Episodios

  • How to combat the Black maternal health crisis

    How to combat the Black maternal health crisis
    Apr 14 2026
    In the U.S., Black women are more than three times as likely to die during childbirth as white women. In the U.K., Black women are more than twice as likely to die in childbirth, and babies born to Black mothers are at an increased risk of stillbirth. Here in Canada, stats to better understand health outcomes for Black mothers aren't even available. While there are provinces in Canada that collect race-based data, historically, this country hasn't tracked health outcomes by race, which means the picture for what Black maternal health looks like across the country is unclear. However, if statistics from other jurisdictions are any indication, birthing and pregnancy are a greater risk to Black mothers, no matter where they live or what their socioeconomic background is. On this episode, we speak with Jennifer Dockery and Jenelle Ambrose Dash about the work that the Black Maternal Health Collective is doing, including Toronto's Black Maternal Health Week taking place April 11-17th. We also talk about accountability, the concerns of collecting race-based data in Canada, and what action looks like. Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868. Research links: The weathering hypothesis and the health of African-American women and infants: evidence and speculations https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1467758/Weathering” and Age Patterns of Allostatic Load Scores Among Blacks and Whites in the United States https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1470581/Black Women Excluded from Critical Studies Due to ‘Weathering’ https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/black-women-excluded-from-critical-studies-due-to-weathering/Childbirth Is Deadlier for Black Families Even When They’re Rich, Expansive Study Finds https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/02/12/upshot/child-maternal-mortality-rich-poor.htmlBlack midwife's death highlights racial gap in maternal mortality https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/black-midwifes-death-highlights-racial-gap-in-maternal-mortality"Colorblind Care" Is Costing Lives. Meet The Woman Who Started Toronto’s First Black Maternal Health Week To Change Thathttps://www.essence.com/news/toronto-first-black-maternal-health-week/Racial variations of adverse perinatal outcomes: A population-based retrospective cohort study in Ontario, Canada https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9246499/Black Maternal Morbidity and Mortality https://www.bornontario.ca/initiatives-resources/health-equity-and-indigenous-health/black-maternal-morbidity-and-mortality/ Beyonce opens up about pregnancy complications with twins https://abcnews.com/GMA/Culture/beyonce-opens-pregnancy-complications-twins/story?id=62480855 Serena Williams: What my life-threatening experience taught me about giving birth https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/20/opinions/protect-mother-pregnancy-williams-opinionSystemic racism affects maternity care for black women in England, say MPs https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/sep/17/systemic-racism-affects-maternity-care-for-black-women-in-england-say-mpshttps://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/u-s-maternal-deaths-more-than-doubled-over-20-years-heres-who-fared-the-worsthttps://www.npr.org/2024/05/28/nx-s1-4977627/rachel-somerstein-invisible-labor-c-sectionhttps://sph.umich.edu/pursuit/2020posts/state-of-maternal-mortality-the-inequitable-burden-on-black-mothers.htmlhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667193X22002253https://www.communitysolutions.com/resources/medical-bias-weathering-deadly-impact-black-mothershttps://nationalpost.com/news/maternal-death-injury-in-canadahttps://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/i-made-a-documentary-about-the-black-maternal-health-crisis-then-i-experienced-it-1.7101607https://www.cdc.gov/womens-health/features/maternal-mortality.html?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/healthequity/features/maternal-mortality/index.htmlhttps://www.mckinsey.com/institute-for-economic-mobility/our-insights/closing-the-black-maternal-health-gap-healthier-lives-stronger-economieshttps://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/newswire/black-maternal-mortality-rate-reaches-3-5-times-white-women-racial-gap-childbirth-widens/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    32 m
  • Can Canada still eliminate cervical cancer by 2040?

    Can Canada still eliminate cervical cancer by 2040?
    Apr 7 2026

    Doctors are calling for action. Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers, and rates in Canada had been dropping for years. Canada had even pledged to eliminate it completely by 2040. Not anymore. Rates have plateaued, and cervical cancer is the fourth most diagnosed cancer and fourth leading cause of cancer death among females worldwide. Is Canada still on track? On this episode, we talk about the causes of cervical cancer, how prevention strategies fall short because of vaccine hesitancy, how under-served communities are at risk and what jurisdictions around the world are on track to eliminate cervical cancer. Guests: Michelle Halligan Director of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and Nakia Lee-Foon, a Health equity researcher at the Institute for Better Health, Trillium Health Partners.

