The Laura Dowling Experience

Laura Dowling
  • 4.9 (9)
  • Health & Fitness
  • Updated Weekly

Conversations about health, science, wellness, life, love, sex and everything in-between. Laura is a Pharmacist who loves to talk to interesting people about their unique life and work experiences. See @fabulouspharmacist on instagram for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 8h ago

    Nobody Tells You How Hard Motherhood Is with Becca Maberly #178

    Becca Maberly did everything "right." An A-grade student with an obstetrician father, she got to the hospital, had her baby with no pain relief, and was home for lunch - certain she was going to be brilliant at motherhood. Then the postnatal period arrived, and she went, in her words, straight to the bottom of the class. In this honest, funny and disarming conversation, Becca and Laura pull apart the gap between what we're told motherhood will feel like and what it can actually be. Becca talks about feeling like an unnatural mother, the loneliness of the long hours in between, and the maternal rage that surges from nought to a hundred over spilled milk. She shares the day she asked her GP for help and was sent to a psychiatric unit, only to be handed a leaflet and told to count to ten. She also names something few people hear about: D-MER, or dysphoric milk ejection reflex - the wave of crushing sadness that hit her at every let-down, which she only understood years later. The conversation moves on through renegotiating a relationship after a baby, a ruptured ectopic pregnancy that nearly went unnoticed, and why Becca now believes the meaning of life is simply finding your own balance. It's a reminder that if you're not loving every moment, you're not failing - and you're far from alone. 🔑 Key Points From A-grade student to the bottom of the class Becca sailed through pregnancy and birth, then found the postnatal period the hardest thing she'd ever done — and the mismatch between expectation and reality floored her. "Enjoy every moment" can do real harm Being told to treasure a stage you are quietly struggling through can leave mothers feeling ashamed and isolated rather than supported. Not bonding straight away is more common than we admit Becca loved her son but didn't feel the instant, overwhelming rush she'd been promised — and says a baby can feel like a stranger for a long time. D-MER is real and rarely talked about Dysphoric milk ejection reflex brought a homesick, crushing sadness at every let-down; naming it, years later, changed how she understood it. Maternal rage often comes from feeling unsupported The nought-to-a-hundred surge over something tiny is frequently about exhaustion, unmet expectations and carrying too much alone. Asking for help doesn't always get the right response When Becca told her GP she was angry and shouting, she was sent to a psychiatric unit and handed a CBT leaflet — a reminder of how far perinatal support still has to go. Talking openly is its own kind of therapy Ranting honestly online led Becca to realise she wasn't the only one — and connecting with other women became the support she couldn't find elsewhere. Honesty is the most useful thing we can offer new parents Not to frighten anyone, but to sit somewhere between "you'll be great" and "this could be the hardest thing you ever do" — the truth is usually in between. 📚 Resources A Mother Place Becca's platform for honest, unfiltered motherhood Postnatal Depression (HSE) HSE information and support Talk Therapy (HSE) Talk therapy and counselling options ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 — Intro 01:51 — From A-grade student to the bottom of the class 04:00 — Calling BS on "enjoy every moment" 04:52 — The feeding nobody warns you about 09:31 — Loneliness and the hours in between 11:58 — The GP, a psychiatric unit and a CBT leaflet 15:13 — D-MER: the sadness that comes with let-down 19:19 — Maternal rage and the spilled-milk surge 22:16 — When your baby feels like a stranger 24:02 — Renegotiating the relationship after a baby 37:11 — Her book, and a ruptured ectopic pregnancy 42:28 — The meaning of life is balance Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Nobody Tells You How Hard Motherhood Is with Becca Maberly #178

  2. 2d ago

    Bitesize Moment: "Entertained, Not Educated." — Jennifer Rock on spotting advice you can trust

    In this bitesize moment pulled from the Laura Dowling Experience back catalogue, skin expert and Skin Nerd founder Jennifer Rock explains why so much health and skincare advice online is built to entertain rather than educate — and how to tell the difference. She makes a straight-talking case for checking qualifications, standards and the source behind any advice before you act on it, so the next viral "must buy" doesn't catch you out. 🔑Key Points • Why qualifications and standards matter in skincare and health • How social media is designed to entertain, not educate • Why you should always check the source of your advice • A simple filter for viral trends and "must buy" claims 🎧 Listen to the full episode here. Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Bitesize Moment: "Entertained, Not Educated." — Jennifer Rock on spotting advice you can trust

