S1E19 Medication x Mental Health x Maternal Healthcare with Cyntia Brown, PharmD

Hi— It’s Micah from Modern Hysteria, podcast and newsletter revealing the taboos of women’s brains and bodies. This episode is about how medical gaslighting — especially in fertility and pregnancy care — silences women, and why Black women face the highest in a system never built to protect them. Subscribe and listen on Apple Podcasts or SpotifyRaise your hand if you have been personally victimized by oral birth control 👋… or had side effects from a medication that were worse than the condition it was supposed to treat. 👋… or if you felt like you were talked down to or dismissed by a healthcare provider when you complained about medication or its side effects 👋… or if you just stopped asking questions in a medical appointment because you felt annoying or bothersome, even though you had concerns 👋… or if you have taken a medication — appropriately prescribed or not — that has altered the course of your life 👋If your hand is raised, this episode is for you.The TabooEven smart, educated women — even medical professionals — can be ignored by their own doctors, especially during fertility and pregnancy care.Because our stress and sex hormones are deeply connected, reproductive care often overlaps with mental health care. But when women — especially Black women — speak up, we’re often seen as dramatic instead of being believed.It’s taboo to talk about how common this is and how dangerous it can be. But during Black Maternal Health Week, we need to say it clearly:Misogyny and racism are alive in healthcare.And they put women’s lives at risk — especially Black women’s.According to the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs: This crisis is driven by unconscious bias in the medical system and its actors. In a 2016 survey of white medical students, nearly half held false beliefs about biological differences in Black patients, including thicker skin and less sensitive nerve endings. Another 2020 study found that Black babies are more likely to live if they are cared for by a Black physician. Recently, the CDC declared racism a public health threat. The maternal mortality crisis in the United States emphasizes the truth behind this declaration: It is racism, not race, that is killing America’s Black mothers and babies.This week’s guest, Dr. Cyntia Brown, talks about why she helps women understand the meds they’re given, especially when they’re trying to get pregnant. But here’s the thing: This type of advocacy shouldn’t be a privilege. It should be part of humane health care.Because being treated like a “silly little girl” for speaking out about pain and discomfort — or side effects of medications — isn’t just insulting.It can be deadly.The Guest ExpertCyntia Onuoha-Brown is a doctor of pharmacy and clinical pharmacologist working in the women’s health sector helping women feel empowered and capable of healing at her concierge practice, Kopela Health.Links and resources:* 📱 Her Instagram: dr.cyntia.obrown* 🗂️ Her business: Kopela Health* 🗓️ Book a consult with Dr. Brown* 🛒 Shop her favorite products* 💊 Her favorite prenatal vitamin* ⏲️ Her recommended ovulation tracker: Inito Fertility MonitorKey Takeaways* Medical credentials don’t protect patients from dismissal.Even with a doctorate in pharmacy, Cyntia was ignored and minimized, especially in her pregnancy care (and, as we will learn in Part 2 (S1E20), in her mental health care, too).* Systemic racism and misogyny are baked into medicine.Black women face barriers to quality care not because of race, but because of racism.* Advocacy is often the only safeguard.The system isn’t built to protect women’s voices. We need providers like Cyntia to help us interpret and question our care.Time Stamps* 04:52 – Integrative fertility * 05:42 – Aside on estrogen, body fat, and fibroids* 07:04 – Expensive birth control* 14:01 – Medical gaslighting, dismissal, and self doubt * 21:54 – Progesterone mini-pill and mood instability* 28:34 – Racial disparities in PCOS and endometriosis diagnoses* 30:39 – How Cyntia helps women interpret labs and advocate for themselves* 32:04 – Restoring the human touch in healthcareListener Action Items* ✅ Ask hard questions. If something feels off, ask questions or for a second opinion (did you know you can ask for your provider’s clinical notes?) even if it feels uncomfortable.* ✅ Get a second opinion. Especially when you’re being prescribed medications you don’t understand and you’re having side effects. It’s okay to switch providers, too.* ✅ Know what you're taking. Learn what medications are meant to do, and what they might also be doing as side effects.* ✅ Talk about it. Share this episode to raise awareness and reduce the shame around medical gaslighting.That’s it for Part 1 of this conversation with Dr. Cyntia Brown. Next week, look out for Part 2 (S1E20), where we dive deeper into* how fertility meds, hormonal contraceptives, and mental health intersect — especially for women with PMDD, endo, or a history of trauma* break down how drugs like progesterone can both help and harm* the ethics of pharmaceutical care,* why informed consent in women’s health is often missingIf you've ever wondered “Why didn’t anyone tell me this?” — next week’s episode is for you.Does this resonate? Tell me in the comments; I read every single one!Upcoming episodes of Modern Hysteria: * S1E21 Painful Sex with Rachel Gelman, DPT* S1E22 Menopause x Body Image with Menopause & Misogyny * S1E23 Pleasure x Orgasm x The Clitoris with Cindy Scharkey, RN* S1E24 Disorganized Attachment x Relationships with Grace Bithell* S1E25 Vulvas x Vaginas x What’s Normal? with Carla Carpenter, MD* S1E26 ADHD x Motherhood with Avery WasmanskiYou can subscribe and listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ☺️K, that’s it for this episode. Talk soon, MicahP.S. I made you this silly quiz to find out which feminist banned book you are 🙃 …. wanna find out? Which Banned Feminist Book Are You?Other episodes you might like: Get full access to Modern Hysteria at micahlarsen.substack.com/subscribe