Bodies

Each episode of this documentary series begins with a medical mystery. Sometimes the sickness is in the body, and sometimes the sickness is in the system. Once you peel back the layers, more questions emerge. Created by Allison Behringer and supported by KCRW.

The Fight for Abortion Training 06/07/2023

The Fight for Abortion Training The overturning of Roe v. Wade has severely restricted how doctors can access training in abortion care and it’s already having a devastating ripple effect on patients seeking all kinds of reproductive care. Two medical residents in abortion-restricted states fight for training and for the future health of their patients. Plus, the centuries-long battle over who gets access to abortion training in the first place. Transcript at . /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476155

From This is Uncomfortable: The Price of Eggs 06/06/2023

From This is Uncomfortable: The Price of Eggs From This is Uncomfortable, we bring you the story of Ashleigh Griffin. She hoped the fertility industry could put her on the road to financial stability. But the decision to donate her eggs had some unexpected costs. /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476165

The Fourth Trimester 05/31/2023

The Fourth Trimester Jess was overjoyed when she got pregnant. But after giving birth, her reality spiraled out of control. She didn’t know it, but she had postpartum psychosis, a mental health condition that occurs after about 1 in every 500 births. Read the full transcript . /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476175

Early Birds 05/17/2023

Early Birds Puberty is starting younger and younger, especially estrogen-dominant puberty. We talk to three kids and one teen about extra early puberty and the funny, scary, embarrassing and joyful experiences that come with it. Transcript at . /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476180

From Embodied: Child-Free not Childless 05/10/2023

From Embodied: Child-Free not Childless From the Embodied podcast, we bring you “Decided: Child-Free not Childless.” Embodied host Anita Rao has interrogated many aspects of parenthood. But how about the decision to become a parent at all? She talks with three women about making their child-free decisions and meets a psychotherapist who's devoted her career to helping people find clarity in that choice. /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476190

The Great Beyond 05/03/2023

The Great Beyond Angelina Fanous has been living with ALS for nearly a decade. She is almost fully paralyzed and losing her ability to speak. As she prepares for death, she’s thinking about the story she’ll leave behind. Transcript at kcrw.com/bodies. /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476195

Diverging 04/26/2023

Diverging No matter how hard producer Hannah Harris Green tried, there were certain areas of life where she found herself to be deficient. Until she realized that a diagnosis could help relieve her shame instead of adding to it. Transcript at . /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476200

Touch 04/19/2023

Touch A vending machine ritual, a life-changing massage, a spiffy velvet outfit and a belly full of caterpillars. Four stories of touch. Transcript at . /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476205

Trailer: Season 4 04/05/2023

Trailer: Season 4 Sneak peek: Bodies, new season 4 is full of medical mysteries and self-discovery. New episodes coming April 19. /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476210

Reading the Signs of your Body 12/01/2021

Reading the Signs of your Body Growing up and going through puberty, the only thing many of us learned about the menstrual cycle was the period part. But there’s so much more to it. How charting the cycle’s fertile signs can be the basis for an effective method of contraception. And, how it saved a woman’s pregnancy. /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476215

Not your average 11/17/2021

Not your average This week, the FDA will make a decision on whether or not to approve the first ever treatment for achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism. But not everyone is celebrating. This controversial treatment is forcing parents of children with achondroplasia to grapple with an age-old question: What’s best for my child? /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476220

Carved from Secrets 11/03/2021

Carved from Secrets When River was first told that something was wrong with their body, they didn’t think it was that big a deal. But the medical system and their parents disagreed. Outside pressure to make River “normal” would cause them tremendous pain and turmoil — until they discovered there’s more than one right way to be a human. /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476225

LA’s toxic secret 10/20/2021

LA’s toxic secret An elementary school in L.A. County was built on a contaminated site and made its community sick — How that community came together to demand change, and a controversial plan to build a new school. /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476230

Indie Spotlight: “Infinities” 10/13/2021

Indie Spotlight: “Infinities” On today’s indie spotlight, we share “Infinities,” by Boen Wang. It’s about mental illness, toxic workplace environments, Egyptian Rat Screw, and the nature of infinity. Find more of Boen’s work at . /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476235

