Lady Parts, Painful Sex, and the Vulva Story We Should’ve Heard Sooner
What if painful sex, tampon pain, or that “something is wrong down there” feeling was not something to quietly tolerate, joke away, or fix with the world’s least helpful advice: “just have a glass of wine”?
In this episode of Labia Logic, Dr. Ashley Fuller and Dr. Meredith McClure welcome filmmaker and storyteller Bonnie Gross, creator of Lady Parts, a comedy feature inspired by her own experience with vestibulodynia, painful sex, repeated misdiagnoses, and eventually a vestibulectomy. They talk about why vulvar pain is so often misunderstood, why vulvodynia is sometimes more of a starting point than a full answer, and how conditions like recurrent yeast infections and pelvic floor dysfunction can overlap. They also explain why doctors really need to learn the word vulva before your feet go up and they go poking around with a speculum.
Vulvar pain deserves real medical attention, a painful exam should never be brushed off, and patients should trust themselves when something feels wrong. These are facts. Non-negotiables. You deserve answers, care, and pleasure without pain. Period.
Links
About Our Guest
Bonnie Gross is an award-winning comedy writer, producer, and post-production pro who’s never met a taboo topic she couldn’t turn into a smart, comical, and relatable story. She has a passion for telling authentic stories that focus on the realities of living with chronic vulvovaginal and pelvic pain, which she believes deserve far more screen time.
Originally from Philadelphia and now based in New York City, Bonnie earned her B.A. in Media Production from the University of Alabama and completed the UCLA Professional Program in TV Comedy Writing in 2018. Her most recent film Lady Parts, now streaming on Amazon Prime, is an autobiographical comedy inspired by her own experience navigating the vulvovaginal health care world, which earned the Special Jury Award for Screenwriting at the Florida Film Festival and the Jury Award for Best Comedy Feature at the Austin Film Festival.
Bonnie has worked for several years in post-production at Encore Hollywood and Light Iron, working on an array of television shows and films. She now co-owns Brainwomb, a boutique finishing house in NYC where she partners with filmmakers to shape their stories at every stage of the post-production process.
She has also written, produced, and edited comedic content for the media brand It’s a Southern Thing, and regularly creates her own offbeat comedy videos for social media. In addition to her creative work, Bonnie serves as the social media manager and a campaign team volunteer for Tight Lipped, a grassroots advocacy organization by and for people with chronic vulvovaginal and pelvic pain.
More about the hosts of Labia Logic
Dr. Ashley Fuller is a Sexual Medicine Gynecologist and Vulvar Specialist in Seattle, WA. www.ashleyfullermd.com
Dr. Meredith McClure is a Menopause Specialist, Sexual Medicine Gynecologist, and Vulvar Specialist in Dallas, TX.
Follow the show on Instagram @labia_logic
This episode was produced by Audiotocracy Podcast Production.
