Birth Control & the War on Female Biology: How We Learned to Suppress the Menstrual Cycle | #182

What happens when we stop viewing the menstrual cycle as an essential part of female biology and start treating it as something to suppress? In this episode, Dr. Leah Gordon and Dr. Morgan MacDermott take a deeper look at the history and culture surrounding hormonal birth control, how women came to view their cycles as inconvenient or problematic, and what can happen when symptoms like painful periods, PMS, acne, irregular cycles, or heavy bleeding are suppressed instead of investigated.

They discuss the difference between contraception and treating the root cause of hormonal symptoms, fertility awareness and modern cycle tracking, potential side effects and risks of hormonal birth control, informed consent, fertility, and why individualized care matters. Most importantly, this isn't an argument that every woman should avoid birth control, it's a conversation about understanding your body, knowing your options, and making intentional decisions about your reproductive health.

00:00 — Trailer & Introduction

03:38 — The War on Female Biology

07:05 — The History of Birth Control

11:08 — Is Birth Control Fixing the Problem?

13:58 — The Fire Alarm Analogy

16:40 — Informed Consent & Birth Control

19:21 — When Birth Control Has a Place

24:22 — A Personal Experience With Birth Control

30:21 — What Is “Woman Essence”?

34:54 — Fertility Awareness vs. Birth Control