391. Say It Out Loud: PCOS Gets a New Name, PMDD Gets Real, and Your Ovaries Deserve Better

Dr. Sameena Rahman on menopause, PMDD, PCOS, and why naming things mattersThis week I sat down with practicing gynecologist Dr. Sameena Rahman to talk about some of the most misunderstood areas in women's health: hormone replacement after oophorectomy, PMDD, and the recent renaming of PCOS. We move fast from clinical nuance to culture, stigma, and medical bias, and you'll walk away with plenty of practical takeaways whether you're a patient or a clinician.Sameena also shares the story behind her book, Brown Girls Disease, and why she's reclaiming language around pain, shame, and access to care.In this episode, we talk about:Why women who have their ovaries removed need full hormone replacement, not just a low-dose patchThe difference between menopause management and medical neglect after hysterectomy or oophorectomyThe evidence that early menopause plus hormone therapy can have major survival benefitsWhat PMDD is, how it differs from typical PMS, and why it can feel like "Jekyll and Hyde" every monthWhy PMDD may be more about hormone sensitivity and brain receptor interactions than progesterone alonePMDD treatment options, including SSRIs, specific birth control formulations, progesterone, and in extreme cases medical suppressionWhy the old label PCOS creates stigma and hides the cardiometabolic risk behind the syndromeThe new name, polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, and why I think the rename could finally bring primary care and internal medicine into the conversationHow PCOS affects fertility, diabetes risk, heart health, weight gain, and endometrial cancer riskHow pelvic pain, vaginismus, and sexual dysfunction are shaped by culture, religion, and medical biasWhy Sameena chose the title Brown Girls Disease as a way of reclaiming a term that had been used dismissivelyHow language changes care, from saying "vagina" out loud to replacing shame-based terms with clearer onesNaming things matters. You are not broken.Dr. Rahman's IGAs always, this podcast is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice — talk to your own doctor about your own health.Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who needs it.🎙️ You Are Not Broken is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Take my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Adult Sex Ed Master Class:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠My Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Interested in my sexual health and hormone clinic? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