I just couldn't believe that a speculum was used on women on such an intimate exam and it hasn't been updated.

And, you know, there's actually a you know, I looked at it from a medical perspective, but I genuinely believe there's a big societal, issue associated with the speculum and speculum usage.

And so yeah, so that was kind of the inspiration for starting and developing a new speculum.

And what I wanted to do, I want to make sure the patient was front and center of our design work, and so I actually worked with a consumer product and engineering firm.

To help redesign the speculum.

6 00:01:17,491.633 --> 00:01:32,641.633 If you are feeling overwhelmed and unsure of where to turn to for evidence-based education around your pregnancy and birth, maybe you've just found out that you're pregnant and you don't really even know where to start.

7 00:01:32,641.633 --> 00:01:43,741.633 Maybe you're well into your pregnancy and you're starting to have questions, but you're having a hard time understanding what is honest.

8 00:01:43,971.633 --> 00:01:53,721.633 Data driven, science backed education versus what is just viral and circulating on the internet.

9 00:01:53,781.633 --> 00:01:58,131.633 Then I wanna introduce you to the Birth Lounge app.

10 00:01:58,641.633 --> 00:02:08,661.633 This is an app that is designed to put the control back in your hands no matter where you are in pregnancy, it's available for iPhone and Android.

11 00:02:09,21.633 --> 00:02:20,541.633 So head to your respective app stores and type in the birth lounge app, and you'll be able to download the app directly to your phone and access it any time.

12 00:02:20,841.633 --> 00:02:33,471.633 So one of my favorite features is the week by week update of fetal development and you know me, I'm not gonna be comparing your baby to the size of a lime or an apple or a cantaloupe or something.

13 00:02:33,801.633 --> 00:02:37,101.633 No, I want you to actually know what's going on.

14 00:02:37,101.633 --> 00:02:39,801.633 When I say data driven, I mean it.

15 00:02:39,861.633 --> 00:02:48,411.633 I want you to know, hey, this week you're growing kidneys and hey, guess what?

This week you're working on them ears, baby.

16 00:02:48,711.633 --> 00:03:04,536.633 I want you to know exactly what your baby is doing inside of your belly so that you can stay informed so that you know no matter where you are in pregnancy, you are the decision maker.

17 00:03:04,656.633 --> 00:03:10,206.633 You have free will and autonomy, and you have access to data that will help you make.

18 00:03:10,486.633 --> 00:03:14,266.633 The best decisions for you and your family.

19 00:03:14,446.633 --> 00:03:23,926.633 In addition to that week by week update of what your baby's actually going through, you're also gonna find pregnancy and postpartum evidence-based articles.

20 00:03:23,986.633 --> 00:03:27,496.633 Now, these are gonna tackle your most common questions.

21 00:03:27,556.633 --> 00:03:49,41.633 Should I really get tested for GB?

Why do we test for gestational diabetes?

What is the science behind hiring a doula?

Do I really need to write a birth plan?

What is the best position to birth my baby in order to reduce my push times?

And decrease tearing.

22 00:03:49,41.633 --> 00:04:05,571.633 What are the newborn procedures that I should expect after my baby is born?

How much should my baby be eating?

How do I establish good breastfeeding?

What about newborn sleep?

Help?

The umbilical cord fell off.

23 00:04:05,601.633 --> 00:04:06,356.633 OMG, I'm.

24 00:04:06,661.633 --> 00:04:09,961.633 Still bleeding, and I don't know if this blood clot is too big.

25 00:04:10,321.633 --> 00:04:13,681.633 All of it is inside of the birth lounge.

26 00:04:13,891.633 --> 00:04:20,671.633 Not only do you get those evidence-based articles, but I link all of the data for you so that you can click on it.

27 00:04:20,671.633 --> 00:04:21,661.633 It's clickable links.

28 00:04:21,661.633 --> 00:04:25,711.633 I want you to be able to access the data that I'm talking about.

29 00:04:25,921.633 --> 00:04:27,191.633 You can just rely on me to.

30 00:04:27,396.633 --> 00:04:32,316.633 Synthesize it, but I'm still going to give you the resources that I'm sharing with you.

31 00:04:32,556.633 --> 00:04:56,946.633 And in addition to that, at the end of every single article, there are questions broken down that you can take back to your provider to ask them so that you can truly have this collaborative, respectful communication with them to make sure that not only are you getting evidence-based medical care, but that you're really building this really respectful, collaborative relationship and getting individualized care.

32 00:04:57,46.633 --> 00:05:04,966.633 From your healthcare team, head to your app store, whether you have an iPhone or an Android, and download the birth lounge app.

33 00:05:05,26.633 --> 00:05:08,266.633 I promise you it's gonna be such a game changer.

34 00:05:09,409.79626531 --> 00:05:11,509.79626531 Hello, Alexis here.

35 00:05:11,509.79626531 --> 00:05:26,269.79626531 Jumping in to kick off today's episode Again, if you've ever been perched on that weird paper covered bench at the doctor's office, scooting your butt to the edge, but somehow never far enough down legs and syrups freezing in that paper gown.

36 00:05:26,729.79626531 --> 00:05:31,469.79626531 Only to still brace yourself when the speculum goes in, this one is for you.

37 00:05:32,219.79626531 --> 00:05:35,279.79626531 Every guest on the birth lounge brings something that changes the game.

38 00:05:35,339.79626531 --> 00:05:37,199.79626531 Today's guest is no exception.

39 00:05:37,559.79626531 --> 00:05:43,679.79626531 She's rethinking a tool that has been around forever and putting comfort, dignity, and women's experiences first.

40 00:05:44,99.79626531 --> 00:05:53,839.79626531 Just like HeHe, she is challenging the status quo, elevating patient, ahemm, clients experiences, and pushing women's health in the direction we all deserve.

41 00:05:54,608.79626531 --> 00:06:11,417.31899258 We are thrilled to share this conversation with Fahti, the founder of Ceek Women's Health and the visionary behind the Nella speculum, the first ever modern comfort focused speculum actually designed with women's bodies and experiences at the center.

42 00:06:11,807.31899258 --> 00:06:38,862.31899258 Fahti and her team are leading a true revolution in women's healthcare by asking one simple question, why are we still using a tool from the 1800's when we know better and can do better?

This episode dives into how the Nella was created, why comfort and dignity in pelvic exams matter so much, and how better tools can build trust in a system that too often overlooks women's experiences.

43 00:06:39,492.31899258 --> 00:06:42,192.31899258 All right, you are going to love this one.

44 00:06:42,222.31899258 --> 00:06:43,798.81387282 Please enjoy fahti.

45 00:06:43,818.81387282 --> 00:06:44,383.81387282 Welcome to the show.

