You're listening to life kit from NPR.
Hey, everyone.
Emily Kwong here in for Marielle Seguera.
I am the host of shortwave NPR science podcast, and I'm here to talk about body aryadies and why.
If you have reproductive organs, like a cervix, vagina, or ovaries, you should consider regularly seeing a gynecologist.
Whether you're a woman, trans, or nonbinary, if these are your parts, this is for you.
And if hearing the word vagina makes you flinch, just know you are not alone.
For being such an intimate part of us, just naming our reproductive systems can feel like breaking a major taboo.
That was certainly the case for Doctor Rachel Burvell.
I come from, like, a really strict immigrant household.
Like, I never had the birds and the bees talk.
I never had any of those type of conversations.
But now Rachel has these types of conversations all day, every day.
She's a physician trained in obstetrics and gynecology and the co founder of the Black Ob GYN project.
When Rachel told her friends she wanted to pursue ob gyn care, they were dumbfounded.
People were like, oh, my gosh, Rachel, this is so funny, because in college, you used to be like sex.
Like, I would literally whisper it, and here I am being like, okay, everyone, let's talk about your periods and menstrual cycles and blood.
Rachel's enthusiasm, her knowledge, it's infectious.
Talking to her helped me reframe what it means to even go to the gynecologist.
So whether you're preparing for your first visit ever or well past the point of menopause, may this episode remind you that you deserve the best care down there.