Tales from the Stirrups

Parents often ask, “When should I have ‘The Talk’ with my child?” Dr. Steven Adashek suggests we’ve been asking the wrong question. In this opening episode, he explains why children don’t experience one big talk about sex—they experience hundreds of little conversations that teach them about bodies, relationships, respect, privacy, and trust.
Part 1 of our 5 part series: How To Talk to Your Children About Sex
Have feedback or an idea for an episode? Email us!
talesfromthestirrups1@gmail.com
 
* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education.  I hope that this podcast will inform and encourage your conversations with your providers about your health and care. *

This Thursday, tune into a new 5 part series: How To Talk to Your Children About Sex. It's the question Dr. Adashek gets more than any other and he has some ideas about how we've been thinking about "the talk" all wrong. It's a series about sexuality, but also about a healthy, open relationship between parent and child. We'll address big questions are consent, pornography, dating, puberty, healthy relationships, and more. Tune in on Thursday for Episode 1!
 
Have feedback or an idea for an episode? Email us!
talesfromthestirrups1@gmail.com
 
* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education.  I hope that this podcast will inform and encourage your conversations with your providers about your health and care. *
 

In Part II of our series on incontinence, join Dr. Steven Adashek and urogynecologist Dr. Joan Blomquist as they discuss the latest treatment options—from minimally invasive procedures to surgery—to help women get back to living life without worrying about leaks.
Have feedback or an idea for an episode? Email us!
talesfromthestirrups1@gmail.com
 
* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education.  I hope that this podcast will inform and encourage your conversations with your providers about your health and care. *

When pelvic floor therapy, bladder training, and medications aren't enough, what comes next? Join Dr. Steven Adashek and urogynecologist Dr. Joan Blomquist as they discuss the evaluation of urinary incontinence and why an appointment is nothing to worry about!
Have feedback or an idea for an episode? Email us!
talesfromthestirrups1@gmail.com
 
* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education.  I hope that this podcast will inform and encourage your conversations with your providers about your health and care. *
 

Leaking urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh, or suddenly "have to go" isn't just common—it's treatable. In this episode, Dr. Steven Adashek explains the differences between stress, urge, and mixed urinary incontinence, along with the behavioral changes, pelvic floor physical therapy, and medications that can help you regain control. For a free patient guide to bladder health, visit Bladder Matters.
https://www.astellasresources.com/urology-resources/bladder-matters/eng
 
Have feedback or an idea for an episode? Email us!
talesfromthestirrups1@gmail.com
 
* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education.  I hope that this podcast will inform and encourage your conversations with your providers about your health and care. *

Pain with intercourse is incredibly common — but it is not something women should simply “live with.” In this episode of Tales from the Stirrups, we talk openly about dyspareunia: the hormonal, muscular, neurologic, emotional, and medical causes of painful intercourse, and most importantly, the many ways women can finally find relief. 
 
Have feedback or an idea for an episode? Email us!
talesfromthestirrups1@gmail.com
 
* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education.  I hope that this podcast will inform and encourage your conversations with your providers about your health and care. *

In this episode, we take a broad look at sexual dysfunction across libido, arousal, and orgasm in both men and women, and how these concerns often overlap rather than exist in isolation. We discuss how to recognize when symptoms may warrant an evaluation, what that assessment typically involves, and how clinicians approach identifying underlying causes. Finally, we review treatment options, including lifestyle and behavioral strategies as well as medications that can help improve sexual function across all three domains.
 
Have feedback or an idea for an episode? Email us!
talesfromthestirrups1@gmail.com
 
* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education.  I hope that this podcast will inform and encourage your conversations with your providers about your health and care. *

In this episode, we explore libido—what a “normal” sex drive looks like and why there’s actually a wide range of healthy variation. We also break down the most common reasons libido can change, from stress and hormones to mental health and relationship factors. Finally, we look at when shifts in desire might signal something worth paying attention to and how to approach it without shame or confusion.
* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education.  I hope that this podcast will inform and encourage your conversations with your providers about your health and care. *

Vaginal atrophy is a common, often under-discussed change across the lifespan where declining estrogen can shift vaginal tissue from “pink, healthy, lubricated, and elastic” to thin, grey, dry and won’t stretch, making intercourse painful and sometimes impossible. This podcast explains the biology behind these changes and why symptoms like dryness, discomfort, and pain with sex are so common yet frequently overlooked. We also cover effective non-hormonal options and the evidence supporting vaginal estrogen, including its safety in women with a history of estrogen-sensitive breast cancer.
 
* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education.  I hope that this podcast will inform and encourage your conversations with your providers about your health and care. *

Before there were deliveries, surgeries, menopause care, and conversations about life's challenges, there was a vocal music major tending bar and trying to figure out what came next. In this episode of “Tales From the Stirrups”, Dr. Adashek shares his journey into medicine and the experiences that shaped his approach to patient care. Drawing on more than four decades of practice—and the lessons his patients have taught him—he explores the principles of listening, empathy, purpose, and partnership that now guide both his care of patients and his teaching of the next generation of physicians. Because the best lessons in medicine don't always come from textbooks—they often come from patients.
 
* Remember, a podcast is not medical advice. It is simply education.  I hope that this podcast will inform and encourage your conversations with your providers about your health and care. *