For years, Jenny was wrongly told she had depression. She was prescribed antidepressants, saw multiple healthcare professionals and even underwent a hysterectomy, yet no one addressed the underlying hormonal changes driving her symptoms.

In this powerful episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by Jenny Potkins, who shares her deeply personal experience of living with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a severe hormone-related condition that can have a devastating impacts on mental and physical health. Jenny describes years of feeling dismissed, the toll PMDD has taken on her family, and why she is now campaigning to raise awareness so that other women don’t have to go through the same dreadful experience.

Louise explains why PMDD is often misunderstood, how fluctuating hormone levels can affect the brain and the whole body, and why so many women are still often inappropriately prescribed antidepressants or encouraged to have surgery before natural hormones are even considered. Together, they discuss the importance of listening to women, recognising the cyclical nature of symptoms, and ensuring people have access to informed choice about hormone treatments.

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Link to Jenny's poster :

⁠PMDD_Poster_2026 v2.2-29-06-2026.pdf - Google Drive

Millions of women were prescribed Primodos as a pregnancy test even though there were concerns that it was associated with many different and often devastating birth defects. More than 60 years later, many of the questions surrounding the drug - which contains synthetic hormones that are still prescribed to women today - remain unanswered.

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by ProfessorNeil Vargesson, Professor of Developmental Biology at the University of Aberdeen, whose research into Primodos has helped shine a light on one of themost dreadful drug scandals in modern medicine.

Together, they explore how Primodos came to be prescribed, why concerns raised by women were not properly investigated, and why it took 20 years for the drug to be withdrawn. They also discuss what the scandal reveals about the regulation of medicines, the importance of knowing about the difference between synthetic and natural hormones and why this history should never be forgotten.

We hope you love the podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please make sure to follow us, leave a 5-star rating and share it with someone who might find it helpful.

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For many women diagnosed with cancer, conversations about hormones end before they’ve even begun. They’re often told they can never take hormone treatment again, without being given the evidence, the options or the opportunity to make an informed choice.

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by women’shealth nurse and educator Jill Chmielewski to discuss why so many women are denied balanced information about hormones after cancer, and why this needs tochange.

Together, they explore the widespread misconceptionssurrounding hormones, the importance of understanding physiology rather thanrelying on outdated assumptions, and why decisions about treatment should always consider both long term health and quality of life.

Whether you’ve had cancer yourself, are supporting someone who has, or simply want to better understand the role hormones play in lifelong health, this episode offers reassurance, evidence and hope.

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