Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In this episode of Science Quickly, gynecologic oncologist and health equity researcher Kemi Doll explains why the well-known Black maternal mortality crisis is part of a broader “Black womb crisis” in which many Black women experience a lifetime of gynecologic health challenges. Drawing on research and personal stories from her new book A Terrible Strength, Doll explores how Black women face disparities in conditions such as fibroids, endometriosis, and endometrial cancer and how gaps in diagnosis, treatment and care contribute to worse outcomes for this population.
0:00 Intro
0:22 The Black Maternal Mortality Crisis & Broader Context
1:02 Introducing the Black Womb Crisis — Dr. Kemi Doll
1:31 What Is the Black Womb Crisis?
2:34 Dr. Doll's Path to Writing the Book
4:07 What Data Misses: Diagnosing Endometrial Cancer
6:17 How Gynecologic Issues Have Evolved
8:02 Surprising Findings from Research & Interviews
9:42 Looking Ahead: The Next 5–20 Years
13:58 Outro
Recommended Reading:
A Terrible Strength. Kemi Doll. Harmony, 2026
penguinrandomhouse.com/books/775526/a-terrible-strength-by-kemi-doll-md-mscr
Black women have worse IVF outcomes. New science helps explain why
scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-black-women-have-worse-ivf-outcomes
E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!
Discover something new every day. Subscribe to Scientific American: scientificamerican.com/getsciam
And sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter: scientificamerican.com/account/email-preferences
Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.
In this episode of Science Quickly, gynecologic oncologist and health equity researcher Kemi Doll explains why the well-known Black maternal mortality crisis is part of a broader “Black womb crisis” in which many Black women experience a lifetime of gynecologic health challenges. Drawing on research and personal stories from her new book A Terrible Strength, Doll explores how Black women face disparities in conditions such as fibroids, endometriosis, and endometrial cancer and how gaps in diagnosis, treatment and care contribute to worse outcomes for this population.
0:00 Intro
0:22 The Black Maternal Mortality Crisis & Broader Context
1:02 Introducing the Black Womb Crisis — Dr. Kemi Doll
1:31 What Is the Black Womb Crisis?
2:34 Dr. Doll's Path to Writing the Book
4:07 What Data Misses: Diagnosing Endometrial Cancer
6:17 How Gynecologic Issues Have Evolved
8:02 Surprising Findings from Research & Interviews
9:42 Looking Ahead: The Next 5–20 Years
13:58 Outro
Recommended Reading:
A Terrible Strength. Kemi Doll. Harmony, 2026
penguinrandomhouse.com/books/775526/a-terrible-strength-by-kemi-doll-md-mscr
Black women have worse IVF outcomes. New science helps explain why
scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-black-women-have-worse-ivf-outcomes
E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!
Discover something new every day. Subscribe to Scientific American: scientificamerican.com/getsciam
And sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter: scientificamerican.com/account/email-preferences
Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.