46 00:06:45,708.81387282 --> 00:06:46,908.81387282 Excited to be here.

47 00:06:47,178.81387282 --> 00:06:48,468.81387282 I'm so excited to have you.

48 00:06:48,468.81387282 --> 00:07:07,848.81387282 This is such a cool topic and I think such an innovative conversation and as a woman, which almo almost all of our listeners are, I'm super excited to bring this conversation to everybody because you know, one of the worst parts of going to the gynecologist is that cold speculum.

49 00:07:07,848.81387282 --> 00:07:12,288.81387282 It stinks so much to have that put inside of you.

50 00:07:12,288.81387282 --> 00:07:16,998.81387282 It's so uncomfortable sometimes they're not fit properly for your body.

51 00:07:16,998.81387282 --> 00:07:20,658.81387282 And so I just love, love, love what you have done.

52 00:07:20,658.81387282 --> 00:07:47,58.81387282 So I think I'd like to start there is, was that the prompt for you to redesign the speculum?

Or what made you want to redesign it other than the obvious?

You know, I think for the longest time before I got married, it was this thing called Grin and what is it?

Grin and Bear where you just go to the doctor and you just go through it and you think it's once a year, once every few years, and you get it done with.

53 00:07:47,118.81387282 --> 00:07:55,38.81387282 But I went through, I got married and then I went through three years of infertility treatment, seven rounds of IVF, and.

54 00:07:55,593.81387282 --> 00:07:59,153.81387282 That really opened my mind me to what it meant to be a patient.

55 00:07:59,213.81387282 --> 00:08:04,553.81387282 And honestly, when you're going through infertility treatment, the speculum is a very small part of it.

56 00:08:04,653.81387282 --> 00:08:26,553.81387282 But it wasn't until I had my second daughter and I was reflecting on this crazy journey, and I just thought, you know, among all the hundreds of shots you give yourself, et cetera, I just, for some reason the speculum stood out for me and I remember googling it and seeing why hasn't anybody developed a better speculum?

And this article from The Atlantic popped up.

57 00:08:27,888.81387282 --> 00:08:45,468.81387282 And the title of that article was, why hasn't Anybody Developed a Better Speculum?

And I remember reading it over and over again and it was interesting for me because when you're going through infertility treatment, we'd gone through, we started with some clinics in California, went to New York, went to Colorado.

58 00:08:45,468.81387282 --> 00:09:11,458.81387282 So I, I'd experienced not only one clinic, but like a leading academic institution and a top-notch for infertility clinic and, I just felt in this day and age where there's so much innovation happening around us, both in health and outside of health, I just couldn't believe that a speculum was used on women on such an intimate exam and it hasn't been updated.

59 00:09:11,728.81387282 --> 00:09:22,888.81387282 And, you know, there's actually a you know, I looked at it from a medical perspective, but I genuinely believe there's a big societal, issue associated with the speculum and speculum usage.

60 00:09:23,158.81387282 --> 00:09:28,558.81387282 And so yeah, so that was kind of the inspiration for starting and developing a new speculum.

61 00:09:28,558.81387282 --> 00:09:39,228.81387282 And what I wanted to do, I want to make sure the patient was front and center of our design work, and so I actually worked with a consumer product and engineering firm.

62 00:09:39,678.81387282 --> 00:09:41,778.81387282 To help redesign the speculum.

63 00:09:41,778.81387282 --> 00:09:50,208.81387282 And then we had very passionate nurse midwives and doctors, both men and women, try the speculum and give us feedback.

64 00:09:50,538.81387282 --> 00:09:56,438.81387282 I mean, literally we went through 800 rounds of prototyping from anything, everything you could imagine.

65 00:09:56,438.81387282 --> 00:09:59,978.81387282 So we had to make sure the speculum fit a man's hand and a woman's hand.

66 00:10:00,348.81387282 --> 00:10:07,848.81387282 That it was ergonomically designed, that the clinician could see, well, there was enough tooling space that it was comfortable for women.

67 00:10:07,848.81387282 --> 00:10:10,188.81387282 It didn't make a sound, it wouldn't be cold.

68 00:10:10,488.81387282 --> 00:10:12,228.81387282 Everything you can think of.

69 00:10:12,228.81387282 --> 00:10:20,848.81387282 We looked at it and we developed, we had 20 concepts and one by one we would either move forward or take them off the list.

70 00:10:20,848.81387282 --> 00:10:22,648.81387282 And that's how we landed with Nella.

71 00:10:23,168.81387282 --> 00:10:33,668.81387282 And what I'm really proud about Nella is that it's the narrowness of the speculum because that really is the most, one of the most uncomfortable parts of the exam is the insertion point.

72 00:10:33,668.81387282 --> 00:10:48,88.81387282 So we made the speculum very narrow and as you mentioned, coldness, right?

So we didn't want the speculum to be cold, so we chose a material we called it temperature neutral, which is, it's not cold and it's not hot, so it doesn't need to get heated.

73 00:10:48,188.81387282 --> 00:10:52,838.81387282 And it basically glides inside the body without the use of, of any lubrication.

74 00:10:52,838.81387282 --> 00:10:54,818.81387282 So that that's how Nella was born.

75 00:10:55,418.81387282 --> 00:10:55,808.81387282 Okay.

76 00:10:55,808.81387282 --> 00:11:06,668.81387282 I want you to dive into the societal complications and like, I don't know, things that you notice with society about using a speculum.

77 00:11:06,668.81387282 --> 00:11:07,838.81387282 Tell us about that.

78 00:11:09,158.81387282 --> 00:11:22,58.81387282 I feel as women, this is just broadly speaking, if we don't like something, especially when we're with clinicians who are, whether you can call them a position of expertise or knowledge, as patients, we don't complain.

79 00:11:22,733.81387282 --> 00:11:27,923.81387282 We don't, so the feedback I'm getting from doctors is, well, my patients never complain.

80 00:11:28,193.81387282 --> 00:11:43,883.81387282 But if you go and do go on social media, on TikTok or Instagram, there are so many blocks, so many comments regarding the speculum, and I know this because for our search engine optimization strategy, we have to.

81 00:11:45,53.81387282 --> 00:11:46,823.81387282 Pay a dollar amount to Google.

82 00:11:46,823.81387282 --> 00:11:57,683.81387282 So whenever somebody searches for speculum, a comfortable speculum, et cetera, and Nella shows up, well, I can tell you the word speculum is researched more on Google than the black dress.

83 00:11:58,823.81387282 --> 00:11:59,363.81387282 Yes.

84 00:11:59,393.81387282 --> 00:12:04,583.81387282 So it's a big issue for women, but we, they just don't bring it up.

85 00:12:04,943.81387282 --> 00:12:11,263.81387282 And so one of the things I always say, and it's easier said than done, which is the importance of advocacy.

