DeepSummary
The episode features an interview with Tanika Gray Valburn, who shares her personal experience with uterine fibroids, a condition that caused her severe menstrual pain and bleeding from a young age. Despite the intense symptoms, she wasn't diagnosed until her mid-twenties. Tanika ultimately required surgery to remove 27 fibroids, which led her to start the White Dress Project to raise awareness about the condition.
Dr. Rachel Burvell, a physician on the advisory council of the White Dress Project, explains that fibroids are very common, affecting 80% of women by their sixties and seventies. She discusses the challenges in getting a diagnosis, particularly for Black women who often face bias and disbelief from healthcare providers when reporting pain. Burvell also highlights the connection between fibroids and high blood pressure, which disproportionately affects Black women.
The episode delves into the history of gynecology and how it has been shaped by racism and exploitation of Black women's bodies. Burvell emphasizes the importance of acknowledging this history and working towards an anti-racist approach to women's healthcare through initiatives like her Black OB GYN Project.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Uterine fibroids are very common, affecting the majority of women by their sixties and seventies, but often go undiagnosed or untreated.
- Black women are disproportionately affected by fibroids and face significant challenges in getting appropriate diagnosis and treatment due to racial and gender biases in healthcare.
- There is a connection between fibroids and high blood pressure, which may partially explain the higher prevalence in Black women.
- A range of treatment options exist for fibroids, from medication to minimally invasive procedures, but hysterectomy is often presented as the only option, particularly for Black women.
- The history of gynecology is rooted in the exploitation and dehumanization of Black women's bodies, which has contributed to ongoing disparities and distrust in the medical system.
- Initiatives like the White Dress Project and the Black OB GYN Project aim to raise awareness, address disparities, and promote an anti-racist approach to women's healthcare.
- Personal stories and experiences, like Tanika Gray Valburn's, are crucial for amplifying the often-overlooked issues surrounding fibroids and women's health.
- More education and open dialogue are needed to destigmatize and properly address women's reproductive health concerns, particularly in marginalized communities.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “I kind of just knew my period at that time to be just always a gush, feeling very heavy, always a lot of pain. And I didn't think too much of it because I thought to myself, well, I guess this is just how periods go.“ by Tanika Gray Valburn
- “He said to me, Tanika, just go ahead and forget about motherhood. You need to have a hysterectomy because your uterus is way too compromised.“ by Tanika Gray Valburn
- “The goal is to raise awareness about a matter that affects 80% of women by the time they are in their sixties and seventies.“ by Rachel Burvell
- “Black women are at the intersection of being a woman, where you can be deemed hysterical for being in pain or in discomfort, but you're also a black individual who oftentimes is not believed enough when you are in pain.“ by Rachel Burvell
- “When you consider that these enslaved women, who, by the way, were being operated on not because they were having issues with their reproductive health care, they were being operated on because it was a capital investment to maintain the slave population.“ by Rachel Burvell
Entities
Company
Person
Organization
Concept
Episode Information
Short Wave
NPR
5/22/24
Curious about other health issues? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy