👋🏼 Hey ladies!

Welcome to Bodytalk, where we discuss the realities of women’s health, culture, and more. This is our space: To unpack the double standards, to confront the misinformation, and to open up about the things we’ve been told are “TMI”.

Call me basic (I’m not offended, I swear), but Tell Me Lies had a full chokehold on me right up until the very last second. The show, which just aired its series finale (sobbbbb) last week, wasn’t just wildly entertaining, it also put a new, important representation of toxic relationships in the zeitgeist.

Speaking of things in the zeitgeist: Our girl Paige DeSorbo is here to talk about a “TMI” health condition, I’m ranting about a question I hate, and research reveals something Ozempic users need to keep in mind…

🗣️ Anyway, let’s do this 🗣️

Have you ever been in a truly toxic relationship? I haven’t, but I’ve certainly seen friends and loved ones caught in these cycles…and I’ve seen how deeply they can affect people, especially women. Not just mentally and emotionally, but physically as well.

I’ve seen women I love lose alarming amounts of weight due to the stress of it all. I’ve seen them experience panic attacks or mental health issues. They’ve lost hair and gained digestive issues. Some turn to substances and change their eating habits dramatically or struggle to get out of bed each day.

When you’ve seen a toxic relationship up close, you see how accurate the term “toxic” truly is, and how unhealthy — in every way — these relationships can be. And Tell Me Lies, which just aired its series finale after three wild, twisted, toxic seasons, did justice to that experience. 

If you haven’ t watched Tell Me Lies, keep reading. I promise I'll avoid spoiling things here, but I will encourage you to read the book and watch all three seasons of the show. It’s pure millennial gold, complete with a perfect soundtrack and some truly quality acting.

But most of all, it gives us what many call the first truly accurate depiction of a toxic relationship in pop culture. It doesn’t just get into how the wrong relationship can devastate you emotionally; it also gives us a glimpse at how it can affect your health.

We’ve grown up with so many romanticized takes on toxic men. This show is the antidote to all of them. It’s not a love story; it’s a cautionary tale. Read more.

🔎 Ask Clara: How can stress affect your physical health?

“So are you done having kids?” is pretty much a standard conversational question — like, to the point that it often comes up the first time you meet someone. It’s a question we shouldn’t be asking so casually, at least in my opinion.

Is it a categorically bad question? No, but it’s not one we should be asking people we barely know. And here’s my hot take: We shouldn’t be asking it of people we are close to either — especially not if we know they’ve ever experienced any type of fertility struggle or pregnancy complication.

For people who have experienced infertility, this is such a complicated question...and one that's really tough to answer. 

As someone who had twins after fertility challenges, a big part of me does want a third child, but I don’t think the desire is big enough for me to undergo testing, treatments, face the possibility of another miscarriage, and endure another high-risk, complicated pregnancy. And so when people ask me about having another child (or worse, tell me I should have another), even when they’re close friends or family members, it stings.

And it just feels plain awkward. I don’t have as simple a relationship to that question as some people do. I don’t have that luxury. 

Because for me, and for so many people out there for so many reasons, it’s not as simple as deciding whether or not you want another baby. There are so many health considerations and (especially in this economy!) financial considerations.

It’s not just about actually conceiving and birthing a baby either. Read more.

 🔎 Ask Clara: How do I know if I want another child?

Here’s the thing about GLP-1 agonists (aka Ozempic and the like): They’re still new. We’re still learning about them — and by “we” I mean the general public, the people who are on these drugs, and the medical community. 

These drugs are arguably one of the biggest breakthroughs we’ve seen in the medical world, and so many people claim GLP-1 use has completely changed their lives. But it’s important to remember that these drugs aren’t a cure-all. 

According to new research published in the International Journal of Obesity, this may be a pitfall of GLP-1 use: Many users may not be receiving enough nutritional guidance while on these medications.

Contrary to some narratives out there, you still need to be mindful of what you’re eating, with a particular focus on protein to preserve muscle. The researchers point out that because people on these drugs tend to feel full quickly, experience nausea, and have different food preferences while on these drugs, which may steer them away from eating enough protein. 

That, combined with lack of nutritional counseling, can explain why being on a GLP-1 drug can be linked to dietary gaps. Because it’s not just about consuming fewer calories, it’s also about dietary quality. All that to say: Yes, you may get full quickly and lose weight fast on this medication, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to, say, eat nothing but a candy bar all day. Read more.

🔎 Ask Clara: How do GLP-1 drugs works?

I feel like I should knock on wood before sharing this, but here we go: I’ve never had a urinary tract infection (at least…I don’t think I have?).  But when I recently shared this with a few friends, they were shocked. As someone who is not personally prone to UTIs, I truly had no idea how common they are.

And that’s in part because (all together now!) we’ve been so discouraged as women from talking about the real stuff that’s happening in our bodies. I imagine many women have felt like they need to hide their UTI-related discomfort, to essentially suffer in silence, for fear of sharing “too much information”. But, you know what I say: When it comes to intel about our bodies, there is no such thing as “too much”. 

That’s why I love that Paige DeSorbo is speaking out about her own experiences with chronic UTIs — stigma be damned. 

During an appearance on the Broad Ideas podcast, the reality star shared that she typically gets an infection every four-ish months.

“I’ll have girls that DM me that have never had a UTI before in their lives and they’ll be like, ‘Is this just a normal thing that you’re walking around with during the day?’ And I’m like, ‘They are so debilitating,’” DeSorbo said. “In college, I used to be able to go to class, go to do whatever. As I got older, they would truly debilitate [me]. I wouldn’t be able to move off of the toilet literally, I’d have to pee every four seconds.”

She also shared that she’s been taking cranberry and oregano supplements to keep this frequency at bay. While there’s research to back up the effectiveness of cranberry products in this application, as always, your best bet is to go chat with your doctor if you experience frequent UTIs.

Whether DeSorbo’s approach works for you or not, it’s the normalization that matters here. By talking openly about her own experience with a health issue that is, well…not super sexy, she’s helping other women and girls feel less alone.

🔎 Ask Clara: How do I get a UTI?