    Research links:

    1. Disparities in the allocation of research funding to gynecologic cancers by Funding to Lethality scores
      https://www.gynecologiconcology-online.net/article/S0090-8258(18)31302-7/abstract
    2. Denmark could eradicate cervical cancer by 2040: study https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/article/denmark-could-eradicate-cervical-cancer-by-2040-study/
    3. Addressing Anxiety and Fear during the Female Pelvic Examination
      https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2150132721992195
    4. Researchers redesign vaginal speculum to ease fear and pain
      https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/article/researchers-redesign-vaginal-speculum-to-ease-fear-and-pain/
    5. New vaginal speculum design might motivate women to go for health checkups
      https://www.tudelft.nl/en/ide/delft-design-stories/new-vaginal-speculum-design-might-motivate-women-to-go-for-health-checkups
    6. Cervical cancer is ‘fastest-rising’ form in Canada as doctors urge action
      https://globalnews.ca/news/11698821/cervical-cancer-cases-rising-canada/
    7. Progress Against Cervical Cancer in Canada
      https://health-infobase.canada.ca/cancer/progress-against-cancers/reports.html?type=1
    8. New Canadian Cancer Statistics report suggests Canada may fall short of its 2040 goal to eliminate cervical cancer
      https://cancer.ca/en/about-us/media-releases/2025/canadian-cancer-statistics-2025
    9. https://www.instituteforbetterhealth.com/member/lee-foon-nakia/
    10. https://www.partnershipagainstcancer.ca/

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    34 m
  • An Open Conversation On Pregnancy Loss

    An Open Conversation On Pregnancy Loss
    Mar 31 2026

    Pregnancy loss affects millions each year – so why do so many women have to suffer in silence after a miscarriage or stillbirth? According to a 2021 Lancet Study, an estimated 23 million miscarriages occur every year worldwide: 44 pregnancy losses each minute. For those who have experienced a miscarriage or a stillbirth, the joy of welcoming a child into the world can quickly turn into a nightmare of loss and isolation. On today's episode, host and producer Nam Kiwanuka speaks to Idalina Leandro about the motivations for her documentary, "An Open Conversation," which aims to destigmatize pregnancy and infant loss. The conversation explores how the silence around pregnancy loss impacts parents differently, why mothers blame themselves and how the healthcare system fails to support grieving families.

    Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org

    If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868.

    Research Links:

    1. Canadian gynecologists group issues new compassionate care guidelines for miscarriage patients https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-new-guidelines-early-pregnancy-loss-patients/
    2. Idalina Leandro’s ‘An Open Conversation’ Aims To Destigmatize Pregnancy & Infant Loss https://www.shedoesthecity.com/idalina-leandros-an-open-conversation-aims-to-de-stigmatize-pregnancy-infant-loss/
    3. Pregnancy, Infant & Child Loss Support Centre https://pilsc.org/
    4. Why those suffering miscarriages could benefit from specialized clinics https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/pregnancy-loss-sogc-1.7563527
    5. My wife and I were left on our own after miscarriage https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/mothers-day-miscarriage-pregnancy-loss-first-person-1.6836319
    6. New Zealand approves paid leave following miscarriage or still birth https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/new-zealand-paid-leave-miscarriage-still-birth-1.5964604
    7. Thousands of Canadians miscarry every year. For them, Mother's Day can be a reminder of loss https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/mothers-day-grief-loss-1.7532302
    8. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0015028223017193
    9. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00682-6/abstract
    10. https://www.jogc.com/article/S1701-2163(25)00154-9/fulltext

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    44 m
  • The Pink Pill: De-stigmatizing women's libido

    The Pink Pill: De-stigmatizing women's libido
    Mar 24 2026

    You may know Viagra as the "blue pill" but what about Addyi, the "pink pill"? Addyi was first approved in the U.S. in 2015 to treat hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) – the medical term for women experiencing low libidos. According to the National Institute of Health, it is "the most commonly identified sexual problem among women." It was first identified in 1977 but getting drugs to market for women's sexual health faces unique challenges - Addyi is one of two approved drugs that help improve women's low libido, while 26 drugs that have been approved by the U.S. for male sexual health. On this episode, host Nam Kiwanuka speaks with Aisling Chin-Yee about the history of how Addyi came to market and what making her documentary, "The Pink Pill: Sex, Drugs & Who Has Control", has taught her about how this pink pill is changing the conversation about women's libido.

