The Insidious Power of Men Over Motherhood
16 April 2025 - 45 minsAli Yarrow thought her childbirth experience would be hers to guide. Instead, she found it was guided by the American obstetrics system — a model that was designed by men. Ali documented what she uncovered in her eye-opening book, Birth Control, and joins us to share what she learned about maternal care in the U.S., how we got here, and how to advocate for ourselves in a system stacked against both patients and providers.
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Recommendations from the archive
• #27 Rewriting Your Birth Story
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Series Episodes
When Rumors Spread Like Wildfire About the Fire Commissioner
Laura Kavanagh knew she would encounter challenges as the first female fire commissioner of the FDNY. But she didn’t anticipate the false rumors that she slept her way to the top — or the nastier rumors about her supposed pregnancy. Now, for the first time, she shares what was actually going on in her reproductive life when she ran the fire department. … Recommendations from the archive • Listen to Eggs Over Freezy for more about the process of freezing your eggs. • Curious about IVF? Check out One Woman, 3 Kids, 15 Rounds of IVF. … Episode resources • Laura Kavanagh wrote an op-ed for Fortune about her time as FDNY commissioner, and how to change the workplace for the better. … Sponsors (using our links supports the show!) … • Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe! • Follow us on Instagram • Sign up for our newsletter, where we recommend other parenting + reproductive health media • Buy books by LST guests (your purchase supports the show!) • Website: longestshortesttime.com ... Cover photo credit: Guerin Blask for City and State Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
41 mins
15 April Finished
LST FAVES: Postpartum House Arrest
As an OBGYN, Jessica thought recovering from childbirth would be a breeze. She didn’t count on her own mother sabotaging her plans of postpartum bliss. ⭐️ This episode originally ran on December 19, 2018 and is a favorite from the archives. We hope you enjoy, and we’ll be back next week with a brand new episode. … • Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe! • Follow us on Instagram • Sign up for our newsletter, where we recommend other parenting + reproductive health media • Buy books by LST guests (your purchase supports the show!) • Website: longestshortesttime.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
43 mins
8 April Finished
Painful Sex and Elusive Orgasms in Perimenopause
explicitIf you've given birth, or you’re entering menopause, or you simply have a vagina... chances are, at some point, you’ve had painful or uncomfortable sex. Today, Dr. Lauren Streicher, OBGYN and menopause expert, gives us the inside info on sex and perimenopause. … Disclaimer: Information presented by Dr. Streicher does not constitute medical advice or medical care. All medical concerns should be discussed with your healthcare professional. … Recommendations from the archive • Listen to the first episode in our perimenopause series: WFT Is Perimenopause?• For more about pelvic floor therapy, listen to Healing After Childbirth.… Episode resources • Check out Dr. Streicher’s books Sex Rx and The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy.• You can also listen to her podcasts, Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information: The Menopause Podcast and Come Again. There’s a whole episode about Why Vibrators Work So Well on Come Again. Use code LONGSHORT for 30% off your subscription!• Watch Dr. Streicher’s videos about how to get a hands-free view of your vulva and how to apply lube properly. … • Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe! • Follow us on Instagram • Sign up for our newsletter, where we recommend other parenting + reproductive health media • Buy books by LST guests (your purchase supports the show!) • Website: longestshortesttime.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
42 mins
1 April Finished
Brian Can't Stop Fact-Checking His Mother-In-Law
explicitToday we bring you an episode from Proxy, the podcast that investigates your niche emotional conundrums. Listeners bring host Yowei Shaw the kinds of problems that don’t have easy answers, and then Yowei connects them with a stranger with relevant life experience, in the hope that they can help. In this episode, Yowei talks with her friend, journalist Brian Reed, who spends his professional life tracking down and confirming facts. The problem is… he can’t stop fact-checking his mother-in-law, even though he knows she has Alzheimer’s. If you like what you hear, you can find more episodes of Proxy wherever you listen. … • Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe! • Follow us on Instagram • Sign up for our newsletter, where we recommend other parenting + reproductive health media • Buy books by LST guests (your purchase supports the show!) • Website: longestshortesttime.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 mins
30 March Finished
LST FAVES: The Accidental Gay Parents 6
Trystan and Biff are back! We catch up with them about parenthood, postpartum bodies, and if there are any more kids in their future. ⭐️ This episode originally ran on October 23, 2019 and is a favorite from the archives. We hope you enjoy, and we’ll be back next week with a brand new episode. … Check out the entire Accidental Gay Parents series! … • Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe! • Follow us on Instagram • Sign up for our newsletter, where we recommend other parenting + reproductive health media • Buy books by LST guests (your purchase supports the show!) • Website: longestshortesttime.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
38 mins
25 March Finished
When the World Pushes You to Have a Baby (Or Two)
A lot of us wrestle with whether to start a family, or to grow the one we have. Today, Helena de Groot shares her own kid ambivalence — and the messy, intimate, confusing process of getting her husband to believe her wishes around whether or not to become a mom. (Plus, Hillary shares something she’s never talked about publicly before!) … Recommendations from the archive • Should I Have Kids? Follow a former LST producer’s journey as she confronts this big question. • Fresh Air’s Terry Gross decided not to have kids. Hear her story: Terry Gross on Not Having Kids • Still having doubts? Listen to The 36 Questions to Ask Your Partner Before Having Kids … Episode resources • Hear the rest of Helena’s story in her series Creation Myth, from CBC Podcasts … • Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe! • Follow us on Instagram • Sign up for our newsletter, where we recommend other parenting + reproductive health media • Buy books by LST guests (your purchase supports the show!) • Website: longestshortesttime.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
41 mins
18 March Finished
