In this end-of-year episode, Dr. Michelle and Jenn answer the Coven and the Internet’s most Googled (and sometimes unhinged) women’s-health questions – from coffee-ground period blood to butthole zingers, vaginal dryness, TikTok sex rumors, “menopause psychosis,” and whether diarrhea during your period is actually normal (spoiler: yes).

This episode blends laugh-out-loud moments with real medical explanations, helping you understand what’s normal, what isn’t, and what your body is trying to tell you without shame, fear, or Dr. Google at 2 a.m.

In this episode, we’re talking about:

• Why period blood sometimes looks black, brown or like coffee grounds
• The real reason so many women get diarrhea during their periods
• What causes the sharp “lighting bolt” pains in your butt (and why you’re not alone)
• Lighting crotch during pregnancy: what it is and why it happens
• Why sex can feel like sandpaper even when you’re aroused
• The difference between lubricants, moisturizers and vaginal hormone therapy
• Pelvic floor tension and why your brain may be bracing for pain
• Whether sex actually helps period cramps or if TikTok lied again
• “Menopause psychosis”: what’s real, what’s not and why this TikTok term is misleading

This episode is equal parts myth-busting, education, and “OMG I thought it was just me.” If you’ve ever wondered whether something happening in your body is normal — this is your episode.

Let’s Connect
If this resonated, leave a review or share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow us and find more information about Coven Women’s Health at @covenhealth or visit www.covenhealth.com

Nutrition in midlife is loud so we brought in Coven Women’s Health Registered Dietitian, Nishta Saxena, to make sense of what your body actually needs in perimenopause and beyond. This episode breaks down metabolism, weight changes, hormone shifts and everything the internet gets wrong about “fixing” your body in your 40s and 50s. If you want less confusion, more confidence, and a grounded plan for nourishing yourself, this conversation is packed with clarity.

In this episode, we’re talking about:

• What a Registered Dietitian actually is and why regulated, evidence-based nutrition support matters.
• Why weight changes in perimenopause, including shifts in hormones, fat distribution and metabolism.
• GLP-1 medications (Ozempic, etc.), when they’re helpful and when they can create new problems.
• Why strength training becomes essential for health, longevity and weight stability.
• How stress, sleep and mindset impact appetite and midlife weight changes more than most diets do.
• Why nutrition is emotional, not just practical, and how to build habits that support the life you want.

Links from the episode:

• Learn more about the Weight & Nutrition programs at covenhealth.com
• Get started with the Diet & Nutrition Program or the Feel Powerful – Weight Management Program
• Follow Nishta on Instagram, @nishtasaxenard

Let’s Connect:
If this resonated, leave a review or share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow us and find more information about Coven Women’s Health at @covenhealth or visit www.covenhealth.com

This one gets personal. Dr. Michelle shares how she discovered she carries a BRCA mutation (from her dad’s side), what it meant for her 20s, and why that moment shaped her life’s work. From genetic testing and a preventive double mastectomy to building better care paths for women after cancer, this episode blends story, science, and the kind of straight-talk you wish you’d heard sooner.

In this episode, we’re talking about:

• What BRCA actually is and why you can inherit it from either parent
• How to approach genetic testing when family history is missing or complicated
• What you need to know about screening
• Michelle’s decision-making: life insurance worries, timing kids, and choosing a preventive double mastectomy
• Why “one-size-fits-all” doesn’t exist: individualized choices vs. fear-driven advice
• Menopause after cancer: Who can (and sometimes should) consider hormones, and nuanced alternatives
• The survivorship gap: Why finishing treatment isn’t the finish line and what better support looks like
• How Michelle’s experience led to Coven Health and the Feel Powerful Menopause After Cancer program (evidence, empathy, and a real plan)
  
  

If you’ve ever felt in the dark about hereditary risk or been told to simply “tough out” menopause after cancer, this conversation is for you.

Let’s Connect:
If this resonated, leave a review or share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow us and find more information about Coven on Instagram at @covenhealth or visit www.covenhealth.com