    Links:

    How U.S. Tried but Failed to Wipe Out 70 Years of Global Consent on Women’s Rights

    https://msmagazine.com/2026/03/19/usa-csw-70-women/

    A Pill for Sexual Desire Reaches a New Group of Women

    https://time.com/7341012/sexual-desire-pill-addyi-cindy-eckert/

    The Pink Pill : New documentary exposes the long battle to bring Addyi — the first libido drug for women — to market

    https://theconversation.com/the-pink-pill-new-documentary-exposes-the-long-battle-to-bring-addyi-th…

    https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8673442/

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32301355/

    https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/414363

    https://www.sproutpharmaceuticals.com/

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    35 m
  • What's it like to try and get diagnosed with endometriosis?

    What's it like to try and get diagnosed with endometriosis?
    Mar 10 2026

    Because the male body has been the default in medicine, conditions that primarily impact women, like PCOS and endometriosis, are under researched, misunderstood and under funded. Even conditions that are commonly understood in men like autism, ADHD and cardiovascular disease are misunderstood, misdiagnosed and under diagnosed in women. On today's episode we speak with journalist Tracey Lindeman about her book, "Bleed: Destroying Myths and Misogyny in Endometriosis Care". We talk to her about how her pain was dismissed for decades and how it took 24 years to be diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis.

    Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org

    If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868.

    Research links:

    Endometriosis and Misogyny With Tracey Lindeman
    https://canadianwomen.org/blog/endometriosis-and-misogyny-with-tracey-lindeman/

    https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/women-health-second-opinion-1.7531876

    https://www.ellecanada.com/culture/society/the-gender-health-gap-misogyny-in-medicine

    https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/polycystic-ovary-syndrome

    https://www.cfp.ca/content/72/1/e17

    https://www.oma.org/newsroom/news-releases/2026/january/new-study-finds-female-family-doctors-spend-more-time-caring-for-patients-yet-earn-less/

    https://m-power.mecca.com/blog/what-is----medical-misogyny----and-how-is-it-impacting-women---s-health-

    https://www.bmj.com/content/387/bmj.q2780.full

    https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/women-pain-dismissed-1.7390686

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    40 m
  • Why is it so hard to get care for the menopause transition?

    Why is it so hard to get care for the menopause transition?
    Mar 3 2026

    In the last few years, menopause has become a big business and the global market for it is worth billions of dollars. Yet the people who need care during this transition are still struggling to get the help they need.

    In a special live episode of (MIS)Treated, we talk about how women's health is having a moment. We talk about surgical menopause, the impact the family doctor crisis is having on those in the menopause transition, why one guest used AI to self-diagnose their cancer and the harms caused by misinformation in women's health.

    Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org

    If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868.

    The Government of Ontario's Mental Health Support Resources: https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support

    Follow TVO on social: https://www.youtube.com/theagenda https://www.instagram.com/mistreatedtvo

    Join our newsletter: https://www.tvo.org/newsletters

    Visit the TVO Today website for current affairs journalism, documentaries and podcasts: https://www.tvo.org

    Research links

    The menopause gap: why some women suffer more and get less care: https://theconversation.com/the-menopause-gap-why-some-women-suffer-more-and-get-less-care-272753

    What You Should Know About the Non-White Experience of Menopause: https://katiecouric.com/health/wellness/non-white-menopause-healthcare-gap/

    Menopause: our study revealed how it affects the brain, cognition and mental health: https://theconversation.com/menopause-our-study-revealed-how-it-affects-the-brain-cognition-and-mental-health-275329

    After Decades of Misunderstanding, Menopause is Finally Having Its Moment: https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/after-decades-of-misunderstanding-menopause-is-finally-having-its-moment/

