Session 484: What Your Menstrual Cycle Wants You to Know

Your menstrual cycle is about so much more than your period. This week, Dr. Joy talks with Dr. Charis Chambers, aka The Period Doctor, about PMS, PMDD, hormones, period tracking, and understanding what’s actually happening in your body throughout the month. They also discuss how to advocate for yourself when something doesn’t feel right and why there’s no such thing as a “normal” period that looks the same for everyone. About the Podcast The Therapy for Black Girls Podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed Psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves. Resources & Announcements Want to reflect on this conversation in community? Join us inside our Patreon https://community.therapyforblackgirls.com/ community where we’re unpacking this episode together. You can now catch episodes of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@therapyforblackgirls. Be sure to subscribe to get new episodes every week. Did you know you can leave us a voice note with your questions for the podcast? If you have a question you'd like some feedback on, topics you'd like to hear covered, or want to suggest movies or books for us to review, drop us a message at memo.fm/therapyforblackgirls https://memo.fm/therapyforblackgirls and let us know what’s on your mind. We just might share it on the podcast. Grab your copy of Sisterhood Heals. https://www.sisterhoodheals.com/ Connect with Dr. Joy on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hellodrjoy. Where to Find Our Guest LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/charis-chambers-md-36b63121a/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/charis-chambers-md-36b63121a/ IG: www.instagram.com/theperioddoctor http://www.instagram.com/theperioddoctor Get her book, ‘The Period & Puberty Parenting Revolution https://bookshop.org/a/20534/9781464233807 Stay Connected​https://click.convertkit-mail.com/27uv20p9mpioh8edr34s8ug63w344hg/58hvh8ug08p6wzc6/dGhlcmFweWZvcmJsYWNrZ2lybHMuY29tb3JibGFja2dpcmxzLmNvbS9wYXRyZW9u Is there a topic you'd like covered on the podcast? Submit it at therapyforblackgirls.com/mailbox https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/mailbox. If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check out the directory at https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/directory. Grab your copy of our guided affirmation and other TBG Merch at therapyforblackgirls.com/shop https://therapyforblackgirls.com/shop. The hashtag for the podcast is #TBGinSession. Make sure to follow us on social media: Instagram: @therapyforblackgirls https://www.instagram.com/therapyforblackgirls Facebook: @therapyforblackgirls https://www.facebook.com/therapyforblackgirls Our Production Team Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Gabrielle Collins Director of Podcast & Digital Content: Ellice Ellis Producer: Ndeye Thioubou Production Assistant: Bria Mosley See omnystudio.com/listener https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

• 0:10Speaker 00

  Welcome to the Therapy for Black Girls Podcast, a weekly conversation about mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves. I'm your host, Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information or to find a therapist in your area, visit our website at therapyforblackgirls.com. While I hope you love listening to and learning from the podcast, it is not meant to be a substitute for a relationship with a licensed mental health professional.

• 0:55Speaker 00

  Hey y'all. Thanks so much for joining me for session 484 of the Therapy for Black Girls Podcast. Today, I'm sitting down with Dr. Sharice Chambers to talk about what's really happening in our bodies during all phases of the menstrual cycle. We'll get right into it after a word from our sponsors.

• 1:18Speaker 01

  This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human.

• 1:22Speaker 00

  A rare disease diagnosis can change your life, but it doesn't have to define your future. In season seven of Untold Stories: Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition, host Martine Hackett continues the conversation with people living with MG, CIDP, and the broader rare disease community, exploring what comes after diagnosis through stories of hope, progress, and connection. Produced by Ruby Studio in partnership with Argenx. Listen on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

• 1:52Speaker 02

  I'm Martha Stewart from the Martha Stewart Podcast. When you want to make your best, it's got to be McCormick. From everyday meals to hosting dinner parties, turn to McCormick. Their convenient, versatile flavors elevate every dish. McCormick has been and is an essential in the kitchen. Now they have a new line of signature seasonings crafted by flavor experts with everyday favorites like garlic and olive oil, globally inspired ones like chimichari, and more. McCormick's signature seasonings make it easier to add bold flavors that make each bite of your meal more delicious. Try the chimichari blend that elevates grilled meats. Explore the full array of blends and find your favorite at McCormick.com.

• 2:33Speaker 03

  Hi, I'm Steph, and I work at United Healthcare. When I think about United Healthcare's members, I think of my own family. My niece was diagnosed with an ultra rare genetic disorder. I know how hard it is for families at United Healthcare. We can make it easier.

• 2:48Speaker 04

  I'm Brian. I care because I know what it's like to not speak the language. It's not easy. Health insurance is complicated. I would say our job is to make everything easy for our UFC members. I work for United Healthcare. I'm committed to care.

• 3:03Speaker 00

  Host Nora McInerney is back for an all new season of The Head Start, embracing the journey brought to you in partnership with ABV. As Nora continues her conversations with people living with chronic migraine, she's also reconnecting with familiar voices from seasons past to see where they are now on their journey. Of course, she'll be joined by headache specialist Dr. Christopher Rhine, who offers insight into these challenges and the questions many of us have. So don't miss season four of The Head Start: Embracing the Journey. Listen on the iHeart Radio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

• 3:39Speaker 00

  We've talked a lot on this show about the ways our bodies can affect our mental health, but there's one part of our health that many of us were never really taught to understand in full: our menstrual cycles. We might know when our period is coming, but do we really know what's happening in our bodies throughout the rest of the month? How do we know what's normal, what's worth paying attention to, and when something might be a sign that we need to talk to a doctor? Today, I'm joined by Dr. Sharice Chambers, aptly known as the Period Doctor, to get into all of it. We're talking about what actually happens throughout your menstrual cycle, why hormonal imbalance isn't always the best explanation for what we're experiencing, how to track your symptoms, and how to advocate for yourself when you feel like your concerns aren't being taken seriously. Whether you've had

• 4:23Speaker 00

  a period for decades or you're just starting to understand your cycle, this conversation is a reminder that there's a lot more to your period than just the days you're bleeding. Press play and let's get into it.

• 4:39Speaker 00

  Thank you so much for joining me today, Dr. Chambers.

• 4:41Speaker 05

  Thank you for having me, Dr. Joy.

• 4:44Speaker 00

  Yes, I'm very excited to chat with you. So you are a board certified physician. You studied pediatric and adolescent pathology, but you've also created this entire, like, second career of being the period doctor online. I'm really curious to hear how these, like, content and clinical worlds came together for you and what made you know that you wanted to start showing up online to share information?

