The Hurt By The Female Pain Docs

In this episode, Dr. Meera Kirpekar chats with Dr. Rebecca Podolsky. Dr. Podolsky is Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at NYU Langone Medical Center and the Director of NYU's Center for Vulvar Health.

Dr. Podolsky addresses all of your questions regarding vulvar and vaginal disorders, topics that are often dismissed, disregarded, or misunderstood by patients and the medical community alike. This conversation will focus on common and uncommon conditions that affect females of all ages as well as misconceptions in the understanding and treatment of vulvo-vaginal disorders.

Whether you're seeking...

In this episode, Dr. Alopi Patel sits down with Dr. Jessica Opoku-Anane, a minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon and Associate Professor at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, where she serves as Chief of Complex Benign and Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery and leads the Comprehensive Endometriosis and Chronic Pelvic Pain Program.

Dr. Opoku-Anane addresses one of the most common and underrecognized challenges in women's health: distinguishing normal menstrual symptoms from conditions that warrant clinical evaluation. She discusses why endometriosis diagnoses are so often delayed, how clinicians differentiate between fibroids, adenomyosis, and endometriosis, and when surgery is—and isn't—the...

In this episode, Dr. Alopi Patel chats with Dr. Kristen MacKenzie. Dr. MacKenzie is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine at Stanford University. She practices at the Stanford Pain Management Center, where she specializes in chronic pelvic and abdominal pain, as well as peripartum pain.

Dr. MacKenzie serves as Co-Director of the Stanford Pelvic Pain Program and is part of the Stanford Pelvic Health Center, where she works with an all-female interdisciplinary team. She also co-directs the Women's Sexual Dysfunction Case Conference. With the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM...

In this episode, Dr. Alopi Patel sits down with Dr. Maria Sophocles to talk about one of the most underserved chapters of a woman's life — sex and intimacy after menopause.

Dr. Maria Sophocles is a board-certified OB/GYN and certified menopause practitioner with more than 25 years of experience, and the founder of Women's Healthcare of Princeton. Women's Healthcare of Princeton Her mission centers on closing what she calls "The Bedroom Gap" — educating women and men about the sexual changes of menopause and challenging the centuries-old model of sex defined by male pleasure. She is the author of the...

In this episode, Dr. Alopi Patel delves into the profound connection between spirituality, faith, and chronic pain. Reverend Christine Davies shares her perspective on how spiritual frameworks can offer resilience, purpose, and comfort to those navigating long-term pain conditions. Whether you're a provider, a patient, or someone seeking meaning in the midst of suffering, this conversation offers a thoughtful look at how faith can be a powerful tool in the journey toward healing.

Podcast Note: There are brief audio connection issues in a few moments during this podcast. Apologies for the inconvenience.

In this episode, The Female Pain Docs are joined by Dr. Blair Peters, also knows as @queersurgeon on social media. Dr. Peters is a plastic surgeon specialized in gender affirmation surgeries, who also advocates for the LGBTQ+ community. In this episode, they discuss representation and allyship for the LGBTQ+ community, the progress within medicine so far, and how patients can be better served.

The opioid epidemic has swept the nation since the 1990s. In its aftermath, many patients with chronic pain have experienced the unfortunate reality of addiction to the medications they previously received as pain treatments coupled with inadequate treatment of their pain while dealing with addiction and dependence. In this episode, Dr. K explores the field of addiction medicine with special guest, Dr. Sudheer Potru, an interventional pain physician and addiction medicine specialist, whose goal is to find a balance between treating addiction while also adequately treating chronic pain.

In this episode, The Female Pain Docs are joined by patient advocate Ilana Jaqueline to discuss the topic of medical gaslighting. Medical gaslighting occurs when a healthcare professional dismisses a patient’s concerns or wrongly misdiagnoses symptoms as mental illnesses. They discuss signs for patients to lookout for, how patients can advocate for themselves, and changes that need to be made within the medical community to combat medical gaslighting.

