CRAMPED

Kate Downey
CRAMPED
Latest episode

48 episodes

  • CRAMPED

    Can Capitalism Fix What the Healthcare System Broke? One Endo App Founder Is Trying

    02/06/2026 | 38 mins.
    There's a very obvious gap in the healthcare market: millions of people in serious pain every month, and almost no companies trying to solve it. In this episode, Kate talks to Sushma Ravindran, founder of Ask Nomi, an app in beta testing that aims to help people with endometriosis track symptoms, find the right care, and figure out what actually works for their body. Sushma spent 18 years undiagnosed, paid $20,000 out of pocket to finally get answers, and then quit her job to build a solution. They also gets into the genuinely uncomfortable question of whether an app is an adequate solution to a healthcare system that has catastrophically failed people with period pain, or whether it's a Band-Aid over a gaping wound.
    Join the CRAMPED Patreon: https://patreon.com/cramped
    CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice.
    American Heart Association Journal article on endometriosis and heart disease risk: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.115.002224
    Ask Nomi link to join the beta test: https://www.asknomi.ai/partners/cramped

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
  • CRAMPED

    What Does Tinnitus Have To Do With Your Hormones? An Audiologist Explains

    27/05/2026 | 28 mins.
    Your ears are pretty far away from your uterus, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE NOT LISTENING.
    Dr. Natalie Crossland, an audiologist who specializes in tinnitus management (and also has endometriosis), explains the surprising ways that hormones, hearing, and the nervous system are all in conversation with each other. Like why estrogen levels affect your ability to hear in background noise, why tinnitus might pop up during hormonal shifts, and what you can actually do about it besides being told to ignore it.

    Join the CRAMPED Patreon: https://patreon.com/cramped

    CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice.

    Dr. Natalie Crossland: https://www.newyorkhearingdoctors.com/team/natalie-crossland-au-d/
    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
  • CRAMPED

    She Approached Her Endo Diagnosis Like a Breaking News Investigation

    26/05/2026 | 31 mins.
    Severe period pain doesn't care who you work for. Diana Falzone is a journalist and current host of EndoTV, whose endo story is tangled up with a breaking news story, an NDA, and a near-kidney failure seven months after giving birth. Kate researches the backstory she can't tell us, and then Diana joins Kate to talk about 18 years of dismissed pain, an infertility diagnosis at 32, and how her journalism skills became her most useful medical tool.
    CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice.
    Join the CRAMPED Patreon: https://patreon.com/cramped
    Jane Myer's 2019 New Yorker story: https://archive.ph/cW3jr

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
  • CRAMPED

    Using AI To Help Get To A Diagnosis

    12/05/2026 | 52 mins.
    Pelvic floor physical therapist Caroline Gamwell experienced a strange constellation of symptoms from the time she was 4. After decades of misdiagnoses, unnecessary surgery, and overmedication, she brought her search to an AI chatbot.
    Is it possible to use AI well in this situation? How do you protect yourself from potential AI hallucinations? Can someone with no medical background use AI to help get to a diagnosis?
    The New York Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/02/well/live/ai-illness-claude-chatgpt.html?smid=url-share
    CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice.
    Join the CRAMPED Patreon: https://patreon.com/cramped
    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
  • CRAMPED

    Your Period Blood Has a Weird Origin Story: Spiral Arteries, Uterine Milk, and Monkey Eyeballs

    08/05/2026 | 15 mins.
    PATREON-ONLY EPISODE TEASER
    Join the CRAMPED Patreon (even at the free tier!) to listen to the full episode: https://patreon.com/cramped
    I started research for a totally normal episode about spiral arteries in the uterine lining, and SHIT GOT WEIRD.
    Get ready for a deep dive into where period blood comes from, all the new organs and tissue you grow every month, and how science got the info on how it all works.
    CRAMPED episodes are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only, and are not medical advice.
    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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About CRAMPED
One nerd’s quest to find out why we know next to nothing about period pain. Tired of suffering from "death cramps" with no diagnosis for 20 years, Kate Downey has to look for her own answers. She interviews top doctors and researchers, and delves into topics from Greek history to sitcoms to TikTok wellness scams, all to figure out why menstrual pain is so often dismissed and untreated. What she finds will change how you think about your own body and the medical system. Because having a microphone gets you more answers than having a uterus. Season 1 launches weekly episodes starting February 2025.
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