Do Less Harm 10/06/2021

Do Less Harm Lill lives in Appalachian West Virginia — it’s coal country, and it’s also the overdose capital of the United States. An increasingly dangerous drug supply and a lack of safe supplies like clean syringes leave people who use drugs vulnerable to disease and death. Lill is trying to fill that gap, providing safe supplies and care all over West Virginia — even as the government tries to stop them. /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476240

Something Extra 09/22/2021

Something Extra Kelly was in her 20s in the 1980s and she was determined enjoy sex without shame...until she got an STI she’d never heard of. And so she married the first person who accepted her. When stigma is all around, it can take decades to break free and find pleasure. /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476245

Trailer: Season 3 09/15/2021

Trailer: Season 3 Trailer: Season 3 /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476255

Special Programming from Bodies Podcast 12/29/2020

Special Programming from Bodies Podcast KCRW’s Bodies podcast is a documentary show about medical mysteries. Each episode follows one person’s story to uncover the forces that shape their health. Host Allison Behringer guides us through two stories in this one hour special. /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476260

Listen to Appearances 10/20/2020

Listen to Appearances From the brand new podcast Appearances, by Sharon Mashihi, we bring you “Episode 04: Last Ditch Effort.” Appearances is an audio mind trip about an Iranian American woman, the family she carries around in her head, and the family that she wants to have. and subscribe. /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476265

Changing Shape 05/27/2020

Changing Shape Nico is obsessed with counting calories. But this compulsion to monitor food doesn’t line up with how they see themself. Why does Nico want parts of their body to disappear? Why isn’t eating disorder treatment working? /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476270

Not This Again 05/13/2020

Not This Again Angelina was a journalist living in Brooklyn when she was diagnosed with ALS. She now lives with her parents. How do you stay true to yourself when you rely on others to keep you alive? More of the episode . /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476275

Listen to Here Be Monsters 05/06/2020

Listen to Here Be Monsters Is your body more like a machine or a body of water? An excerpt from , a KCRW podcast about fear and the unknown. /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476280

Invisible Impact 04/29/2020

Invisible Impact Stacie escaped her abusive partner. But eight years later, her inner world was still in disarray. Why wasn’t she better? And why did it take her so long to leave? /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476285

Postpartum in a Pandemic 04/15/2020

Postpartum in a Pandemic ShiShi was in labor for 12 days. She gave birth, only to find herself at home in isolation during a pandemic. She’s also a doula, so her job is to support people through pregnancy and postpartum. What’s her advice for parents? How is she coping herself? /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476290

The Cost of Silky Soft 04/01/2020

The Cost of Silky Soft Johnson & Johnson knew its baby powder contained asbestos but kept selling it and specifically marketed the product to Black women. Krystal is one of thousands of women who claimed J&J’s baby powder caused their ovarian cancer. How did normal body odors become racialized? Who determines if our products are safe? /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476300

Not Tested on Humans 03/18/2020

Not Tested on Humans Why did it take doctors years to figure out that a medical device was the cause of Melynda’s debilitating pain? How did this dangerous vaginal mesh get implanted in millions of women? /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476305

Uncontrollable Orgasms 03/04/2020

Uncontrollable Orgasms Orgasms are supposed to feel good. But for Angie, they’re painful and spontaneous. Anything can trigger the horny feelings: Bumpy bus rides, loud music, even a hug from her mom. What’s causing Angie’s body to go haywire? This episode of Bodies is about the connection between desire and arousal. /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476315

Trailer: Season 2 02/26/2020

Trailer: Season 2 Season 2 of Bodies coming March 4, 2020. /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476320

Update: Season 2 01/22/2020

Update: Season 2 Bodies is coming back! Season 2 will launch on March 4, 2020. Join Bodies Facebook Group: Email us: Follow us: @bodiespodcast /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476325

Unraveling 10/17/2018

Unraveling In a lot of ways, menopause is like puberty. Your hormones are changing and setting off a whole host of bodily changes. It’s something that happens to half the population, but still, it’s full of mysteries. In this episode we hear from Lisa Hartman and another woman who you’ve heard from once before. To learn more and to share your own story, visit our . /episode/index/show/b3a43221-c24c-40d6-a697-c331348b4f6c/id/39476330

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