Tales from the Stirrups
Join Dr. Steven Adashek, an OBGYN with over four decades of guiding patients through every stage of life. From first periods to menopause, from contraception to conception, from dating to relationship challenges, from illness back to health, everything your group chat won't explain correctly. These are the stories and real lessons my patients have trusted me to learn from. Smart, honest, a little irreverent, and definitely not your typical doctor talk.
Is this perimenopause already?
Do I Have to Live with Heavy, Painful Periods?
Do you miss school, work, or family activities because of painful or heavy periods? Dr. Steven Adashek explains why these problems happen, how they're evaluated, and the treatments that can make a real difference. Common doesn't mean normal—and you don't have to plan your life around your period.
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* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education. I hope that this podcast will inform and encourage your conversations with your providers about your healt...
Do I Have to Live with PMS?
PMS and PMDD can turn the second half of the cycle into a time of very real physical and emotional symptoms—bloating, fatigue, and mood changes that can feel like “I want to bite the heads off little baby birds”! This podcast helps normalize those experiences by explaining the biology behind PMS and PMDD and why it can feel so intense. Most importantly, it focuses on practical, evidence-based ways to feel better—from lifestyle and nutrition strategies to supplements and medications that can genuinely help.
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tale...
How to Talk to Your Children about Sex: Stories from home and the office!
Through memorable stories from the exam room and his own family, Dr. Steven Adashek reflects on the lessons that shaped his approach to parenting and medicine. In the end, this series was never really about sex—it was about building lifelong relationships, raising good human beings, and creating the trust that allows conversations to continue for a lifetime.
Part 5 of our 5 part series: How To Talk to Your Children About Sex
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* Remember, a podcast is n...
How to Talk to Your Children about Sex: Coaching Instead of Controlling (Ages 14–18)
As teenagers become more independent, a parent's role changes from controlling behavior to coaching good judgment. Dr. Steven Adashek shares practical strategies for asking better questions, preparing teens for inevitable mistakes, and building the trust that keeps families talking long after childhood ends.
Part 4 of our 5 part series: How To Talk to Your Children About Sex
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* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education. I hope that this podcast will...
How to Talk to Your Children about Sex: The Smartphone Years: Teaching Judgment (Ages 9–13)
Today's preteens don't just learn from parents—they learn from smartphones, social media, friends, and artificial intelligence. In this episode, Dr. Steven Adashek explores how parents can teach judgment instead of fear, helping children navigate puberty, pornography, digital citizenship, and healthy relationships with confidence and common sense.
Young children are naturally curious, and their questions are opportunities—not emergencies. Dr. Steven Adashek shares practical ways to answer children honestly, teach body safety, privacy, consent, and prepare them for puberty, all while building the confidence to keep coming back with more questions.
Part 3 of our 5 part seri...
How to Talk to Your Children about Sex: Curiosity Is Normal (Ages 3–8)
Young children are naturally curious, and their questions are opportunities—not emergencies. Dr. Steven Adashek shares practical ways to answer children honestly, teach body safety, privacy, consent, and prepare them for puberty, all while building the confidence to keep coming back with more questions.
Part 2 of our 5 part series: How To Talk to Your Children About Sex
Have feedback or an idea for an episode? Email us!
* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education. I hope that this podcast will infor...
How to Talk to Your Children about Sex: The Myth of "The Talk"
Parents often ask, “When should I have ‘The Talk’ with my child?” Dr. Steven Adashek suggests we’ve been asking the wrong question. In this opening episode, he explains why children don’t experience one big talk about sex—they experience hundreds of little conversations that teach them about bodies, relationships, respect, privacy, and trust.
Part 1 of our 5 part series: How To Talk to Your Children About Sex
Have feedback or an idea for an episode? Email us!
* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply educa...
How to talk to your children about Sex - Coming Soon!
This Thursday, tune into a new 5 part series: How To Talk to Your Children About Sex. It's the question Dr. Adashek gets more than any other and he has some ideas about how we've been thinking about "the talk" all wrong. It's a series about sexuality, but also about a healthy, open relationship between parent and child. We'll address big questions are consent, pornography, dating, puberty, healthy relationships, and more. Tune in on Thursday for Episode 1!
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* Re...
How to fix the leaking Part II
In Part II of our series on incontinence, join Dr. Steven Adashek and urogynecologist Dr. Joan Blomquist as they discuss the latest treatment options—from minimally invasive procedures to surgery—to help women get back to living life without worrying about leaks.
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* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education. I hope that this podcast will inform and encourage your conversations with your providers about your health and care. *
How to fix the leaking Part 1
When pelvic floor therapy, bladder training, and medications aren't enough, what comes next? Join Dr. Steven Adashek and urogynecologist Dr. Joan Blomquist as they discuss the evaluation of urinary incontinence and why an appointment is nothing to worry about!
Have feedback or an idea for an episode? Email us!
* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education. I hope that this podcast will inform and encourage your conversations with your providers about your health and care. *
Why do I pee when I sneeze?
Leaking urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh, or suddenly "have to go" isn't just common—it's treatable. In this episode, Dr. Steven Adashek explains the differences between stress, urge, and mixed urinary incontinence, along with the behavioral changes, pelvic floor physical therapy, and medications that can help you regain control. For a free patient guide to bladder health, visit Bladder Matters.
https://www.astellasresources.com/urology-resources/bladder-matters/eng
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* Remember, a podcast is not medical advi...
