Join Zarah in the studio as she interviews Rico Herre about his feature film, Impure, which describes the harrowing consequences of not speaking up about menstruation. The stigma in the Global South continues to impact young girls all over the world, from conversation to access to products, but why is there silence? Menstruation is a normal bodily function; in fact, it's often considered a deeper indicator of your overall health. How can we change the narrative to be that way? Check out more updates from Impure here at https://linktr.ee/impure.film

For far too long, we’ve used the word “hormonal” to undermine women and their reproductive health. But what exactly does “hormonal” mean? Hormonal encapsulates the parts of reproductive health we don’t think about. Our lived experiences and our academic interests contribute to the reproductive health conversation. When we, as young people, talk about reproductive health, the most common topics that are addressed include conversations around sex and abstinence— leaving out hormone-driven reproductive disorders such as PCOS and endometriosis alongside men’s reproductive health, menopause, IVF, and fertility.

All of us come from different backgrounds with different stories to tell about both our hormones and fertility, whether it be the finances of hormone therapy or the technological advancements with period trackers.

In this episode, Zarah interviews Dr. Rene Almeling, professor of Sociology at Yale University, and author of GUYnecology: The Missing Science of Male Reproductive Health pertaining to men's fertility. Why do we not speak about male infertility? What do sociologic aspects are involved when speaking about these stigmas in mainstream media? How can we do better for the future?