Neurodivergence and Pelvic Pain: What ADHD and Autism Change in the Exam Room

I woke up at like three o'clock that morning and I was thinking to myself, how did I get so lucky, blessed, privileged, insert whatever word you want there, be able to consult with a doctor of his caliber When so many women don't have the financial resources that I do and they're hurting and how can I help them and how can I do it? Not in our estate planning when we're dead and gone, but now so that I can actually see and talk with them and help them.

Hello and welcome back to the world's tightest community.

Okay, so I've been looking forward to this one for a really long time because I get to introduce you to someone I think is genuinely one of the coolest people in this entire space.

Stephanie Berman has lived with vulvar pain since 2011, and her story has pieces in it you will almost certainly recognize.

She went through 11 years of dismissal, and the thing that finally moved her forward wasn't a referral from many of those doctors.

It was an Instagram DM she sent to the real MVP, Dr. Corey Abad, who a lot of you will already be familiar with as a recurring guest of this podcast.

But the part about Stephanie's story that I find really moving and extraordinary is that on the morning of that first consultation with Dr. Corey Babb, Stephanie woke up at three in the morning.

She was laying there thinking, how did I get this lucky? Because she knew that she was able to afford this, but that most women couldn't.

And instead of feeling grateful and getting on with her life, she started the Aziza Project, which actually pays for women to physically get the care that they need.

So Stephanie is just an absolute legend.

And we go through her whole story, including the biopsy that finally named her skin condition.

the nerve blocks, the rounds of Botox, the pelvic congestion syndrome that they are now looking into.

And we also spend a good part of this episode on something I've never covered on this show, what it actually takes to advocate for yourself in a clinical room when you're neurodivergent and what clinicians could be doing differently.

I learned a lot in that section and I'm so grateful for Stephanie for sharing her thoughts on this topic.

Please enjoy this conversation with Stephanie Berman.

I woke up at like three o'clock that morning and I was thinking to myself, how did I get so lucky, blessed, privileged, insert whatever word you want there, be able to consult with a doctor of his caliber When so many women don't have the financial resources that I do and they're hurting and how can I help them and how can I do it? Not in our estate planning when we're dead and gone, but now so that I can actually see and talk with them and help them.

Hello and welcome back to the world's tightest community.

Okay, so I've been looking forward to this one for a really long time because I get to introduce you to someone I think is genuinely one of the coolest people in this entire space.

Stephanie Berman has lived with vulvar pain since 2011, and her story has pieces in it you will almost certainly recognize.

She went through 11 years of dismissal, and the thing that finally moved her forward wasn't a referral from many of those doctors.

It was an Instagram DM she sent to the real MVP, Dr. Corey Abad, who a lot of you will already be familiar with as a recurring guest of this podcast.

But the part about Stephanie's story that I find really moving and extraordinary is that on the morning of that first consultation with Dr. Corey Babb, Stephanie woke up at three in the morning.

She was laying there thinking, how did I get this lucky? Because she knew that she was able to afford this, but that most women couldn't.

And instead of feeling grateful and getting on with her life, she started the Aziza Project, which actually pays for women to physically get the care that they need.

So Stephanie is just an absolute legend.

And we go through her whole story, including the biopsy that finally named her skin condition.

the nerve blocks, the rounds of Botox, the pelvic congestion syndrome that they are now looking into.

And we also spend a good part of this episode on something I've never covered on this show, what it actually takes to advocate for yourself in a clinical room when you're neurodivergent and what clinicians could be doing differently.

I learned a lot in that section and I'm so grateful for Stephanie for sharing her thoughts on this topic.

Please enjoy this conversation with Stephanie Berman.