• 5:07Speaker 05

  Yeah, I always thank you for that question, and thank you for the opportunity to even talk about it. It feels so long ago. I started in 2019, but I always tell people it's really just an extension of the work I already do and the work I was already doing. So I was seeing patients in clinic and explaining kind of the taboo topics or the topics that people just don't often get taught about, like what a period is and why we have discharge and what happens when you have a UTI and just things like that. And so I started on social media because I kept hearing from my patients that people just don't explain this like you, and it would just be easier if other doctors kind of just told me that. And why doesn't anyone else say this? You know, I also had really, really smart friends, smart, capable friends who would text me talking about like, I missed a pill. What

• 5:52Speaker 05

  do I do? How do I know if I have a UTI? What does this mean? You know, just these questions. I'm like, you're so smart, girl. Like, what do you mean? So I realized that there was a desire kind of across the board from adolescent to even older, kind of younger adult patients that desired to have this information more accessible and more available. And the only social media platform I really knew at the time was Instagram. So I was like, I'm gonna do it on Instagram. I named it The Period Doctor because I loved centering and valuing people with periods and not just people that were about to have a baby or people that were looking to try to conceive. I felt like people with periods deserved attention and they deserved health and quality of life and wellness. And so that's why I came up with The Period Doctor.

• 6:37Speaker 00

  Got it, got it. Thank you for sharing that story. So what does life look like for you now? Like, you are still operating as a traditional physician while continuing to make content. So what does that look like for you?

• 6:49Speaker 05

  It's kind of crazy. So I actually stepped away from clinical care for about two and a half to three years. This was after I'd met my husband and was in a good job, but knew that I wanted to live with my husband ideally and needed to relocate. At that time, I talked with the hospital while I was working and asked if there was an opportunity to relocate where my husband, now husband is, and they said there wasn't. So I was like, well, got to jet. And I just kind of bet on myself. And I wanted to see what it looked like to really spend dedicated time with focusing on this path that was outside of the traditional clinical medicine. I knew I wanted to write a book, so I was able to do that. I got married, had a baby, wrote a book, and returned to clinical practice

• 7:30Speaker 05

  in October of last year. So my day to day is part time seeing patients, part time doing things like this and spreading awareness about reproductive health and advocating for reproductive justice, and just doing things that really fill my cup in a variety of ways outside of just the traditional medical career.

• 7:51Speaker 00

  Got it. Well, congratulations on all the iterations of your career. That's really exciting.

• 7:56Speaker 05

  Thank you.

• 7:57Speaker 00

  Yeah. So I want to start at the beginning because typically when we first get our periods, we know nothing, right? Even though incredible resources like yours exist now, but like, we're still typically so young that like, it's all really confusing. You don't know what's happening. So talk to us about what happens when we first get our cycle, and then how does that change throughout our lives? What do we need to know?

• 8:17Speaker 05

  Yeah, so I think I explain this at least a dozen times a week because I'm dealing with people who are first starting their period. And I love, I love the younger teenagers because they come in with explanations. They're like, I'm demanding an explanation like today, right? And so I have to tell them like what's going on. So when we first get our period, that's typically because there's a signal in our brain that's releasing this like wave-like hormone called GnRH that ultimately, when released in that pulsatile or wave-like form, wakes up our ovaries. So we're born with all of our parts, right? From the day that we are coming to this world, we've got a uterus, we've got an ovary, we've got a vagina, we've got all these things. Right? And so it's more that our body starts to change how those things are functioning. And when that pulsatile wave starts to kick up,

• 9:02Speaker 05

  it increases the production of hormones, estrogen and progesterone specifically. The estrogen increases in the ovary and that's what changes things like the development of breasts. That's what most people think of as like the onset of pubertal changes, but it really begins before that. But that's the thing that we really can see most readily that's like something is happening. That typically starts about two years before the first period starts. And so when the first period starts, it just means that the uterus on the inside, of course, has grown enough to accommodate a period and that that lining in that uterus has also thickened. And then those hormones have started to come and go where progesterone has increased and then progesterone has dropped, typically after ovulation, to say a pregnancy didn't happen, it's time to shed this lining.

• 9:45Speaker 05

  And so all of those hormonal changes and even changes externally have to occur. And that's how we get to having a period or our first period.

• 9:54Speaker 00

  Got it. And I know there's been so much conversation, Dr. Chambers, around like how much earlier people are getting their cycles now. And I know some of it is related to like hormones and food that we're eating. Can you talk a little bit more about like the changes we've seen in like people getting their first mincey?

• 10:10Speaker 05

  Yeah, so it's not such a drastic shift. It's only about five to six months earlier than like decades in the seventies and eighties. So it's not crazy. It's not like we went from the first age of a period at 12 and now it's at nine. But for some people, it feels that extreme. I think a lot of that has to do with just more like interactions and discussions around periods where someone who hasn't more experience has an opportunity to share that with more people because of social media and of these other forums. But around the age of 11 to 12 is still the average age of first period in the United States. We say around 12. That's not a big difference, but there's a big deal in as far as like what puberty looks like and how that starts. So we know that breast development is beginning earlier too.

• 10:51Speaker 05

  And that is the few things that are causing that are going to be like increased obesity. And our population having more of those fat cells, fat cells aren't just fat cells. Those are cells, adipose cells that also increase or change the way our hormones are functioning. So it increases estrogen. We also have our endocrine disrupting chemicals that are ubiquitous in our society and our microplastics. They're found in our soil, in our water, in our clothes. They're kind of everywhere and we know that those can negatively affect our hormones. And so the belief is that there's an interplay of all of those things, including other stressors that are contributing to an earlier onset of puberty and periods. It's not one thing, it's multiple things.

• 11:31Speaker 00

  So when I started my cycle, we could use a tampon or a pad, like those were the options. And you know, I think in great ways, there are so many more options, right? Like there are cups, there are discs, there are period underwear. Talk to us about all of the different options people have and what should we know about each in terms of making a decision that might be best for us?

• 11:52Speaker 05

  Yeah, so I love that there are more options. To me, the more options, the better. But for some people, especially parents who have people in their house that are just starting periods for the first time, explaining all these options, understanding them can be very, very daunting. So I have a whole chapter in my book, section of my book where I talk about all of the options, the pros and cons, and why one might work better for someone else. So when I break up the options, I typically break them up into two different categories. Either the ones that are internal and the ones that are external or the ones that absorb and the ones that hold, right? So for example, our menstrual cups and our menstrual discs are just going to hold the blood. They're not going to absorb it. It's just going to hold it. And so that means that you have to have really special care in how you insert and remove it. It's just like if you have a teacup and you turn that jigger upside down, the tea's gonna fall out, right?

