Overlooked: Women's Health Can't Wait

Latest Episodes:

Introducing Season 5: women's health can't wait Sep 09, 2025

Show notes

Overlooked is a podcast with a point of view: that women’s health can’t wait, not any more. And this season we’re bringing you fresh stories and conversations with the people who are moving the needle on women's health. Follow the show, and episodes will come to you automatically. Overlooked tells powerful stories about women's health conditions that don't get enough attention. The show is hosted by Golda Arthur, an audio journalist and producer. Learn more about the show here: www.overlookedpod.com DISCLAIMER What you hear and read on ‘Overlooked’ is for general information purposes only and represents the opinions of the host and guests. The content on the podcast and website should not be taken as medical advice. Every person’s body is unique, so please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions that may arise. Our music is licensed through Blue Dot Sessions.

The lethal disparity in endometrial cancer for Black women, with Dr Kemi Doll May 16, 2025

Show notes

Why are Black women are less likely to survive endometrial cancer? It’s a deep-seated inequality, and Dr Kemi Doll has been treating patients and studying it for years. She explains what endometrial cancer is, why this lethal disparity exists, and why she thinks Black women are the ‘canary in the coal mine’ in women’s health.

More about Dr Kemi Doll - https://www.uwmedicine.org/bios/kemi-doll

More about endometrial cancer - https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/endometrial-cancer/about/what-is-endometrial-cancer.html

Listen to this episode next, about mapping the ovaries.

Follow the show, and episodes will come to you automatically.

Overlooked tells powerful stories about women's health conditions that don't get enough attention. The show is hosted by Golda Arthur, an audio journalist and producer. Learn more about the show here: www.overlookedpod.com

DISCLAIMER What you hear and read on ‘Overlooked’ is for general information purposes only and represents the opinions of the host and guests. The content on the podcast and website should not be taken as medical advice. Every person’s body is unique, so please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions that may arise.

Our music is licensed through Blue Dot Sessions.

What is cancer survivorship, with Teresa Arthur, a.k.a Mom May 06, 2025

Show notes

What does it mean to survive a diagnosis, and live with cancer? For this episode, we return to the subject that launched the very first season of Overlooked: ovarian cancer, with Teresa Arthur - aka Golda’s Mom. Teresa was diagnosed in 2018 and has been living with recurring ovarian cancer for the last seven years, spending almost half of every year in chemotherapy treatment. She talks candidly with Golda about her health challenges and quality of life in survivorship.

Take a listen to Teresa’s story with ovarian cancer, which we told in our very first season here: https://overlooked.simplecast.com/episodes/fluid-puppy

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Our music is licensed through Blue Dot Sessions.

Breast self-exams and battling insurance: Jessica Baladad's survival story Apr 29, 2025

Show notes

When Jessica Baladad found a cancerous lump in her breast at 33 through a self-exam, it set her on a path not just to survive cancer but to become an advocate for women's health. She created a platform called "Feel for Your Life" to empower women to overcome fear, and financial barriers to take control of their breast health. In this conversation, Jessica shares the intimate details of her diagnosis journey, talks about why breast self-exams are overlooked, and provides actionable advice for dealing with insurance companies that refuse to cover supplemental screenings.

Feel for your Life:https://www.feelforyourlife.com/

Listen to this episode next: Where do we get our health information from, with Dr Brandi Sinkfield: https://overlooked.simplecast.com/episodes/health-literacy-with-dr-brandi-sinkfield

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Our music is licensed through Blue Dot Sessions.

The migraine diaries, with Sally Herships Apr 22, 2025

Show notes

Journalist Sally Herships has been dealing with debilitating migraines for most of her adult life. She shares her migraine audio diaries, and talks about how she has found ways to cope with migraine, which has often landed her in the emergency room. And, why is the connection between hormones and migraines so poorly understood, even though migraines affect more women than men?

Sally Herships’ work: https://www.sallyherships.com/

Migraines in women: https://news.cuanschutz.edu/news-stories/why-do-women-suffer-migraines-more-frequently-and-severely-than-men

Listen to this episode next: Migraine and Hormones 101 - a conversation with a nurologist: https://overlooked.simplecast.com/episodes/migraine-and-hormones-101-with-dr-rashmi-halker-singh

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Our music is licensed through Blue Dot Sessions.

Dense Breasts 101, with Julie Gershon Apr 15, 2025

Show notes

If you’ve had a mammogram, and your results show you have dense breast tissue - here’s what you should know about it. Radiologist Julie Gershon talks about what it means for your health, and what you should do as a next step in breast cancer screening.

More about our guest, Julie Gershon https://www.jgershon.com/

More about dense breasts: https://www.areyoudense.org/

What to listen to next: this episode about paying for breast screening.

