Ep 48: Closing the Knowledge Gap Around Men's Reproductive Health with Rene Almeling

Resources regarding men's reproductive health are few and far between. We have such a deep association between women and reproduction, that men are often left out of the conversation entirely. Today's guest, Rene Almeling, is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Yale University with research and teaching interests in gender and medicine. Rene uses a range of qualitative, historical, and quantitative methods to examine questions about how biological bodies and cultural norms interact with scientific knowledge, medical markets, and individual experiences. She has also authored the book, Sex Cells, which offers a look at the American sperm and egg donor markets. Her new book, GUYnecology, explores why there is so little attention on men's reproductive health, offering insights into its influence on medical knowledge, health policy, and reproductive politics. Our conversation today unpacks some of the themes in this must-read work. We talk about a relatively emerging field of study, paternal effects, which examines the influence that sperm has on reproductive outcomes and hear what studies are showing. Information around men's reproductive health is vital because of the historical skewness toward maternal health knowledge generation. Rene also shares findings from her discussions with men for her book, the importance of including all bodies in reproductive health conversations, and where she sees this field of study heading. Join us today for this enlightening discussion.