• 12:38Speaker 05

  So there can just be some hesitation around like dexterity and availability of a sink in the restroom and wherever someone's changing this product, how feasible it is. And then you have the ones that absorbs. That can be our pads, our reusable pads, our panty liners, our period underwear, and even our tampons are absorbent. Many people struggle with understanding tampons, right? Or have some sort of taboo or concern around the use of tampons from a safety standpoint. Tampons can be used safely if you know where your anatomy is, like you know where to place it. You know how to tell time, right? Can't just leave it in forever. And you can do these things reliably with insertion and removal. Other than that, there is no other crazy requirements for tampons. There's some myths that people believe you have to be sexually active

• 13:22Speaker 05

  or in some societies, they say that's for married women. No, I used tampon with my very first period. So when we think about period products, it's all about what works best for you. If you're going swimming, maybe you want to use a tampon because it's going to absorb the blood better. Or maybe you could wear like the kind of period swimwear that they have now, which is kind of amazing. If you are going somewhere and traveling out of the country and you're going to be away from stores and things, maybe a menstrual cup makes a whole lot of sense because you can reuse it and it's sustainable. You can boil it and sterilize it again and be able to use it multiple for multiple cycles. And so maybe that makes a lot of sense. A menstrual disc is super flexible, holds a ton of blood and doesn't require the folding like the origami style folding that a menstrual cup requires.

• 14:05Speaker 05

  So it's all about what makes the most sense for you. If I have younger patients that have sensory difficulties, like those on the autism spectrum, period underwear tends to be their favorite because it doesn't feel so icky, it doesn't feel so different. And it doesn't feel like something that's going to stick to their skin or irritate them. It just feels like normal underwear. So it depends on the person. It depends on their needs, their preferences, their values, and what works best for them.

• 14:30Speaker 00

  So is there anything clinically that we need to know about this? I mean, I know that there's been lots of conversation around if you leave a tampon in too long, like there's toxic shock that we know, I don't know if that is still a thing, like is that something people are still worried about? But are there other clinical indications for any maybe of the newer ones that people should know about?

• 14:46Speaker 05

  Yeah, so toxic shock syndrome is something I talk about often. It is not very common, so the incidence is about one in a hundred thousand. But it was popularized in like the late eighties when there was this type of tampon that was produced that was meant to be the super, super absorbent tampons. So different from our super tampons today, but one that was meant to be worn all like all throughout your period. So for five to seven days. That sounds crazy now. But the way they made it, it was super absorbent and there was like a matrix within it that was perfect for bacteria. So bacteria was able to live there and then again eventually get into your blood. So I always tell patients that toxic shock syndrome isn't caused by tampons. It's caused by a bacteria. It's a Stavlocaucus type of bacteria and that's what actually causes it.

• 15:29Speaker 05

  People get toxic shock syndrome from like heart valves, from any implantable device that could harbor bacteria. You can get toxic shock syndrome. So it's not something that I think people need to be so afraid of that they don't use tampons, but it is something that every tampon user needs to understand. They need to know how to modify their risk. I talk about this in my book. The best way to modify your risk is to not be an exclusive tampon user, to go back and forth between tampons and pads or a different type of product to decrease that risk and to make sure you don't leave it in for longer than six to eight hours. The CDC says a max of eight hours. And making sure you wash your hands really well before and after inserting that tampon. So they're really great ways to use tampons safely and these other products are also safe.

• 16:13Speaker 05

  But I do think tampons have the hardest type of, the most negative, I guess, reputation as relates to all of our menstrual products.

• 16:20Speaker 00

  Mm-hmm. I'm glad you brought up the stigma related to tampons because like you, like I feel like I grew up hearing that, you know, it was for married women or it meant you were fast if you were using a tampon. Has there been the same kind of, I mean, in hindsight, yes, but I mean, you know, you don't know, you're just listening to the adults in your life, right? Is there any stigma related to maybe any of the newer products that you can think of or that you think is important to share?

• 16:43Speaker 05

  So not really. I haven't heard much of a stigma related to the other products. I think menstrual cups just don't carry the same stigma and it's unclear as to why because you still have to insert that into the vagina, right? Menstrual disc the same. I do think there's a lower awareness around menstrual cups and discs. There's just greater awareness around tampons. And so I think they get the brunt of the negativity of the internal products. But yes, it still exists. People still tell young girls that they cannot use tampons or using a tampon means that they're sexually active or fast. And I always talk with parents and older women like, when you use a tampon, do you think about pleasure? Do you think about, is there anything pleasurable about that? No.

• 17:23Speaker 05

  But also I share with them that I used a tampon for my very first period, the very first day that I bled because we were about to go to the pool and my mother knew I loved swimming. And so she taught me I used tampon and I was fine with it. Like there was no issue, there was no taboo. I didn't feel any type of way. Because when there is shame and stigma around it, it's usually that the parent brought it into the scenario and less so that it came from the child.

• 17:47Speaker 00

  Hmm. And it sounds like you're having like lots of conversations with young people through your platform. What are the differences that you see in young people talking about their cycle now that maybe are different than maybe when you were younger?

• 17:58Speaker 05

  Yeah, so this generation, they're way more open to talk about things. They are exposed to so many ways of living. They're exposed to so many aspects of humanity that I do think there is greater acceptance and just understanding and even openness in this generation. There was a study done by Period, which is a nonprofit that I sit on the board of, but it's called State of the Period 2025. And it showed that this generation, 74% of them roughly, are more comfortable talking about their periods than their parents' generation, right? And so they're more comfortable. It's the parents, right? The generation ahead of them that really has the issue and that's a remnant of the shame and stigma. And so that creates this generational divide where you have a group of people that want to talk about, that have an appetite

• 18:42Speaker 05

  for this information, that are looking for trusted sources for this information and parents that don't quite feel prepared or ready or willing to provide it.

• 18:52Speaker 00

  You know, that's so interesting as I think about like the proliferation we are seeing around like perimenopause and menopause conversations now, right? And so it feels like this is the other side of the spectrum. Like people who were not comfortable talking about it now are in a different part of their cycle. And it's like, oh, I don't know this part either. And am I comfortable talking about it?