In this episode, Dr. P interviews Dr. Rena Malik, a urologist who specializes in pelvic medicine. Dr. P and Dr. Malik discuss men’s health and unique problems within sexual medicine. Pelvic pain in and of itself is a stigmatized topic, especially within the men’s population. In this jam packed episode, Dr. Malik breaks down common causes of men’s pelvic pain and treatment options.

In this episode, Dr. P of The Female Pain Docs chats with special guest Nitika Chopra. Nitika is a patient advocate who has experienced chronic pain for the majority of her life. She has made it her life's mission to empower patients to take control of their health. Dr. P and Nitika discuss how challenging life can be for chronic pain patients. They discuss methods to advocate for care in a broken healthcare system where patients often have to speak up to get adequate care. This is an enlightening episodes for doctors and patients alike.

In this episode Dr. P discusses gender affirming surgeries with Dr. Bella Avanessian, a board certified plastic surgeon who provides surgical care to transgender patients, intersex patients and to victims of female genital mutilation. She performs feminizing and masculinizing procedures of the face, chest and genitals. Dr. P and Dr. Avanessian discuss the comprehensive approach to surgical interventions for gender affirmation from the face to the chest to the pelvis. This is an insightful episode and worth a listen even for LGBTQ+ allies!

In this episode, Dr. P interviews Dr. Dana Corriel. Dr. Corriel made it her mission to disrupt healthcare by empowering physicians to promote autonomy, build a community of forward thinking professionals and provide cross pollination of ideas to advance healthcare for the greater community and patients everywhere. She has built an online platform to promote healthcare innovation and businesses, called SoMe Docs otherwise known as Social Media Docs. In this episode Dr. P breaks down the common types of medical practices as well as the difficulties of navigating each type.

In this episode, Dr. P of The Female Pain Docs chat with special guest, Dr. Tina Dosh, an interventional pain physician with extensive knowledge on neuropathic pain treatments as well as supplements for chronic pain. They discuss the pros and cons of utilizing supplements as well as the role they play in comprehensive pain management.

In this episode, The Female Pain docs discuss physician burnout with special guest, Dr. Anoushka Afonso, board certified anesthesiologist and internal medicine physician. They discuss rates of physician burnout particularly amongst anesthesiologists, risk factors for burnout, as well as outcomes related to physician burnout. They further discuss how this impacts the individual physician, patient care, and the field of medicine as a whole.

In this episode, The Female Pain docs explore pelvic floor physical therapy for the treatment of pelvic pain in persons with male anatomy with special guest, Jessie Klein, physical therapist. Dr. K goes in depth to discuss the anatomy of the pelvic floor muscles, how the integrity of the pelvic floor is assessed, and how physical therapy can help decrease pelvic pain. They also discuss pelvic pain conditions in males and how this affects the pelvic floor. They further discuss what pelvic floor physical therapy entails and who may be a good candidate for pelvic floor physical therapy and...

In this episode, The Female Pain docs explore breast cancer pain with special guest, Dr. Amitabh Gulati, interventional pain physician specializing in cancer pain. They discuss breast cancer pain throughout the course of the disease - pre cancer treatment, during cancer treatment, and post cancer treatment, as many patients are left with pain after surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. They explore treatment options for breast cancer pain, including medication, therapy, and procedures.

In this episode, The Female Pain docs explore the topic of sexual health with special guest, Dr. Rachel Rubin, board certified urologist and sexual medicine specialist. They discuss in particular the clitoris - its anatomy, its physiology, and its history. Research has lagged behind on women’s sexual health, including the clitoris, and they explore why this occurred, where the research and understanding lies now, and what paths will be forged in the future.

In this episode, Dr. P chats with the one and only Dr. Kelly Casperson! Dr. Casperson is a urologist who started the podcast, You Are Not Broken, with the mission to empower women to live their best love lives. Whether you are young or past menopause, single or in a longterm bond…it is never too late or too early to realize that YOU ARE NOT BROKEN. With humor, candor and ease she breaks down the stories that we have been told about being sexual beings to help us play, explore and normalize our lives. Dr. P and Dr. Ca...