  3. Jul 9

    Darragh Connolly | Penis Pumps, Prostate Health and Sex After Surgery #177

    Laura sits down with community pharmacist Darragh Connolly, who has built a men's health service — Men's Health Downunder — around something most clinics rush past: helping men get their sexual function back after prostate surgery. It's a candid, frequently very funny conversation about a subject usually wrapped in silence and shame. Darragh explains the male anatomy in plain (and memorable) terms, why nightly "micro-erections" keep the penis healthy, and what actually changes after a prostatectomy. He walks through how a penis pump works, what constriction rings are for, and why this isn't only for men who've had cancer surgery — smoking, diabetes, spinal injury, certain medicines and simply getting older can all play a part. Running through all of it is a hopeful message: a prostate diagnosis or surgery is not the end of sex, intimacy is far more than penetration, and men well into their 80s can still enjoy a full sex life. Darragh also makes the case for meeting men's sexual health at the pharmacy counter, not only the consultant's clinic. 🔑 Key Points Sexual health is health — and still taboo There's deep shame and silence around men's g******s and sexual function, and Darragh's whole approach is to demystify it, often with humour, so men actually seek help. Micro-erections keep the penis healthy Men have around five micro-erections a night that bring blood, oxygen and nutrients to the tissue; without them it's "use it or lose it", and the penis can shrink and lose function. Erectile dysfunction has many causes, not just prostate surgery Ageing, smoking, diabetes, lower-back trauma, spinal injury and some medications can all affect erectile function. How a penis pump actually works Used for five to ten minutes a day, it draws blood into the penis like training a muscle, improving vascular and nerve health over time. Constriction rings let men maintain an erection for sex Paired with the pump, a constriction ring traps blood to hold an erection for penetrative sex — but should never be left on more than six to eight minutes. A prostate diagnosis is not the end of sex With the right tools, men who hadn't had an erection in months or years can have penetrative sex again — and intimacy is always more than penetration. Know the warning signs of prostate trouble Dribbling, a weak stream, going more often (especially at night) and "stage fright" can point to an enlarged prostate; Movember is a good place to learn the signs. 📚 Resources Men's Health Downunder Darragh Connolly's Irish men's health service and the surgical-grade penis pumps discussed Movember the men's health charity Darragh recommends for prostate cancer, testicular cancer and male suicide awareness ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 — Welcome and sponsor 01:36 — Why a pharmacist is talking about men's health 03:24 — How Darragh got into men's health 04:32 — What a prostatectomy actually involves 07:28 — Male anatomy explained simply 13:48 — Micro-erections and "use it or lose it" 20:55 — How a penis pump works 24:31 — Constriction rings and maintaining an erection 38:33 — The prostate and its warning signs 52:44 — How Viagra and Cialis were discovered 57:00 — Low-dose Cialis, the pump and the post-surgery "void" 1:01:24 — Couples, intimacy and a hopeful note Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Darragh Connolly | Penis Pumps, Prostate Health and Sex After Surgery #177

  4. Jul 7

    Bitesize Moment: "This Isn't Your Fault." — Dr Mick Crotty on the biology of weight

    In this bitesize moment pulled from the Laura Dowling Experience back catalogue, GP Dr Mick Crotty explains why weight is far less within our conscious control than we are led to believe — and why so many people carry a load of self-blame they never deserved. He walks Laura through the genetics of appetite, the brain's reward response to food, and the "set point" it quietly defends, which is why weight so often returns after a diet. It's a clip that gently takes apart the "just eat less and move more" myth. 🔑Key Points • Why "just eat less and move more" is an oversimplification • How genetics and the appetite system shape hunger and fullness • What the brain's "set point" is, and why weight often returns after dieting • Why this is a medical issue, not a personal failing 🎧 Listen to the full episode here. Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Bitesize Moment: "This Isn't Your Fault." — Dr Mick Crotty on the biology of weight

