28ish Days Later

Through this series we have demonstrated how inequalities in research and persistent myths about women's bodies have led to inequalities in healthcare. In this episode, India talks to someone who has the power to influence change. Dame Professor Lesley Regan has dedicated the last decade of her career to fighting for better health outcomes for women all over the world. Credits: Presented by India Rakusen. Producer: Ellie Sans. Assistant Producer: Jorja McAndrew. Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound Design by Charlie Brandon-King. Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists. A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

India travels back to the Victorian Age to probe at the use of the vaginal speculum and considers its link to menstrual shame and embarrassment, particularly in education. India then meets Chella Quint, founder of the Period Positive Movement, and also Professor Chris Bobel, who are the women at the forefront of revolutionising menstrual education both within school and the home. Credits: Presented by India Rakusen. Producer: Ellie Sans. Assistant Producer: Jorja McAndrew. Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound Design by Charlie Brandon-King. Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists. A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

India considers the role of the femcare industry in perpetuating menstrual stigma and single use products with Chris Bobel, an Associate Professor of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston and Co-Editor of the Critical Guide to Menstruation. We also meet Dr Sharra Vostral, a Professor of History at Purdue University in Indiana, to discuss the rise of Toxic Shock Syndrome in the 1970s and 80s and how this healthcare event shaped the tampon industry today. Later India considers the rise of reusable products with Alec Mills, the founder of the sustainable period product brand, DAME. Credits: Presented by India Rakusen. Producer: Ellie Sans. Assistant Producer: Jorja McAndrew. Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound Design by Charlie Brandon-King. Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists. A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

How long is too long for a menstrual cycle? And what can be the causes of irregular periods? India talks to Dr Anita Mitra and Dr Dornu Lebari about what's 'normal' as well as the hormonal imbalance that arises from the condition polycystic ovary syndrome. India also finds out about some unusual animal cycles. Credits: Presented by India Rakusen. Producer: Ellie Sans. Assistant Producer: Jorja McAndrew. Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound Design by Charlie Brandon-King. Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists. A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Millions of women across the world take hormonal contraception either as birth control or to help with problem periods - but do we know how much they might be affecting our brains? In this episode India asks Dr Jackie Maybin from the University of Edinburgh, whether there is a physiological need for women to have their periods whilst on the contraceptive pill. Dr Katy Vincent explains how women today have far more periods than our recent ancestors ever did and Dr Sarah Hill, author of How the Pill Changes Everything: Your Brain on Birth Control, joins to discuss the effect of the pill on women’s brains. Credits: Presented by India Rakusen. Producer: Ellie Sans. Assistant Producer: Jorja McAndrew. Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound Design by Charlie Brandon-King. Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists. A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

India meets performance physiologist Dr Stacy Sims who offers key advice on how best to tailor your eating and exercise routine to certain points of your cycle whether you’re a regular cycling women, experiencing the menopause or on hormonal contraception. They also discuss data bias in the diet and exercise world. Credits: Presented by India Rakusen. Producer: Ellie Sans. Assistant Producer: Jorja McAndrew. Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound Design by Charlie Brandon-King. Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists. A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

India sits down with her husband Mark to talk about the cycle and their relationship. They also meet a couple - Bill and Amy - who tailor their life based around Amy’s cycle. India and Mark try to decide if this sort of lifestyle is for them. Credits: Presented by India Rakusen. Producer: Ellie Sans. Assistant Producer: Jorja McAndrew. Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound Design by Charlie Brandon-King. Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists. A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

We find India at the top of the cliffs of Folkestone in South East England to meet a group of women who swim under the light of the full moon. Meanwhile. on the other side of the world in Australia, the coral of the Great Barrier Reef is spawning to coincide with the full moon. Professor Oren Levy of Marine Biology at Bar Ilan University talks us through this wonder. Credits: Presented by India Rakusen. Producer: Ellie Sans. Assistant Producer: Jorja McAndrew. Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound Design by Charlie Brandon-King. Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists. A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

India meets with the founder and director of Chem Trust, Elizabeth Salter Green, and Shruthi Mahalingaiah Assistant who is a Professor of Environmental Reproductive and Women's Health at the Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, to discuss the implication of modern day synthetic chemicals on the menstrual cycle and the natural world. Credits: Presented by India Rakusen. Producer: Ellie Sans. Assistant Producer: Jorja McAndrew. Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound Design by Charlie Brandon-King. Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists. A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

India speaks with Kenny Ethan Jones, the first transgender man to front a period product campaign. They talk about Kenny’s experience with menstruation, and transitioning. As well as Kenny's work as an activist, and his journey to peace. Credits: Presented by India Rakusen. Producer: Ellie Sans. Assistant Producer: Jorja McAndrew. Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound Design by Charlie Brandon-King. Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists. A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

