Our personalities make us who we are, but in personality disorders like Borderline Personality Disorder, personalities can keep people from living their lives comfortably in our society. In BPD, a disorder commonly diagnosed in young adult and adolescent girls, words like dramatic, emotional and erratic get thrown around. But is this disorder really more common in women? And what implications does BPD have on the lives of people living with it? Listen to find out on this week’s episode! Join the...
Jul 25, 2023•27 min
Does your bowel function haunt you? Do you use the bathroom way too much or simply not enough? Well, then this episode is probably about you! In this mini-episode, we are talking about irritable bowel syndrome! This is one of the most common gastroenterology disorders primarily affecting women. Not only that, but it has an uncanny tie to psychological stress and anxiety, which makes it hard to diagnose when patients are often thought just to have hysterical bowels. Join the From Skirts To Scrubs...
Jul 11, 2023•31 min
If you haven't already, you should absolutely check out the episode before this in which we interview Dr. Dee Fenner, Chair of Michigan Medicine's Department of OB/GYN about her experiences as a women during her early training. That episode was inspired by this one! So we only thought it would be fitting to bring back, especially since we wrote it when we were coming into our first years of medical school and are now entering our last! Happy listening! -------------------------------------------...
Jun 27, 2023•50 min
In this episode, we chat with Dr. Dee Fenner, Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor. She walks us through her journey to medicine, Ob/Gyn and ultimately, Urogynecology. She shares insight into her past as a trainee during a time at which there were very few female medical students and even fewer female physician mentors to turn to. And we round out the episode with Dr. Fenner offering her advice to any women pursuing leadership positions, giving a...
Jun 13, 2023•27 min
Is it a rash or a wolf bite? Apparently ancient physicians couldn’t tell…or at least they thought that the classic rash across the faces of patients with the commonly known condition Lupus, looked close enough to a wolf’s bite to name it after the Latin word for wolf! We’ll be discussing Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, or Lupus, on this episode, including some history and common symptoms that feel a little random and are what make Lupus so hard to diagnose. Then we’ll talk about its prevalence in ...
May 30, 2023•24 min
To clarify, we are talking about postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome . Not the disease, and certainly not pottery. hehe. POTS is a condition that millions of Americans today face, and 80% of those with POTS are women!! An absolutely crazy number because we aren’t even really sure why it affects so many women in comparison to men. Join us this week to learn a little more about POTS and hear us share some personal POTS stories! Join the From Skirts To Scrubs community and meet us at the inte...
May 16, 2023•30 min
In this miniseries, we will be exploring conditions that many women experience. Something that ties all these conditions together is that they are more common in women, but not necessarily because of anatomy or biology. We will discuss what the condition is, how common it is, and how we treat the condition now. We'll also sprinkle in some history and fun tidbits along the way!
May 14, 2023•52 sec
Sperm meets egg makes baby, should be simple right? Well if it were, infertility would not be a common struggle for millions of people around the world. But through incredible technology and research, assisted reproductive techniques have been created like in-vitro fertilization (IVF) have been created to help people get pregnant. And they work! Join us this episode as we explain the basics of the science of IVF, dive into the history (with a sprinkle of funny stories of course) and end with a d...
May 09, 2023•41 min
Some people say that women ~ glow ~ when they are pregnant. Or that having a baby is one of the best memories they have. But did you know 80% of women have depressive symptoms in the week following childbirth? Or that ⅛ women develop a condition called postpartum depression? Some women are even at risk for manic or psychotic episodes in the postpartum period. These conditions are so prevalent that there is a whole field of psychiatry dedicated to caring for women’s mental health during pregnancy...
Apr 18, 2023•1 hr
Do you know how the wickedest woman in New York got her name? Ann Trow, or as she was better known, Madame Restell, was a prominent abortion provider in the late 1800s. She had no medical training, and yet started a business from the ground up, making medication abortion pills and doing surgical abortions. Her work was wildly successful, but also led to her making many enemies in New York society and even at the national governmental level. Join us this week as we unpack the life of this incredi...
