HERvoice – Détails, épisodes et analyse

"Every person's journey through menopause is very unique... listening and understanding the impact and level of distress for some of these conditions is really important." 

Virtual mental health counseling is now available at HerMD for California residents! 

Dr. Michael Krychman is HerMD's Chief Medical Officer in addition to a Board Certified OBGYN and an AASECT Certified Sexual Counselor and Supervisor. He specializes in menopausal health, hormone therapy, sexual pain disorders, vulvar disorders and loss of libido, chronic medical illness, and medical devices and their impact on female sexual function. 

In addition to being an active reviewer for the Journal of Sexual Medicine, Dr. Krychman has published seven books, including his most recent one: The Sexual Spark, 20 Essential Exercises to Reignite the Passion, 100 Questions & Answers for Women Living with Cancer: A Practical Guide to Female Cancer Survivorship.

Dr. Krychman has been featured by several national shows and publications, including the Today Show, US News, and World Report, in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Health Magazine. He has been named a Top  Orange County Physician of Excellence by Orange Coast Magazine in Survivorship, Sexual Medicine, Vulvar Care, and Menopause for the last seven years. He is currently a clinical health professor at the University of California Irvine and is a nationally known specialty in cancer survivorship; Dr. Krychman provides medical care at Ann’s Clinic, a High-Risk Breast, and Ovarian Cancer Center.

“If we know so much about the science of our skin. Why is there so much subjectivity around skincare?”  

Devanshi Garg Sareen is a skincare enthusiast, a 3x founder, and a mother. Hailing from New York City by way of Iran, India, the UK, New Zealand, and Germany, almost always an outsider, she learned early on to look at people through the lens of shared human experiences. After 10+ years working in technology services, Sareen worked as an innovation consultant in 2020 for Big Beauty, leading her to reflect on pain points with her own skincare journey and a desire to demand more from the modern brands we use. This eventually led her to launch Motif—a forward-thinking beauty brand that merges real science with customer-centric design—grounded in the desire to connect people through daily progress and growth.

"All of us can become better informed and understand what are we entitled to and what we need. And if what we need isn't want we get how can we change that?"

Reproductive rights have been among the most contentious and volatile issues in the United States. In this episode, Delphine O'Rourke sets the record straight on the ruling from data privacy concerns to contraception access while highlighting the need for attention and change in the women's healthcare space nationwide. 

  
Delphine O'Rourke is a partner at Goodwin Law. She is an advocate for women’s health and wellness offering authoritative expertise in healthcare laws and regulations.

In addition to being a trusted and invaluable advisor for companies transforming the health and wellness industry, Ms. O’Rourke is an experienced health system leader and in-house counsel. She was Associate General Counsel of Ascension, one of the largest healthcare systems in the U.S., and bridges the traditional health system for her clients’ products, services, and investments.

Ms. O’Rourke serves on the boards of the Columbia Law School Alumni Association, The Forum of Executive Women, and The Foundation of The Forum of Executive Women. She is Vice-Chair of the Women’s Leadership Council of the American Health Law Association, member of CHIEF (a private network focused on connecting and supporting women leaders), healthcare expert for Endeavor (the world’s leading community of high-impact entrepreneurs) and Fellows Mentor for Summit Impact (a community-powered approach to scaling global impact).

"I challenge anyone who hasn't looked in the eyes of these women to try to make any rulings or judgments about their lives and to make decisions about their bodies."

Reproductive rights have been among the most contentious and volatile issues in the United States. In this episode, our founder, Dr. Somi Javaid sets the record straight on how the Roe v. Wade ruling will affect patients and providers across the country.  

Stay tuned for part two where we chat with our legal counsel on the broader implications of this ruling from a legal perspective. 

Did you know 40% of us are not contracting our pelvic floor muscles properly? 

Tune in to part two of our pelvic floor episodes with The Origin Physical Therapist, Dr. Ashley Rawlins where we unpack pelvic floor health, pleasure (sexual dysfunction, improving arousal) and kegels, to learn more. 

Ashley Rawlins is a doctor of physical therapy. She has advanced certification in the treatment of Pelvic Health and Obstetric Health (CAPP-Pelvic, CAPP-OB). She specializes in the treatment of pelvic floor muscle dysfunctions including pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, pregnancy-related pain, postpartum recovery, and bowel and bladder dysfunction. She is a practicing clinician, educator, and author in the field of women's health physiotherapy. 

