S6 Ep. 2: Period Literacy for Women with Intellectual Disabilities with Katie Vidmar

"I believe women cannot protect what they do not know. If we are illiterate about our own bodies, if we don’t understand how they’re designed to work in a state of health, we are deprived of our right to true informed consent in healthcare decisions. And this is never more critical than in decisions about reproductive health, including birth control." This is particularly true with young women with intellectual disabilities. Katie Vidmar who is not only an expert in menstrual cycle literacy, and having a daughter who has Intellectual disabilities, Katie will walk us through how we can help a young woman understand the gift and goodness of her body. All humans deserve to be honored in the goodness of there own bodies, to be given the same respect and value as any person, despite their intellectual challenges. Katie will show how we can serve this population with the dignity that women with these intellectual challenges deserve. It is a beautiful conversation that will touch many of you who know a young women in this situation. "This is about being pro–informed consent. Women deserve the freedom to make choices rooted in knowledge, not fear or misinformation. Liberation begins when we discover the brilliance of our bodies and learn to work with them—not against them." And the truth is, we already have models for doing this. Body Literacy. Cycle Tracking. Menstrual Health Triage. Simplified Fertility Awareness. These tools exist, and they’ve been brought successfully to under-resourced populations. ✨ About Katie E. Vidmar Katie E. Vidmar, MTS, is a Body Literacy and Fertility Awareness Educator from North Dakota. She’s dedicated to bringing holistic women’s health to underserved populations. She created Elevate, a training program that equips healthcare professionals with tools for introducing Body Literacy, Cycle Tracking, Fertility Awareness, and root-cause menstrual health care. She’s also the creator of Cycle Wise, a Body Literacy video series for community health centers; co-author of Cycle Aware, a middle-school curriculum; and host of the series Reframing Women’s Health. Katie currently serves as the Director of Programs at Natural Womanhood and lives in Bismarck, ND, with her husband and family. We discuss: • Teaching girls that their bodies are good, healthy, and worthy of respect • Preparing for puberty and the first period • Understanding “red flow” and “white flow” as signs of reproductive health • Adapting fertility awareness education for different learning abilities • The unique vulnerability of women with intellectual disabilities • Supporting parents and caregivers as they make difficult healthcare decisions • The complicated questions surrounding hormonal contraception and sterilization • Why truly informed consent begins with body literacy • The importance of considering the long-term health effects of medical interventions • Addressing menstrual problems by looking for underlying causes rather than simply suppressing the cycle • And the tremendous need for better resources and support for families navigating these questions Most importantly, Katie reminds us that body literacy isn't an optional extra—it is the foundation for Resources: Website-https://katievidmar.com/ Natural Womanhood-https://naturalwomanhood.org/ Period Genius course: https://www.naturalwomanhood.courses/ Body Literacy curriculum, is launching September 2025. Here you'll be https://www.thebodyliteracyproject.org/ Thanks to our Podcast Sponsor! Head to weheartnutrition.com, take the quiz, and use our code GENIUS for 20% off your first order. We know you’ll love We Heart Nutrition! Disclaimer: The views expressed by our guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Hormone Genius Podcast. This content is for information is not intended to be a substitute for actual medical or mental health advice from a doctor, psychologist, or any other medical or mental health professional.