• 19:09Speaker 05

  You're exactly right. And when I talk about this revolution, while it is geared towards improving the period and puberty experiences of younger generations, it is my belief that if we approach this with greater grace and awareness and compassion, we will also improve the pregnancy experience and postpartum experience and perimenopause and menopause experience. But all of these things are physiological processes where our hormones are changing and our bodies are changing against our will or without our permission. And there's a requirement for grace, compassion, and resources that we historically just have not provided.

• 19:44Speaker 00

  So let's get into the details of the cycle, right? Like, we know what it feels like the week that our cycle is starting, but it's not just like the one week. Like, there is a whole cycle that is happening kind of behind the scenes. So can you walk us through the full cycle? So menstrual, follicular, ovulation, luteal, and what's going on in our bodies during each of these?

• 20:01Speaker 05

  Absolutely. So when we're talking about the full cycle, my patients get so disturbed when I say this, but if you are of reproductive age, which means you are between first period and last period, so you have had a period and you haven't gone through menopause, you are always on your cycle. Like, the cycle is a continuum, right? And so when people say, oh, I'm on my cycle, I kind of chuckle a little bit internally. You know, I don't say anything out loud, but it just means like, well, yeah, you're always on that cycle. The part that they're referencing typically when they say they're on their cycle is the bleeding portion. So that's menstruation. That bleeding portion or menstruation is what's happening at the uterine lining, but what's happening at the ovary is the follicular phase.

• 20:43Speaker 05

  It is the phase in which your ovary is forming a new follicle. So we are born with all of the eggs we will ever have. So what that means is we're not making new eggs like men and boys, they're constantly making new sperm. We're not making any new eggs. We're just trying to get them out of storage, right? And so in order to get them out of storage, our ovary essentially has to form a follicle around that and form like essentially a cyst, and that has to rupture, and that's ovulation. And so when we think about kind of the cycle, you're thinking about it on the uterine side and also on the ovarian side. So when you're having menstruation, you're bleeding and shedding that lining, but that ovary is starting already to form that new follicle. That estrogen is actually rising at that point and starts to thicken the lining again after you stop bleeding.

• 21:27Speaker 05

  So it's thickening the lining, and that's also our proliferative phase. And so once ovulation occurs, that's like our midpoint. After ovulation occurs, that's going to be our luteal phase, or that's when progesterone increases and the corpus luteum, or what was left of that follicle, that hangs out and produces progesterone. If you were to get pregnant, that corpus luteum helps to support early pregnancy. Progesterone is very necessary for pregnancy, so much so that I took progesterone during my pregnancy to better support the cervix, to make sure that my pregnancy was healthy. And so once that progesterone increases, if pregnancy doesn't occur, it decreases, and when it decreases, it causes shedding of that lining. So when we think about like PMS and PMDD and all of those things of irritation, they're

• 22:12Speaker 05

  typically in the luteal phase. They're in the phase of it's dominated by progesterone, but the symptoms are actually triggered by that progesterone level dropping. When that progesterone level drops, that causes that lining to shed, and that starts the whole cycle over.

• 22:26Speaker 00

  I can see why people feel stressed about feeling like you're always on your cycle because it's like, oh, gosh, I don't want to be doing this. It makes a lot of sense. Thank you for that. More from our conversation after the break.

• 22:45Speaker 00

  A rare disease diagnosis can change your life, but it doesn't have to define your future. Tune in for season seven of Untold Stories: Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition, a Ruby Studio production in partnership with Argenx. Hosted by public health and policy expert Dr. Martine Hackett, Untold Stories: Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition pushes the conversation within the rare disease community forward. Featuring guests living with MG, CIDP, myositis, SMA, and other rare autoimmune conditions, each episode explores hope, progress, and connection. How does research create new opportunities? How do shared experiences help light the way forward? How do we best show up for each other? Tune in to find out.

• 23:28Speaker 00

  Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

• 23:36Speaker 06

  Hey, it's Niall Rogers, host of Before the Moment, a Lincoln original series. I'm driving across the country, meeting some of today's most fascinating artists. We're exploring the stories before the moment that changed everything. This week, I'm joined by breakout singer-songwriter Alex Warren.

• 23:56Speaker 04

  I'm like a kid when I play music and I make music and I'm constantly asking questions, you know? Whether it's an instrument I haven't played, or it's a melody that seems foreign, you know, there's every night you play a show and it's the same set, but it's not the same show. At a certain point, your brain kind of goes on autopilot. When I'm in the studio or if I'm making music, that's where that curiosity kind of comes back, you know? I haven't lost it yet, but I'm also on my sophomore album. And you, you obviously are the expert here.

• 24:22Speaker 06

  Experience Before the Moment, a Lincoln original series on the iHeartRadio app, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

• 24:34Speaker 00

  So do you feel like there's any particular part of the cycle that is most misunderstood?

• 24:39Speaker 05

  Oh, goodness.

• 24:43Speaker 05

  I think the luteal phase is most misunderstood, especially as it relates to the people that I see with parents saying, oh, my daughter has the worst attitude, or she is just so disrespectful, or she is just so unmotivated, or all of these things where I'm like, she is in her luteal phase. Like, there is a physiological reason for this to happen. It's almost like getting upset with her bleeding during her menstrual phase. It's like, that's literally something that is expected. Now, there's extremes of it, but most of the time it's not your child trying to be extreme. It is their body being more sensitive to those changes. And so their greater sensitivity requires you to have greater sensitivity, not act like they are so bad or misbehaving.

• 25:27Speaker 05

  And so I constantly counsel parents on that. I'm like, I just can't stand her during this time of the, you know, month. And I'm just like, oh, my gosh, that's really rough. Let's talk about why physiology is contributing to this, and she's physiologically unable to have the same interpersonal relationships and responses that she once had, and it bothers her too. Like, you can tell that she's distressed by it. So what can we do to help that instead of shame her? So I think that luteal phase, unfortunately, because it's attributed to so many things like disrespect and disengagement and just things as if the child is like actively controlling this, I think that is one of the most misunderstood phases.

• 26:07Speaker 00

  And you mentioned PMDD, and I know that for some people, a part of the treatment is like a SSRI or some kind of medication during the two weeks. Well, talk to me about like when that's indicated and if your physician decides that's something you should try. What does that do? And how do you know like that the symptoms are beyond just what we, anybody would expect during the luteal phase?