"Urinary incontinence affects 1 in 3 women." Although an extremely prevalent issue, many don’t realize that urinary incontinence, or the involuntary leakage of urine, is 100% treatable. 

This is part one of two pelvic floor episodes with The Origin Physical Therapist, Dr. Ashley Rawlins where we unpack pelvic floor basics and incontinence. Stay tuned for part two, where we discuss the pelvic floor and painful sex. 

Ashley Rawlins is a doctor of physical therapy. She has advanced certification in the treatment of Pelvic Health and Obstetric Health (CAPP-Pelvic, CAPP-OB). She specializes in the treatment of pelvic floor muscle dysfunctions including pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, pregnancy-related pain, postpartum recovery, and bowel and bladder dysfunction. She is a practicing clinician, educator, and author in the field of women's health physiotherapy.

"This war on cancer that we have had for the last 50 years has made it such that we can now focus on all the repercussions of treatment because so many people are surviving for so much longer." 

All forms of cancer treatment have the potential to negatively affect physical sexual function in women, including sexual desire, arousal, and pain. Despite the prevalence of sexual dysfunction, survivors of cancer rarely receive the necessary information, support, or treatment for these conditions. This episode unpacks survivorship and sex, and why it is important to invest in this care. 

Liya Shuster-Bier is the founder and CEO of Alula, the first digital platform dedicated to helping cancer patients manage the symptoms and at-home care needs that cancer treatment brings. Liya knows firsthand that it takes more than chemo to get through a cancer diagnosis. As a two-time cancer survivor, Liya founded Alula to empower patients with the services and products she needed when she was undergoing treatment for a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Before founding Alula, Liya began her career in community development and impact investing, starting out on the corporate currency derivatives team at Goldman Sachs. She received her MBA in entrepreneurial management from The Wharton School and is a proud Dartmouth alum, native of Queens, NY, and immigrant from Baku. 

How can you reclaim your pleasure?  This episode unpacks how somatic psychology works within sex therapy, sex positivity,  moving past sexual trauma, and more. 

Dr. Holly Richmond is a licensed marriage and family therapist, and certified sex therapist, and holds a Ph.D. in Somatic Psychology. Dr. Richmond is one of North America’s leading sex therapists, serving women, men, couples, and gender-diverse individuals with relationship and sexuality issues.

 Dr. Richmond works from a sex-positive approach, meaning: “all sex is good sex as long as it’s consensual and pleasurable" and is committed to helping her clients feel better—mind and body—not just behave differently.
 
Dr. Richmond's latest book is now available, Reclaiming Pleasure: A Sex Positive Guide for Moving Past Sexual Trauma and Living a Passionate Life

Over 50 million women in the US are menopausal, yet, there is still a lack of education and awareness around menopausal symptoms and treatment options. Why is society still not ready to talk openly (and without shame or stigma!) about menopause and its symptoms? 

The latest episode of the HerVoice podcast is focused on talking all things menopause with Womaness founders Sally Mueller and Michelle Jacobs. We’re talking symptoms, treatment options, cultural views on menopause, and menopause as the (not so silent) glass ceiling. Women are in the prime of their lives when they experience menopause - why are we not celebrating this time and giving women the information they need to treat their symptoms so they can live their lives to the fullest. As Sally and Michelle say, it’s the afterparty, and we at HerMD can’t think of a better way to reframe the conversation around menopause.

In this episode of HerVoice we’re talking with Libby, a patient of ours who came to us with several sexual health issues including vaginismus (Vaginismus is the body's automatic reaction to the fear of vaginal penetration. Whenever penetration is attempted, the vaginal muscles tighten up on their own. Women have no control over it.), vulvodynia (chronic pain in the vulva), and decreased libido (or decreased interest in sexual activity.)

She began experiencing a lot of pain in her vulvar area in her 20's - pain came with intercourse, inserting a tampon, or any type of contact with her labia and vulva. She didn't know what was causing the pain and sought out care.  When Libby talked with her friends, no one could relate to her healthcare concerns. She embarked on a healthcare journey and was left feeling hopeless. When talking with her healthcare providers no one mentioned the word vulvodynia, no one offered her treatment options. Libby felt isolated and lived with sexual pain for years before she was even able to receive a diagnosis. 

Libby’s story, unfortunately, is all too common for many women who seek out a diagnosis for their sexual healthcare concerns only to be left dismissed and hopeless. In this episode she bravely shares her story of struggling with sexual dysfunction, the impact it had on her life and her relationships and finding hope again.