the impacts of fierce individualism on community well-beingHow calling-out is showing up in the reproductive rights movement, the risks of horizontal canceling, and what we can do about it  The meanings of the "woking dead" and “circles of influence” and the impacts both have on our culture  Loretta J. Ross is a fierce and formidable women’s health rights activist for over four decades now and co-coined the term reproductive justice. She currently teaches courses on white supremacy, human rights, and calling in the calling out culture at Smith College's Program for the Study of Women and Gender. Loretta was the National Coordinator of the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective and the National Co-Director of the 2004 March for Women’s Lives in Washington, D.C., the largest protest march in U.S. history at that time. She founded the National Center for Human Rights Education and launched the Women of Color Program for the National Organization for Women. She has co-written 3 books on reproductive justice and has a forthcoming book called Calling In the Calling Out Culture.  Find out more about Loretta and sign up for her courses at lorettajross.com.  Thank you so much for taking the time to tune in to your body, yourself, and this podcast! Please share the love by sending this to someone in your life who could benefit from the kinds of things we talk about in this space. Make sure to follow your host on Instagram @dr.avivaromm and go to avivaromm.com to join the conversation. Follow Loretta @LorettaJRoss. 

This week we are diving deep into fertility awareness, body autonomy, and cycle tracking with the author of The Fifth Vital Sign, Lisa Hendrickson-Jack. With forms of contraception at risk of becoming harder to access in a post-Roe world, now more than ever we need options that allow us to be in sync with our cycles and decide exactly when we would like to have children, if at all. Lisa shares her expertise on the fertility awareness method, the various biomarkers that signal you’re fertile, and how conception occurs—or doesn’t. If you’re looking to take control of your reproductive health, this episode is for you. Aviva and Lisa discuss: The common myth that pregnancy can occur every day of the cycle Ovulation and the fertile window length, and signs and symptoms to help you track and understand your cycle Popular fertility awareness methods, their efficacy, and how to begin using tracking methods safely and effectively Emergency contraception methods, how they work, and information to help you choose the right option for you Lisa Hendrickson-Jack is a certified Fertility Awareness Educator and Holistic Reproductive Health Practitioner who teaches women to chart their menstrual cycles for natural birth control, conception, and monitoring overall health. Lisa is the author of The Fifth Vital Sign and host of the Fertility Friday Podcast.  Find Lisa’s charting workbook HERE  Thank you so much for taking the time to tune in to your body, yourself, and this podcast! Please share the love by sending this to someone in your life who could benefit from the kinds of things we talk about in this space. Make sure to follow me on Instagram @dr.avivaromm and go to avivaromm.com to join the conversation. Follow Lisa @fertilityfriday. 

Even before the pandemic, we were facing a cultural epidemic. It goes by a lot of different names—anxiety, depression, overwhelm, burnout. Chances are you’ve felt it before. Currently, as a collective, we are experiencing a feeling of global overwhelm and exhaustion and find ourselves in a constant state of survival mode. This has its own name—crisis fatigue. On today’s solo episode, I share how crisis fatigue shows up both physically and emotionally, how to get out of it, and a wealth of tools to weather this storm.  Let’s explore this further. For the accompanying article, go to avivaromm.com/170 Thank you so much for taking the time to tune in to your body, yourself, and this podcast! Please share the love by sending this to someone in your life who could benefit from the kinds of things we talk about in this space. Make sure to follow me on Instagram @dr.avivaromm and go to avivaromm.com to join the conversation.  