86 00:12:11,638.81387282 --> 00:12:25,258.81387282 About our health and not thinking, well, you know, I, the doctor has so many other things in front of them, or the nurse has so many important things, I can just close my eyes and not look and have the speculum be used on me.

87 00:12:26,218.81387282 --> 00:12:29,988.81387282 And I wish women would speak up more, whether it's about the speculum or not.

88 00:12:29,988.81387282 --> 00:12:43,498.81387282 But if anything, about an intimate exam that's done by somebody we don't know that well we should feel comfortable to, voice how we feel to the clinician, because clinicians care about their patients.

89 00:12:43,498.81387282 --> 00:12:46,528.81387282 They want their ca patients to be happy, they wanna take good care of them.

90 00:12:46,768.81387282 --> 00:12:54,28.81387282 But I feel if patients stay quiet, then the clinician doesn't know what's happening in their head or in our head, and they can't give them the best care.

91 00:12:54,28.81387282 --> 00:12:58,838.81387282 So that's that's one of the things I meant by societal issues.

92 00:12:58,838.81387282 --> 00:13:01,478.81387282 And I also feel, uh, feel as, uh.

93 00:13:02,243.81387282 --> 00:13:14,423.81387282 Habit is a lot, is another factor, which is when clinicians are trained on a device that was built decades ago, but they're trained on it, they use it on a daily basis, they just don't like change.

94 00:13:14,423.81387282 --> 00:13:15,773.81387282 So that's another factor.

95 00:13:15,773.81387282 --> 00:13:18,143.81387282 So it kind of, it's like society.

96 00:13:18,493.81387282 --> 00:13:20,263.81387282 Societal, whatever you wanna call it.

97 00:13:20,673.81387282 --> 00:13:31,163.81387282 It's, uh, it's breaking habit and also making sure that as women, we feel we have the right to express how we feel about an intimate exam.

98 00:13:31,163.81387282 --> 00:13:45,693.81387282 Good or bad?

Well, it goes back to trauma-informed care, right?

It goes back to the point of safety in those environments where your patient is never gonna speak up if they don't feel safe to do so.

99 00:13:45,693.81387282 --> 00:13:52,893.81387282 And one of the things that creates that safety is having tools that make them feel comfortable.

100 00:13:53,53.81387282 --> 00:14:05,233.81387282 And so if you're using a tool like a traditional speculum that already makes you feel uncomfortable, a woman is less likely to speak up because in that moment, she's not really thinking about, should I speak up, or not.

101 00:14:05,323.81387282 --> 00:14:07,663.81387282 She's really thinking like, Ooh, that's uncomfortable.

102 00:14:07,663.81387282 --> 00:14:08,743.81387282 That's so cold.

103 00:14:08,743.81387282 --> 00:14:12,583.81387282 Her mind is somewhere else rather than advocating for herself.

104 00:14:13,153.81387282 --> 00:14:14,683.81387282 That's such a good point.

105 00:14:14,683.81387282 --> 00:14:17,443.81387282 I totally, I, I agree with you.

106 00:14:17,563.81387282 --> 00:14:18,943.81387282 I totally agree with you.

107 00:14:19,273.81387282 --> 00:14:24,183.81387282 I think the other thing we've noticed is just looking at the data.

108 00:14:24,633.81387282 --> 00:14:31,233.81387282 The data is currently says about 27 to 47% of women in the US have a history of sexual trauma.

109 00:14:31,983.81387282 --> 00:14:32,313.81387282 Yeah.

110 00:14:32,793.81387282 --> 00:14:34,383.81387282 That's a huge percentage.

111 00:14:34,383.81387282 --> 00:14:50,988.81387282 You add to that woman who, like me, have gone through infertility treatment, add to that women who have a history of cancer and gynecological cancer specifically, that's more than 50% of the population who I can tell you do not have comfortable exams.

112 00:14:50,988.81387282 --> 00:14:51,888.81387282 They just don't.

113 00:14:52,368.81387282 --> 00:14:57,828.81387282 And so I feel an intimate exam that needs to happen regularly.

114 00:14:57,828.81387282 --> 00:14:58,668.81387282 And that's another thing.

115 00:14:58,668.81387282 --> 00:15:00,828.81387282 It goes beyond cervical cancer screening.

116 00:15:01,308.81387282 --> 00:15:08,808.81387282 Uh, women have to see their doctor on a regular basis so that preventatively they can be taken care of and it's, and.

117 00:15:09,198.81387282 --> 00:15:14,848.81387282 I don't know what it is that women just don't go or don't like to go and we at Nella or at Ceek.

118 00:15:14,868.81387282 --> 00:15:26,778.81387282 My goal is to remove that anxiety and worry about visiting your clinician on a regular basis so that we're taken care of and both mentally and physically.

119 00:15:27,188.81387282 --> 00:15:45,788.81387282 And that's, and if, and it's a very small part of it, but it's foundational to the care women deserve and, my goal is to remove that anxiety, that pain, that discomfort, and like you said, just create an opportunity for women to have a conversation with their clinician about their care.

120 00:15:46,88.81387282 --> 00:15:46,238.81387282 Yeah.

121 00:15:46,238.81387282 --> 00:15:46,928.81387282 And feel safe.

122 00:15:47,408.81387282 --> 00:15:47,768.81387282 Yeah.

123 00:15:47,768.81387282 --> 00:15:54,973.81387282 I mean, you hit on a good point of kind of that, that resistant it's almost, or it reminds me of the resistance that so many people feel.

124 00:15:56,63.81387282 --> 00:16:03,683.81387282 To go into the dentist, it's like, Ugh, I don't like the grinding of the teeth, so I'm just not gonna go, I, and I'll just like skip this year.

125 00:16:03,683.81387282 --> 00:16:04,703.81387282 I'll go next year.

126 00:16:04,703.81387282 --> 00:16:08,153.81387282 And then you look back and you're like, wow, I haven't been to the dentist in five years.

127 00:16:08,153.81387282 --> 00:16:10,703.81387282 You know, it's kind of the same thing as if, you know.

128 00:16:11,318.81387282 --> 00:16:18,188.81387282 When you go to your gynecologist, you're gonna be subjected to a cold metal speculum.

129 00:16:18,218.81387282 --> 00:16:21,398.81387282 You are gonna be made to feel, fight or flight.

130 00:16:21,398.81387282 --> 00:16:24,998.81387282 You're not gonna feel comfortable speaking up.

131 00:16:25,188.81387282 --> 00:16:51,828.8138728 There's all sorts of problems in maternity healthcare, right, of why women feel silenced always being told that their labs are normal, so something, nothing must be wrong, even though they know something is wrong or being told, well, your problem is probably anxiety or Have you tried losing weight or have you tried exercising when there's clearly something else going on?