  5. Jul 2

    Heavy Bleeding, the Mirena Coil and Speaking Up with Dr Áine Dempsey #176

    How many women quietly put up with heavy bleeding, painful periods or a difficult coil fitting, telling themselves it is just part of being a woman? In this episode, Laura sits down with obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Áine Dempsey, who works at BlackRock Women's Health and at the Rotunda, for an honest, practical conversation about the things women are so often told to live with - and what can actually be done about them. Áine explains what a hysteroscopy really involves, why polyps and fibroids drive heavy bleeding, and when the Mirena coil is the right first step before ablation or surgery. She is candid about pain relief during coil fittings, the six-month settling period, and where the copper coil fits in. The conversation moves into perimenopause and HRT, smear tests, HPV and colposcopy, and the realities of painful sex, vaginismus and caring for women who carry past sexual trauma. She closes on labour ward life, her own two pregnancies, the magic of epidurals, and why no woman should feel she has to suffer in silence. At its core, this episode is about taking your own symptoms seriously and making your gynae health a priority. 🔑 Key Points Heavy bleeding is not something to put up with changing a pad every hour, bleeding for more than five days, or planning your life around your period all count, and there is plenty that can help. Flooding is a symptom women rarely volunteer Áine asks directly because most women never mention soaking through their clothes or sheets. A hysteroscopy is not as frightening as it sounds a thin camera and a well-briefed team can investigate bleeding, polyps and fibroids, usually without a general anaesthetic. You deserve proper pain relief for a coil fitting from paracetamol and ibuprofen beforehand to numbing gel and a local cervical block. The Mirena coil takes about six months to settle bloating, tenderness or mood changes often ease, and it can be used as part of HRT. HRT is about long-term health, not just symptoms beyond brain fog and night sweats, it supports heart and bone health. Painful sex is not normal whether it stems from low oestrogen, endometriosis or past trauma, there are options that help. You do not have to suffer in silence if something is affecting your quality of life, make your gynae health a priority. 📚 Resources BlackRock Health Women's Health Centre Hysteroscopy (HSE) The Mirena and copper coils (HSE) HRT and menopause treatment (HSE) Cervical screening and HPV (CervicalCheck, HSE) ⏱️ Timestamps 02:04 - Inside a day at BlackRock Women's Health 03:23 - What a hysteroscopy actually involves 06:21 - Polyps, fibroids and heavy bleeding 09:02 - Heavy bleeding and flooding in perimenopause 10:11 - The Mirena coil as a first-line treatment 13:56 - Pain relief and what to expect from a coil fitting 18:02 - The Mirena as part of HRT, and sleep 20:04 - Mental health support through menopause 22:35 - Smear tests, HPV and colposcopy 24:35 - Painful sex and trauma-informed care 29:18 - Vaginismus, physio and the pelvic floor 33:34 - Her own pregnancies and epidurals 37:56 - Don't suffer in silence Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Heavy Bleeding, the Mirena Coil and Speaking Up with Dr Áine Dempsey #176