Did you know researchers estimate that nearly two thirds of those living with Alzheimer’s in the United States are women? This week, I am joined by the Mona Lisa of Neuroscience, bestselling author, and one of the most influential scientists of our time, Dr. Lisa Mosconi. Lisa is blowing the lid off of female brain health with her groundbreaking research on cognitive enhancement and Alzheimer's prevention, specifically in women. She provides us with a full access pass into what is truly going on in the female brain as we age, and why understanding the unique risks and strengths of the XX brain is so incredibly important, no matter the year you were born. Consider this episode a roadmap to optimal, lifelong brain health.  We discuss: The meaning of “bikini medicine,” why it hinders women’s health research, and how Lisa is confronting this crisis The protective effects of cumulative estrogen exposure and the role of hormone replacement therapy in women’s brain health How risk of memory loss and dementia can be prevented by using an integrative approach including appropriate medical care and lifestyle modifications involving diet, physical and intellectual fitness Testing recommendations to assess brain health, the Women’s Brain Initiative and therapies to prevent, delay, and, minimize the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.Dr. Mosconi holds a PhD degree in Neuroscience and Nuclear Medicine and is an associate professor of Neuroscience in Neurology and Radiology at Weill Cornell Medicine/NY-Presbyterian Hospital, where she serves as director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Program. The program includes the Women’s Brain Initiative, the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic, and the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinical Trials Unit. She is ranked amongst the top 1% of scientists of the past 20 years by official metrics, and was listed as one of the 17 most influential living female scientists by The Times. She is the author of The New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Der Spiegel bestselling book The XX Brain (2020) and of the international bestseller Brain Food (2018). Find out more about the Women’s Brain Initiative and testing here - neurology.weill.cornell.edu  Thank you so much for taking the time to tune in to your body, yourself, and this podcast! Please share the love by sending this to someone in your life who could benefit from the kinds of things we talk about in this space. Make sure to follow along on Instagram @dr.avivaromm and go to avivaromm.com to join the conversation. Follow Lisa @dr_mosconi.  

The new medicine for women is here—I’m back with a new season full of taboo-busting conversations about all things women’s health. As a woman in her wisdom years, I’m bringing together the four decades of work I’ve done as a midwife, herbalist, and MD, to share tools, knowledge, ideas, and insights with you all.   Today’s episode could not have come at a more pressing time in history with the recent decision by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. I am joined by Kathryn Kolbert and Julie Kay, the authors of Controlling Women: What We Must Do NOW to Save Reproductive Freedom, for a critical conversation surrounding reproductive rights, abortion activism, and the American judicial system. Kolbert and Kay have together dedicated decades of their careers to litigating, lobbying, and plotting for the expansion of abortion rights. In the words of Joan Baez, "Action is the antidote to despair."  We discuss:   Why abortion became a potent and polarized political issue  How the overturning of Roe affects maternal care and decisional autonomy  The significant physical and emotional risks associated with lack of access to abortions   How you can become active in making change at a personal and local level    Thank you so much for taking the time to tune in to your body, yourself, and this podcast! Please share the love by sending this to someone in your life who could benefit from the kinds of things we talk about in this space. Make sure to follow me on Instagram @dr.avivaromm and go to avivaromm.com to join the conversation. Purchase a copy of Controlling Women: What We Must Do NOW to Save Reproductive Freedom here. 

Welcome to the new medicine for women! From the stuff your mother never told you, to the stuff your doctor never learned, On Health is what happens when a midwife + a Yale trained MD shares about all things women’s health. From periods to menopause, sex to reproductive health politics, motherhood to mental health, join me for taboo-busting conversations that demystify and destigmatize our bodies, all while bridging the gap between conventional medicine and wellness. Along the way, we'll be exploring the science and wisdom of how our bodies work, what makes us well, what gets in the way, and how we can live our best lives on our terms, authentically and bravely. When it comes to women's health and well-being, there's nothing we won't talk about. If you haven't already, please rate, review, and follow the podcast to be notified of new episodes every Wednesday. Plus, be sure to follow your host on Instagram @dr.avivaromm and go to avivaromm.com to join the conversation.

There are so many options available for contraception, and so much conflicting information about what’s safe, that it can be overwhelming to choose. Add to that, if you’re here on my website, there’s a good chance you’re someone who wants to keep things as close to natural - and as safe for your wonderful body - as possible. Perhaps you’ve also heard about some negative press about the Pill online.So how do you choose the safest, most effective contraception? What are the risks you need to be aware of, as well as other pros and cons? As you’ll learn, this decision is very individual and also can change throughout our lives. Let’s explore this further. For the accompanying article, go to avivaromm.com/best-form-of-birth-control/