5 Red Flags: Navigating Your Doctor Visits with Confidence S3E16
From Period Besties Podcast by Stasha Washburn
April 21, 2026 · 28 min · Season 3 · Episode 16
About this episode
The episode discusses red flags to watch for during doctor visits, particularly in women's health care.
Doctor Visit Red Flags (Period Coaching Edition): Birth Control Push, BMI Bias, No Testing & Not Being Heard In this episode, Katie and the host share a “doctor visit red flags” list, focused on women’s health care and OB-GYN visits. They explain why it’s a red flag when a doctor’s first solution for symptoms (painful or irregular periods, PCOS, perimenopause concerns) is birth control (especially claims that it “balances hormones” or is ideal for perimenopause) without discussing side effects or alternatives. They call out weight/BMI-based assumptions as outdated and often lazy, encourage patients to turn away from the scale if needed, and discuss why routine vitals may be taken each visit. Other major red flags include refusing to order or review testing, not listening or asking follow-up questions, and ignoring diet, lifestyle, stress, and sleep. They emphasize trusting your gut and finding a new doctor if you feel dismissed or gaslit. Join Katie in Thriving: https://mailchi.mp/katiebressack/thriving 00:00 Welcome and Setup 00:48 Birth Control Pushback 05:52 Weight and BMI Bias 13:13 Testing and Data Matters 17:49 When Doctors Don’t Listen 20:52 Lifestyle and Root Causes…
People in this episode
Host: Stasha Washburn
Guest: Katie
Topics covered
- doctor visits
- women's health
- OB-GYN
- birth control
- BMI bias
- patient advocacy
Keywords
- doctor visit red flags
- birth control
- BMI bias
- women's health
- patient empowerment
- OB-GYN visits
- healthcare advocacy
Sponsors
Period Coaching School, Katie Bressack Wellness
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: PeriodBestiesPodcast@gmail.com, PeriodCoachingSchool.com, KatieBressack.com
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