It creates this resistance where then women don't seek care.

132 00:16:51,888.8138728 --> 00:16:59,868.8138728 And then they have the potential to go years without having a checkup, which obviously we know is the opposite of preventative care.

133 00:17:00,138.8138728 --> 00:17:05,628.8138728 Um, so I can just see how a new speculum design would almost be.

134 00:17:06,183.8138728 --> 00:17:08,193.8138728 Motivating for them to come in.

135 00:17:08,193.8138728 --> 00:17:10,503.8138728 It's like, well, I'm gonna feel comfortable.

136 00:17:10,503.8138728 --> 00:17:13,53.8138728 It's not gonna be cold, it's not metal.

137 00:17:13,53.8138728 --> 00:17:16,443.8138728 I don't have to fear that I'm gonna be put into fight or flight.

138 00:17:16,443.8138728 --> 00:17:21,543.8138728 I know that I'm gonna be safe in this office, so I might as well just go and get myself checked out.

139 00:17:27,228.4398728 --> 00:17:52,683.4398728 Okay, you guys this, I'm like geeking out because this is how I came into this journey of like feeling so in control of my body, and I know some people out there are not going to believe this, but I can truly tell which side I ovulate from and it's because I am, I truly feel it, like I am so connected with myself and it actually came from this temp drop and I love it.

140 00:17:52,683.4398728 --> 00:17:57,423.4398728 Learning to track your fertility is so much more than just like.

141 00:17:58,548.4398728 --> 00:18:00,618.4398728 I do, or I don't wanna have a baby.

142 00:18:01,98.4398728 --> 00:18:02,838.4398728 This is not any sort of like woowoo thing.

143 00:18:02,838.4398728 --> 00:18:04,638.4398728 I learned exactly what was going on.

144 00:18:04,728.4398728 --> 00:18:13,123.4398728 This makes so much sense because this is what my hormones are doing, right?

So for listeners, I know I'm gonna get a million messages of people saying like, what do you use?

Here's what I do.

145 00:18:14,328.4398728 --> 00:18:16,68.4398728 I do cervical checking.

146 00:18:16,68.4398728 --> 00:18:18,768.4398728 Just anytime I go to the bathroom, I'm checking my cervical mucus.

147 00:18:19,8.4398728 --> 00:18:20,538.4398728 Just being aware of it.

148 00:18:20,538.4398728 --> 00:18:24,738.4398728 It's nothing formal in my case and it's what works for me.

149 00:18:24,798.4398728 --> 00:18:29,418.4398728 And then for a while there I was waking up to take my temperature and it just wasn't sustainable.

150 00:18:29,418.4398728 --> 00:18:33,78.4398728 So I opted actually for the temp drop and I love it.

151 00:18:33,528.4398728 --> 00:18:45,693.4398728 It is a thermometer that I slide on my arm before I go to sleep, and it takes all the data points and takes my temperature throughout the night so that I don't have to do the work in the morning.

152 00:18:45,693.4398728 --> 00:18:54,603.4398728 When I wake up, I simply sink it to my phone and voila, I have all of the graphs and the data points that it has taken throughout the night.

153 00:18:54,673.4398728 --> 00:19:01,243.4398728 On my phone and it has the data for the past couple weeks and months, so that I have nice patterns.

154 00:19:01,243.4398728 --> 00:19:04,903.4398728 I love being able to have that insight into my menstrual health.

155 00:19:04,903.4398728 --> 00:19:20,83.4398728 If you're interested in getting your own temp drop, I will drop a savings code in the show notes for you to grab that you can save on your purchase of temp drop with the savings code in the show notes.

156 00:19:25,674.9026075 --> 00:19:28,194.9026075 I'd love to hear what your new design looks like.

157 00:19:28,194.9026075 --> 00:19:34,104.9026075 How is it different than the traditional speculum?

Yeah.

158 00:19:34,164.9026075 --> 00:19:35,99.9026075 Um, so,.

159 00:19:35,799.9026075 --> 00:19:40,299.9026075 Our speculum is very narrow, so it's smaller than a regular size tampon.

160 00:19:40,299.9026075 --> 00:19:48,119.9026075 So what we tell women that was important to me, which was if women can tolerate a tampon, they can definitely handle the Nella speculum.

161 00:19:48,119.9026075 --> 00:19:50,519.9026075 So the insertion point is very narrow.

162 00:19:50,819.9026075 --> 00:19:59,9.9026075 We have integrated sidewall retractors that gently open up, uh, to give the clinician the visualization they need to the cervix.

163 00:19:59,369.9026075 --> 00:20:00,839.9026075 And that's what it is.

164 00:20:00,839.9026075 --> 00:20:03,299.9026075 It's not cold, uh, it's not metal.

165 00:20:03,474.9026075 --> 00:20:04,254.9026075 It's quiet.

166 00:20:04,254.9026075 --> 00:20:08,94.9026075 So none of that sound factor that comes into play is there.

167 00:20:08,484.9026075 --> 00:20:17,404.9026075 And we've also created some efficiencies because from a sterilization perspective to make sure the speculum can get autoclave cleaned easily.

168 00:20:17,734.9026075 --> 00:20:24,394.9026075 Uh, the current metal speculum, I mean, not only is it an antiquated, uh, device, but it's really challenging to autoclave it.

169 00:20:24,394.9026075 --> 00:20:28,624.9026075 And one of the problems that happen with patients is the speculum needs to be taken apart.

170 00:20:28,999.9026075 --> 00:20:37,509.9026075 When they wanna put 'em back together again, they don't un typically the person who's putting back together, you know, they autoclave I don't know, hundreds of speculum at one time.

171 00:20:37,719.9026075 --> 00:20:39,699.9026075 They don't know what top goes with what bottom.

172 00:20:39,699.9026075 --> 00:20:44,49.9026075 So they typically assemble the wrong top with the wrong bottom.

173 00:20:44,319.9026075 --> 00:20:50,139.9026075 So it's not until the clinician is actually using it when he or she realizes the speculum isn't assembled correctly.

174 00:20:50,349.9026075 --> 00:20:54,729.9026075 So imagine there, you're the poor clinician trying to use the speculum that's not assembled correctly.

175 00:20:55,159.9026075 --> 00:20:59,569.9026075 And then there's the patient there whose legs are up in the air sky waiting to get an exam.

176 00:20:59,569.9026075 --> 00:21:10,429.9026075 So we've kind of brought efficiencies into the autoclaving process to make sure it's practical, easy, quick to do that it creates, it's cleaned correctly.

177 00:21:10,759.9026075 --> 00:21:15,559.9026075 There's no blood stains on the speculum, you know, things like that, that we just don't want to happen.

