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PODCAST

CRAMPED

Kate Helen Downey

Tired of suffering from "death cramps" for 20 years, Kate Helen Downey has to find her own answers. She interviews top doctors and researchers, and delves into topics from period poops to endometriosis surgery to TikTok wellness scams, all to figure out why menstrual pain is so often dismissed and untreated. What she finds will change how you think about your own body and the medical system. Because having a microphone gets you more answers than having a uterus.

health & fitness documentary

All Episodes

00:27:54

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy for Period Pain with...

CRAMPED ·

2025/09/04

Kate talks to Dr. Sara Reardon, aka The Vagina Whisperer - a board-certified pelvic floor physical therapist and author of the new book Floored, a woman's guide to pelvic floor health at every age and stage. They discuss what the pelvic floor even is, how pelvic floor muscles are involved in period pain, and how we're all peeing and pooping wrong!CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. Support CRAMPED by joining the Patreon at

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00:27:33

Surgery for Period Pain (Part 2)

CRAMPED ·

2025/08/07

Kate is back from surgery! In Part 2 of this 2 part episode, Kate walks through the day of the surgery, from arriving at the hospital to the 4 weeks of recovery thus far, and the surgical and pathology results that finally gave her answers to questions about her cramps she's had for 22 years. Hopefully this episode is helpful to anyone curious about endometriosis excision surgery, or anxious about recovery.CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not

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00:27:09

Surgery For Period Pain (Part 1)

CRAMPED ·

2025/07/29

Kate is back from surgery! In Part 1 of a 2 part series, she goes step by step through the imaging result that gave her the information that lead her to commit to surgery, and the physical, administrative, and financial preparations for her surgery. Get ready to hear real numbers and honesty about the factors contributing to the decision. Hopefully this episode is helpful to anyone on the fence about the decision or trying to figure out how to make surgery feasible. CRAMPED episodes are intended

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00:46:48

Going Off Hormonal Birth Control

CRAMPED ·

2025/07/22

In this Case Study episode, Kate brings on Deanna Hart-Nokes, who just went off hormonal birth control for the second time in 20 years, and has been experiencing some mysterious symptoms. Kate deep-dives into the clinical research to understand how hormonal birth control works, and what might be causing Deanna's increased period pain, soreness, and increased sensation. CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice. Support CRAMPED by

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00:33:30

Fibroids and The White Dress Project

CRAMPED ·

2025/07/15

Fibroids are a super common cause of severe period pain - up to 80% of people with a uterus will get fibroids at some point! So...why don't we know why they grow? Why don't they get caught and treated sooner? Kate talks with Jonelle Henry from The White Dress Project, an organization that spreads awareness, education, and resources about fibroids. Jonelle tells her own story of how fibroids impacted her life as a high-powered political journalist, having to leave the room where the president was

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00:16:08

Cycle Tracking: Subscriber-only Episode Teaser

CRAMPED ·

2025/07/11

Kate talks to Laura Federico and Morgan Miller, authors of The Cycle Book, all about cycle tracking. What is it? How do I do it? Am I already doing it if I'm tracking my period with an app? To access subscriber-only episodes, join the Patreon at www.patreon.com/CRAMPED See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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00:08:48

Endo's Last Stand - Surgery & Spitefulness

CRAMPED ·

2025/07/03

Kate is getting endometriosis excision surgery today! She shares some details, and a story of her (hopefully last) experience with "death cramps". See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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00:47:15

Ovarian Cysts

CRAMPED ·

2025/06/26

Kate answers her guest's questions about ovarian cysts, ruptures, and treatments

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00:26:10

MTHFR Gene Mutations, Normal Lab Results, and...

CRAMPED ·

2025/06/18

Kate answers listener questions

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00:02:29

CRAMPED is back: Season 1.5

CRAMPED ·

2025/06/11

CRAMPED is back with new episodes - but we need your help! Subscribe to our Patreon to make our work possible at www.patreon.com/crampedSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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00:50:31

You Might Like: Sex Ed with DB

CRAMPED ·

2025/05/28

While we're on a break from releasing new CRAMPED episodes, we're recommending some other fantastic podcasts to check out. Today we're featuring an episode of Sex Ed with DB, a feminist podcast all the sex ed you never got, centering LGBTQ+ and BIOPOC experts, hosted by Danielle Bezalel (aka “DB”), MPH.This episode, "The Ultimate Period Episode with Dr. Jen Gunter" fulfills a sneaky goal of Kate's, which is to get Dr. Jen Gunter to be on CRAMPED even after declining to be interviewed. DB is

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00:25:41

You Might Like: The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women

CRAMPED ·

2025/04/28

A featured episode of the podcast The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women

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00:32:43

Why Do We Even Get Periods?

CRAMPED ·

2025/04/08

Kate calls up biological anthropologist Kate Clancy to find out why we're even in this pain to begin with

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00:42:21

Why Doesn't Media Talk About Period Pain?

CRAMPED ·

2025/04/01

If 51% of the population has a uterus, and 91% of menstruating people experience period pain, why do we literally never hear about it in the media we consume??

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00:35:19

What Happened to Feminism and Body Literacy?

CRAMPED ·

2025/03/25

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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00:41:49

Do I Have Medical Trauma?

CRAMPED ·

2025/03/18

Kate checks in with comedian and recent hysterectomy patient Max Gross, as well as therapist Suzanne Garrison to figure out - what is medical trauma, and do we have it? How does undiagnosed and untreated pain affect mental health? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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00:38:14

I Got a Diagnosis. Now What?

CRAMPED ·

2025/03/11

Kate sees a specialist and finally gets a diagnosis for the condition causing her severe period pain

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00:44:41

How Do I Balance My Hormones?

CRAMPED ·

2025/03/04

Kate gets sucked down a rabbit hole of "hormone balancing" content on TikTok, and wonders...this whole time, have her cramps just been due to a hormone imbalance? She talks with Alex Sujong Laughlin (Normal Gossip, Defector) about her experience trying to balance her hormones with info from TikTok, and then gets real answers from Dr. Thara Vayali on hormone function, cortisol, and how our hormones ACTUALLY work. Transcript at: www.katehelendowney.com/episode-5-transcript See Privacy Policy at

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00:36:37

Who’s Researching New Treatments for Period Pain?

CRAMPED ·

2025/02/25

Kate takes a field trip to Evanston, Illinois to visit the Gynecology Research Laboratory, where a team of doctors and researchers are doing groundbreaking studies to understand period pain and find new treatments.

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00:39:47

How Many People Have Severe Period Pain?

CRAMPED ·

2025/02/18

And why is this question so hard to answer?

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