In this episode, Dr. P interviews Dr. Sonia Bahlani (@pelvicpaindoc). Dr. Bahlani is an obstetric and gynecology trained physician and pelvic pain specialist. She is an expert in painful bladder syndrome, previously known as interstitial cystitis. Dr. Bahlani discusses the history of painful bladder syndrome, how to diagnose it and how to manage it. They delve into what lifestyle modifications can make painful bladder syndrome worse as well as other conditions that may be associated with it. If you have ever felt chronic pain in your bladder…this episode is one you will not want to miss!

In this episode, Dr. K and Dr. P focus on exercise and how it affects chronic pain. They discuss the physiology behind how exercise affects the brain and body. They also discuss the research behind exercise and its effect on chronic pain and mental health, focusing on a variety of different types of pain conditions as well as different types of exercise. Lastly, they offer simple exercise modifications you can do to achieve better health, better pain control, and better frame of mind.

In this episode, The Female Pain Docs explore acupuncture as used in the treatment of chronic pain with special guest, Dr. Saloni Sharma, dual board certified physician and acupuncturist. With Dr. Sharma, Dr. K goes in depth into learning the history of acupuncture and reviewing the studies done with the use of acupuncture both for the treatment of acute pain, such as after surgery, as well as the treatment of chronic pain. They also discuss the theories behind how acupuncture works and what to expect for your sessions should you choose to trial acupuncture in your life.

In this episode, The Female Pain Docs discuss headaches with special guest, Dr. Aharon Benelyahoo, board certified pain physician specializing in injections for the treatment of headache and face pain. In this episode, Dr. K explores the different types of headache and facial pain syndromes that occur and how to manage those conditions with interventional techniques when medicines and conservative therapy have failed. They discuss the safety and efficacy of injections, what to expect for the injection and recovery time, and who may be a good candidate.

In this episode, The Female Pain Docs discuss the hot topic of migraines as they relate to pregnancy with special guest, Dr. Mia Minen, Harvard trained neurologist and headache specialist. In this episode, Dr. K explores how to prevent and treat migraines when they occur during pregnancy using medications and techniques safe for a growing fetus. They also review red flag signs that require a trip to the hospital and how best to keep you and your baby as safe and pain free as possible.

In this episode, The Female Pain docs explore pelvic floor physical therapy for the treatment of pelvic pain with special guest, Dr. Mukta Chauhan, physical therapist. Dr. K goes in depth to discuss the anatomy of the pelvic floor muscles, how the integrity of the pelvic floor is assessed, and how physical therapy can help decrease pelvic pain. They further discuss what pelvic floor physical therapy entails and who may be a good candidate for pelvic floor physical therapy and why, including pregnant and postpartum women.

On todays episode Dr. P and Dr. Shrikhande talk about painful sex, otherwise known as dyspareunia. They discuss the multiple causes of painful sex including endometriosis. This is an excellent episode to shed light on the multidisciplinary approach to painful sex and pelvic pain.

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Welcome back for Season 4 of The Hurt by The Female Pain Docs! In this eye opening episode, Dr. K and Dr. P dive deep into the history of women's reproductive health. They objectively break down the timeline for how the women’s health movement has evolved over approximately the last 200 year. This will be an episode you won’t want to miss!

In this very special episode, Dr. K interviews Dr. Tayyaba Ahmed, board certified physical medicine and rehab physician in New York City, on the facts, myths, and misconceptions on the topic of endometriosis. They discuss early recognition and non-surgical options for the treatment of endometriosis, including physical therapy, medications, psychotherapy, lifestyle modifications, and more.

In this very special episode, Dr. K interviews Dr. Kathy Huang, board certified obstetrics and gynecology physician in New York City, on the facts, myths, and misconceptions on the topic of endometriosis. They discuss early recognition of endometriosis, collaborative effort to manage and treat endometriosis, with a focus on hormonal and surgical options and outcomes. They also discuss lifestyle factors, social stigma, and their own stories.

In this episode Dr. K and Dr. P discuss medical marijuana for the use of chronic pain. They discuss the background, the verbiage as well as the future of medical marijuana. They also address the growing use of recreational and medical marijuana and its implications when undergoing anesthesia.

