Vicious Cycle

Soooo, the past 15 months have been rough, huh? And to pour lemon juice into our very fresh, deep 2020 paper cut, we're learning that some folks have noticed that COVID, the vaccine and tear gas (which we can't BELIEVE is still used by police on it's own people JFC RAAAAGE...ahem) have altered periods. So, we thought an 'On the Bleedia' episode was in order — we did a some bleedsearch and dug into the news to get to the bottom of all of this. We also manage to laugh through the pain and you can, too. Just slap a pad on and hit play.

We had the distinct honor of having comedian and musician Marcia Belsky on the pod! We dig into her hit song 100 Tampons, the space program, cis-dude reactions, first periods, recent periods, writing musical comedy, and selling out to any period brand that is hiring. Throw some loose tampons in your bag and join us on our rocket ship of laughs.

Kate had a baby! And we've got every detail about that experience right here in this episode. Kate leads us through what the day was like, what contractions actually feel like (including recording herself going through one!), the various bodily functions that let rip when you're in the throws of labor, and her c-section (aka, baby came out through the sun-roof). Also relive the day via our text messages to get a taste of what it is like being three best friends deeply engrossed in each other's bodies. Take a deep breath and PUSH... play.

This has been a LONG. TIME. COMING. After getting fully vaxxed, Kate and The Meg's got together in THE SAME ROOM to hold each other's damn hands and talk about their periods. We cover Kate becoming a mom (more on that in next week's episode), Meg T's cystecomy, and Meg H's beast of a new period. Also love, laughs new crazy period questions and our very own PATREON to ring in season five! So get together with your Pfizer Pfriends, hold hands and turn up this episode! You can check out our Patreon at www.patreon.com/viciouscyclepodcast

JUNE JUNE JUNE! 9TH 9TH 9TH! Vicious Cycle season five will PREMIERE PREMIERE PREMIERE! We've got another great season coming at ya, with hilarious guests, lots of bleedsearch, and TOUCHING BECAUSE WE CAN BE IN THE SAME ROOM AGAIN. Stock up on heating pads and products, bleeders, we're back!

Join us for our last episode of season four!

It's no surprise that we had LOTS to talk about with OBGYN Dr. Kate White, so here is part two of our interview. We bring back questions from previous episodes, like how worried should we be about exploding ovaries, and do we stop bleeding in swimming pools? But, Dr. Kate also shares her experience with pregnancy loss and what spurred her to start a miscarriage clinic for those suffering a loss. Live-laugh-love with us in this week's episode - and then go back to cursing your period...it knows what it did. --> Here is the Glamour article where Dr. Kate details her miscarriage: https://www.glamour.com/story/recovering-after-a-miscarriage-the-baby-i-lost-and-the-life-she-gave-me

Next to the pod's impending baby, interviewing gyno extraordinaire Dr. Kate White was our light at the end of the 2020 hellscape-tunnel. (If you're new and wondering who Dr. Kate is, check out our Ask a Gyno episodes in season two!!!) We saved up our most weird and random questions and she delivered the goods. In part one of our chat, we cover topics ranging from cervixes to IUD's and we even get her take on male birth control! Ready to reaffirm your love for Dr. Kate? Throw on a reusable pad and hit play!

With the VAST array of options for uterus-havers, some of us have wondered aloud and loudly "is male birth control ever going to be a thing?" This week, Kate did the bleedsearch to answer that question and many more! We review the history of BC, talk about options in the works for sperm-holders, found more reasons to adore Loretta Lynn, and wrap it all up with a song (of course we did). Come for our hot-take on the failings of cis straight dudes... stay for Kate's pronounciation of 'contraception' and 'ethicist.'

It's the day we've been waiting for in the US (and maybe some of our blisteners on other continents have been watching in horror as well?!). It's the day after the election... but we recorded this episode before the election. It was a simpler time... er, no it was still a really complicated, fucked up time. Anyways, all that to say, this episode barely touches on the election and is just here for you to zone out, laugh, and power up for whatever battles we still have to fight. Love to all bleeders and friends out there. Bleed on.

