Pelvis Party: A Health and Pop Culture Series

Welcome to Pelvis Party! Join three friends as they discuss women’s health and how pop culture has influenced our thinking. We’ll discuss the ins and outs of caring for your body and empower you to have conversations with your primary care provider. Ultimately, we want you to take your health into your hands…and understand that you don’t have to settle.

Presented by:

Britt Marschall, Marketing & Communications – Olmsted Medical Center

Dr. Melissa Richards, Chair, Obstetrics & Gynecology – Olmsted Medical Center

Becky Montpetit, Owner – Rochester Local

What is Pelvic Health and why are we talking about it?  Pelvic health ensures the best possible functioning of the bladder, bowel, and reproductive organs. Pelvic health plays an important role in physical, mental, and sexual well being.

In today’s episode, we talk about incontinence and how normal it is to associate “peeing your pants” as you get older. Aka, sneezing, coughing, laughing…but does it have to be this way? We also talk about Pelvic organ prolapse (yikes!)

Today we’re joined by Dr. Chris Klingele, Urogynecologist at Olmsted Medical Center. Dr. Klingele explains what urogynecology is (hint: they specialize in treating pelvic floor dysfunctions) and who might be a great candidate to see him.

Today we’re talking all things IUDs. What they are, how they work, why someone would get them, whether are they painful to have placed, what are they used for (outside of birth control!), and a lot more.

The reality is discharge and smells are part of the anatomy of a pelvis. But it’s normal. So normal, in fact, that it is experienced by almost every person. In this episode of Pelvis Party, we’ll talk about it…when it’s normal and not.

In this episode, Dr. Klingele talks all about Pelvic Organ prolapse…what it is, what can be done about it, and why it’s much more common than you think. If you think your pelvic organs are a bit saggy (it happens!!), this episode is for you.

It can be tempting to think that you need fancy products to clean your pelvic area. Especially with all of the beautiful marketing and clever packaging. So truly, what’s right for you?

The vagina is an amazing and powerful organ. Did you know that the vagina cleans itself? It can be easy to think we need to do a lot to keep ourselves clean down there, but the truth is, water and a soft cloth will do just fine.

While scary sounding, having a colposcopy procedure prevents even scarier situations down the road. If there were abnormal cells on your PAP smear, a colposcopy is the next step. Listen in to hear all the details, the truth about the pain, and what you can expect!

Meet Olmsted Medical Center’s first full-time Hospitalist, Dr. Margaret Dow, OB-GYN (and Department Chair)! So what is a hospitalist? Also, what can you expect when you give birth at Olmsted Medical Center? We’ll also hear how much the population grows in 24 hours and a few *crazy* birth stories.

What’s a midwife? Why do some people choose to have to see a midwife for prenatal care and their birth? How does a midwife differentiate from an OB-GYN but…how do they also collaborate and work together? So many questions were answered with our special guest Eyita Gaga on today’s Pelvis Party.

We continue our conversation with Eyita Gaga, Certified Nurse Midwife at Olmsted Medical Center on today’s Pelvis Party. Eyita invites us to discuss head-to-toe postpartum care…not only how is the mother doing physically after birth, but how are they faring mentally? Emotionally?

Pelvic Floor Therapy…what even IS it? Kegels, right? Well, maybe. But, maybe not. In this episode of Pelvis Party, we talk with Gretchen Young, Physical Therapist at Olmsted Medical Center. She specializes in female urinary incontinence and pelvic pain and introduces us to exactly WHAT pelvic floor therapy is and essentially why it’s considered core strength.

We have a goal at Pelvis Party…to ensure you never feel alone. That you feel equipped with the knowledge you need to address health issues or concerns you might have with your primary care provider. Sometimes, you might have a question that you feel is so uncommon, no one else could possibly have asked it…we got you.

UTIs. If you’ve had one before, you know that all too familiar tingle — the tell-tale sign that you’re most likely on your way to a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection). It’s probably the weekend…you probably have big plans. Now what? In this episode of Pelvis Party, we’re joined by Tara Suffrins, Nurse Practitioner at in Women’s Health at Olmsted Medical Center. She talks with us about why we get UTIs, how to treat them, what happens if you get them repeatedly, and why it’s a myth that you are “dirty” if you happen to get a UTI.

Listen. There are some topics we discuss on Pelvis Party that are simply good to know. Those, “oh huh! I never knew that!” moments. We really want you to listen to/watch this video. We want you to know what you NEED to know about post-menopausal bleeding. Mostly this, if you bleed after menopause, please go get checked out. Talk to your doctor. Deal?

Sometimes, for various reasons, it can be hard to visit with a medical professional in an actual office. Telehealth has come a long way, especially since the days of the pandemic when it became immediately necessary in many instances. Olmsted Medical Center offers a virtual option for patients to receive healthcare called On Demand Virtual Care. You’ll receive a medical consult with Amy Nelson, a Family Nurse Practitioner with Olmsted Medical Center.

If you’ve ever been expecting a baby or attended a birthing class or sat in an OBGYN’s office and discussed your birth plan, then you know that they prepare you that things don’t always go the way you think they might (ahem, Caesarean section). C-section is an incredible feat of medicine and a true marvel — a wondrous way for a life to enter the world. Olmsted Medical Center works hard to ensure that people who have C-sections at the Birth Center are treated with dignity, respect, and compassion.

Certified Nurse Midwife and certified sexual health counselor, Carrie Rochester, joins us in this special episode of Pelvis Party to bring to light the (potentially) taboo topic of sexual health and its importance to women’s health. For many in OBGYN and midwifery, the discussions and learning around sexual health can be a forgotten topic. Having the resources of a sexual health counselor has made Dr. Melissa Richards more empowered to open the door for these conversations with her patients.

It’s something that’s more common than we realize, but pain during sex doesn’t have to be a thing in your life.

Certified Nurse Midwife and certified sexual health counselor, Carrie Rochester, joins us again in this discussion to talk about various causes and solutions to pain during sex.

Is pelvic pain something that you have to just “deal with?” Absolutely not! In this episode of Pelvis Party we dive into what pelvic pain is, the patient experience, and when there is cause for concern regarding endometriosis. Dr. Melissa Richards and Carrie Rochester join forces in this conversation to walk through what to expect when talking to your healthcare provider about pelvic pain. What questions should you ask? What are symptoms of endometriosis?

The idea of a surrogate birth may sound like something only celebrities and the extremely wealthy can have access to. In this episode Dr. Richards is joined by Maia, a gestational carrier, and Emily and Scott, the intended parents, to discuss their journey together in surrogacy. Dr. Richards leads the conversation with our guests as we learn how normal and accessible birth through a gestational carrier can be, and the various options that couples might evaluate before opting for a surrogate birth. This is part 1 of 2 with our special guests as we work to normalize the idea of surrogacy, gestational carriers, and everything that goes with a decision for this style of birthing plans!

Dr. Richards is joined again by Maisa, a gestational carrier, and Emily and Scott, the intended parents, to further discuss their journey together in surrogacy. The conversation dives into what life looks like once the baby is born and how that will affect their relationship and friendship, what the last few weeks of pregnancy will look like, and much more! This is part 2 of 2 with our special guests as we work to bring awareness to surrogacy, gestational carriers, and everything that goes with a decision to grow your family this way.