In this episode, Dr. K and Dr. P discuss common side effects of general anesthesia, including postoperative nausea and vomiting, muscle aches, sore throat, inability to urinate, and postoperative delirium. We discuss why each of these side effects occur, what patient populations these side effects are prevalent in, and what we as anesthesiologists do to prevent and treat these side effects. Are you at risk? Find out in this episode.

In this episode, Dr. P and guest co-host, Dr. Vibha Mahendra, discuss the intricacies of maternal health in the United States including how statistics are collected, the consequences of lack of access to maternal health, steps to address maternal mortality and more. This is an important episode about how to tackle the issue of maternal health in the US from the perspective of an obstetric anesthesiologist.

In this episode, Dr. P talks to Dr. Kiran Patel about the use of neuromodulation in pelvic pain. Dr. Patel is a board certified anesthesiologist and interventional pain physician. She has been in practice for several years with a primary focus on pelvic pain. She is a pioneer in the use of neuromodulation for pelvic pain and one of the few women physicians to implement this relatively new technology. This is an informative episode addressing the concept of neuromodulation from the history to the current applications in the setting of pelvic pain.

In the second part of this two part episode, Dr. P and Dr. K discuss the opioid epidemic that has swept the nation, starting from the 1990s. This episode focuses on the aftermath of the opioid crisis and the future of opioid prescribing in the U.S. from the viewpoint of two pain physicians. In this episode, we discuss new measures for safe opioid prescribing as well as interventional and alternative therapies and advancements in the field of pain medicine.

In the first part of this two part episode, Dr. P and Dr. K discuss the opioid epidemic that has swept the nation, starting from the 1990s. This episode focuses on how the opioid epidemic came to be in the U.S., and how this has affected public health. We discuss the history of opioid prescribing as well as the surge in opioid prescriptions due to a changing national culture and influence from pharmaceutical companies.

In this episode, Dr. P talks to Dr. Anita Gupta about the field of precision medicine. Dr. Gupta is a double board certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine. She has an illustrious career in not just pain medicine but also health policy, biotechnology, drug development and government affairs.

Welcome to Season 3 of The Hurt by The Female Pain Docs! In this episode, Dr. P interviews TV Star, Paige Davis, and Dr. K. They discuss the stigma associated with pelvic pain and how many women delay finding the appropriate care. This is an exclusive episode you will not want to miss!

In this very special episode 2 Part episode, Dr. K interviews Dr. Jennifer Blakemore, board certified Ob-gyn and reproductive endocrinologist in New York City, on the facts, myths, and misconceptions on the topic of women's fertility. They discuss how age, lifestyle, and vaccines affect fertility, the cost of the process, the difference between IVF, egg freezing, embryo freezing, the latest studies on how hormones predict fertility, and much more. Dr. K also discusses her own experience undergoing embryo freezing, and what the process felt like on a personal level.

In this very special episode 2 Part episode, Dr. K interviews Dr. Jennifer Blakemore, board certified Ob-gyn and reproductive endocrinologist in New York City, on the facts, myths, and misconceptions on the topic of women's fertility. They discuss how age, lifestyle, and vaccines affect fertility, the cost of the process, the difference between IVF, egg freezing, embryo freezing, the latest studies on how hormones predict fertility, and much more. Dr. K also discusses her own experience undergoing embryo freezing, and what the process felt like on a personal level.

In this episode, Dr. K and Dr. P discuss how the food we consume can actually affect chronic pain! The discuss the Western diet and how foods can be either pro- or anti-inflammatory which can make pain either worse or even better. They discuss the various foods that are pro- and anti- inflammatory and the role they play in chronic pain.

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In this episode, Dr. P talks to Dr. Anjana Kundu about pediatric pain. Dr. Kundu is a quadruple board certified physician with certifications in anesthesiology, pain medicine, pediatric anesthesiology and integrative medicine! As a pioneer in the field of pediatric pain medicine, Dr. Kundu has many words of advice for parents. Dr. P and Dr. Kundu discuss how pediatric pain can be treated via different approaches including integrative medicine. They discuss how pediatric pain can take an emotional toll on the patient as well as family members, however there are many ways to acknowledge and treat the pain.