229. The Cost of Period Pain: Hormones, Endo, PCOS, and More with Kate Helen Downey

Financial Feminist

Her First $100K

Self-improvement, Education, How To, Business

4.7 • 6.2K Ratings

🗓️ 28 April 2025

⏱️ 88 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Let’s be real — periods are a huge part of life for millions of us, but we’re still taught to suffer through the pain, stay quiet about the discomfort, and not ask too many questions. In today’s episode, I'm joined by Kate Helen Downey, host of the incredible podcast CRAMPED, who is on a mission to change that. We’re getting into everything you should have been taught about your body but probably weren’t –– the truth about hormones, the reality of living with endometriosis (endo) and PCOS, why the system isn’t built for menstruating bodies, and how period pain is affecting our wallets, careers, and overall health. If you’ve ever wondered whether your pain is "normal" (hint: if it’s wrecking your day, it’s not!), or felt dismissed by doctors when you tried to get answers, this conversation will make you feel seen. We’re breaking down the phases of your hormonal cycle, what debilitating period symptoms might be telling you, and why advocating for your health — even when the system is stacked against you — is an act of radical self-care. Kate’s Links: Website: https://www.katehelendowney.com/ CRAMPED podcast: https://www.katehelendowney.com/cramped Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katehelendowney/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kateiscramped Read transcripts, learn more about our guests and sponsors, and get more resources at https://herfirst100k.com/financial-feminist-show-notes/229-periods-hormones-endo-pcos-and-everything-you-need-to-know-with-kate-helen-downey/ Looking for accountability, live coaching, and deeper financial education? Check out our exclusive community! Join the $100K Club: https://herfirst100k.com/100k-pod Our favorite travel and cash-back credit cards, plus other financial resources: https://herfirst100k.com/tools Not sure where to start on your financial journey? Take our FREE money personality quiz! https://herfirst100k.com/quiz Special thanks to our sponsors: Squarespace Go to www.squarespace.com/FFPOD to save 10% off your first website or domain purchase. Rocket Money Stop wasting money on things you don’t use. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/FFPOD. Quince For your next trip, treat yourself to the luxe upgrades you deserve from Quince. Go to Quince.com/FFPOD for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Netsuite Download the CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning at NetSuite.com/FFPOD. Masterclass Get an additional 15% off any annual membership at Masterclass.com/FFPOD. Indeed Get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at Indeed.com/FFPOD. ZocDoc Visit Zocdoc.com/FFPOD to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today. ResortPass Visit Resortpass.com and use code FFPOD to get $20 off your first ResortPass experience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Periods are a monthly part of our lives.
0:01.8	So why do we know so little about them?
0:03.7	And why is our pain not taken seriously?
0:06.6	Let's get into it.
0:25.8	Hi. Hi, financial feminists.
0:26.9	Welcome back to the show.
0:29.0	I am so excited to see you as always.
0:29.8	My name is Tori.
0:31.1	I'm a New York Times bestselling author.
0:32.1	I'm a money expert.
0:34.6	I've helped over 5 million women be better with money.
0:41.0	And I host this show, which is the number one money podcast for women in the world. So if you're joining me, you're in very good company and I appreciate your support as always. I'm just going to plug it right off the top. Please share this episode.
0:45.8	Please share this podcast. Self promotion is always a little weird. Okay. It's always a little weird
0:51.3	to come on here and be like, share the, share the shit that I do, share the shit that I produce.
0:55.6	But I'm here to tell you that running a feminist company is really hard.
1:00.0	It's hard on a good day. It's especially hard right now. And there's a lot of noise in the podcast space from a lot of bros with microphones who shouldn't have microphones.
1:08.7	We just appreciate you sharing this show. It's free for you.
1:11.4	We have almost 250 episodes at this point.
1:13.9	And there is so much valuable stuff that you can use to not only change your money, but
1:19.3	change your relationships, change your health, change your entire life.
1:22.6	And if you've ever gotten an ounce of value from this show, please share it. It's the easiest way to keep
1:29.4	making this show available and accessible to you and to everybody listening. This is expensive
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 25 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Her First $100K, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Her First $100K and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.