Andrea Ford

Hormones are complex biosocial objects that provoke myriad cultural narratives through their association with social activities and identities, and these narratives have the power to shape people's lived realities and bodies. While hormones…

Despite a growing body of literature linking environmental toxins and endometriosis, environmental issues make only occasional appearances in public, patient, and specialist conversations about endometriosis. These conversations may hover a…

BackgroundThe intersection of menstrual and mental health is an under-researched area which is gaining attention from the public, researchers and clinicians. However, there may be unintended risks associated with this increased attention. H…

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the uterine lining develops outside the uterus; it ‘bleeds’ during periods, forms lesions, and causes chronic pain. Despite affecting around 10% of menstruating people, its aetiology is p…

Doulas-birth practitioners without medical responsibility who provide support to birthing people-have become popular over the past few decades. Drawing from two years of ethnographic research in the United States during which I trained and …

Period tracking is an increasingly widespread practice, and its emphasis is changing from monitoring fertility to encompassing a more broad-based picture of users' health. Delving into the data of one's menstrual cycle, and the hormones tha…

Environmental chemical toxicity evokes both individual action and relational interconnection. On the one hand, there is the diffusion of risk and harm through time and space, which complicates assigning fault, responsibility, or regulatory …

The notion of 'evidence' circulates in two realms of current maternity care: biomedical 'evidence-based' obstetrics and efforts to reform conventional obstetric practices. I observed that in California's childbearing culture, 'evidence' is …