• 26:27Speaker 05

  Yeah. So a lot of PMDD, shockingly, just requires us to believe patients. You just have to believe them when they say that, yes, this is bothersome. So PMS typically has some bothersome symptoms. So premenstrual syndrome can have physical and emotional symptoms like breath, serious irritability, and sadness, and bloating, and headaches. All of that stuff can be PMS, and it precedes menstruation. It's reliably seen, and you can see it about every month or the last three months. That's something that can be easily diagnosed. PMDD is typically diagnosed prospectively. You took maybe about five months of information, and it's largely affective or that emotional kind of side of things, and it is deeply debilitating.

• 27:10Speaker 05

  It messes up relationships. It prevents folks from being able to make a living by going to work or going to school or participating in what they love to participate in. And so it's that tip where it goes from just some sort of condition that's just a little bit bothersome to being a disorder because it is negatively impacting their life. At that point, I can get tapped in because we can manage hormones to try to improve PMDD typically by putting someone on some sort of hormonal therapy like a birth control of some type to try to stabilize those hormones so there aren't as many extreme rises and falls. And that luteal phase, that progesterone dip, is not so significant. And sometimes an SSRI is also appropriate because they just don't have the full improvement that they would like to have.

• 27:55Speaker 05

  And so I like to work collaboratively with mental health professionals, make sure that this patient is also in therapy, and they have someone who's able to prescribe and titrate these medications because there is a lot of crossover and multiple influences that we can use to get them to feel better. So yes, I do the hormonal therapy side, and that's really mostly me. And then we tap in the SSRI as needed, depending on whether that patient has had the improvement that they hope to have.

• 28:24Speaker 00

  Got it. And is it something that you are on all the time? Or is it something that you're taking kind of just during the two weeks of like right before your luteal phase?

• 28:33Speaker 05

  So typically it is most effective to be on it all the time. And so it's kind of, it's not dissimilar to our hormonal therapy. We don't just give it to them just during the luteal phase. It's best to have a stabilization of these types of hormones and influences to get the best results.

• 28:49Speaker 00

  Got it. So it sounds like the information that you're saying is information we need and it comes from tracking, right? And I really want to talk about that because it sounds like that information is helpful when you are talking with your physician about like, hey, this is what's happening during this part of the cycle. So for people who are unfamiliar with like the, the depth of which tracking can go now, right? Like some of us are just used to like two dots on the calendar from beginning and end. What kinds of stuff should we actually be tracking and how can it be useful to us in taking care of ourselves?

• 29:17Speaker 05

  So I've always loved period tracking. It's something that I was really taught to emphasize in my fellowship as I started caring for adolescent patients. This is largely because there's such irregularity during that time. And so tracking can allow us to determine whether that irregularity has fallen into a category of being like abnormal, where we need to start looking for a, a problem and a diagnosis, or if it's just kind of a normal irregularity, which sounds kind of like an oxymoron, like normal irregularity. But normal irregularity can be like, oh, I'm varying from 21 days here to 26 days here. And that's not something that, that requires me to say, oh, I think you have a hormonal disorder. And so tracking has always been something I valued, but certainly it has changed with

• 30:01Speaker 05

  the addition of tracking apps. So I work as the chief medical officer of CLU, which is a menstrual tracking app that allows you to track your bleeding, but also allows you to track other things. Bleeding is just one part of this big cycle, right? And so when we're talking about even the diagnosis of PMS and PMDD, that requires you to track more than bleeding. You need to attract emotional and even physical symptoms to get a good diagnosis. So I track my feelings. I track if I feel like I'm bloated or if I've had headaches. I track, you know, even some of the times the color and the amount of the bleeding to better let me understand exactly what that looks like. So when we're thinking about tracking blood, just the days of bleeding is only one part of the story. You know, some people bleed too much and people bleed too long.

• 30:46Speaker 05

  There's so much more to that story and certainly emotions, even physical changes are a big part. So energy, emotions, breast injuries, headaches, all of those things can be tracked and should be tracked, especially if you were in a situation where maybe you don't bleed. I saw a woman at a conference and she was talking to me because she had a hysterectomy, but she wasn't quite in menopause in the traditional sense. She still had ovaries and so tracking her feelings and whether she felt more bloated or less happy, those things gave her insight into her body. So she would hopefully recognize when her body was going through true functional like perimenopause and menopause.

• 31:21Speaker 00

  So I know that the conversations around tracking apps have kind of reached a fever pitch in the past couple of years with this administration, right? Like there was a lot of concerns around like, oh my gosh, everybody delete your tracking apps because you know, especially around Roe versus Wade being discontinued. And so what kinds of things would you offer to people who have some concerns around like security? Like, how do we make sure that we're actually keeping our information safe?

• 31:43Speaker 05

  Yeah. And so you want to make sure that those apps that you use have really good security terms and are actively working to protect your privacy. So not all apps do that. Some apps sell your information because that's how they actually earn money. And so you need to know how they're selling your information and where they're storing it. So there's a lot, I think scrutiny and discernment that needs to be in place. And then I also tell folks, you can do most of what these apps do with a pen and a paper. You have to do a little bit of math, but you could just use a calendar. I saw a little girl that came to me and she had this cute little kind of paper and used stickers to track her period and her symptoms. And she was just so proud of herself. She was like, this is my last period. I was like, oh my gosh, this is adorable. Cause for me, I just need the information and you have that information.

• 32:27Speaker 05

  So you don't really need an app so much to translate it. It helps to find trends, but it's not that big of a requirement in that you cannot know yourself or have any type of insight without the use of an app. So if you're truly worried about using an app, I'm not someone that says you have to. More than 50% of people with periods do, but you can use something else that feels safe or more secure if that makes you feel better.

• 32:51Speaker 00

  So as you mentioned, the week that we're bleeding is only one part of the cycle and there are all these other parts that might require something different from us in terms of maybe what we're eating or do we need more rest? Or like, how can we support ourselves given the different weeks of our cycle?