The perimenopause is a challenging time for many women but there is help and there are ways you can prepare. In this episode, India sits down with her mum to discuss her own transition to menopause. And we hear from Dr Marion Gluck and Dr Radhika Vohra to discuss the history and role of HRT in treating perimenopausal symptoms. Credits: Presented by India Rakusen. Producer: Ellie Sans. Assistant Producer: Jorja McAndrew. Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound Design by Charlie Brandon-King. Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists. A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

India and Dr Anita Mitra discuss the causes and symptoms of Premenstrual Stress (PMS), and Maisie Hill offers up advice for PMS in the autumn season of the cycle. We also hear from two women who live with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) and explore the reality of the condition. Credits: Presented by India Rakusen. Producer: Ellie Sans. Assistant Producer: Jorja McAndrew. Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound Design by Charlie Brandon-King. Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists. A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

We've entered the luteal phase and welcome a fascinating temporary organ into the reproductive system. It only lasts 14 days and it's one big job is to pump out progesterone. India also finds out what progesterone is doing to our brains and our bodies. Credits: Presented by India Rakusen. Producer: Ellie Sans. Assistant Producer: Jorja McAndrew. Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound Design by Charlie Brandon-King. Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists. A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

On day 15 of the cycle, India looks at fertility and the process of trying to conceive - and explores the tragic reality that not all pregnancies are successful. Dr Dornu Lebari takes us through a fertility consultation, and discusses the stigma that surrounds reproductive health. Dame Lesley Regan speaks with India about early miscarriage. Credits: Presented by India Rakusen. Producer: Ellie Sans. Assistant Producer: Jorja McAndrew. Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound Design by Charlie Brandon-King. Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists. A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Oestrogen has peaked and ovulation is imminent. Professor Evelyn Telfer from the University of Edinburgh discusses the formation and release of eggs, as well as key new research into whether women can make new eggs. Credits: Presented by India Rakusen. Producer: Ellie Sans. Assistant Producer:Jorja McAndrew. Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound design by Olga Reed. Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists. A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

It’s day 13 of the cycle and India rides the first oestrogen wave and chats all things cervical mucus with the Gynae Geek Dr Anita Mitra from its texture to its many functions. Maisie Hill, author of Period Power, also joins India to discuss ovulation, the season ‘Summer’ and how to manage it. Credits: Presented by India Rakusen. Producer: Ellie Sans. Assistant Producer:Jorja McAndrew. Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound design by Olga Reed. Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists. A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Professor Richard Legro, Chair of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania, tells his story of attempting to test the effectiveness of sildenafil (aka Viagra) to treat period pain. Ultimately unsuccessful - but not because it didn't work - but rather the people with the money didn't think it was important enough. India is also joined by Dr Elinor Cleghorn, author of Unwell Women: A Journey Through Medicine and Myth in a Manmade World. She tells her story of being diagnosed with the chronic illness Lupus. The pair discuss the origins of hysteria, with a particular focus on the myth that black females have a greater insensitivity to pain. Credits: Presented by India Rakusen. Producer: Ellie Sans. Assistant Producer:Jorja McAndrew. Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound design by Olga Reed. Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists. A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

India meets Emily Jacobs, an Associate Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at University of California Santa Barbara, to discuss sex bias within medical science. Emily shares with India her extensive research into hormones and the brain. Credits: Presented by India Rakusen. Producer: Ellie Sans. Assistant Producer:Jorja McAndrew. Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound design by Olga Reed. Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists. A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

The world of tracking apps has grown in the last decade, but where does all that data go? India speaks to the Chief Medical Officer of Clue, Dr Lynae Brayboy about the importance of tracking periods, and the link between tracking apps and research. Later, India is joined by Eva Blum-Dumontet, a Senior Policy Advisor on Artificial Intelligence at Royal Society who formerly carried out key research into data and tracking apps. Eva offers a word of warning over the type of data these apps ask for. Credits: Presented by India Rakusen. Producer: Ellie Sans. Assistant Producer:Jorja McAndrew. Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound design by Olga Reed. Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists. A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

This episode is all about the experiences across life that can shape how we view our cycle - particularly our first bleed. India is joined by author and creatrix Lisa Lister who tells a story of empowerment. Along the way India chats to a tropical island resident called Nirai and a refugee named Marie who is struggling with period poverty. Credits: Presented by India Rakusen. Producer: Ellie Sans. Assistant Producer:Jorja McAndrew. Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound design by Olga Reed. Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists. A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.