Shows
Hormone ZoneHow naturopathic medicine and acupuncture can help our hormones feat. Dr. Lana Butner (@drlanawellness)In today's episode, Jane sits down with naturopathic doctor and licensed acupuncturist Dr. Lana Butner to learn about naturopathic medicine, acupuncture, and our hormones.
Dr. Lana owns her own practice and helps people with chronic conditions and unexplained symptoms identify the root cause of their health issue. She helps her patients with gut health, hormone and fertility issues like PCOS, and more. If you have been struggling with a health issue and are curious about exploring how naturopathic medicine or acupuncture could help you, this episode is for you.
Tune in to learn:
What is...2023-03-2139 minHormone ZoneThe dark side of wellness feat. Clara Nosek, RD (@yourdietitianbff)In today's episode, Jane sits down with Clara Nosek, RD (@yourdietitianbff) to talk about the downsides of the wellness and nutrition industries.
Clara is a registered dietitian who moonlights as an educator and content creator in the anti-diet and wellness accountability space. Her content goes much deeper than her hilarious wellness and diet culture memes, though. She provides digestible and science-backed education to help people better understand the ways that wellness culture can oftentimes reflect and perpetuate discriminatory systems in our society, and she uses research and history to explain the problematic parts of this industry.
2023-02-1456 minHormone ZoneWhy do people mix up PCOS and endometriosis?PCOS and endometriosis both impact at least 10% of women and people that menstruate, and are largely known as being fertility-related conditions. But despite being quite different disorders, they are sometimes confused with one another. Why is that?
In today’s episode, Jane and Sabrina dive into what PCOS and endometriosis both are, how they are diagnosed, and what makes them similar vs. different.
Perhaps the most commonly-shared symptom of PCOS and endometriosis is infertility and irregular menstrual cycles. However, PCOS tends to be “irregular” in that people get fewer cycles per year than average, whereas endome...2023-01-3019 minHormone ZoneCan I get pregnant if I have PCOS?PCOS is known as being the leading cause of infertility, and it does have a reproductive health impact for a majority of people who have it. One of the diagnostic criteria for PCOS is having irregular or absent ovulation, after all, and if you are not ovulating (or are not ovulating consistently) getting pregnant will indeed be more difficult.
That said, a PCOS diagnosis is not an infertility sentence. While you will not be able to get pregnant in any given month that you don’t ovulate, spontaneous ovulation is possible even in unmanaged PCOS. And the go...2023-01-1708 minHormone ZoneAre ovarian cysts and PCOS the same thing?Hormone Zone is back after our break! We’ll be starting a new bite-sized format mixed with specialist interviews.
Today’s discussion gets into a question we hear a lot: are ovarian cysts the same thing as polycystic ovaries or PCOS?
While the two certainly sound similar, they are actually quite different. Ovarian cysts are fluid-filled sacs in or surrounding the ovary. They affect 8-18% of pre and postmenopausal women. While they oftentimes cause no discomfort or symptoms, they can sometimes become twisted or burst open which can be painful and dangerous. There are different type...2023-01-0211 minHormone ZoneEnding the PCOS stigmaSince September is PCOS Awareness Month, Jane and Sabrina are tackling one of their favorite topics: stigma and PCOS.
PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) impacts at least 10% of menstruating people. Common symptoms like irregular periods and subsequent infertility, weight gain, acne, female-pattern hair loss, hirsutism, and mental health conditions are all very stigmatized in today’s culture. For that reason, many people with PCOS may struggle with internal, external, or anticipated stigma.
In today’s episode, Sabrina and Jane start off with Jane’s own experience with PCOS before getting into the research behind stigma and chroni...2022-09-1442 minHormone ZoneAre plant-based diets good for our hormones? Feat. Dr. Dylan CutlerIn today’s episode, Sabrina and Jane are joined by Pollie advisor, OBGYN PhD, and health educator Dr. Dylan Cutler to talk all about plant-based (and vegan) diets and PCOS.
While plant-based eating is often brushed aside in the world of hormonal health due to a focus on low glycemic or even borderline keto diets, there are many benefits to adding more vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes to your diet - even if you decide to not commit 100% to being vegan or vegetarian.
In fact, if we focus on whole foods, plant-based eating is a pr...2022-08-3140 minHormone ZoneWho’s better, Dr. Reddit or Dr. Google?In today’s episode Jane and Sabrina talk about online health communities, with most of the conversation centered on Reddit. With 1 in 10 people (and growing) going to social media for health information and over 1 billion health questions searched on Google every day, this topic is an important one, especially when it comes to parsing out misinformation.