• 33:06Speaker 05

  Absolutely. It's really important to track your symptoms to know yourself. There's a hesitation in most medical spaces to utilize any type of one size fits all type of approach when it comes to period tracking and even how we modify our cycles. So there's people, you know, in the fitness world, they were trying to say, well, maybe you should lift during your, you know, menstrual phase, or maybe your PR can only be when you're ovulating, you know, all of those things. And that's just not really the case. We know that that's not really true. So supporting yourself can look like changing the way you exercise. Maybe we're not going to do a bunch of burpees where we're nauseous and we're cramping, right? Maybe you can do something that's a little less harsh and a little bit more like a slow

• 33:51Speaker 05

  flow type of thing, maybe a Pilates, maybe a, a mat Pilates, maybe even a yoga that will support you in a better way than running and jumping about when you don't feel your best and when you're a little bit nauseous. Maybe you run when you need to clear your mind and you need more endorphins because you're in that late luteal phase and you're just feeling a little bit irritable and a little bit down. Maybe do more high energy things when you're feeling more fatigue to get your body to boost that energy. So it's one of those things where you're kind of taking what you need, but in order to know what you need, you have to do that internal work and that inventory to say, what's depleted right now? What can I not do right now? And how can I still move? Just moving, moving your body actually improves PMS symptoms and moving throughout your whole

• 34:34Speaker 05

  cycle is a good commitment to improving those symptoms.

• 34:37Speaker 00

  I'm glad you shared some of this because that is definitely something I wanted to get into with you. Like there's so much wellness conversation around, like how do we do different things during our cycles? And I want to run a couple of them by you and get your thoughts on some of the things we may be kind of seeing on our timeline.

• 34:53Speaker 05

  Love that.

• 34:53Speaker 00

  Okay. All right. So the first one is cycle syncing. What's your take on this?

• 34:58Speaker 05

  So cycle syncing and some, there's a variety of ways in which people denote that. So some people talk about syncing their cycle to the, the people like near them. And if that's like a real thing, like I've even had patients say, my friend Bluetooth me their cycle. And I'm just like, well, also no, that's not a thing. But a lot of times we were talking about syncing their life, their mood, their calendar, their presentations, even their workouts to their cycle. I think that's fine, but I also think it's not quite the, it's not quite the reliable hack that people painted out to be, right? And so what I don't want people to believe is that they're incapable or something's inconvenient, especially when they don't necessarily have the privilege or power to

• 35:43Speaker 05

  change it. So for example, if someone's like, from a cycle syncing standpoint, I only schedule my presentations when I'm ovulating. I'm scheduled my big presentations when I'm ovulating. It's like, that's really cute. Some people don't have the ability to do that. When I was in medical training, I can't schedule night float when I'm doing whatever, you know, or I can't schedule my surgeries only when I feel my best. And so there's a limitation to reality and there's a little bit of a, I don't know, a piece of privilege that I think is informing this conversation that isn't readily translated to everyone's lives. And so for me, I try not to push a narrative that requires someone to have a certain level of privilege and influence and access to carry it out.

• 36:20Speaker 00

  Got it. Thank you for that. More from our conversation after the break.

• 36:28Speaker 00

  A rare disease diagnosis can change your life, but it doesn't have to define your future. Tune in for season seven of Untold Stories, Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition, a Ruby Studio production in partnership with Argenx. Hosted by public health and policy expert, Dr. Martine Hackett, Untold Stories, Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition pushes the conversation within the rare disease community forward. Featuring guests living with MG, CIDP, myositis, SMA, and other rare autoimmune conditions, each episode explores hope, progress, and connection. How does research create new opportunities? How do shared experiences help like the way forward? How do we best show up for each other? Tune in to find out.

• 37:12Speaker 00

  Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

• 37:19Speaker 06

  Hey, it's Niall Rogers, host of Before the Moment, a Lincoln original series. I'm driving across the country, meeting some of today's most fascinating artists. We're exploring the stories before the moment that changed everything. This week, I'm joined by breakout singer-songwriter Alex Warren.

• 37:39Speaker 04

  To this day, Ordinary would not have done anything and I would have not been able to put it out if, if Book Talk didn't back it up and if my wife and her friend didn't back it up.

• 37:47Speaker 06

  Amazing.

• 37:48Speaker 04

  Pretty crazy how like just one thing.

• 37:50Speaker 06

  Right.

• 37:51Speaker 04

  I mean, you, you, I bet you, we could point to nine different things in our careers where it's just one thing all of a sudden. If that one thing didn't happen, then I wouldn't be here.

• 37:58Speaker 06

  What you're talking about right now is what I've been talking about since the beginning of my career. There's these things outside of you that make everything happen. These other forces somehow came into contact with each other and helped propel you to this place.

• 38:16Speaker 04

  It's just insane.

• 38:17Speaker 06

  Experience Before the Moment, a Lincoln original series on the iHeartRadio app, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

• 38:30Speaker 00

  Okay, so the next one is hormonal imbalance. So it gets used to explain everything from acne to anxiety to not being able to get out of bed. Is this a clinical term with a specific meaning? Or has this been used to mean something broader that's getting in the way of people using it correctly?

• 38:45Speaker 05

  Yeah, as physicians, we almost never say hormonal imbalance. We can say hormone dysregulation because the hormones are moving around. Almost if you were to look at like, you know, one of those roller coaster rides at like Six Flags? And you were to just look at it, that's what your hormones are doing, okay? Throughout the month, it's foolishness. And so it's not something of a balance. Balance would suggest that you have some sort of teetering here and it needs to all remain in balance. It is normal and physiological for things to do this. And there's feedback loops and there's a lot of complexity to what your hormones are doing. So dysregulation is a much more accurate statement. But I have seen people really attributing things to hormonal imbalance that are things that don't have nothing to do with the hormones that we're thinking about, right? It could be like, you know, you have an actual thyroid disorder, they have thyroid hormones that are messed up.

• 39:30Speaker 05

  Or you are nutritionally deficient and you know, you can't hormone hack your way out of that. Like you're going to need to eat some food, okay? Or like you actually need to sleep, like you need to sleep. Or you're just, you just actually have a new diagnosis of something that needs evaluation. Like I think the part that bothers me about the hormonal imbalance picture is not the inquiry or the desire to better understand hormones. It is the inappropriate attributing of hormone imbalance and all these symptoms to hormonal imbalance. When people could have better answers and better care and earlier diagnosis. If they just realized that maybe something else was going on.

• 40:10Speaker 00

  Okay, one more. Luteal phase defect. Is this a real definition? Is this a term you've heard?

• 40:17Speaker 05

  So there can be issues with the luteal phase. Largely, this is going to be something that comes up when people are trying to conceive. And so the, the time in which that luteal phase, the length of it can play a role in how likely someone can conceive. It's really important for progesterone to be around and to be at a level high enough to support an early pregnancy and to support the implantation of that pregnancy and all of those things. And so if there is a defect in your luteal phase, you're likely going to see that in a time where you're trying to conceive. It isn't always that clinically significant outside of that. And some people may be looking for this defect when it's not actually clinically significant. And so it's just like, what are we trying to improve?

