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In today’s episode, we’re talking about periods.

Jonathan and Sarah are joined by “The internet’s gynecologist” Dr Jen Gunter to get a better understanding of our body's behavior during the menstrual cycle. Jen will provide you with her period toolkit and offer solutions to the most common problems of modernday period health.

Dr. Jen Gunter is a gynecologist and pain medicine physician at the Permanente Medical Group in northern California. Her books ‘The Vagina Bible’ and ‘The Menopause Manifesto’ were both New York Times bestsellers. Her 2024 book ‘Blood’ tackles the science, medicine and mythology of menstruation.

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Timecodes:
00:00 Introduction to Jen Gunter
01:34 Quickfire questions
03:01 Shame culture around menstruation
04:50 The evolution and purpose of the menstrual cycle
07:00 Menstrual cycle mechanics
11:46 Understanding heavy periods and iron deficiency
14:37 Addressing period pain and discomfort
20:28 The brainovary connection
24:12 Diet, appetite, and periods: what's the connection?
28:51 Understanding PMS and PMDD
30:03 PMS causes and symptoms
32:34 Treatment options for PMS and PMDD
34:38 Demystifying polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
38:39 The role of diet and obesity in PCOS
40:18 Advice for managing PMS
43:05 Menstrual cramps and pain management
48:06 Iron supplementation strategies

Dr. Jen Gunter’s books:
The Menopause Manifesto: https://amzn.to/454Y7rU
Blood: The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation: https://amzn.to/45lrW81

Books from our ZOE Scientists:
Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati: https://amzn.to/4blJsLg
Recipes for a Better Menopause by Dr Federica Amati: https://amzn.to/4aAzox0
Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector: https://amzn.to/455DqMz

Studies related to today’s episode:
Prevalence of Iron Deficiency and IronDeficiency Anemia in US Females Aged 1221 Years, 20032020, from the Journal of the American Medical Association
Link: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama...

The Role of Estrogen in Insulin Resistance: A Review of Clinical and Preclinical Data, from The American Journal of Pathology Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science...

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here: https://gf6hx47iu5g.typeform.com/topi...

Episode transcripts are available here: https://joinzoe.com/learn/category/nu...