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Our music is licensed through Blue Dot Sessions.

What is Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder? with author Shalene Gupta Apr 08, 2025

Show notes

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, or PMDD is a little-known and under-researched condition - a severe form of PMS. Shalene Gupta is the author of ‘The Cycle: Confronting the Pain of Periods and PMDD’, a raw account of her experience with this condition. Shalene talks about the havoc it created in her life, and the difficult path to finding effective treatment. Shalene also traces PMDD’s controversial route to formal recognition by the medical establishment, and talks about the implications of openly discussing conditions like PMDD in today's climate.

The Cycle: Confronting the Pain of Periods and PMDD, by Shalene Gupta: https://shalenegupta.com/the-cycle/
The International Association for Premenstrual Disorders (IAPMD): https://www.iapmd.org/

Listen to this next:

Discovering a borderline tumor in your twenties with Lucy Rudd: https://overlooked.simplecast.com/episodes/discovering-a-borderline-tumor-in-your-20s-with-lucy-rudd

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Our music is licensed through Blue Dot Sessions.

Surviving a ‘widowmaker’ heart attack, with Carolyn Thomas Apr 01, 2025

Show notes

Carolyn Thomas was having a heart attack when an emergency room doctor diagnosed her with acid reflux and sent her home. For two weeks, she continued experiencing symptoms while attempting to live normally—all while her heart was in crisis. She tells this extraordinary story of survival, and talks about how it turned her into an advocate for women’s heart health. Also in this conversation: gender bias in cardiac care, why our awareness of heart diseases is actually worse than it used to be, and specific strategies women can use to advocate for themselves in medical settings.

My Heart Sisters blog: https://myheartsisters.org/

A Woman's Guide to Living with Heart Disease: https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/11800/womans-guide-living-heart-disease

What to listen to next: Surviving a brain aneurism.

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Our music is licensed through Blue Dot Sessions.

The dark history of the Dalkon Shield IUD, with Chikako Takeshita Mar 24, 2025

Show notes

Modern IUDs - intrauterine devices - are a safe form of contraception for most women. But this wasn’t always the case. Author Chikako Takeshita traces the history and development of these devices, originally created for population control in 1960s, and talks about one IUD in particular, the Dalkon Shield, which would cause widespread harm to the women who used it, and in some cases, had lethal consequences.

Click the 'Follow' button for more women's health stories.

The Global Biopolitics of the IUD: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262547840/the-global-biopolitics-of-the-iud/

Chikako Takeshita: Associate Professor at the University of California Riverside - https://profiles.ucr.edu/app/home/profile/chikakot

More information about IUDs: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/24441-intrauterine-device-iud

Listen to this next:

HPV screening https://overlooked.simplecast.com/episodes/screening-yourself-for-cervical-cancer-could-be-a-game-changer-with-dr-anita-lim

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Our music is licensed through Blue Dot Sessions.

The origin story of estrogen therapy, with Alison Li Mar 18, 2025

Show notes

What are the origins of HRT and estrogen therapy? Historian Alison Li takes us back to 1930s Canada, and the ‘endocrine gold rush’, when estrogen was extracted from hogs, then human placentas, and finally horses - to create the drug Premarin (the name comes from PREgnant MAre urINE). The making and marketing of estrogen therapy would shape how we think about menopause in particular, for decades to come.

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More on Alison Li and her work https://alisonli.com/

A word from our sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by Tell Every Amazing Lady®

Whether you've had an ovarian cancer diagnosis or have questions about general women's health, like your first visit to the OBGYN or you're going through menopause, Tell Every Amazing Lady® is here to help!

Tell Every Amazing Lady® supports ovarian cancer survivors and their families, provides ovarian cancer awareness, offers education on women’s health, and funds medical research. It is a powerful resource for every woman, offering education and support throughout the entire lifespan, from puberty through menopause, while remaining committed to ovarian cancer prevention at all ages.

The organization aims to help every woman understand her body and how to protect it. Visit the website TellEveryAmazingLady.org to explore all the resources available. Events and activities, both virtual and in-person, are held every month, and everyone is invited to join. More information about these activities can be found on the event central page of the website, or through social media at @telleveryamazinglady.

Tell Every Amazing Lady® wants to hear from you. Whether you're a survivor of ovarian cancer, have lost a loved one to ovarian cancer, or you're going through menopause and feel alone, your story is wanted. Email contact@telleveryamazinglady.org to share.

Learn more: @TellEveryAmazingLady

website: www.TellEveryAmazingLady.org

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Follow the show, and episodes will come to you automatically.

Our music is licensed through Blue Dot Sessions.