It All Starts Here

This week, Olivia is joined by Dr Chiara Petrosellini, as they delve into the critical topic of perinatal mental health, exploring its definition, the unique challenges faced by women during pregnancy and the postpartum period, and the importance of specialized mental health support.  Chiara emphasises the distinct features of perinatal mental illness, including conditions like postpartum depressi...

Hosted by Olivia Moir, this episode of It All Starts Here explores the topic of giving birth and birth interventions, with a focus on assisted vaginal birth and the use of forceps. Olivia speaks with Dr. Dawn Parris, an Obstetrics and Gynaecology doctor and a PhD researcher at UCL/UCLH , about the different methods of giving birth, how decisions are made both beforehand and in the delivery room, a...

Today Olivia is joined by Dr Jessica Farren, a consultant gynaecologist at University London College Hospital (UCLH) with a passion for early pregnancy care, and for empowering women with education about their health. Jessica’s PhD focused on the psychological impacts of early pregnancy loss. Today we dive into her work by discussing what these psychological impacts are, and how best to support wo...

Today we are continuing our discussion on gene therapy, with Dr Rajvinder Karda, hosted by Olivia. Raj is both a researcher and professor at the UCL Institute for Women's Health, with her role as an associate professor of Gene Therapy, as well as leading a team of research focussing on developing pre-clinical gene therapy and RNA editing treatments for childhood epilepsy, including Dravet Syndrome...

Today's episode hosted by Olivia, features Miss Adeola Olaitan, who is a Consultant Gynaecological Oncologist, for a discussion on gynaecological cancers and Human papilloma virus (HPV). We discuss the five different types of gynaecological cancers, including: ovarian cancer, uterine or endometrial (womb) cancer, cervical cancer, vaginal and vulval cancer. Adeola also describes the overarching the...

We are back here today to talk about menopause. We are going to be diving into the basics on what it is and what to expect, and then some ideas on how to optimize lifestyle in this stage as well as various, sometimes conflicting views, on treatment and management options for individuals going through menopause. Joining me in this is episode is none other than a certified British Menopause Society...

Hosted by Olivia Moir, this episode with Dr. Bassel Wattar guides us through heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB); what it is, how common it is, how do we diagnose it, and how do we treat it? We also talk about research in this area, and specifically the importance of including community perspectives in research practise, and how Dr. Bassel Wattar's team has been going about this. Dr. Bassel Wattar has...

Hosted by Olivia Moir, this very special episode discusses prenatal therapy with Prof Anna David, Director of the Institute for Women's Health here at UCL. Today we cover the basics of what the field of prenatal therapy is about, discussing the general lack of prenatal therapy in clinic and some of the factors behind why this is. We talk about the importance of conducting research to advance clini...

Hosted by Olivia Moir, this week we dip our toes into the field of immunology as it relates to the functioning of our lungs. Ever wanted to learn more about why this organ is so key to our survival? Dr. Jens Madsen, who is an associate professor at the IfWH here at UCL, has spent many years researching lung function and is here to explain! We focus our attention on a group of proteins called colle...

Hosted by Olivia Moir, this episode discusses ectopic pregnancy with Dr. Annie Solangon, who is a who is an Obstetrician & Gynaecologist specialising in Early Pregnancy, Gynaecology and Advanced Ultrasound at UCLH. Presently she is undertaking a PhD in ectopic pregnancy and pregnancies of unknown location, under the supervision of Professor Jurkovic here at UCL. We discuss what ectopic pregnan...

This week's episode is about PCOS, or polycystic ovary syndrome. To do this, we have Dr. Bassel Wattar, who is a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist based in London – United Kingdom with advanced expertise in the fields of fertility, assisted conception, endocrine gynaecology, polycystic ovary syndrome, and menopause. He is a experienced clinician scientist and currently co-leads a research...

Hosted by Olivia Moir, today we discuss Gene Therapy with Professor Simon Waddington. He is a professor and researcher in the field of Gene Therapy here at UCL. The topic of gene therapy can come across as slightly daunting to those who may not have a background in the field, but this episode dives into the nitty gritty to help clear things up! We cover what gene therapy really is about, from the...

Today's episode, hosted by Olivia Moir, discusses preconception health, or health before pregnancy with Dr. Jenny Hall. She is a Clinical Associate Professor and NIHR Advanced Fellow here at the Institute for Women's Health. When it comes to reproduction, socialization often focusses on two main areas: either not getting pregnant or being pregnant. But there is more to it, and it’s important to ed...

Hosted by Olivia Moir, this week's topic looks further into fertility education with Dr. Zeynep Gurtin, focussing specifically on the topic of egg freezing. Dr Zeynep Gurtin is a sociologist of reproduction and gender with research interests in the social, ethical, and relational issues surrounding fertility, infertility, assisted reproductive technologies, and new family forms. Her work brings to...

Hosted by Olivia Moir, this week's topic focusses on Fertility Education with the lovely Professor Joyce Harper. She has as worked in the fields of fertility, genetics, reproductive health and women’s health for over 30 years and is passionate about education and discussion of all aspects of women’s health. We discuss the the lack of fertility education in school systems, how this might be overcom...

This episode hosted by Olivia Moir, looks at the importance of the Placenta in human development with special guest Prof Eric Jauniaux. We discuss his background and how he got into the study of this organ, why it is so important to understand it's role, and the interactions and influence of the Placenta with the environment.  For more information and to access the transcript: www.ucl.ac.uk/womens...

Hosted by Olivia Moir, this episode dives into science communication with guest Dr. Kim Botting. We discuss the progression of this field across time and the importance of continual developments and contributions being made. We unpack the barriers faced by scientists attempting to contribute to this field, as well as flaws of this field from the perspective of the public. For more information and...