About this episode

Dr. Tammy O'Rourke shares her personal journey of navigating ovarian cancer and the importance of self-advocacy in women's health.

In this profoundly moving and eye-opening episode, Dr. Fiona Lovely welcomes back Dr. Tammy O'Rourke, a Nurse Practitioner with a PhD and a leading voice in hormone health. While their last conversation focused on advocating for patients, this time, Dr. O'Rourke shares a harrowing personal health journey that began with symptoms easily dismissed as menopausal—bloating, fatigue, and reflux. What followed was a terrifying navigation of a healthcare system that seemed designed to fail her, despite her own expertise. Dr. O'Rourke details the delays, the dismissals, and the bureaucratic barriers that turned a treatable condition into a stage 3C ovarian cancer diagnosis. Listeners will hear how her intuition, combined with the unwavering advocacy of her husband, led her to seek care in the United States for a specialized CRS HIPEC surgery—a life-saving procedure not readily accessible in Canada. This episode is a powerful testament to the importance of self-advocacy, highlighting the specific risks for women with a history of endometriosis and fibroids. Dr. O'Rourke emphasizes the critical need for women to never give up control of their hormone health, to trust their gut, and to…

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