Bodies

Bodies

KCRW, Allison Behringer

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

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 kcrw.com/bodies.

Jun 7, 2023 • 41:08

From This is Uncomfortable: The Price of Eggs

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.

Jun 6, 2023 • 43:38

The Fourth Trimester

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 here.

May 31, 2023 • 42:32

Early Birds

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 kcrw.com/bodies.

May 17, 2023 • 34:00

From Embodied: Child-Free not Childless

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.

May 10, 2023 • 34:17

The Great Beyond

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.

May 3, 2023 • 29:01

Diverging

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 kcrw.com/bodies.

Apr 26, 2023 • 34:46

Touch

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 kcrw.com/bodies.

Apr 19, 2023 • 27:15

Trailer: Season 4

Trailer: Season 4

Sneak peek: Bodies, new season 4 is full of medical mysteries and self-discovery. New episodes coming April 19.

Apr 5, 2023 • 1:41

Reading the Signs of your Body

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.

Dec 1, 2021 • 29:35

Not your average

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?

Nov 17, 2021 • 38:37

Bodies Bonus: Six Inches

Bodies Bonus: Six Inches

When Cody went online to search for a prosthetic penis, he couldn’t find anything that met his needs. But when he realized he could create his own prosthetic, he also realized that this was how he could earn a living. Now he has a business that primarily serves other trans people looking for prosthetic genitals.

Nov 12, 2021 • 10:44

Carved from Secrets

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.

Nov 3, 2021 • 27:36

LA’s toxic secret

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.

Oct 20, 2021 • 38:10

Indie Spotlight: “Infinities”

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 Boen.cool.

Oct 13, 2021 • 26:23

Do Less Harm

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.

Oct 6, 2021 • 48:18

Something Extra

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.

Sep 22, 2021 • 35:10

Trailer: Season 3

Trailer: Season 3

Trailer: Season 3

Sep 15, 2021 • 2:36

Special Programming from Bodies Podcast

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.

Dec 29, 2020 • 59:32

Listen to Appearances

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. Listen and subscribe.

Oct 20, 2020 • 37:54

Changing Shape

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?

May 27, 2020 • 28:00

Not This Again

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 here.

May 13, 2020 • 24:17

Listen to Here Be Monsters

Listen to Here Be Monsters

Is your body more like a machine or a body of water? An excerpt from Here Be Monsters, a KCRW podcast about fear and the unknown.

May 6, 2020 • 7:46

Invisible Impact

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?

Apr 29, 2020 • 37:04

Postpartum in a Pandemic

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?

Apr 15, 2020 • 25:16

The Cost of Silky Soft

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?

Apr 1, 2020 • 35:30

Not Tested on Humans

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?

Mar 18, 2020 • 44:08

Uncontrollable Orgasms

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.

Mar 4, 2020 • 33:35

Trailer: Season 2

Trailer: Season 2

Season 2 of Bodies coming March 4, 2020.

Feb 26, 2020 • 2:28

Update: Season 2

Update: Season 2

Bodies is coming back! Season 2 will launch on March 4, 2020.Join Bodies Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BodiesPodcast/Email us: allison@bodiespodcast.comFollow us: @bodiespodcast

Jan 22, 2020 • 2:07

Unraveling

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 Facebook group.

Oct 17, 2018 • 33:29

Refusing to Feed

Refusing to Feed

New parents have one job: keep the baby alive. But what happens when the baby won’t eat? Vivian Chen is a trained family doctor, but when she can’t figure out what’s wrong with her own newborn, she must reckon with the shortcomings of her medical training. To learn more and to share your own story, visit our Facebook group here. Nothing is off the table and everyone is welcome.

Oct 3, 2018 • 35:15

The Bodies Award

The Bodies Award

Host Allison Behringer plays the three finalists from the KCRW Radio Race “Bodies Award.” She takes us behind the scenes and explains why she chose these short stories. Each piece was created by independent producers in just one day as part of KCRW’s 24-Hour Radio Race. To learn more and to share your own story, visit our Facebook group www.facebook.com/groups/BodiesPodcast/. Nothing is off the table and everyone is welcome.

Sep 19, 2018 • 16:04

Other Than

Other Than

Jeromey is sixteen when the hair appears on her cheeks. She thinks she’s transforming into a monster. Stuck in a world where beauty begets womanhood, Jeromey creates her own sexuality and power. To learn more and to share your own story, visit our Facebook group www.facebook.com/groups/BodiesPodcast/. Nothing is off the table and everyone is welcome.

Sep 5, 2018 • 29:14

Anxious Mess

Anxious Mess

For Reese, the hum of daily life isn't a hum at all. It's exhausting, disorienting and always out of her grasp. What people assume about her work as a stripper is just one of the false assumptions that she must overcome. It isn’t until she starts talking to women in an online forum that she begins to find answers. Join the conversation in our Facebook group at: www.facebook.com/groups/BodiesPodcast/

Aug 22, 2018 • 35:12

Bleeding

Bleeding

KalaLea has terrible, awful periods. But don’t a lot of women? Well, yes and no. After more than a decade of suffering, KalaLea discovers that the cause of the pain is common for Black women like herself, but far from normal. Join the conversation in our Facebook group at: www.facebook.com/groups/BodiesPodcast/

Aug 8, 2018 • 38:06

Sex Hurts

Sex Hurts

For Bodies host Allison Behringer, sex suddenly becomes painful. This is her journey to find out why. Join the conversation in our Facebook group at: www.facebook.com/groups/BodiesPodcast/. Nothing is off the table, and everyone is welcome.

Jul 25, 2018 • 35:21

Bodies Trailer

Bodies Trailer

“What’s wrong with me?” Bodies is a new documentary series that begins as a medical mystery. But once you peel back the layers, more questions emerge.

Jul 23, 2018 • 3:29

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