Understanding the gynecological health crisis facing Black women
5/8/202618 min
When Kemi Doll was in medical school, she learned that Black women are twice as likely to die from uterine cancer as white women, and also suffer disproportionately from other uterine-related conditions. What wasn’t explained was why. Now a gynecologic oncologist, Doll has made it her mission to change these trends and improve care for Black women.
She joins Flora to discuss her new book, “A Terrible Strength: The Hidden Crisis of the Black Womb and Your Survival Guide to Healing.” They explore the way systemic racism and the normalization of Black women’s pain lead to later diagnoses of uterine cancer and poorer health outcomes for a range of gynecologic conditions including fibroids, endometriosis, and heavy periods. And Doll explains the problem with using reproductive health as a synonym for uterine health.
Guest:
Dr. Kemi Doll is a gynecologic oncologist and professor at the University of Washington Schools of Medicine and Public Health.
Other episodes you may enjoy:
- Endometriosis Is Common. Why Is Getting Diagnosed So Hard?
- A Black Physician’s Analysis Of The Legacy Of Racism In Medicine
Want SciFri gear? Check out our new shop!
Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com.
Subscribe to this podcast. Follow our show on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Bluesky @scifri and sign up for our newsletters. Got a science question that’s keeping you up at night? Call us: 877-4-SCIFRI
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
Science Friday is supported by MathWorks, creator of MATLAB and Simulink software for technical computing and model-based design. MathWorks, accelerating the pace of discovery in engineering and science. Learn more at mathworks.com. Science Friday is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Well, Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try it at progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary, not available in all states.
Speaker 10:39
WNYC Studios is supported by Odoo. When you buy business software from lots of vendors, the costs add up, and it gets complicated and confusing. Odoo solves this. It's a single company that sells a suite of enterprise apps that handles everything from accounting to inventory to sales. Odoo is all connected on a single platform in a simple and affordable way. You can save money without missing out on the features you need. Check out Odoo at O-D-O-O.com. That's O-D-O-O.com.
Flora Lichtman· Host1:09
[instrumental music plays] Hey, this is Flora, and you're listening to Science Friday. Black women are twice as likely to die from uterine cancer compared to white women and also suffer disproportionately from other uterine-related conditions. Dr. Kemi Doll learned these facts in