Women’s Healthcast

There can be many paths to becoming a parent. Third-party reproduction – or using donor eggs, donor sperm, donor embryos, or gestational carriers as part of a person or family’s fertility care journey – is incredibly common.   Dr. Laura Cooney joined this episode of the Women’s Healthcast to talk about the whole range of third-party reproduction options. Dr. Cooney is a reproductive endocrinology...

Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause, or GSM, is incredibly common – some research suggests more than 80 percent of people might experience symptoms like vaginal dryness, pain with intercourse, or urinary incontinence after menopause. And unlike some other symptoms of menopause, like hot flashes or night sweats, genitourinary symptoms don’t get better over time. That makes recognizing the symptoms...

Over the last few months, the Women’s Healthcast has focused on how aging can affect our health. For the last two episodes in the Health and Aging series, we consider the impact of aging on metabolism – including societal implications.  In Weight and Wellness, Part 1 , Dr. Kate Sample   joined us to talk about how different life stages can affect body composition. In the second half of our convers...

Over the last few months, the Women’s Healthcast has focused on how aging can affect our health. For the last two episodes in the Health and Aging series, we consider the impact of aging on metabolism – including societal implications.  Dr. Kate Sample joined us to share her insight into changes in body composition that come with age. Dr. Sample is a clinical associate professor in the University...

For the last few months, the Women’s Healthcast has been taking a look at health and aging, covering everything from perimenopause to sex to heart health . In our second-to-last episode of the Health and Aging series, we’ll focus on an all-important but sometimes under-appreciated group of muscles in the body: the pelvic floor. This complex basket of muscles and connective tissue sits under the pe...

Cardiovascular disease – things like heart disease and high blood pressure – can have huge impacts on our overall health. For women in particular, life events like pregnancy and menopause can raise our risk of cardiovascular disease.  Dr. Anupama Joseph joined this episode of the Women’s Healthcast to talk about heart health and aging. Dr. Joseph is an assistant professor of cardiovascular medicin...

A lot about our lives can change as we get older, and that includes our sex lives. Our last episode covered some of the physical changes that can impact sex as we age. For this episode, Madelyn Esposito joins the Women’s Healthcast to talk about the mental and emotional aspects of sex and aging.  Madelyn is a licensed sex therapist and program manager of UW Health’s Sexual Health Clinic. She answe...

For the next few months, the Women’s Healthcast will dive into all aspects of aging and women’s health, through conversations with experts in the UW Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and beyond.  A lot about our lives can change as we get older, and that includes our sex lives. Two guest experts joined this episode of the Women’s Healthcast to talk about some of the physical changes related...

For the next few months, the Women’s Healthcast will dive into all aspects of aging and women’s health, through conversations with experts in the UW Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and beyond.  Since September is Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Catherine Zhang joined the Women’s Healthcast to help us learn about how our gynecologic cancer risk changes with age. She talked about com...

For the next few months, the Women’s Healthcast will dive into all aspects of aging and women’s health, through conversations with experts in the UW Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and beyond. And what better topic to kick off this series than perimenopause? For those of us who get periods, we know this phase of life is coming eventually. Dr. Laura Bozzuto joined this episode of the Women’...

It’s no secret that our bodies change as we age, and how we care for them might need to change, too. How many of us feel like we have all the information we need to stay healthy as we get older?    For the next few months, this podcast will dive into all aspects of aging and women’s health, in conversation with experts from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Departmen...

Reproductive autonomy is defined as an individual’s ability to make decisions about their reproductive health and access reproductive health services without interference or coercion. In 2025, there are a lot of social and policy factors at play that impact people’s reproductive autonomy both in the U.S. and worldwide.  Dr. Leigh Senderowicz and Amy Williamson joined this episode of the Women’s He...

Uterine fibroids are incredibly common – between 20 and 70 percent of people with uteruses will develop fibroids during their lifetimes. And while these growths typically aren’t dangerous, they can still cause some issues.   Since July is Fibroids Awareness Month, we are replaying an interview from 2022 with Dr. Bala Bhagavath. He’s a reproductive endocrinologist and reproductive surgeon. In this...