178 00:21:15,559.9026075 --> 00:21:16,429.9026075 And so, yeah.

179 00:21:16,994.9026075 --> 00:21:22,94.9026075 It's basically bringing the speculum that was developing to in the late 18 hundreds to the 21st century.

180 00:21:22,424.9026075 --> 00:21:23,474.9026075 I love that so much.

181 00:21:23,474.9026075 --> 00:21:27,284.9026075 So for any listeners that don't know what autoclave is, explain that to us.

182 00:21:27,974.9026075 --> 00:21:29,954.9026075 Autoclave is a machine.

183 00:21:29,954.9026075 --> 00:21:35,354.9026075 It is that typically the products and devices are put into to be sterilized.

184 00:21:35,354.9026075 --> 00:21:36,824.9026075 It's like going to the nail salon.

185 00:21:36,824.9026075 --> 00:21:42,944.9026075 If you realize they have a machine where they put all the nail stuff in there and autoclave machine, obviously it's bigger for a speculum.

186 00:21:43,89.9026075 --> 00:21:44,829.9026075 But it kind of does the same thing.

187 00:21:44,829.9026075 --> 00:21:48,759.9026075 It uses steam technology to clean and sterilize the products.

188 00:21:48,789.9026075 --> 00:21:49,149.9026075 Yeah.

189 00:21:49,149.9026075 --> 00:21:50,79.9026075 It's a sterilizer.

190 00:21:50,79.9026075 --> 00:21:53,319.9026075 I, I think about it as as like a bottle sterilizer.

191 00:21:53,319.9026075 --> 00:21:55,209.9026075 You guys, except for your speculum.

192 00:21:56,49.9026075 --> 00:21:56,589.9026075 That's right.

193 00:21:56,799.9026075 --> 00:21:57,189.9026075 Yeah.

194 00:21:57,789.9026075 --> 00:21:58,269.9026075 Um, okay.

195 00:21:58,269.9026075 --> 00:22:04,434.9026075 Are there different sizes of the Nella speculum?

There are actually two sizes.

196 00:22:04,614.9026075 --> 00:22:26,229.9026075 Uh, one we say it's u really used on women who are between the size of extra small to large, and then we have a curvy one, which is for women who are extra large and higher, and it makes it easier for the clinician to know exactly what type of speculum to use on women, not to have to change sizes on women in the middle of the exam.

197 00:22:26,619.9026075 --> 00:22:36,829.9026075 And we've tried to make the speculum as small and narrow as possible to make it comfortable for the patient while giving the clinician the visualization they need to the cervix.

198 00:22:37,249.9026075 --> 00:22:46,839.9026075 And what, uh, what's it made out of?

What's the material that it's made from?

Our reusable speculum is made of a material called PPSU.

199 00:22:46,869.9026075 --> 00:22:55,59.9026075 It's a very strong plastic actually, if you get on the airplane and if you're on the airplane and you know the tray that comes down, yeah, that's made from PPSU.

200 00:22:55,64.9026075 --> 00:22:55,234.9026075 Okay.

201 00:22:55,294.9026075 --> 00:22:57,129.9026075 So it's made from that material.

202 00:22:57,129.9026075 --> 00:23:01,839.9026075 It actually, you know, if you touch it, that material is not cold or hot, it's just temperature neutral.

203 00:23:02,199.9026075 --> 00:23:03,729.9026075 So it's made from that plastic.

204 00:23:03,789.9026075 --> 00:23:07,179.9026075 And our single use speculum is made from.

205 00:23:07,704.9026075 --> 00:23:09,124.9026075 Uh, polycarbonate.

206 00:23:09,124.9026075 --> 00:23:09,244.9026075 Okay.

207 00:23:09,374.9026075 --> 00:23:13,814.9026075 Which is a very strong plastic and, um, I'll just kind of highlight this there.

208 00:23:13,844.9026075 --> 00:23:26,744.9026075 So the existing, uh, plastic speculum are made from a very cheap material and they can break under pressure and, oh, uh, there are numerous cases of that documented in the FDA MAUDE database.

209 00:23:27,104.9026075 --> 00:23:31,124.9026075 So with our speculum, one of the things that was really important to me was to make sure it's safe.

210 00:23:31,604.9026075 --> 00:23:35,234.9026075 One, it, it never, it should never, ever break inside a woman's body.

211 00:23:35,594.9026075 --> 00:23:38,294.9026075 So we chose a plastic that would just never break.

212 00:23:39,344.9026075 --> 00:23:40,94.9026075 That is awesome.

213 00:23:40,124.9026075 --> 00:23:46,919.9026075 Okay, and why have two versions?

Why have a reusable versus a single use?

Great question.

214 00:23:46,919.9026075 --> 00:23:54,819.9026075 So we actually launched with our reusable version, but one of the feedback we were getting from clinicians after COVID was one shortage of staff.

215 00:23:54,819.9026075 --> 00:23:57,999.9026075 They didn't have enough people who could actually autoclave the speculum.

216 00:23:58,389.9026075 --> 00:24:04,419.9026075 And two, a lot of health systems, especially large hospital system, moved towards a single use speculum.

217 00:24:04,749.9026075 --> 00:24:06,444.9026075 So we have to go in that direction.

218 00:24:07,89.9026075 --> 00:24:23,629.9026075 Yeah, and you've talked a lot about, you know, feedback from the clinicians, making sure that it was ergonomic, making sure that it fit in both male and female clinician hands, making sure that they had enough insight to the cervix and also room for their tools.

219 00:24:23,959.9026075 --> 00:24:37,119.9026075 What kind of feedback were you seeking from consumers, from women who the speculum was being used on, and what kind of feedback did you get and how did you use that to kind of pivot with your design models.

220 00:24:37,954.9026075 --> 00:24:45,954.9026075 Yeah, so we tested our speculum after we got our permission from the FDA on patients to get their feedback.

221 00:24:45,954.9026075 --> 00:24:53,44.9026075 So we we basically broke down, we called it the anatomy of an exam into steps.

222 00:24:53,734.9026075 --> 00:24:59,334.9026075 And we got feedback from each one of those micro steps from the patient.

223 00:24:59,364.9026075 --> 00:25:03,894.9026075 And some of it really has nothing to do with the speculum, is really the broader experience.

224 00:25:04,74.9026075 --> 00:25:08,424.9026075 And some of it, it really is directly focused on the speculum.

225 00:25:08,424.9026075 --> 00:25:14,4.9026075 So one of things we removed from the equation was procedures that are painful by nature.

226 00:25:14,54.9026075 --> 00:25:20,174.9026075 Um, 'cause we don't want the pain of the procedure to be associated with the pain of the speculum, for example.

