Just how bad are Kate's "really bad cramps"? And what could be causing them? In the first of ten episodes, host Kate Helen Downey describes what happens when "death cramps" strike at work. Gynecologist and author Dr. Karen Tang explains what she looks for when a patient has severe period pain, and why someone might spend years in diagnosis limbo. Transcript & citations available here: https://www.katehelendowney.com/episode-1 Editorial Producer: Kelsey DiLanzo Sound Design & Mixing: Kelly Kramarik at Maven Post Media Associate Producer: Katelyn Sabater Theme song: Farideh Podcast art: Nicholas Scheppard This podcast is supported by the Simons Foundation’s Science, Society & Culture Division Fiscal partnership is provided by the Arkansas Podcast Collaborative This publication is for entertainment and informational purposes only, and does not represent itself as medical advice. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.