Chlamydia and gonorrhea are two of the most common sexually transmitted infections, or STIs, in the United States. For Wisconsin in particular, rates of both diseases are on the rise.   Dr. Jess Dalby joined this episode of the Women’s Healthcast to talk about the signs and symptoms of chlamydia and gonorrhea, the risks of untreated disease, and how to get tested and treated for common STIs. She a...

For many young people, the idea of starting to get a period is at least a little bit stressful.   Dr. Katie O’Brien , a pediatric and adolescent gynecologist in the UW Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, helps kids and families in her clinic feel more prepared for periods. She joined this episode of the Women’s Healthcast to talk about what periods are, how to choose the right period products...

In August 2024, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated recommendations for pain management during intrauterine device placement. Dr. Molly Lepic and Dr. Abigail Cutler joined this episode of the Women’s Healthcast to tell us more about what these recommendations mean for patients, and why pain management during IUD placement is such a hot topic. Dr. Lepic and Dr. Cutler...

Incidence and mortality rates for endometrial cancer within the United States are on the rise. We also see a significant disparity in survival rates for endometrial cancer between Black and white patients in the U.S. Charlotte Gamble joined this episode of the Women's Healthcast to discuss disparities in treating and diagnosing endometrial cancer. Dr. Gamble is an attending surgeon in gynecologic...

Pelvic floor physical therapy is a common treatment option that can be immensely helpful for people experiencing pelvic floor issues like incontinence or prolapse. But some patients may be reluctant to consider pelvic floor PT, or unsure about how it works. Sari Archer and Carrie Schwoerer joined this episode of the Women’s Healthcast to tell us more about pelvic floor disorders, how physical ther...

As part of the Women’s Healthcast series about the fourth trimester, we’ve talked about physical recovery , breastfeeding , birth control after pregnancy , postpartum mental health , and long-term health concerns after birth . For the final episode in this series, Dr. Tiffany Green talked about inequities in postpartum health and policies that impact peoples’ ability to recover after giving birth....

One in eight people in the United States have high blood pressure or hypertension during their pregnancies. What does that mean for their health moving forward? Our guests joined the Women’s Healthcast to talk about blood pressure and cardiovascular concerns during and after pregnancy. Dr. Kara Hoppe is an associate professor in the UW Department of Ob-Gyn Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Mega...

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists calls the 12 weeks after giving birth the Fourth Trimester. In this series, the Women’s Healthcast will air episodes about physical recovery, postpartum mental health, birth control after pregnancy, and more.  Dr. Ryan McDonald joined the Women’s Healthcast to talk about postpartum depression and anxiety. Dr. McDonald is a clinical professor...

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists calls the 12 weeks after giving birth the Fourth Trimester. On the Women’s Healthcast, we’re airing a Fourth Trimester series, with episodes about physical recovery after birth, postpartum mental health, breastfeeding, and more. Dr. Katie Sampene joined this episode to talk about pregnancy prevention in the fourth trimester. Dr. Sampene as an...

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists calls the 12 weeks after giving birth the Fourth Trimester. For the next few months, the Women’s Healthcast will air a Fourth Trimester series, with episodes about physical recovery, postpartum mental health, birth control after pregnancy, and more. Dr. Molly Lepic joined the Women’s Healthcast to talk about a common aspect of the postpartum...

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists calls the 12 weeks after giving birth the Fourth Trimester. For the next few months, the Women’s Healthcast will air a Fourth Trimester series, with episodes about physical recovery, postpartum mood changes, breastfeeding, and so much more.  Our first episode covered general questions about physical recovery after giving birth. On this episod...

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists calls the 12 weeks after giving birth the Fourth Trimester. For the next few months, the Women’s Healthcast will air a Fourth Trimester series, with episodes about physical recovery, postpartum mood changes, breastfeeding, and so much more. On the first episode of our Fourth Trimester series, Dr. Kim Bannon joined us to talk about physical re...