• 41:01Speaker 05

  It's really important, and I was taught this in medical school, that you don't try to improve numbers or things that don't mean much. You try to make the patient feel better. And if we don't have a symptom or an issue or a concern tied to this, it's like, what is the actual outcome that we're searching for? And how do we measure success?

• 41:21Speaker 00

  So you know, I think a lot of these terms and many others that we don't have time to get into all of them. But I think a lot of them come from people trying to sell people things, right? Like there's this whole economy that has been created for people trying to offer supplements and different kinds of things to kind of support people throughout their cycle. How would you encourage people to evaluate like these supplements and different kinds of things? Cause a lot of times people will turn to this before they even talk with someone like you, right? How should people evaluate this and make decisions about supplements and different things that they're participating in?

• 41:51Speaker 05

  Yeah, I also say you can't out supplement yourself, out supplement like bad health or bad habits, right? Like if you're going to take supplements, you need to also be supporting your health with healthy sleep and exercise and a really good and healthy and balanced diet. And so supplements are not the magic, magic trick or that people think it is. And they can be helpful. There's some good research that shows that calcium supplementation can improve premenstrual symptoms, that magnesium can be helpful with bloating. There's some supplements that have decent research behind them, but the ones that are not real research, those are the ones that you want to avoid. You also want to avoid overuse of these supplements, especially if you start to have other symptoms arise or any type of adverse reactions to them.

• 42:34Speaker 05

  It's important to understand that supplements are not regulated in the way that medications are. And so there can be variability in dosing and just how much you're getting. Someone can say, this is about a 1,000 milligram supplement, but who's to know? So there isn't a lot of predictability there. And then just looking at who these people are that are pushing these supplements to you. Do they have any credentials behind their name? Are they just being paid to say that this is the best supplement? What does the supplement actually do? And what does it do in the context of your medical history? Knowing your medical history is really important. For me, I have kidney disease. For example, when I was breastfeeding, someone recommended a supplement that I can't take and it said on the side, talk to your doctor about it and don't take if you have kidney disease.

• 43:16Speaker 05

  But if I was just going off of like what everyone else said, they're like, you have to take this. Everyone takes this. If you really want your breast milk to come in, you take this. But I know my medical history. And so there is no one size fits all. And that's the value of having a partnership with a qualified healthcare provider. The customization to your personal medical history, including your risk and your personal needs.

• 43:38Speaker 00

  Was it fenugreek? That sounds like.

• 43:40Speaker 05

  No, no.

• 43:40Speaker 00

  Okay, I was like, that's what I was pushing when I was breastfeeding.

• 43:43Speaker 05

  Right, right. Well, the name escapes me now. I used to know it, tip of my tongue. I can't remember now, sorry.

• 43:48Speaker 00

  Got it, got it, got it. Yeah, you know, I think that there is often a lot of confusion and misinformation around supplements that like, oh, they're not like prescribed medications. Or so they're like completely natural and so it can't cause an issue, but it sounds like there's a lot to say.

• 44:04Speaker 05

  I heard a patient say that, she said, because I said, it can't hurt for her daughter. All these supplements this daughter was taking and did not take the medicine I prescribed. I know I work for these companies. It's not like I get paid every time I prescribe something, which would be illegal. So I'm like, that's fine, but electing to not take something that is prescribed and well controlled. Like there was so many supplements that this girl was trying. And she was like, I figured it couldn't hurt. It can hurt. What, why did you think it couldn't hurt? Poisons are natural. Death is natural. There's so many things that aren't natural. Natural is not a good enough standard, especially to say that it couldn't hurt. You have to be very careful with these things.

• 44:43Speaker 05

  And the idea that it couldn't hurt for me can even delay someone getting care for a negative or adverse response to these supplements. Cause they're like, it can't be the supplement. It had a berry on it. I'm like, it's natural, you know? So that, that hurts my feelings and it makes, it's hard for me because I want patients to be well and I want them to feel confident about the things they take. And it's, it says a lot that they feel more confident about these random things than even the medicines that we prescribe. There's definitely some fractured trust in medicine that I think the pandemic didn't help. So that's a burden that we as medical providers have to carry and we need to work on repairing that. So we can't just be mad at patients for seeking out supplements.

• 45:29Speaker 05

  They're seeking out these things to fill gaps in care that we in science and all of these other things aren't able to feel and satisfy. So that's more of a symptom than the actual like problem.

• 45:40Speaker 00

  So you've already talked about the importance of like diet, exercise, sleep in terms of, you know, maybe mediating some of the more difficult symptoms related to our cycle. Are there other things that people should know about that can really support them to kind of feel as best they can during their cycle?

• 45:56Speaker 05

  Gosh, no one wants to be like, oh, just get more sleep. For some people, that's not always a possibility. When my son was super young in that newborn phase and before he started sleeping through the night, if someone told me to get more sleep, I probably would have punched them. Cause it's like, I am drunk. So sometimes those things are just not possible in the moment, depending on what season you are in in your life. One thing that I think that's underutilized is just adequate hydration. I can't tell you how many people are walking around just dehydrated at baseline. Giving adequate hydration is such an important part of how our body functions. Again, also boring, just as boring as sleep, but just as important. And when people feel really crummy, sometimes it's because they're just dehydrated.

• 46:34Speaker 00

  Good to know. Thank you for that. So you've already offered like, I think several helpful nuggets for people around like how to advocate for themselves. And it sounds like you are a great advocate for your patients. But for anybody who's like listening to our conversation and maybe struggling with some of the more emotional symptoms of their cycle and not feeling believed by their physician. What kinds of things would you offer to them around how to advocate for themselves?

• 46:58Speaker 05

  Yeah, so it's really hard, I'll say, when you go to someone, you muster up the courage to present your symptom to them and you're getting dismissed or belittled or gaslit. Like that is so hard. And for some people that can just be like, see, I knew it wasn't worth it. I should have never tried. I want them, those people to know that there are doctors who care and there are doctors who listen. And sometimes it's finding the right one. So just because one person dismissed you, it doesn't mean all doctors are that way. And sometimes you have to find the right doctor who can listen to you to get the outcome that you desire. I'll also say that tracking your symptoms, I know I just said it, but tracking those symptoms and having a record of how these things affect you can help your doctor better diagnose you.

