Learning about Vaginismus and pelvic floor disfunction w/ special guest Shelby Hadden

<p>On this episode of the Period Chats Podcast, documentary film maker Shelby Hadden joins us to talk about her wildly wonderful, impactful documentary: Tightly Wound.</p> <p>Based on an essay she published in Bust Magazine, the animated short film chronicles her experiences with vaginismus and pelvic floor pain.</p> <p>After a kickstarter shout-out in Cosmo, an article in Media Wire and much more, the film has 4 million views and has been all over the world.</p> <p>Shelby and I talk about how sharing your story publicly can be so many different things. It can be freeing and liberating to share, super helpful to others to hear, and a powerful influence on culture - but it can simultaneously be intimidating and unpredictable to post your life’s details on the internet.</p> <p>She explains that creating the film was a coming out type of experience for her, because there were many family members and friends who still didn’t know about her health journey.</p> <p>Shelby shares how she couldn’t use a tampon as an adolescent, but didn’t find pelvic floor physical therapy (the treatment that has helped her the most) until age 21.</p> <p>She then found herself at the forefront of a decade-long rise in awareness on the topic, in a culture that’s moving from young women like her taking 7 years plus to get an accurate diagnosis, to an internet-connected world where pelvic floor physical therapists are posting on Tik Tok and Instagram helping people learn the basics about the disorder.</p> <p>Shelby tells us what the process looked like to create the film, and what her network, team and community looked like during the process.</p> <p>It’s so beautiful that people with vaginismus and other pelvic floor issues can now point to this well-made film and say to their family, friends, or potential romantic partners, “This is what I have.”</p> <p>Insurance doesn’t always cover pelvic floor therapy, and there are different rules in different states about referrals and the number of sessions that may get approved, but Shelby leaves us