In this episode, we examine how Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO roundtable frames hormonal birth control, featuring Dr. Mary Claire Haver, Dr. Natalie Crawford, Dr. Vonda Wright, and Dr. Stacy Sims. We compare their claims with research and expert guidance, asking how a conversation presented as empowering women could leave listeners afraid of effective medications. We also ask who benefits when women are encouraged to distrust established treatments and turn to the influencers selling alternatives.

We unpack claims about ovulation, menstruation, fertility, teenage girls’ bones and athletic performance, and the supposed need for a monthly pill break. We also examine the persuasive packaging: alarming anecdotes, “natural” versus “synthetic” hormones, birth control described as a “crutch,” and benefits followed by a big BUT.

Drawing on our interview with Dr. Kemi Doll and writing from Dr. Jen Gunter, as well as medical guidelines and research, we distinguish medical suppression of menstruation from absent periods caused by underlying health problems. We also consider how legitimate failures in women’s healthcare become opportunities to build distrust, sell alternatives, and undermine informed reproductive choices.

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RESOURCES

The Diary of a CEO roundtable: Hormone & Fertility Experts: We’ve Been Lied To About Women’s Health! If This Happens, Call A Doctor

Our interview with Dr. Kemi Doll: Birth Control, Hormones, and Menopause: When Medicine Fails and Wellness Cashes In

The Vajenda by Dr. Jen Gunter
Movement Logic ep 113: Debunking Menopause Grifters: Dr. Mary Claire Haver and Dr. Vonda Wright
Movement Logic ep 111: Make Stacy Sims Make Sense
Article: Study Suggests Increase in Deaths During or Within One Year of Pregnancy in States that Imposed Abortion Bans

2020 paper by Naj-mabadi et al

Catholic church story - “The 7-day contraceptive hormone-free interval should be consigned to history” from 2018

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Kemi Doll, a double board-certified OB-GYN and gynecologic oncologist, about endometriosis, fibroids, uterine cancer, PMOS, and hormonal birth control. We examine how wellness influencers exploit real experiences of medical dismissal to promote fear, undermine trust in established treatments, and sell alternatives.

We discuss what hormonal contraception offers beyond preventing pregnancy, why suppressing ovulation or menstruation isn’t automatically harmful, and how language like “hormone balancing” and “treating the root cause” can misrepresent effective medical care. Dr. Doll also explains the recent renaming of PCOS to PMOS and raises concerns about estrogen regimens that extend beyond what has been adequately studied.

Drawing on her book, A Terrible Strength, Dr. Doll explains how women’s suffering, especially Black women’s suffering, becomes normalized and undertreated, and how gaps in research and diagnostic practices contribute to delayed care. She makes the case for better medical communication, meaningful informed choice, and taking women’s symptoms seriously without turning their health into a wellness trend.

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RESOURCES

Dr. Kemi’s website | Instagram | LinkedIn

Dr. Kemi’s Book A Terrible Strength: The Hidden Crisis of the Black Womb and Your Survival Guide to Healing by Dr. Kemi Doll.

The GRACE Center

ACOG patient resources for gynecologic health information.

ECANA for uterine cancer and abnormal bleeding information.

UpToDate patient education for more detailed explanations of conditions, treatments, and evidence.

The Menopause Society

Dr. Kemi Doll’s Instagram Reel challenging birth control misinformation

Dr. Jen Gunter’s conversation with Dr. Kemi Doll

In this episode, Sarah Court and Laurel Beversdorf investigate the bone supplement company AlgaeCal and ask whether its marketing claims are supported by good evidence. They unpack the company's promotion of algae-derived calcium, its use of strontium supplements to claim increases in bone density, and why improvements on a DEXA scan don't necessarily mean stronger bones. Along the way, they explain how appeals to nature, authority, and fear are used to sell expensive supplements to women worried about osteoporosis.

The conversation also examines the growing "doctor-to-brand pipeline," using Dr. Vonda Wright as a case study in how medical authority can become intertwined with supplement marketing. Sarah and Laurel discuss why they declined an invitation to collaborate with AlgaeCal, why exercise remains the cornerstone of bone health, and how consumers can recognize misleading health claims before spending hundreds of dollars on products that may not deliver meaningful benefits.

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RESOURCES

92: Make Dr. Loren Fishman Make Sense

91: LIFTMOR, Not Less: An Interview with Belinda Beck

93: Should You Avoid Spinal Flexion with Osteoporosis?

113: Debunking Menopause Grifters: Mary Claire Haver and Vonda Wright

Doctor vs Brand Instagram Post