• 47:44Speaker 05

  So if you're like, I just feel down sometimes, but like which times? If that's right before your period and it's so much so that the dysphoria prevents you from going to work and being functional? Maybe we need to look into a PMDD diagnosis. If this is all the time throughout your entire cycle, maybe it's more of like major depressive disorder. And maybe you need something more consistent. Maybe that period is just, you've been taught to socialize or associate those things with your period, but it's actually all the time. And maybe you need something different to manage that. So tracking your feelings is really important. The other thing I'll say is we have to remember that mental health is just health. Just like people come to me and readily complain about their breast tenderness and their acne and all these other things.

• 48:28Speaker 05

  I want to hear about the mental health things too. I'll often ask about medical history and I'm like, nothing. And I'm like, well, you've got some medications. What are those for? Oh, just my anxiety and bipolar and depression. Oh, wow. Those are diagnoses that I care about. They're like, you do? Yeah, I do. Those inform how I care for you. So when I ask about past medical history, I mean this too. So I think people need to be reminded and sometimes physicians need to do a better job reminding them that I care not just about your pain and your bleeding, but also about your sadness and your irritability and your dysphoria and all of those things. They matter.

• 49:06Speaker 00

  What do you think is still missing from the broader conversation around menstrual health?

• 49:12Speaker 05

  Oh gosh. I mean, I really think what's missing in what I campaigned for is the understanding and the valuing of younger voices in this conversation. So many people act like if you're having a period and you're not trying to have a kid, that you don't need to know these things. You don't need the diagnosis. You don't need to see the doctor. You don't need the intervention. And I think that's really messed up. I think it's a remnant of patriarchal society where women are valued when we're trying to have a kid, because that seems like a, a good reason to understand your body. But I say this all the time, like, I want this 12-year-old in front of me to understand and know that I think you should understand your body today. I care about you feeling well and being

• 49:55Speaker 05

  your best self today, not just for the purpose of reproduction, but for the purpose of you being a productive and happy and whole human being. And I think that's good enough. I think that shift needs to change. And maybe if we value our youngest girls who are pubertal and having their first periods, we also won't discard women as soon as we go through perimenopause and menopause, right? And we can understand that there's value in every aspect of this life, and people deserve to be supported in their health and in their goals and in their wellbeing.

• 50:26Speaker 00

  You've referenced the book several times, Dr. Chambers. So tell us more about your book, and where can we find a copy, and where can we stay connected with you online?

• 50:34Speaker 05

  Yes. So my book, The Period and Puberty Parenting Revolution, is available where all books are sold. The official release date is May 19th. I'm so excited. It is really like my love letter to all of the parents and patients I've ever seen, all of the things I wish I could cover in my visits with them, to give them the validity and understanding, and even the tools to navigate this changing time period for themselves and for their child. You can find me on all socials at ThePeriodDoctor, and that's spelled all out. You can message me on Instagram. You can email me at [email protected]. And this is not something that I just do for fun or part-time. This is my life's work, and I feel really blessed to be called to do this work.

• 51:17Speaker 00

  Thank you so much for sharing that, Dr. Chambers. We'll make sure to include all of that information in our show notes. Thank you for spending some time with us today.

• 51:24Speaker 05

  Thank you, Dr. Joy. It's been a pleasure.

• 51:29Speaker 00

  I'm so glad Dr. Charis was able to join us for this conversation. To learn more about her and her work, be sure to visit the show notes at therapyforblackgirls.com/session484. Did you know that you could leave us a voicemail with your questions or suggestions for the podcast? Do you have movies or books you'd like us to review? Drop us a message at memo.fm/therapyforblackgirls and let us know what's on your mind. We just might feature it on the podcast. If you're looking for a therapist in your area, visit our therapist directory at therapyforblackgirls.com/directory. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram, @therapyforblackgirls, and join us in our Patreon community for exclusive updates, behind-the-scenes content, and much more. You can join us at

• 52:10Speaker 00

  community.therapyforblackgirls.com. This episode was produced by Elise Ellis, Inde Chubu, and Bria Mosley. Editing was done by Denison Bradford. Thank y'all so much for joining me again this week. I look forward to continuing this conversation with you all real soon. Take good care.

• 52:32Speaker 00

  A rare disease diagnosis can change your life, but it doesn't have to define your future. In season seven of Untold Stories: Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition, host Martine Hackett continues the conversation with people living with MG, CIDP, and the broader rare disease community, exploring what comes after diagnosis through stories of hope, progress, and connection. Produced by Ruby Studio in partnership with Argenx. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

• 53:02Speaker 06

  Hey, what's up? This is Kelvin Washington from The Odd Couple with Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington. Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more. That's Toyota affordability, and it starts with a great deal on off-road-ready Tacoma or half-ton Tundra. Two of Toyota's longest-lasting trucks, combining power for work, tech for adventures, and style in between. Built on a reputation for quality and reliability, Toyota trucks are known for holding their value, which could mean big savings when it's time for your next Toyota. So get a great deal today and a great value tomorrow. Shoptoyota.com for more. Toyota, let's go places.

• 53:39Speaker 07

  Are you looking for support in your weight management journey? Zepbound Terzepatide may be able to help. Zepbound is a prescription medicine used with a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity to help adults with obesity, or some adults with overweight who also have weight-related medical problems, to lose excess body weight and keep the weight off. Zepbound is approved as a 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, or 15-milligram injection. Zepbound contains Terzepatide and should not be used with other Terzepatide-containing products or any GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines. It is not known if Zepbound is safe and effective for use in children. Don't share needles or pens or reuse needles. Don't take if allergic

• 54:22Speaker 07

  to it, or if you or someone in your family had medullary thyroid cancer, or if you've had multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. Tell your doctor if you get a lump or swelling in your neck. Stop Zepbound and call your doctor if you have severe stomach pain or a serious allergic reaction. Severe side effects may include inflamed pancreas or gallbladder problems. Tell your doctor if you experience vision changes before scheduled procedures with anesthesia, if you're nursing, pregnant, plan to be, or taking birth control pills. Taking Zepbound with a sulphonal urea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. Side effects include nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, which can cause dehydration and worsen kidney

• 54:59Speaker 07

  problems. Talk to your doctor. Call 1-800-545-5979, or visit zepbound.lily.com.

• 55:11Speaker 07

  What's that? My fresh detector. Uh, your what? There it is. What is it detecting? Fresh produce, fresh meat. Okay, what happens if it detects something really fresh?

• 55:25Speaker 01

  Apparently, we celebrate. At Food Lion, you can count on fresh food at fresher prices. When your fresh detector is going off, head to your local Food Lion or shop at foodlion.com. This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human.