Sex does NOT have to hurt!
Pain with intercourse is incredibly common — but it is not something women should simply “live with.” In this episode of Tales from the Stirrups, we talk openly about dyspareunia: the hormonal, muscular, neurologic, emotional, and medical causes of painful intercourse, and most importantly, the many ways women can finally find relief.
Have feedback or an idea for an episode? Email us!
* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education. I hope that this podcast will inform and encourage your conversations with your providers about your...
My stuff doesn’t work!! When sexual response hits the Snooze Button
In this episode, we take a broad look at sexual dysfunction across libido, arousal, and orgasm in both men and women, and how these concerns often overlap rather than exist in isolation. We discuss how to recognize when symptoms may warrant an evaluation, what that assessment typically involves, and how clinicians approach identifying underlying causes. Finally, we review treatment options, including lifestyle and behavioral strategies as well as medications that can help improve sexual function across all three domains.
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Where Oh Where Has My Libido Gone?
In this episode, we explore libido—what a “normal” sex drive looks like and why there’s actually a wide range of healthy variation. We also break down the most common reasons libido can change, from stress and hormones to mental health and relationship factors. Finally, we look at when shifts in desire might signal something worth paying attention to and how to approach it without shame or confusion.
* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education. I hope that this podcast will inform and encourage your conversations with your providers about your health and care.
Vaginal Atrophy: "she ain't what she used to be!"
Vaginal atrophy is a common, often under-discussed change across the lifespan where declining estrogen can shift vaginal tissue from “pink, healthy, lubricated, and elastic” to thin, grey, dry and won’t stretch, making intercourse painful and sometimes impossible. This podcast explains the biology behind these changes and why symptoms like dryness, discomfort, and pain with sex are so common yet frequently overlooked. We also cover effective non-hormonal options and the evidence supporting vaginal estrogen, including its safety in women with a history of estrogen-sensitive breast cancer.
* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply...
Dr. Adashek's Journey: Why OBGYN?
Before there were deliveries, surgeries, menopause care, and conversations about life's challenges, there was a vocal music major tending bar and trying to figure out what came next. In this episode of “Tales From the Stirrups”, Dr. Adashek shares his journey into medicine and the experiences that shaped his approach to patient care. Drawing on more than four decades of practice—and the lessons his patients have taught him—he explores the principles of listening, empathy, purpose, and partnership that now guide both his care of patients and his teaching of the next generation of physicians. Because the best lessons...
Stress Hormones: Good or Bad?
In this episode, we unpack when stress hormones help, when they hurt, and simple mind–body tools you can use to help turn the volume back down.
* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education. I hope that this podcast will inform and encourage your conversations with your providers about your health and care. *
Mental Health is part of health! Who Knew??
This episode takes a step back to explore how we’ve defined terms like anxiety, depression, and ADD—useful labels we’ve created to describe complex human experiences, not fixed truths. It also balances both worlds of care: evidence-based medications and therapy, and practical mind–body approaches that can support mental health.
* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education. I hope that this podcast will inform and encourage your conversations with your providers about your health and care. *
The Gynecologic Exam
In this episode of Tales from the Stirrups, Dr. Adashek and his wife, Aimée, unpack what a gynecologic exam is actually supposed to feel like—and what happens when it goes wrong. Through one deeply personal story, they explore consent, communication, anxiety, and the simple truth that every patient deserves to feel informed, respected, and in control during their care.
* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education. I hope that this podcast will inform and encourage your conversations with your providers about your health and care. *
PT 3: Menopause is NOT Natural and Hormones are a Good Thing!
Despite the provocative title, this 3-part series takes a thoughtful look at menopause and hormone therapy—starting with the history of hormone replacement and its benefits, then breaking down what “bio-identical” hormones actually means, and finishing with a deep dive into testosterone in women. It’s a straight-talking, patient-friendly exploration of hormones, misconceptions, and what modern science really says. Enjoy part 3 of this series all about the incredibly impact of testosterone on menopausal women.
* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education. I hope that this podcast will inform and encourage your conversations with your provi...
PT 2: Menopause is NOT Natural and Hormones are a Good Thing!
Despite the provocative title, this 3-part series takes a thoughtful look at menopause and hormone therapy—starting with the history of hormone replacement and its benefits, then breaking down what “bio-identical” hormones actually means, and finishing with a deep dive into testosterone in women. It’s a straight-talking, patient-friendly exploration of hormones, misconceptions, and what modern science really says. Enjoy part 2 of this series all about the use of estrogen and progesterone as part of hormone replacement therapy.
* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education. I hope that this podcast will inform and...
PT 1: Menopause is NOT Natural and Hormones are a Good Thing!
Despite the provocative title, this 3-part series takes a thoughtful look at menopause and hormone therapy—starting with the history of hormone replacement and its benefits, then breaking down what “bio-identical” hormones actually means, and finishing with a deep dive into testosterone in women. It’s a straight-talking, patient-friendly exploration of hormones, misconceptions, and what modern science really says.
Enjoy part 1 of this series, with guest star (and wife of Dr. Steven Adashek) Aimee Adashek!
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Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education. I hope that this po...
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