Women’s Health Labs Your Doctor Isn’t Running but Should Be | #184

Vasectomy is one of the most requested topics we've ever had, and in this episode we finally get answers from someone who has done thousands of them. Dr. Philip Werthman is a Los Angeles microsurgeon whose practice focuses exclusively on vasectomy reversal and male infertility. He explains how the male reproductive tract works, what actually happens during a no-scalpel vasectomy, and why ejaculation looks and feels the same afterward.

Going through a miscarriage is heartbreaking, and then you're asked to make a big medical decision while you're still processing the news. In this episode, Dr. Leah Gordon and Dr. Morgan MacDermott walk through the three options for managing a miscarriage: expectant management (letting your body pass the pregnancy on its own), medication (mifepristone and misoprostol), and a D&C (dilation and curettage). They cover the pros, cons, success rates, and risks of each, so you can make an informed choice that feels right for you.

How do you talk to your kids about body safety without scaring them? And how do you actually keep them safe? In this episode, we're joined by Mandi Pagliarini (@MandiTalksPredators), a writer, speaker, educator, and mother of two. Mandi is a survivor of sexual assault and child trafficking, and her advocacy focuses on prevention and harm reduction. She gives parents survivor-informed education about grooming and how predators operate.

Eczema is incredibly common in babies and children, but what if the skin is only showing us part of the story? In this episode, Dr. Morgan MacDermott sits down with holistic nurse, clinical herbalist, and pediatric eczema practitioner Abbie Bradford to unpack the many factors that can contribute to eczema and why there isn't one universal cause or solution. They discuss the connection between eczema, gut health, food allergies and sensitivities, the microbiome, antibiotics, C-sections, breastfeeding, environmental exposures, and mold. Abbie also explains why the last thing that happened before a flare isn't necessarily the root cause, when food-based topicals may be problematic for babies, how to think about probiotics and stool testing, and which practical changes parents can start with at home. They also cover mold testing, breastfeeding and elimination diets, allergy testing, topical care, red light, bathing, and why some children may eventually "grow out" of eczema without actually addressing what was happening underneath. Most importantly, this conversation gives parents a framework for thinking about eczema without getting overwhelmed by the endless list of possible triggers. Rather than chasing one cause, Abbie explains how to look at the whole picture and identify the factors that may be contributing to a child's individual presentation.

What happens when we stop viewing the menstrual cycle as an essential part of female biology and start treating it as something to suppress? In this episode, Dr. Leah Gordon and Dr. Morgan MacDermott take a deeper look at the history and culture surrounding hormonal birth control, how women came to view their cycles as inconvenient or problematic, and what can happen when symptoms like painful periods, PMS, acne, irregular cycles, or heavy bleeding are suppressed instead of investigated.