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The Laura Dowling Experience

The Laura Dowling Experience

By: Laura Dowling
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Conversations about health, science, wellness, life, love, sex and everything in-between. Laura is a Pharmacist who loves to talk to interesting people about their unique life and work experiences. See @fabulouspharmacist on instagram for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

© 2025 The Laura Dowling Experience Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Darragh Connolly | Penis Pumps, Prostate Health and Sex After Surgery

    Darragh Connolly | Penis Pumps, Prostate Health and Sex After Surgery
    Jul 9 2026
    Laura sits down with community pharmacist Darragh Connolly, who has built a men's health service — Men's Health Downunder — around something most clinics rush past: helping men get their sexual function back after prostate surgery. It's a candid, frequently very funny conversation about a subject usually wrapped in silence and shame.Darragh explains the male anatomy in plain (and memorable) terms, why nightly "micro-erections" keep the penis healthy, and what actually changes after a prostatectomy. He walks through how a penis pump works, what constriction rings are for, and why this isn't only for men who've had cancer surgery — smoking, diabetes, spinal injury, certain medicines and simply getting older can all play a part.Running through all of it is a hopeful message: a prostate diagnosis or surgery is not the end of sex, intimacy is far more than penetration, and men well into their 80s can still enjoy a full sex life. Darragh also makes the case for meeting men's sexual health at the pharmacy counter, not only the consultant's clinic.🔑 Key PointsSexual health is health — and still tabooThere's deep shame and silence around men's genitals and sexual function, and Darragh's whole approach is to demystify it, often with humour, so men actually seek help.Micro-erections keep the penis healthyMen have around five micro-erections a night that bring blood, oxygen and nutrients to the tissue; without them it's "use it or lose it", and the penis can shrink and lose function.Erectile dysfunction has many causes, not just prostate surgeryAgeing, smoking, diabetes, lower-back trauma, spinal injury and some medications can all affect erectile function.How a penis pump actually worksUsed for five to ten minutes a day, it draws blood into the penis like training a muscle, improving vascular and nerve health over time.Constriction rings let men maintain an erection for sexPaired with the pump, a constriction ring traps blood to hold an erection for penetrative sex — but should never be left on more than six to eight minutes.A prostate diagnosis is not the end of sexWith the right tools, men who hadn't had an erection in months or years can have penetrative sex again — and intimacy is always more than penetration.Know the warning signs of prostate troubleDribbling, a weak stream, going more often (especially at night) and "stage fright" can point to an enlarged prostate; Movember is a good place to learn the signs.📚 ResourcesMen's Health Downunder Darragh Connolly's Irish men's health service and the surgical-grade penis pumps discussedMovemberthe men's health charity Darragh recommends for prostate cancer, testicular cancer and male suicide awareness⏱️ Timestamps00:00 — Welcome and sponsor01:36 — Why a pharmacist is talking about men's health03:24 — How Darragh got into men's health04:32 — What a prostatectomy actually involves07:28 — Male anatomy explained simply13:48 — Micro-erections and "use it or lose it"20:55 — How a penis pump works24:31 — Constriction rings and maintaining an erection38:33 — The prostate and its warning signs52:44 — How Viagra and Cialis were discovered57:00 — Low-dose Cialis, the pump and the post-surgery "void"1:01:24 — Couples, intimacy and a hopeful noteThanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Bitesize Moment: "This Isn't Your Fault." — Dr Mick Crotty on the biology of weight

    Bitesize Moment: "This Isn't Your Fault." — Dr Mick Crotty on the biology of weight
    Jul 7 2026

    In this bitesize moment pulled from the Laura Dowling Experience back catalogue, GP Dr Mick Crotty explains why weight is far less within our conscious control than we are led to believe — and why so many people carry a load of self-blame they never deserved.


    He walks Laura through the genetics of appetite, the brain's reward response to food, and the "set point" it quietly defends, which is why weight so often returns after a diet. It's a clip that gently takes apart the "just eat less and move more" myth.


    🔑Key Points

    • Why "just eat less and move more" is an oversimplification

    • How genetics and the appetite system shape hunger and fullness

    • What the brain's "set point" is, and why weight often returns after dieting

    • Why this is a medical issue, not a personal failing


    🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

    Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    12 mins
  • Heavy Bleeding, the Mirena Coil and Speaking Up with Dr Áine Dempsey #176

    Heavy Bleeding, the Mirena Coil and Speaking Up with Dr Áine Dempsey #176
    Jul 2 2026
    How many women quietly put up with heavy bleeding, painful periods or a difficult coil fitting, telling themselves it is just part of being a woman?In this episode, Laura sits down with obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Áine Dempsey, who works at BlackRock Women's Health and at the Rotunda, for an honest, practical conversation about the things women are so often told to live with - and what can actually be done about them.Áine explains what a hysteroscopy really involves, why polyps and fibroids drive heavy bleeding, and when the Mirena coil is the right first step before ablation or surgery. She is candid about pain relief during coil fittings, the six-month settling period, and where the copper coil fits in.The conversation moves into perimenopause and HRT, smear tests, HPV and colposcopy, and the realities of painful sex, vaginismus and caring for women who carry past sexual trauma. She closes on labour ward life, her own two pregnancies, the magic of epidurals, and why no woman should feel she has to suffer in silence.At its core, this episode is about taking your own symptoms seriously and making your gynae health a priority.🔑 Key PointsHeavy bleeding is not something to put up withchanging a pad every hour, bleeding for more than five days, or planning your life around your period all count, and there is plenty that can help.Flooding is a symptom women rarely volunteerÁine asks directly because most women never mention soaking through their clothes or sheets.A hysteroscopy is not as frightening as it soundsa thin camera and a well-briefed team can investigate bleeding, polyps and fibroids, usually without a general anaesthetic.You deserve proper pain relief for a coil fittingfrom paracetamol and ibuprofen beforehand to numbing gel and a local cervical block.The Mirena coil takes about six months to settlebloating, tenderness or mood changes often ease, and it can be used as part of HRT.HRT is about long-term health, not just symptomsbeyond brain fog and night sweats, it supports heart and bone health.Painful sex is not normalwhether it stems from low oestrogen, endometriosis or past trauma, there are options that help.You do not have to suffer in silenceif something is affecting your quality of life, make your gynae health a priority.📚 ResourcesBlackRock Health Women's Health CentreHysteroscopy (HSE)The Mirena and copper coils (HSE)HRT and menopause treatment (HSE)Cervical screening and HPV (CervicalCheck, HSE)⏱️ Timestamps02:04 - Inside a day at BlackRock Women's Health03:23 - What a hysteroscopy actually involves06:21 - Polyps, fibroids and heavy bleeding09:02 - Heavy bleeding and flooding in perimenopause10:11 - The Mirena coil as a first-line treatment13:56 - Pain relief and what to expect from a coil fitting18:02 - The Mirena as part of HRT, and sleep20:04 - Mental health support through menopause22:35 - Smear tests, HPV and colposcopy24:35 - Painful sex and trauma-informed care29:18 - Vaginismus, physio and the pelvic floor33:34 - Her own pregnancies and epidurals37:56 - Don't suffer in silenceThanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    41 mins
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