Apr 04, 2023•43 min
Fertilization, conception, the miracle of life. The conjoining of egg and sperm. Women have been having babies since the beginning of time, so it makes you wonder. Did people always know where babies come from? Spoiler alert: they had no idea. Join us in this episode to see how famous physicians like Galen and Hippocrates were woefully wrong about reproduction, how pond water led to the discovery of sperm, and how the science community was convinced tiny people lived inside of us. The journey to...
Mar 21, 2023•56 min•Season 4Ep. 46
There’s really no body part so politicized or fetishized than a woman’s breast. But this was not always the case. For hundreds of years, the breast was a primary symbol of nourishment and nurturance--the sign of a mother’s love. The story of the breast and how it has been perceived throughout history is a fascinating one; it takes us through the times that breasts were celebrated, hidden, politicized and commercialized. They have been both hated and loved simultaneously, and have somehow always ...
Mar 07, 2023•50 min
“Sticks and stones may break my bones…” but thinking about women’s pain is easier said than done, it seems. The gender pain gap is the idea that women in pain are taken and treated less seriously than men in pain. Though this concept has been coming up more in the news, social media and more, it is less acknowledged than other gender gaps. In this episode, we explore the history of the gender pain gap, exploring some familiar and some new concepts, as well as discuss the negative impact that thi...
Nov 15, 2022•51 min
Disability is part of our culture, our families, our friends, and our history. Living in a society that is built for able-bodied people doesn’t allow for much education and awareness around disability within the United States. But disability can be tracked through history all the way back to ancient times. And throughout the last two thousand years, the treatment and laws surrounding communities with disabilities have always been…well… full of contradictions. Society can’t seem to decide if they...
Nov 01, 2022•53 min
There’s a conversation everyone has at some point, about the birds and the bees. Think back to the first time you had that talk. Maybe it was with a parent, maybe a friend, maybe someone else. Maybe it was sex ed class. That’s what this episode dives into. We go back in time to look at some different sexual practices across ancient history, including Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. Then we discuss the history of sexual education in a formal setting, as it transitioned from the early 1900s into w...
Oct 18, 2022•53 min
Between 1980 and 2020, the number of incarcerated women increased by 475%. Yes, you read that correctly. The increase in this population can be attributed to the War on Drugs, resulting in an extremely high number of women who are enprisoned for non-violent crimes. Join us in this episode to talk about the history of incarcerated women and the status of their health today. From STI treatment to laboring in shackles, the reproductive health provided for this population is almost non-existent. In ...
Oct 05, 2022•42 min
Ever since we released this episode, it feels like every topic we cover comes right back to it! So this week we are bringing back the Rest Cure: Prescribed Torture? When you go to the doctor with a psychiatric concern, you would expect them to hear you out and find the treatment regimen that is right for you. But in 1800s Victorian America, this wasn’t exactly the case. Neurologist Dr. Mitchell created the “Rest Cure” for his patients that required women to lay completely still for almost two st...
Sep 20, 2022•58 min
Knock-knock. Who’s there? Do. Do-who? DOULA (ok ok see, this is why we’re podcast hosts and not comedians). This week we’re discussing the origins of doula care. Best known for their growing role in providing laboring mothers during childbirth, doulas have been around for decades in an official capacity and even longer in an unofficial one. Closely intertwined with midwifery, doula work has evolved alongside the changing world of labor and childbirth. We dive into that history as well as doulas'...
Sep 06, 2022•55 min
Throughout history, times of war bring change to medicine. It's a hard truth, but it is the truth. And in American history, no war was more brutal than the Civil War. Of the thousands of people who died during this four-year war, ⅔ died from the disease. The conditions of the war gave an opportunity for medicine to grow, and for women to step into the field. Join us in this episode to talk about the fearless female nurses and physicians of the American Civil War, because their names deserve to g...
Aug 23, 2022•46 min
When we think of abortions today, we often think about surgical abortions when in fact, medication abortions have been commonplace for millenia. With the decision made in Dobbs v. Jackson, medication abortions in the United States are now at risk as legislators come for this next line of defense against unwanted pregnancies. In this episode, we explore how medical abortions work, their history and the state of access to them now. Then we look into where we’re heading with laws in various states ...