227 00:25:20,174.9026075 --> 00:25:21,464.9026075 So we kind of remove that.

228 00:25:21,464.9026075 --> 00:25:29,94.9026075 We focus on general exams or cervical cancer screening a general pelvic exam, and then we measure the insertion.

229 00:25:29,94.9026075 --> 00:25:56,869.9026075 So how does the patient feel when a speculum is inserted in the body?

Do they feel any pain, any pinching?

Then when the speculum is opened, do they feel any pain or pinching?

What is the sensations they have?

And then after the speculum is pulled out, how do they feel one hour after the exam?

How do they feel?

Is there any soreness?

Is there any bleeding?

Is there any difficulty sitting or walking?

So we capture all of that information with our speculum.

230 00:25:57,179.9026075 --> 00:26:07,409.9026075 One of the things we also did in our clinical study, and I have to say we are probably the only company within the last three years that has done a clinical study on a speculum.

231 00:26:07,679.9026075 --> 00:26:07,769.9026075 Wow.

232 00:26:07,799.9026075 --> 00:26:09,659.9026075 I will and published our data.

233 00:26:09,659.9026075 --> 00:26:11,699.9026075 I don't think any other company has done that.

234 00:26:12,179.9026075 --> 00:26:32,664.9026075 But we, we basically ask, uh, women, which is how does this exam compare to your previous exam?

Was it more comfortable or was it not more comfortable?

So we get a lot of feedback and then when a system actually is evaluating our speculum one of the things we ask is if we can get feedback from the patient too, where the speculum is used on them.

235 00:26:32,664.9026075 --> 00:26:38,394.9026075 So we have over, I think, 800 post-marketing survey data from patients too.

236 00:26:40,229.9026075 --> 00:26:41,399.9026075 That is awesome.

237 00:26:41,399.9026075 --> 00:26:48,719.9026075 And I have to be honest, Fahti, I love when people publish their data because it just brings so much transparency.

238 00:26:48,719.9026075 --> 00:26:53,639.9026075 It lets us, as consumers know, you're not trying to hide anything.

239 00:26:53,639.9026075 --> 00:27:01,859.9026075 You're not trying to pull the wool over our eyes that you genuinely want us to know that there's a better option out there on the market.

240 00:27:01,859.9026075 --> 00:27:05,789.9026075 Which I think leads me to one of my last questions, which is.

241 00:27:06,569.9026075 --> 00:27:13,199.9026075 If a provider is not using this and a woman goes in and she's like, oh my God, you're still using the old metal.

242 00:27:14,484.9026075 --> 00:27:15,269.9026075 Speculum Speculum.

243 00:27:15,659.9026075 --> 00:27:32,69.9026075 How can someone get this in their clinic if they are a consumer?

Is it just as simple as introducing the speculum to their doctor and saying like, Hey, I would prefer if you used, I, I would really like for you to have this in the office.

244 00:27:32,279.9026075 --> 00:27:42,569.9026075 Is it you know, can, can doctors just order them?

How does that process look like?

Yeah, so, uh, we have on Ceek women's health.com.

245 00:27:42,569.9026075 --> 00:27:45,179.9026075 Clinicians can go and just order the speculum.

246 00:27:45,399.9026075 --> 00:27:50,799.9026075 They can introduce us to us, to the clinic, and we can follow up with the clinic actually before a patient goes.

247 00:27:50,799.9026075 --> 00:27:51,909.9026075 We can also do that.

248 00:27:51,939.9026075 --> 00:27:57,99.9026075 We've done that plenty of time where if a patient calls us, we call the clinic and then we, um.

249 00:27:58,69.9026075 --> 00:28:01,489.9026075 Hopefully the clinic will actually purchase the speculum before the exam.

250 00:28:01,999.9026075 --> 00:28:20,89.9026075 One of the other offerings we have, which goes back to the point you brought up interestingly, was we were getting a lot of requests from patients, uh, which is, can I just buy the speculum and take it to my clinic?

And up to then actually our marketing was based on Ask your doctor about Nella, ask your doctor about Nella.

251 00:28:20,89.9026075 --> 00:28:21,149.9026075 But then we had, and we were getting.

252 00:28:21,429.9026075 --> 00:28:34,549.9026075 Flooded with requests from women coming to our website, emailing me directly and saying, well, can I just buy the speculum?

And so we kind of, we went back to the FDA, we had to do a lot of homework.

253 00:28:34,549.9026075 --> 00:28:36,559.9026075 So we launched Vanilla Comfort Kit.

254 00:28:36,929.9026075 --> 00:28:37,889.9026075 It's optional.

255 00:28:38,39.9026075 --> 00:28:39,899.9026075 Women have the power and the choice.

256 00:28:39,899.9026075 --> 00:28:41,489.9026075 It's really a choice giving to women.

257 00:28:41,489.9026075 --> 00:28:44,309.9026075 They can get a Nella comfort kit and take it to their exam.

258 00:28:44,639.9026075 --> 00:28:46,889.9026075 What it includes is the Nella speculum.

259 00:28:47,304.9026075 --> 00:28:51,174.9026075 And a host of other products, and I call them common sense products.

260 00:28:51,174.9026075 --> 00:28:58,524.9026075 So there's a pair of socks for the stirrups, there's a pH balance wipe so women can clean themselves after they exam.

261 00:28:58,764.9026075 --> 00:29:02,64.9026075 There's water-based lubrication for use on the speculum, so.

262 00:29:02,549.9026075 --> 00:29:04,259.9026075 If the clinician wants to, they can use it.

263 00:29:04,259.9026075 --> 00:29:12,659.9026075 It does not interfere with any procedure or any type of smear collection a lavender bomb and just some other products, et cetera.

264 00:29:12,709.9026075 --> 00:29:18,409.9026075 We have a first time kit, so for younger women going for their first exam, we have a menopause kit.

265 00:29:18,949.9026075 --> 00:29:28,519.9026075 Um, we have a labor and delivery kit, so for women who are having a baby and they need to check and see if the water's broken, et cetera, available to them.

266 00:29:28,519.9026075 --> 00:29:30,534.9026075 And then we have our classic kit, which is for everybody else.

267 00:29:33,19.9026075 --> 00:29:35,209.9026075 Oh my gosh, that is so cool.

268 00:29:35,209.9026075 --> 00:29:40,924.9026075 I love your approach to common sense things that just go in the box.

269 00:29:40,924.9026075 --> 00:29:41,179.9026075 Okay.

270 00:29:41,539.9026075 --> 00:29:50,869.9026075 I do have one last question, Fahti, and it's kind of a little bit of a controversial one, but I think that you're the perfect person to ask, so.

271 00:29:51,709.9026075 --> 00:30:04,669.9026075 Earlier this year, there was a viral video of a clinic that had poked fun at the vaginal markings of women when they had come in to get, you know, care.

