New Series CRAMPED: Investigating the Silent Epidemic of Period Pain
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CRAMPED: One Nerd’s Quest to Understand Period Pain pulls back the curtain on one of the medical world’s most dismissed mysteries: why do we know so little about period pain?
Produced in partnership with the Simons Foundation’s Science, Society, and Culture initiative and the Arkansas Podcast Collaborative, this new podcast from acclaimed producer and storyteller Kate Helen Downey (Wondery's Diss & Tell) tackles the staggering lack of research and understanding around menstrual pain—and how that neglect ripples through health, economics, and everyday life. Over the course of 10 episodes, listeners join Kate on a deeply personal, often hilarious, and hopeful quest to uncover why period pain has been dismissed for so long—and what it will take to fix it.
Drawing from her own two-decade battle with “death cramps,” Kate interviews top experts, patient advocates, and fellow “crampers”. From TikTok wellness scams to groundbreaking lab research, CRAMPED is equal parts science, storytelling, and cathartic comedy about a problem that affects millions but is still treated like a punchline—or worse, ignored entirely. As Downey puts it, “Because having a microphone gets you more answers than having a uterus.”
Upcoming episodes tackle topics like:
What actually causes period cramps, what treatments exist, and why so many people get stuck in 'limbo', with Dr. Karen Tang, a leading gynecologist & author
The surprising ways TV and media shape women’s health, with Madeline Di Nonno, President & CEO of the Geena Davis Institute.
A field trip to a cutting-edge research lab finally working to uncover the causes of period pain.
Patient advocates helping Congress craft a bill for women’s healthcare funding, featuring Jonelle Henry, co-founder of the White Dress Project.
How much period pain is costing the GDP and what can be done about it .
Why severe period pain is so often dismissed or mistreated in emergency situations with Dr. Darien Sutton, ER doctor and ABC News medical correspondent.
And one of Kate’s favorite parts? Talking to fellow crampers like podcaster Sydney Battle about how they cope. “After years of trying to deal with this pain alone, I didn’t expect to have so much fun talking about something that hurts so much,” Kate shares. “This podcast is for anyone who deals with period pain, loves someone who does, or is simply curious about why something so common is still so misunderstood.”
Kate Downey has built a career turning complex topics into entertaining and accessible stories. As the creator of CRAMPED, she draws on her background producing hit podcasts like Diss and Tell and Glamorous Trash, live shows for hit podcasts like Revisionist History and Scamfluencers, and her work co-founding the acclaimed science comedy venue Caveat NYC.
Each episode empowers listeners with knowledge, builds a sense of community for those who have felt isolated by their experiences, and pushes for systemic change. New episodes of CRAMPED will drop weekly on Tuesdays, starting February 4th, 2025. Listeners can tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or their favorite platforms.
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