Aug 09, 2022•53 min
Here we are, at the root of it all. The piece of history that has defined women’s health for millennia. The wandering womb is a theory that can be traced back to the ancient Mediterranean, where it was believed and practiced. And while this story is fun and laughable at times, our history truly does define some of the grimmest parts of our future. Join us this week as we look at the wandering womb and talk about what it is, who is affected, how it was treated, and what diseases women have today ...
Jul 26, 2022•48 min
Due to current events in the United States with the overturn of Roe, we are re-releasing the episode Underground Abortion Networks: Filling in the Gaps. Even though this episode is based on history, it is extremely relevant today. ---- When a medical system can’t provide needed care for patients who are continuously left out or ignored, what happens? What does a community do when they are aching for help? Well in the case of access to safe abortions, underground abortion networks are created. In...
Jul 12, 2022•59 min
If you listen carefully on a quiet night, you may hear cries of a weeping woman calling for her lost children. Maybe you tell the children in your life that if they misbehave, she’ll come for you. That's right! In this episode, we tell the story of La Llorona, a woman from Mexican folklore who was wronged by her husband and transformed into the darkest version of herself. Some may say she was a monster. Join us as we recount La Llorona’s origin story and discuss its implications from a feminist/...
Jun 28, 2022•23 min
What constitutes a monster? Is it your looks, your action, your very being? What if you are forced into a situation that makes you a monster, what then? Japanese folklore is full of stories of women as monsters, but this week we are focusing on one woman who isn’t a monster at all. Join us as we tell the tale of Yama Uba and discuss what she represents in the continuum of life as a woman, and as an elder in society.
Jun 14, 2022•27 min
Have you ever heard of the great Hindu Epic, The Ramayana ? Maybe you have, maybe you haven’t. But chances are, you probably don’t know of the seductress Surpanakha, sister of the King of Demons? Join us this episode as we forge into the forests of Ayodhya as we follow the story of Surpanakha, a demon woman whose actions ultimately lead to a kidnapping and major war between two kingdoms. Then listen in on our discussion as we re-envision the story from multiple perspectives, examining the roles ...
May 31, 2022•23 min
What do you get when you put together a powerful woman, an ancient empire, and scared men? The Sphinx! And this isn’t a riddle, I promise (ha, get it? Wait, no? Better listen to the episode!). Join us this week to talk about the origins of the Sphinx and talk about this mythical creature across time, as well as her interaction with the famed Oedipus Rex. Afterward, we talk about the demonization of intelligent & successful women and the knowledge that women hold.
May 17, 2022•25 min
Maybe you’ve heard of the story of Adam and Eve, but the real question is: what do you know about Lilith? If Eve was created from Adam’s rib, Lilith was created as Adam’s equal, from the soil of the earth. From the moment of her conception, she forged her own path and yet, has been branded as none other than a monster for it. Tune in to this episode to hear the lesser known story of the Mother of Demons, who suffered for her actions but whose story continues to survive eons.
May 03, 2022•23 min
In the beginning… life was apparently perfect. Until men made the Gods upset and they sent down their greatest fear. Women. Well, one woman in particular. Join us in this episode to learn the ancient Greek story of Pandora, the first woman, and bringer of all gifts. But what does this story mean when you view it from a feminist perspective? And how does our frame of reference shape our understanding of stories such as Pandora’s? Listen to this mini-episode to learn more!
Apr 19, 2022•24 min
Check out our new trailer introducing our FIRST Mini Series: Women as Monsters . Over a course of six short episodes, we will be telling stories of women from mythology across the world who have been viewed as evil, wrong, and monsters. Then we will discuss why these stories are important today and any thoughts we have on them! Episodes will be posted every other Tuesday as usual and will be 20-30 minutes in length. We are so excited for this new podcast adventure and we hope you love it as well...
Apr 12, 2022•1 min
We are taking a break from our usual schedule to bring you all another bonus episode! In this episode, we were interviewed by Cultivating Connection , a podcast series that discovers what it means to be human and the many different types of ways we connect. During the interview, we discuss how From Skirts To Scrubs was created, finding and pursuing your passions, handling burnout, the pillars of feminism, and more! We had so much fun during this conversation and we hope you enjoy it as much as w...
Apr 05, 2022•1 hr 35 min