272 00:30:04,669.9026075 --> 00:30:11,119.9026075 And this clinic had posted what their patients had, quote unquote, left behind.

273 00:30:11,389.9026075 --> 00:30:14,809.9026075 Did you see it?

No, I have not heard of that, no.

274 00:30:14,869.9026075 --> 00:30:17,299.9026075 Oh, well, let me explain it a little bit more.

275 00:30:17,299.9026075 --> 00:30:19,9.9026075 So it was a TikTok video.

276 00:30:19,879.9026075 --> 00:30:35,9.9026075 And it was a it was a women's health clinic and they had posted a series of pictures of the exam paper table that had wet spots on it.

277 00:30:35,99.9026075 --> 00:30:35,849.9026075 And yes.

278 00:30:36,949.9026075 --> 00:30:40,129.9026075 Yes, my face did the same thing.

279 00:30:40,249.9026075 --> 00:30:43,879.9026075 You guys, if you're just listening and you're, you're not, you're not watching anywhere.

280 00:30:43,879.9026075 --> 00:30:45,739.9026075 Fahti's mouth just like dropped to the floor.

281 00:30:45,739.9026075 --> 00:30:46,969.9026075 I know I cried.

282 00:30:47,179.9026075 --> 00:30:48,559.9026075 It literally made me cry.

283 00:30:48,559.9026075 --> 00:30:53,599.9026075 It, it, it hurt my feelings so badly to think about the women who.

284 00:30:54,239.9026075 --> 00:30:57,914.9026075 Had been to the clinic that day and recognized the scrubs.

285 00:30:57,914.9026075 --> 00:30:58,194.9026075 Mm-hmm.

286 00:30:58,274.9026075 --> 00:31:05,939.9026075 And recognize what those people, their care providers had looked like that day and realized that could be, that could have been for my exam.

287 00:31:06,149.9026075 --> 00:31:18,309.9026075 Now, if you think about it, it's unlikely that it was really vaginal discharge and more likely that it was the lubrication used for the vaginal um, exam.

288 00:31:18,609.9026075 --> 00:31:21,849.9026075 But they posted this on the internet and.

289 00:31:22,399.9026075 --> 00:31:27,829.9026075 They made their caption gifts that our clients leave us.

290 00:31:28,99.9026075 --> 00:31:29,299.9026075 Yes.

291 00:31:29,389.9026075 --> 00:31:31,639.9026075 And it was mortifying.

292 00:31:31,889.9026075 --> 00:31:35,399.9026075 And I just, I wanna hear your opinion on that.

293 00:31:35,399.9026075 --> 00:31:39,659.9026075 I mean, obviously you haven't seen it so it's, it's even worse in person.

294 00:31:39,759.9026075 --> 00:31:40,719.9026075 It was mortifying.

295 00:31:40,719.9026075 --> 00:31:41,619.9026075 It really was.

296 00:31:41,619.9026075 --> 00:31:58,29.9026075 And I struggled with it so much and so deeply because we are in a time where we are really trying to rebuild the trust between consumers in our healthcare system, right?

Specifically in women's health, right.

297 00:31:58,29.9026075 --> 00:32:08,859.9026075 Specifically in women being able to restore so much lost trust in their healthcare providers.

298 00:32:08,919.9026075 --> 00:32:14,439.9026075 And this just for me, it was like 10 steps back.

299 00:32:14,709.9026075 --> 00:32:20,964.9026075 What are your thoughts on all of this?

I mean, I, I think you saw my expression there.

300 00:32:20,994.9026075 --> 00:32:25,674.9026075 It's wrong at so many levels that I'm actually kind of speechless.

301 00:32:25,704.9026075 --> 00:32:25,794.9026075 Mm-hmm.

302 00:32:26,424.9026075 --> 00:32:46,464.9026075 Um, I mean, from really violating the trust, that patient, the unspoken trust that patients have with their clinician to the safety, to just actually creating this worry for broader broader picture for other patients as well.

303 00:32:46,464.9026075 --> 00:32:54,864.9026075 Is my clinic going to do that?

And frankly, I mean, did they even have permission to post that on the internet?

That's like a violation at so many different levels.

304 00:32:54,919.9026075 --> 00:32:55,729.9026075 It's just wrong.

305 00:32:56,29.9026075 --> 00:32:56,359.9026075 Yeah.

306 00:32:56,389.9026075 --> 00:32:57,469.9026075 Really unbelievable.

307 00:32:57,469.9026075 --> 00:33:08,759.9026075 For anyone listening that is looking for some closure about this story, the health system did do an investigation and from what has been reported online, all of those clinicians have been terminated.

308 00:33:08,759.9026075 --> 00:33:12,659.9026075 So I do think that was the only appropriate response from that health.

309 00:33:12,784.9026075 --> 00:33:19,384.9026075 Yeah, I, I don't know, without terminating those people, how you would restore the trust in your community.

310 00:33:19,634.9026075 --> 00:33:34,334.9026075 And I'm sure that there are a lot of people who, um, probably either did or highly considered changing care providers and changing care facilities just because, like you said, it's like, it's such a breach in trust, but more so is.

311 00:33:35,289.9026075 --> 00:33:39,819.9026075 That was so unconsensual is they did not have any sort of, of consent Yeah.

312 00:33:39,939.9026075 --> 00:33:41,499.9026075 Or permission to post that.

313 00:33:41,499.9026075 --> 00:33:43,299.9026075 And I understand jokes.

314 00:33:43,329.9026075 --> 00:33:59,779.9026075 I, I love to make a joke just as much as the next person, but joking about bodily fluids in a way or in a time and in a space that is so vulnerable and about your client's genitals is just inappropriate no matter how you slice the pie.

315 00:33:59,779.9026075 --> 00:34:01,739.9026075 So, yeah, Fahti.

316 00:34:01,759.9026075 --> 00:34:03,19.9026075 Take some time to look it up.

317 00:34:03,19.9026075 --> 00:34:04,519.9026075 It's really unbelievable.

318 00:34:04,909.9026075 --> 00:34:06,379.9026075 I'll, I'm gonna check it out.

319 00:34:06,559.9026075 --> 00:34:09,889.9026075 I wonder is, do you think it's still up or, well, I can read about it.

320 00:34:09,949.9026075 --> 00:34:10,639.9026075 Oh yeah.

321 00:34:10,639.9026075 --> 00:34:12,769.9026075 Everything lives on forever on the internet.

322 00:34:12,769.9026075 --> 00:34:14,479.9026075 Nothing ever dies on the internet.

323 00:34:14,479.9026075 --> 00:34:16,609.9026075 You'll, um, I mean, I did a little.