    Managing menopause after cancer: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)02802-7/fulltext

    https://menopauseandcancer.org/alternatives-to-hrt-during-menopause-after-cancer-what-you-need-to-know/

    https://obgyn.utoronto.ca/faculty/marie-christakis

    https://possibilityseeds.ca/team/farrah-khan-she-her/

    https://theconversation.com/profiles/michelle-cohen-1025333

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    53 m
  • 'A Dream Realized': A conversation with Canada's menopause pioneer

    'A Dream Realized': A conversation with Canada's menopause pioneer
    Feb 24 2026

    Until recently, menopause was a whisper between friends and trusted ones. And if you were going through it, there was an unspoken secrecy about saying that you were. This stigma still exists in some communities. But menopause is more than just hot flashes. It is associated with increased risks of long-term health issues such as osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes and impacts brain health.

    Nam Kiwanuka speaks to Dr. Wendy Wolfman, a pioneer in Canada and an internationally renowned menopause expert, about the lack of funding in women's health, the impact of the Women's Health Initiative study and how Canada can become a world leader in women's health.

    Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org

    If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868.

    The Government of Ontario's Mental Health Support Resources: https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support

    Follow TVO on social: https://www.youtube.com/theagenda https://www.instagram.com/mistreatedtvo

    Join our newsletter: https://www.tvo.org/newsletters

    Visit the TVO Today website for current affairs journalism, documentaries and podcasts: https://www.tvo.org

    Research links

    Behind the scenes with Dr. Wendy Wolfman: https://sinaimaturewomenshealth.ca/behind-the-scenes-with-dr-wendy-wolfman

    Menopause: our study revealed how it affects the brain, cognition and mental health: https://theconversation.com/menopause-our-study-revealed-how-it-affects-the-brain-cognition-and-mental-health-275329

    Halle Berry shouts 'I'm in menopause' on Capitol Hill as she fights for funding to improve women's care: https://abcnews.com/GMA/Wellness/halle-berry-shouts-im-menopause-capitol-hill-fights/story?id=109881356

    After Decades of Misunderstanding, Menopause is Finally Having Its Moment: https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/after-decades-of-misunderstanding-menopause-is-finally-having-its-moment/

    What to know about menopause hormone therapy after FDA removed 'black box' warnings: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/what-to-know-about-menopause-hormone-therapy-after-fda-removed-black-box-warnings

    Hormones for menopause are safe, study finds. Here's what changed: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/05/01/1248525256/hormones-menopause-hormone-therapy-hot-flashes

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    33 m
  • Why researching sex and gender differences matters

    Why researching sex and gender differences matters
    Feb 17 2026
    Women are diagnosed on average 2 to 4 years later than men in over 1300 different disorders. These include conditions like depression and anxiety, and Alzheimer's disease, which disproportionately impact women. Most of our medical knowledge, including how to diagnose someone, is based mostly on symptoms for males or the experiences of men. Nam Kiwanuka speaks to world-renowned neuroscientist, Dr. Liisa Galea from CAMH, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, about why researching sex and gender differences in health matters and how hormones influence the female brain, especially during pregnancy and postpartum. Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868. The Government of Ontario's Mental Health Support Resources: https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support Follow TVO on social: https://www.youtube.com/theagenda https://www.instagram.com/mistreatedtvo Join our newsletter: https://www.tvo.org/newsletters Visit the TVO Today website for current affairs journalism, documentaries and podcasts: https://www.tvo.org Research links Dr. Liisa Galea bio https://ims.utoronto.ca/faculty/liisa... Women’s Health Research Cluster https://womenshealthresearchcluster.c... Study: Across Diseases, Women Are Diagnosed Later Than Men https://www.cpr.ku.dk/cpr-news/2019/s... Proper funding for women’s health research could save lives during pandemic https://policyoptions.irpp.org/2020/0... Why women are bearing more of the impact of dementia https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/... Women are diagnosed years later than men for same diseases, study finds https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health... 5 conditions that highlight the women’s health gap https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/5-c... New report identifies a blueprint to close the womens health gap https://www.mckinsey.com/mhi/media-ce...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    1 h y 3 m