Women's Healthcast

Imagine if getting a birth control prescription was as easy as picking up the phone or opening an app and answering a few questions about your health. Dr. Mary Landry made that possible for some students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She joined the Women’s Healthcast to talk about how her telehealth program makes it easier for UW-Madison students to get birth control, and what similar programs and apps mean for birth control availability in an increasingly restrictive landscape.

About one in eight U.S. women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Laura Bozzuto joined the Women’s Healthcast to talk about breast cancer symptoms, the latest in screening guidelines, and how to lower your breast cancer risk. Dr. Bozzuto is an ob-gyn with specialty training in breast cancer surgery.

Miscarriage is both fairly common (occurring in somewhere between 15 and 25% of pregnancies) and under-discussed. Since October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, Kristen Sharp joined the Women's Healthcast to talk about miscarriage and pregnancy loss. Dr. Sharp leads the UW Health Hope After Loss clinic, where she supports patients experiencing pregnancy or infant loss, or preparing for a pregnancy following a loss. She talked about how common miscarriage and pregnancy loss are, what we understand about the causes, the complex landscape of grief following a pregnancy loss, and important advice for health care teams – as well as family and friends – supporting people through pregnancy loss.

This year, National Midwifery Week is September 29 through October 5. What better opportunity to learn more about the difference midwives can make in healthcare? Hannah Copp, certified nurse midwife with a clinical practice at UW Health, joined the Women’s Healthcast to talk about the broad range of care midwives provide – from birth control to prenatal, birth and postpartum care, to supporting patients through perimenopause. She also discusses how people can consider whether midwifery care is a good fit for them.

Cervical cancer is the third most common gynecologic cancer in the United States, with nearly 13,000 new cases diagnosed every year. Since September is Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month, Sumer Wallace joined the Women's Healthcast to talk about what causes cervical cancer, how it’s treated, and why the HPV vaccine and regular screenings are important tools to help prevent cervical cancer. Dr. Wallace is a gynecologic oncologist in the UW Department of Ob-Gyn.  If you’re in the Madison, Wisconsin area and would like to support gynecologic cancer research, join us on September 20 for the Sparkle of Hope gala - an exciting evening of dinner, drinks, silent auction and more to raise funds for gynecologic cancer research in the UW Department of Ob-Gyn and UW Carbone Cancer Center. Learn more at sparkleofhope.org.

Opioid use during pregnancy is happening more and more across the country, which can lead to some complications for moms and babies. On this episode, Jackie Adams talks about opioid use disorder, safety concerns for using opioids while pregnant, and a new program she started to support pregnant people in treatment for opioids. Dr. Adams is a fellow in the UW Ob-Gyn maternal-fetal medicine program. 

We use smartphones for so many things throughout the day – they can be cameras, grocery lists, work stations, more. But…can they also be birth control? Fertility tracking, or menstrual tracking, apps are getting more and more popular – one was even recently approved by the FDA as birth control. On this episode, Dr. Eliza Bennett talks about how fertility tracking apps work, whether they’re effective as contraception, and important questions about data security to consider before using a menstrual tracking app.

Physicians and surgeons go through many years of training to hone their skills. But have you ever wondered what that training looks like? How do surgeons learn these extremely technical, hands-on skills in high-stakes situations? Dr. Ken Kim, director of the gynecologic oncology fellowship and director of Robotic Surgical Education and Training at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, joined the Women's Healthcast after giving a special presentation to the UW Department of Ob-Gyn on surgical education. He discussed how to teach surgery, what makes for good surgical teaching and learning, and how surgical education keeps up in an increasingly technical field. 

Diabetes can complicate pregnancy in some very important ways, including increased risk for high blood pressure and premature birth. And, pregnancy can complicate diabetes – whether it’s Type 1, Type 2 or gestational, treatment plans for diabetes need to change when someone is pregnant. It sounds intimidating, but safe pregnancy is possible with careful management. On this episode of the Women’s Healthcast, three guests talk about how they help people with diabetes prepare for safe and healthy pregnancies. Dr. Kara Hoppe is a maternal-fetal medicine physician in the UW Department of Ob-Gyn. April Eddy, BSN MS, is an advanced practice nurse and certified diabetes educator in the UnityPoint Health-Meriter Hospital Center for Perinatal Care. Nicolle Hovland is a childbirth educator at Meriter. They work together to offer a group prenatal care class for pregnant people with diabetes.

For many LGBT people, past discrimination or concerns about discrimination from medical professionals can deter them from seeking health care. Pride Month (and every month) is a great time to look at how we make health care settings safe and inclusive spaces. On this episode of the Women’s Healthcast, Dr. Ruth Yemane discusses reproductive and sexual healthcare for LGBT patients. She also shares her suggestions for how health systems can work harder to make sure patients in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities feel safe and comfortable throughout their healthcare experiences. Dr. Yemane is an academic specialist in general ob-gyn at UW-Madison.