They discuss whether content on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok is ever legit (hint: it depends), how to tell if specific community platforms for chronic conditions, and Jane’s obsession with Reddit UTI groups.
The conversation conc...2022-08-1646 minHormone ZoneIs the fertility awareness method an effective form of birth control?Fertility awareness methods (FAMs) have gained popularity in recent years both for being effective support tools for those trying to conceive and even for people who are hoping to avoid pregnancy.
In today’s episode, Jane and Sabrina discuss FAM as a birth control method as well as the risks (and benefits) associated with this approach. They discuss the different types of FAM (i.e., Standard Days, Cervical Mucous, Basal body temperature (BBT), Symptothermal), how people can use these methods for both birth control and family planning, how FAM stacks up to other birth control methods with ty...2022-08-0243 minHormone ZoneWTF is PCOS and what do I do about it?Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an incredibly common hormone imbalance that impacts 10% of menstruating people. While it is the leading cause of infertility and is oftentimes framed as a reproductive issue as a result of this, there is much more to PCOS beyond this: it is a risk factor infertility, diabetes, heart disease, mental health issues, and more. Not to mention frustrating day-to-day symptoms such as irregular or absent ovulation, wonky periods, trouble losing weight, acne, hair loss, hirsutism (male-pattern hair growth), mood-related symptoms, sleep issues, and more.
Given all this, being diagnosed with PCOS can be...2022-07-1954 min
Hormone ZoneWhy birth control is not a one-size-fits-all feat. OBGYN Dr. Mare MbayeBirth control is a hot topic in today’s wellness world to say the least. Chances are you have seen conflicting information about hormonal birth control in terms of how it can impact our hormones and overall health.
In this episode, we bring on Dr. Marieme Mbaye to teach us more about how hormonal contraceptives even work, how the different types function (e.g., Combination pills vs. progestin-only, Oral contraceptives vs. IUDs vs. the ring vs. the rod), the typical impact they have on our body’s hormones, and signs that a birth control method may not be w...2022-07-0545 minHormone ZoneFunctional medicine needs a rebrandIn this week’s episode of Hormone Zone, Jane and Sabrina have a bone to pick with functional medicine. And that’s not with anything about this care model’s actual approach - they’re both fans - but rather why they think it needs a rebrand.
The two start with discussing the different types of healthcare models that exist today including conventional medicine vs. integrative care, alternative medicine vs. functional medicine, and how “holistic” care fits into it all.
They then get into misconceptions about functional medicine, why it is often branded as an elitist conc...2022-06-2149 minHormone ZoneAre period poops real? Feat. Dr. Saru Bala, NDGut health is a popular buzzword these days, but why is it important for our hormones and reproductive health? Lucky for you, Jane and Sabrina enjoy talking about poop more than any two coworkers should, and this episode explores all-things relating to gut health and our hormones. In Hormone Zone’s first interview, Jane and Sabrina have a chat about the gut-hormone connection with naturopathic doctor, Pollie advisor, and female hormone specialist Dr. Saru Bala.
Dr. Bala unpacks what “gut health” actually is, why it is such a vital part of our overall health, and signs that someth...2022-06-0749 min
Hormone ZoneWas I a better roommate or co-founder?Today’s episode dives in to Jane and Sabrina’s unique relationship. The two met nearly a decade ago while on a study abroad trip and started their company, Pollie, in the early days of the pandemic. They discuss who they are outside of work, their compatible sun signs, how their friendship has evolved over the years, and why they started to take the plunge and start Pollie in 2020. They also answer questions that they commonly hear from Pollie’s community as well as their own friends and family.
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like...2022-05-2445 min
Hormone ZoneIf one more doctor tells me to pee after sex I will explodeWelcome to Hormone Zone! In our first episode, Jane and Sabrina discuss one of their favorite topics: how to advocate for yourself at the doctor. Jane shares her recent struggles with recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), how difficult it has been for her to understand why these monthly infections keep happening, and frustrations with being dismissed by providers about this new issue.
The most wild part, though? Advocating for herself has not become any easier since the last time Jane went through a frustrating health issue. And that was a decade ago!
Tune in to...2022-05-1037 min
Hormone ZoneIntroducing Hormone ZoneIntroducing Hormone Zone: a new podcast for menstruating people who want to learn more about their bodies, from the founders of Pollie. Coming soon to Spotify and Apple Podcasts!
Learn more about Pollie on our website (www.pollie.co) or Instagram (@pollie.co).2022-05-0901 min