Episode 37: Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Ask Your Gynecologist, But Never Have With Dr. Lyndsey Harper, MD
Have you ever felt too embarrassed to ask your gynecologist certain questions, or even bring it up with your friends? Maybe you haven't felt heard or listened to with doctors in the past or struggle to find the answers you really need? We're on a mission to change all that in this episode. We polled you–our audience–for all the burning questions you're dying to know about periods, birth control, pleasure, fertility, and vaginal health, but haven't found the answer to. In this episode, Dr. Lyndsey Harper, a Texas-based OB-GYN and founder of the Rosy app, answers all the questions you've always wanted to ask and we go there. From the 411 on discharge to confusions around birth control to irregular pap smears and egg freezing to labiaplasties and squirting, no topic if off-limits.
Download the Rosy app here.
SHOW NOTES:
In this episode of The Everygirl Podcast, we’re answering all of your questions that you’re too afraid to ask your gynecologist with Dr. Lyndsey Harper, founder of the Rosy app. Josie begins the episode by reading some audience submitted questions about period pain. Dr. Harper explains that we have a misconception in our society that period pain is just something we have to deal with as women, and that there are always options for addressing that pain that we might not be aware of. She speaks about the importance of finding a physician who listens to you and establishes a trustworthy relationship. Dr. Harper also recommends setting up separate appointments with your OB-GYN to discuss things like period pain in addition to your yearly exam, in order to receive the best care possible. Josie reads some audience questions for Dr. Harper about fertility, genetics, and menopause. Dr. Harper explains how difficult it is to make generalizations about fertility timing, and how a lack of prior research in women’s health complicates the conversation about fertility. The discussion then pivots to discharge: what is normal and what is abnormal when it comes to discharge? Dr. Harper runs through all different variations of discharge and what they can mean, plus what is healthy and what might indicate an infection. Josie asks the most common audience question for Dr. Harper, which is how to transition off of the pill. Dr. Harper talks through many of the benefits and drawbacks to oral birth control, plus other kinds of birth control that might be a better option for some people, and why birth control can sometimes be important in a post-Roe America. She explains how different options are going to be right for different people, and why all kinds of birth control are going to be better than having to take Plan B frequently. Josie then reads some audience questions about sexual pain, and Dr. Harper gives a run-down on vaginismus and the undiscussed, common problem of sexual pain. Josie asks Dr. Harper to dispel some misconceptions about squirting. The discussion then loops back to fertility, and the episode closes with Dr. Harper giving a few extra details on vaginal health.
Must-Listen Moments:
[2:09] All about period pain, and how to advocate for yourself when meeting with your OB-GYN to discuss period pain
[20:22] Dr. Harper explains everything you’ve ever wanted to know about discharge
[26:22] What is the best way to find the right kind of birth control for you, and how do you transition off of the pill after many years?
[38:01] All of your sex questions answered, from sexual pain to squirting
[49:33] What should you be doing for your fertility at what age, and what are the limitations to predicting fertility for women?
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