324 00:34:17,604.9026075 --> 00:34:21,114.9026075 I did a little remix with it, or a, a stitch with it.

325 00:34:21,114.9026075 --> 00:34:23,874.9026075 So you can go to my Instagram and scroll back.

326 00:34:23,904.9026075 --> 00:34:25,164.9026075 Um, and I Oh, okay.

327 00:34:25,164.9026075 --> 00:34:32,214.9026075 Show kind of the pictures and then I just talk about how inappropriate it was and, and that I'm really sorry for anyone who.

328 00:34:32,919.9026075 --> 00:34:35,469.9026075 Is a client, there is a patient there.

329 00:34:35,519.9026075 --> 00:34:40,199.9026075 And that, you know, no matter how you slice the pie again, it's just, it's so inappropriate.

330 00:34:40,199.9026075 --> 00:34:51,669.9026075 And, and we are in a time where we have such an erosion of trust between consumers and healthcare providers, particularly in the women's health space that I just found this yeah.

331 00:34:52,479.9026075 --> 00:34:52,899.9026075 I found.

332 00:34:52,899.9026075 --> 00:34:53,259.9026075 I agree.

333 00:34:54,339.9026075 --> 00:34:54,789.9026075 Yeah.

334 00:34:55,59.9026075 --> 00:34:55,509.9026075 Yeah.

335 00:34:55,689.9026075 --> 00:34:56,229.9026075 Oh my gosh.

336 00:34:56,599.9026075 --> 00:34:57,699.9026075 Fahti, this was great.

337 00:34:57,699.9026075 --> 00:35:00,99.9026075 I love the Nella speculum.

338 00:35:00,99.9026075 --> 00:35:01,359.9026075 I think this is amazing.

339 00:35:01,359.9026075 --> 00:35:05,319.9026075 I look forward to a day that it is in every single clinic.

340 00:35:05,319.9026075 --> 00:35:13,359.9026075 So tell us again how practitioners can get their hands on the Nella and how consumers can as well.

341 00:35:14,49.9026075 --> 00:35:17,949.9026075 Um, healthcare providers can go to our website, Ceek women's health.com.

342 00:35:17,949.9026075 --> 00:35:26,59.9026075 Ceek is spelled with a C and we're happy to send them samples of the product and consumers if they're interested in the comfort kit.

343 00:35:26,89.9026075 --> 00:35:26,929.9026075 It's very simple.

344 00:35:26,929.9026075 --> 00:35:28,699.9026075 They can go to nella spec.com.

345 00:35:29,179.9026075 --> 00:35:29,839.9026075 Um.

346 00:35:30,244.9026075 --> 00:35:33,634.9026075 And purchase the speculum, the kit if they want to.

347 00:35:33,904.9026075 --> 00:35:38,264.9026075 Uh, what I like about it is that it gives women control and it gives them a choice.

348 00:35:38,264.9026075 --> 00:35:45,524.9026075 I think there are a lot of clinicians out there who really care about their patients and if they can, they will use a better speculum.

349 00:35:45,524.9026075 --> 00:35:53,644.9026075 And there are some clinicians who really can't because if they work at the large health system, they're bounded by so many rules and regulations of these large systems.

350 00:35:53,644.9026075 --> 00:35:54,994.9026075 It makes it very challenging.

351 00:35:55,469.9026075 --> 00:35:58,619.9026075 In that situation, if a patient wants it, they can buy the comfort kit.

352 00:35:59,9.9026075 --> 00:35:59,969.9026075 I love it so much.

353 00:35:59,969.9026075 --> 00:36:05,59.9026075 And are you on Instagram?

We are on Instagram on nella spec.com.

354 00:36:05,59.9026075 --> 00:36:07,669.9026075 You can find us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook.

355 00:36:07,669.9026075 --> 00:36:08,299.9026075 We're everywhere.

356 00:36:08,839.9026075 --> 00:36:10,189.9026075 I love it so much.

357 00:36:10,549.9026075 --> 00:36:11,479.9026075 All right, you guys.

358 00:36:11,479.9026075 --> 00:36:18,529.9026075 Was this not so interesting?

So for anyone out there who's been putting off your care.

359 00:36:18,619.9026075 --> 00:36:33,709.9026075 Or maybe you skipped your pap smear last year, or maybe you just are filled with anxiety and angst when you go into the gynecologist because you know you're gonna be subjected to that cold, hard metal speculum.

360 00:36:34,144.9026075 --> 00:36:36,64.9026075 Guess what?

No more.

361 00:36:36,64.9026075 --> 00:36:37,54.9026075 You don't have to.

362 00:36:37,84.9026075 --> 00:36:45,664.9026075 There is another way, and I'm so excited that we finally got to have Fahti on the podcast and that we could share this option with you guys.

363 00:36:45,664.9026075 --> 00:36:51,784.9026075 So grab your NLA care kit if you are interested in that and on a larger scale.

364 00:36:51,904.9026075 --> 00:37:03,544.9026075 Talk to your providers about getting it into your hospitals and into your clinic so that every woman has access to something other than that traditional yucky speculum.

365 00:37:03,574.9026075 --> 00:37:06,634.9026075 Alright, you guys, I'll see you in the next episode.

366 00:37:06,844.9026075 --> 00:37:13,804.9026075 Be sure to follow Nella Care on Social Media and you can find me at Tranquility by hee he and at the dot birth.

367 00:37:14,134.9026075 --> 00:37:15,964.9026075 Lounge until next time.

368 00:37:16,114.9026075 --> 00:37:23,854.9026075 Head to your app store and download the Birth lounge app for evidence-based childbirth education and data-driven postpartum support delivered straight to your phone.

369 00:37:24,64.9026075 --> 00:37:25,24.9026075 Bye.

370 00:37:26,508.9026075 --> 00:37:28,128.9026075 Thank you so much for tuning in today.

371 00:37:28,128.9026075 --> 00:37:33,408.9026075 I love hanging out with you, and it is an honor to be your go-to gal when it comes to preparing for your baby.

372 00:37:33,618.9026075 --> 00:37:40,218.9026075 If you've enjoyed today's episode, please leave a five star review and tell others why they should be listening to the Birth Launch podcast too.

373 00:37:40,578.9026075 --> 00:37:50,268.9026075 You deserve to have a birth that you love with a provider that values your autonomy and respects form consent without all the trauma that you so commonly hear about on social media.

374 00:37:50,508.9026075 --> 00:37:53,88.9026075 New episodes, air every Wednesday and Friday.

375 00:37:53,163.9026075 --> 00:37:55,683.9026075 Hit that follow button so you never miss an episode.

376 00:37:55,773.9026075 --> 00:37:58,593.9026075 I'm Hei and this is the Birth Launch podcast.