As we've learned in past episodes, a lot of things have to go right to get pregnant, and getting help is so much more common than we think (that's why it's so important to talk about it!). We learned about Kate's fertility journey last week, and this week, we chat with actor and comedian Millie Brooks about her experience with IVF, her podcast (Me, Myself & Millie), and breaking down infertility stigmas. Learn about hormone suppositories with us and hit that play button!

We've talked about parenthood on this podcast before (you know, with the menstrual cycle playing a pretty big role there and all), but this episode is VERY special because our very own blost Kate is PREGGO! She opens up about her fertility journey, we meet her fertility doctor, Danielle Lane, and talk about intrauterine insemination (IUI). Learn more about infertility, get some hot tips on making babies, and imagine what Kate's kid will think of this episode 15 years from now.

With so much going on in the U.S. (and the world... and the super massive blackhole in the center of the universe, and and and...) we wanted to chime in on the passing of RBG and her potential (sigh, likely) replacement Amy Coney Barrett. Meg Hayes gives her Catholic hot take while Kate and Meg T try to kegel-clench this reality away. Tune in and clench with us!

If you've heard about Goop (Gwyneth Paltrow's wellness brand), you probably also heard the audible eye roll that accompanies a mention. So, we wanted to dig into the good, the bad and the WTF of this controversial company. We cover the vagina candle, yoni egg, and vaginal steaming mentioned on the site, as well as host a few fun segments like How Much Does This Goop Item Cost? and Which of These Goop Products are Fake? We had a lot of fun recording this one and - of course - leave the studio more confused than ever. Throw an egg up that canal and hit play!

Amanda Rosenberg (friend of the pod and author of That's Mental) is BACK and she is shedding light on a mental health condition that affects 5-8% of menstruators: Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder(PMDD). Here's why we love Amanda so hard: she speaks openly and plainly about mental illness, helping to tear down the stigma that often prevents people getting the help they need. And, she's one of the funniest people we know. This episode gets real, so get comfy, press play and bleed on.

We've got some more bleedsearch coming at ya on this episode! Meg T dug into the what-and-why of ovaries - and after all these seasons, your blosts were still WOEFULLY ignorant about their bodies. When will they learn?! We bring you mind-blowing facts, introduce you to hormones you may not have met yet, and it wouldn't be a research episode without a SONG. Pop some popcorn while you pop out an ovum and tune in!

Fibroids - ever heard of 'em? We host a pod about periods and are barely familiar, yet 1 in 3 bleeders will develop them in their life! We got on the horn with lawyer by day, writer and comedian by night Andrea Coleman to discuss her experience with fibroids, heavy periods, and laughing at our ridiculous bodies (her one-woman comedy show The Fibroid Chronicles ran off broadway, okaaaay). So slip on an adult diaper, lay on down and listen!

Blisteners! It's one of our most frequently asked Q's: do menstruators sync up? And in this week's episode, Kate dives into the science behind it and whether this myth deserves to be busted. And you know if Kate did the bleedsearch there is MOST DEFINITELY a song at the end! Pop on those headphones and roar at the moon with us!

Hope you've got a liner or light day - because we've got another Surprise Spotting coming at ya! Jessica guides us through how astrology can help us understand history and use it as a lens to come to terms with events taking place in the US today. Then, we find a new spin to Read My Labias that we think you're going to like - we certainly do. Hit play and bleed on!

In this very special episode of Vicious Cycle, we chat with esteemed astrologer, psychic, published author and fellow podcaster Jessica Lanyadoo. We dive into what it feels like to be psychic, how deep astrology can go (like medical astrology) and she even does the pod the honor of reading Meg T's birth chart! Pop on a pad and look at the stars with us.