I am super excited to have Dr. Fiona Bethea and Jhon Velasco on the podcast to discuss bleeding disorders because I’ve never discussed this topic on the show and, in my experience, bleeding disorders are often overlooked underlying causes of heavy and long periods. Unfortunately, in more cases than not, women with these symptoms are offered a birth control pill or hormonal IUD to stop the heavy periods and long bouts of bleeding, without further investigation.
Dr. Fiona Bethea is a Health Scientist on the Bleeding Disorders Team in the Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch of the Division of Blood Disorders, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Jhon Velasco is the Manager of Education and Training at National Hemophilia Foundation, where he focuses on women with bleeding disorders, the Spanish speaking community, and mental health.
Fiona and John are both part of the Better You Know campaign, developed by the National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) in partnership with CDC, which focuses on women who may experience symptoms of a bleeding disorder but haven’t been diagnosed. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness and knowledge of bleeding disorders and provide resources for women who seek care.
In this episode, we talk about common symptoms of bleeding disorders, how they affect the lives of women who have them, why they often go undiagnosed, the importance of early diagnosis and treatment, how the Better You Know campaign can help you learn more, and advocate for yourself or your daughter, what to expect from testing and treatment of bleeding disorders, and so much more!
