Laya is so determined to be hard-done by. She’s literally in the world looking to be a victim. Has made it into a career. Self fulfilling prophecy - nothing to do with her gender.

Apart from that, loved this podcast

How awful for those women! And not to be believed .

I have recommended this podcast to all my friends.

I’m sure this will one day become a film.

Please make more shows like this!!

Awful incident but what I found the most shocking if not surprising was how the reports of women’s pain were dealt with (or rather not). It was brought to home for me when I had a recent IUD fitting with no anaesthesia offered. Women’s pain is ignored and belittled. It’s wrong. Badly wrong. And it’s more than fertility clinics that need to learn that lesson.

Thank you for also validating my pain experience within gynaecological and obstetric procedures. In solidarity x

A very tragic experience for lots of women but it was too long and too self-indulgent. It’s basically a typical desperate drug-addict who goes to any lengths to get drugs - that’s it.

A bit too whiny, a bit too ‘me too’ and it got boring by the end of series 2.

The light sentence from the bumbling judge were all demanded by Yale. Too much money to be made to give a damn about these ladies. The podcast should really explore the power that Yale has over the DOJ and the courts. That’s the real story.

If this doesn’t inspire change then wtaf is going on with this world and how we treat women

This story is truly unbelievable yet at the same is a completely accurate account of how Women’s health and pain is viewed and managed. This story makes my skin crawl having been someone who is due to go through fertility treatment, Donna was a drug addict - no excuse, but how the institute allowed something like this to happen is unforgivable.

I think this podcast is narrated so well, and I like how the episodes were not too long and the story wasn’t dragged out over two many episodes!

Thank you Serial team for making this . Can we have a follow up about the outcome of the civil suit ?

Brilliantly researched and narrated. Absolutely brilliant.

Brilliant podcast . Those poor woman , what they suffered at the hands of that nurse and clinic was horrific . The podcast really is a story about their resilience

Powerful podcast on the topic of women pain and how dismissed and ignored it is in general by the medical community. I hope there will be more episodes at the end about this broader topic that not only touches on the women fertility journey but also women at any point in their life (puberty, giving birth, menopause).

A compelling story and great to shine a light on this awful topic.

But it didn’t need to be 5 episodes. Could have been one or two if they cut down on so much of the excess.

They’ve tried to make a documentary series out of not a lot of information, so naturally they’ve padded it out.

A very compelling story told with magnificent writing, analysis and anger. Real humanity.

This is proper journalism and proper story telling.

While sympathise with the women who had to experience unnecessary pain during, reportedly, a normally painless procedure, I can’t help but cringe during their retelling of their “suffering”. I really hope they listen to this podcast and hear how bitter, vindictive, woe-is-me they sound in this (especially the Yale lecturer!). At no point in this podcast, any one of the patients decide that the pain is simply not worth it, that they can go to an alternative clinic, that maybe having a child will not solve all of their problems... Instead, they decide to shame and blame the nurse for being allowed to be a mother (how dare she be addicted to drugs and have children when I don’t have any!), blame racism as the basis for their experience (the argument is so thin that it doesn’t even gets explored further), point and scream at Yale as being responsible for neglect (not ever considering that such procedures are not risk-averse, that they are often humiliating and even ethically questionable). It’s so incredibly one-sided and whiney.

I went away feeling sorry for the nurse who clearly has been through a ringer with an abusive ex and developed a shameful addiction that ruined her life, but not for the women who really made themselves sound angrily reeking of desperation.

This is shocking and compelling. I feel for these women - what they have been through is truly devastating. The best true crime podcast out at the mo. It’s well researched and narrated. Can’t wait to hear the final episode.

Amazing but needs a content warning! Profoundly difficult subjects including baby loss, still birth and graphic descriptions of painful medical procedures.

As someone going through IVF this hit me hard but very grateful for all the women who told their story and are shedding light on women’s pain.

It’s an interesting story but my goodness does it take itself seriously. Every episode needs a good cut-down edit. Episode 3 in particular is FAR too long - takes 35 minutes to get to a “revelation” that really isn’t that dramatic after all the build up. And reading out reams of court transcripts is a bit childish. It’s stuff like this that makes me cynical about podcasts (and I’m a big podcast fan).

I will start with a little note about me , I’m 20 years clean and sober so i know about addiction! I know the depths it can take you , the lows , the lies and the deception!

And even knowing what i know i was angry for these woman , i feel the prison sentence was just an absolute waste of time ! I mean who goes to prison for a weekend ? I’ve never heard of that , but I’m in the UK .

I’m very conflicted as to what should of happened to her , i feel for these woman , looking forward to the next episode on what happened to Yale because they made it far to easy for her to steal the drugs ! It should never be that easy to steal Fentanyl from your place of work !

Life is stranger than fiction, it’s nuts how many women were affected and reported their terrifying and excruciating experiences before anything was done.

Really moving series. Interesting topic and well told story. Very much enjoyed.

Felt like an extended essay on Women’s Pain, with heavy ideological bias. Switched off at the line “all participants identified as women” (eyeroll)

A harrowing, nuanced and compelling story. Class production.

This podcast is incredibly well told especially this day and age

Appreciate everything about this story and how it is told!

Incredible reporting

So many women can attest to being silenced in a medical setting when it comes to pain and control over what happens to their body. This story is a perfect microcosm of a broader issue in women’s health across the world.

Very well written and narrated- the one star review about swearing & nasal breathing is wrong & I bet you’re fun at parties.

Awful story we’ll told and shows great sympathy to those ladies affected

Another fantastic podcast from serial

Excellent piece of work - loved it! Such an important topic - well worth a listen.

An incredibly well research engaging and super well told story. This is at par with This American Life and Serial. Wow, just wow.

I’m usually terrible at leaving reviews, but I wanted to counteract the 1 star review that was bringing the average. This is an incredibly well made podcast which covers an important story with empathy and skill.

I think it’s a shortcoming for a journalist to swear so much. It really isn’t professional. I can’t handle the vocal fry and nasal whining either.

…And how there are so often ignored.

Women are never taken seriously and it’s a global issue! I had a medical issue which I was told by a male doctor wasn’t an issue! I couldn’t leave the house, but it wasn’t an issue. But my “oh my god they don’t believe women feel pain” moment came after one procedure where my contraceptive was changed with no pain meds offered at all it was agony!! Then I had to have another procedure of a camera up my bum. I was offered get knocked out completely, gas and air or tough it out with nothing. I decided nothing. While it was unpleasant it was nothing compared to the birth control pain! The difference? Men also get a camera up their bum and must complain about the pain so they get options!!

Would highly recommend that everyone listens to this podcast - such an eye opener and makes you question all of your experiences as a woman

Listening to episode one has left me so angry on behalf of these women . I empathise greatly with the situation they find themselves in regarding their interactions with medical staff . As a menopausal woman with many friends in the same situation, the usual first response to any debilitating symptoms, is the offer of anti depressants . The “ it’s all in your head “ “ it’s a process” mentality. The narrative around womens health has to change. This is a worldwide problem ( I’m in Uk) I know from conversations with Irish friends , many doctors attitudes there are exactly the same . Thank u to everyone involved in this podcast for bring this into the public forum. Dismissing womens health concerns has to stop.

coming from someone currently in the process of doing ivf.

Having experienced a procedure without effective pain relief I can relate to parts of this story… women’s experience of pain is often diminished and this topic needs to be spoken about! Can’t wait for the next episode to drop.