Vitamin D has a lot of important jobs in the body, from promoting bone strength to supporting the immune system. And ongoing research suggests vitamin D may also play a big role in fertility and pregnancy outcomes.  Dr. Samantha Butts, reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist at the University of Pennsylvania, sat down with the Women's Healthcast to talk about why Vitamin D is important to fertility, how she incorporates this information when working with her patients, and where the research needs to go next to show how Vitamin D and reproductive health interact.  

Cancer treatments can come with a variety of physical and emotional side effects. As awkward as it may be to talk about, that includes side effects that might change our ability to have or enjoy sex. On this episode, Joanne Rash talks about why treatments like chemotherapy and radiation can affect sexuality, some of the most common sexual health concerns she sees in her patients, and how she helps them approach intimacy in new ways. Joanne is a physician’s assistant in the UW Carbone Cancer Center. She specializes in gynecologic oncology, and co-founded the Women’s Integrative Sexual Health Clinic.

Most women - up to 75 percent, according to Dr. Julianne Zweifel - will experience some mood changes in the first couple weeks after having a baby. But for between 12 and 20 percent of those women, the symptoms will extend beyond the first few weeks of parenthood, edging into perinatal mood disorder territory. On this episode, Dr. Zweifel discusses common perinatal mood disorders like postpartum depression and anxiety, what we know about the causes of perinatal mood disorders, and the variety of available treatments. Dr. Zweifel is a health psychologist in the UW-Madison Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

The well woman visit – the annual check-up with a gynecologist – is not always anticipated with excitement. But this regularly-scheduled visit is a great opportunity to check in with your healthcare provider about mental and physical health concerns and get crucial cancer screenings. On this episode of the Women's Healthcast, Dr. Cynthie Wautlet walks us through what to expect during the well woman visit and explains the different recommendations around HPV and Pap tests. Dr. Wautlet is an assistant professor in the UW-Madison Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.  

In early March, the UW Department of Ob-Gyn hosted the first-ever Wisconsin Contraceptive Care Summit, helping women’s health providers and advocates strengthen their contraceptive care skills through a reproductive justice lens. At the Summit, Lyanne Jordan sat down with the Women’s Healthcast to discuss why contraceptive care and maternal healthcare need to be grounded in the principles of reproductive justice. Lyanne is director of doula services at Maroon Calabash, a community-based doula program in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Learn more about Lyanne’s work supporting maternal health at https://www.marooncalabash.com/.

More than half the world's population menstruates. But for such a common biological process, how many of us really understand the mechanics of the menstrual cycle? Dr. Lauren Verrilli, 4th-year UW Ob-Gyn resident and soon to be reproductive endocrinology and infertility fellow at the University of Utah, joined the Women's Healthcast to explain what's happening during periods and dispel some common menstrual myths.

Endometriosis affects around one 1 in 10 women, who can experience symptoms like pelvic pain, irregular bleeding, pain during sex, and much more. In honor of Endometriosis Awareness Month, UW Ob-Gyn minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon Dr. Cara King joined the Women's Healthcast to discuss endometriosis symptoms, different paths for treatment, and what she thinks needs to change to help endometriosis patients get to a diagnosis faster.

Spring break season is nearly upon us, and a warm weather getaway sounds pretty amazing after this brutal winter. But traveling to tropical locations – and traveling in general – could present some extra challenges for people who are pregnant. Dr. Katie Antony is a maternal-fetal medicine specialist in the UW-Madison Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. On this episode, she shares her recommendations for safe travel while pregnant. Dr. Antony is also a leading researcher on Zika virus – she provided an update on Zika virus risks around the world, and why Zika is a concern for people who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant.

On the last episode of the Women’s Healthcast, Dr. Ryan McDonald joined us to talk about C-sections - if you missed it, check out Preparing for Cesarean Delivery to learn about what happens during C-section, and possible risks/complications. On this episode, Dr. McDonald is back to discuss recovering from C-section delivery, breastfeeding after the surgery, and how having a C-section could affect future pregnancies or deliveries. Dr. McDonald is an ob-gyn and assistant professor in the UW-Madison Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Cesarean deliveries, or C-sections, are among the most common surgical procedures performed in the United States. Nearly one in three babies is delivered via cesarean. But even though C-sections are incredibly common, they’re still a major abdominal surgery. In part one of a two-episode series, Dr. Ryan McDonald walks us through what happens during a cesarean delivery, potential risks or complications, and how he helps patients prepare for the possibility they might need a C-section. Dr. McDonald is an ob-gyn and assistant professor in the UW-Madison Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.  On the next episode, Dr. McDonald will be back to talk about recovering from C-section, how it can affect breastfeeding, and special considerations for future pregnancies after cesarean.