  6. Jun 25

    A Generational Story Behind Women & Dieting with Aimee Donnellan #175

    Aimee Donnellan joins Laura to talk about her new book Off the Scales: The Inside Story of Ozempic and the Race to Cure Obesity, and the much bigger story sitting underneath it - how generations of women learned to live with food. Through interviews with women across the world, Aimee found the same pattern repeating. A trip to a dietitian around the age of seven. A mother quietly carrying her own dieting story, passing it on through Weight Watchers, rice cakes and "don't think cute clothes mean you can come off your diet." For some, GLP-1 medications like Wegovy and Mounjaro have quietened the food noise for the first time in their lives. For others, the more confronting realisation is how differently the world treats them when they shrink. Aimee also explores how the men in her book relate to their bodies very differently, the rising scale of childhood obesity and the shame attached to it, and why the food industry has barely adjusted to a world where appetite itself is shifting. She and Laura reflect on body positivity, menopause and the pressure women carry at every stage of life, before closing on something simpler - why she thinks the meaning of life comes down to picking up the phone. 🔑 Key Points 1. Dieting often starts in childhood — Many of the women Aimee spoke to were first sent to a dietitian around age seven, framing food as something to manage rather than enjoy. 2. Mothers carry the story forward — Weight Watchers, calorie counting and "good" and "bad" foods pass quietly from mother to daughter across generations. 3. Food noise can dominate a life — Constant thoughts about food and shame-based self-talk shape how many women move through the world. 4. GLP-1 drugs change more than weight — When the food noise quietens, work, relationships, shopping and how others treat you can all shift. 5. Men and women relate to weight differently — Men often seek treatment for health reasons, while women carry decades of body criticism and comparison. 6. These drugs are not a quick fix — Muscle loss, side effects, cost and the reality of injecting long-term are rarely talked about honestly. 7. Childhood obesity is rising — Shame and clinics that don't fit larger bodies stop many families seeking help early. 8. The food industry has barely adjusted — Cheap, ultra-processed food still fills shelves, and meaningful change runs into cost and lobbying. 📚 Resources Off the Scales: The Inside Story of Ozempic and the Race to Cure Obesity — Aimee Donnellan ⏱️ Timestamps 01:00 — Welcome and the focus of the book 03:00 — Why the dieting story starts at age seven 04:30 — Rice cakes, Hershey's sauce and a mother's diet 06:00 — Sarah's first Wegovy injection 07:00 — Losing 70 pounds and a life that changes overnight 12:00 — Menopause, microdosing and Ozempic on the black market 14:00 — Body positivity, celebrity bodies and the shift back 22:00 — Plateaus, muscle loss and life-long drugs 28:00 — A Mars executive on a pharma board 36:00 — How men relate to their bodies differently 41:00 — Childhood obesity, shame and small clinic rooms 44:00 — Food deserts and the cost of real change 56:00 — Picking up the phone and choosing connection Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    A Generational Story Behind Women & Dieting with Aimee Donnellan #175

  7. Jun 18

    Grief, Poetry and a New Kind of Masculinity with Darragh Fleming #174

    Darragh Fleming went viral last year for a poem — but this conversation is about everything that came before it. The Cork writer talks to Laura about a childhood spent lost in books, a long detour through sport and self-doubt, and the years he spent convinced he wasn't creative at all. At seventeen, Darragh lost his close friend Irby to suicide, and the grief changed him profoundly. For years afterwards he felt almost nothing — a numbness he didn't recognise as depression — while quietly performing the emotions other people expected of him. He's honest about the survivor's guilt that made him sabotage his own happiness, the panic attack that became his rock bottom, and how therapy and journaling slowly led him back to writing. From there the conversation opens out into the work Darragh is known for now: poetry that reimagines what it means to be a man. He and Laura discuss why anger is so often the only emotion men feel allowed to show, how language like "toxic masculinity" can shape the way boys see themselves, and why he believes emotionally healthier men make life safer for everyone. Warm, funny and full of hope, it's also a conversation about creativity in everyday life and Darragh's belief that the meaning of life is found in the people we share it with. 🔑 Key Points Grief can arrive as numbness, not sadness After losing his friend Irby at seventeen, Darragh didn't feel constant sadness but a flatness he didn't recognise as depression for years. Survivor's guilt can quietly sabotage a life He describes an unconscious sense that he wasn't allowed to be happy, which led him to undo good things whenever they started going well. Writing became a way back to feeling Journaling suggested by his therapist turned naturally into poetry, helping him name emotions he otherwise couldn't reach. Anger is often the only emotion men feel permitted Darragh argues that sadness, rejection and disappointment frequently come out as anger because men aren't given other outlets. Language shapes how boys see themselves Hearing "toxic" almost always paired with "masculinity" can lead young men to believe masculinity itself is something bad. A lighthouse, not a lifeboat Rather than trying to rescue everyone, Darragh sees his public work as showing people a way through and reminding them they're not alone. Success can arrive at the right time He reflects on being glad his career didn't take off in his twenties, when he wouldn't have been ready to carry it. 📚 Resources Thoughts Too Big — Darragh's long-running mental health blog If I Ever Have Boys — Darragh Fleming If I Ever Have Girls — Darragh Fleming Waiting for the Good Guys — Darragh Fleming The Hole — Darragh Fleming, a poem on depression and coping Dangerous Men — Lucas Jones, the poem Darragh's "If I Ever Have Boys" responded to Mental health support — Samaritans, freephone 116 123; Pieta, freephone 1800 247 247 or text 51444 ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 — "My Dad Could Beat Up Your Dad" (cold open) 01:13 — Welcome and introduction 05:40 — Going viral with "If I Ever Have Boys" 14:53 — Why he started writing 17:31 — Losing Irby at seventeen 18:42 — The numbness he didn't know was depression 21:45 — The panic attack, therapy and journaling 33:35 — A lighthouse, not a lifeboat 35:23 — Masculinity, the manosphere and raising sons 42:42 — Language, mental illness and "toxic masculinity" 50:30 — "A Snake Named Snake" and his dad 01:01:36 — Darragh reads "My Dad Could Beat Up Your Dad" 01:03:09 — Advice for young people and the meaning of life Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Grief, Poetry and a New Kind of Masculinity with Darragh Fleming #174

