In this episode, PhD candidate Franziska Weinmar interviews Dr. Adriene Beltz, visiting Tübingen from the University of Michigan. The topic of today’s episode are hormonal intrauterine devices, short IUD. From contraceptives beyond the “pill” and hormonal contraceptive trends worldwide, they discuss how the IUD works, why it is important to look at potential effects of IUDs separately from oral contraceptives and what research there is on the IUD and mental health as well as the brain. Further, they discuss how a specific method of research, “intense longitudinal data”, can help understand individual variability within people to do better science and go towards individualized medicine.

Timestamps:

01:30 Hormonal contraceptives beyond the “pill”

05:00 Trends in contraception worldwide / by age

06:45: How does the hormonal IUD work?

08:15: Hormonal levels in IUDs

10:30 Systemic IUD effects?

12:30 Combining OC and IUD in research?

15:00 IUDs in neuroscience research and types of progestins

23:10 IUD & the brain

25:50 Why is it so important to investigate hormonal contraceptives and IUDs specifically?

29:30: Summary

34:00 Outlook with focus on methods

37:30 Intense longitudinal data – what is it and why is it important

40:00 Paths to individualized medicine?

42:00 Diversity in research via intensive longitiudinal data

45:00 Summary and teaser for future episodes on stress & the IUD

Many thanks to Zoé Bürger for contributing to this episode!

Sound recording: Franziska Weinmar with the equipment of the IRTG2804

Editing: Franziska Weinmar

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