  8. Jun 11

    Why So Many Women Suffer in Silence with Dr Fadi #173

    In this episode, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Fadi joins Laura for an open, practical conversation about pelvic floor health, incontinence, prolapse and the realities of modern obstetrics. Dr Fadi explains how childbirth, ageing and menopause affect the pelvic floor, and why so many women end up living with stress incontinence, prolapse and faecal incontinence in silence. He walks through the full range of treatment options — from physiotherapy and pessaries to urethral bulking, Botox, sacral neuromodulation, robotic surgery, and the mesh procedures paused in Ireland since 2018. The conversation also takes in interstitial cystitis, vaginal oestrogen, the impact of long inductions on older mothers, and the trade-offs women now weigh up between a vaginal delivery and a caesarean section. Dr Fadi closes with a reflection on his time working with Syrian refugees, where he met 13-year-old mothers and a 26-year-old grandmother. 🔑 Key Points 1. Pelvic floor problems are common and treatable — Stress incontinence, prolapse and faecal incontinence are usually linked to childbirth, not an inevitable part of being a woman. 2. Mesh for incontinence has been paused in Ireland since 2018 — Ireland is the only country in the world where this procedure is currently unavailable, and patients are being sent to Spain to access it. 3. There is no single fix for incontinence — Treatment depends on the type, from physiotherapy and urethral bulking to mesh slings, Botox into the bladder wall, and sacral neuromodulators. 4. Prolapse is not just the womb — Bladder, womb and rectum can all prolapse, each with their own grade and treatment pathway. 5. Pessaries give women back some control — Different types of pessary can hold a prolapse in place, and many women can learn to manage their own at home. 6. Faecal incontinence is more common than women admit — Third and fourth degree tears at delivery can damage the anal sphincter, and primary repair at the time of birth gives the best outcome. 7. Vaginal oestrogen is a low-risk, high-impact tool — It can ease overactive bladder, recurrent UTIs, dryness, and slow the progression of prolapse after menopause. 8. Older mothers face different trade-offs — Long inductions, instrumental deliveries and unplanned caesareans are more common, which is why some women are now actively asking for a planned section. 📚 Resources Love Your Vulva — Laura Dowling fabÜ Hello Healing Continence Foundation of Ireland ⏱️ Timestamps 01:46 — Introducing Dr Fadi and urogynaecology 02:49 — Why pelvic floor problems happen 04:14 — Assessing pelvis and baby size before delivery 05:09 — Robotic surgery and vault prolapse 06:34 — Stress incontinence and mesh as the gold standard 09:01 — Why mesh has been paused in Ireland 12:31 — Sending Irish patients to Spain for mesh 14:25 — Botox for overactive bladder and Interstim 15:43 — Faecal incontinence and tears at delivery 19:17 — Interstitial cystitis and hyaluronic acid 21:21 — Types and grades of prolapse 24:25 — How a pessary works 28:01 — Surgery for prolapse 34:18 — Vaginal oestrogen and pelvic floor 36:08 — Epidurals and instrumental delivery 37:25 — Why more women are asking for caesareans 45:00 — Working with Syrian refugees 48:32 — Advice for young people and the meaning of life Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Why So Many Women Suffer in Silence with Dr Fadi #173
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Conversations about health, science, wellness, life, love, sex and everything in-between. Laura is a Pharmacist who loves to talk to interesting people about their unique life and work experiences. See @fabulouspharmacist on instagram for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Laura Dowling
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    191
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 The Laura Dowling Experience
  • Show Website
    The Laura Dowling Experience

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