Sibling Revelry: "Menopause for Men…with OBGYN Triplets"

Podcast: Sibling Revelry with Kate Hudson and Oliver Hudson
Original Release: October 27, 2025
Guests: Drs. Joanna, Sarah, and Victoria Bedell (OBGYN triplets)
Summary by Podcast Summarizer

Overview of the Episode

This episode centers on family, medical legacies, and demystifying women’s health—particularly menopause—from both women’s and men’s perspectives. Hosts Oliver and Kate Hudson welcome Drs. Joanna, Sarah, and Victoria Bedell, OB-GYN triplets who practice together (and with their mother!), for a candid, often humorous, and deeply informative look at menopause, perimenopause, intergenerational medicine, and why men need to understand what their partners experience.

Main Themes & Key Discussions

1. Introducing the OBGYN Triplets (05:24–09:53)

• Sibling Dynamics: Before diving into medical topics, Oliver jokes about differentiating the triplets. Self-deprecating humor walks hand-in-hand with warm sibling teasing.
  • “Who’s the funniest?”
    “My answer to that is always not Sarah.” – Sarah Bedell (05:55)
• Medical Legacy: The Bedell sisters grew up in a household with two OB-GYN parents and now work side-by-side, including with their mother.
  • “Is she still the matriarch?”
    “Yeah… We always end up listening to her, I think.” – Bedell Sisters (06:34–06:52)
• First Birth Experience: As children, they watched their mom deliver babies—a formative, sometimes shocking introduction:
  • “Not expecting blood, not expecting the size of a baby’s head, not expecting scissors to be involved.” – Sarah Bedell (08:06)

2. Medical Nepotism & Career Pathways (10:15–14:26)

• Nepotism Across Professions: Oliver questions why “nepo baby” discourse centers on entertainment when all fields, including medicine, contain forms of legacy influence.

  • “Nepotism exists across all jobs… a lot of the times we love what our parents did, and if we can get a leg up, you get a leg up.” – Oliver Hudson (10:18)

• Choosing OB-GYN: The triplets each recount moments where working in women’s health felt familiar and right, but it wasn’t a foregone conclusion until they experienced various specialties in medical school.

  • “I think going through OB-GYN, it was just something that’s familiar… I guess, you know, we all had that same experience.” – Joanna Bedell (14:02)

• Continuity of Care:

  • “Now we’re taking care of patients that our mom delivered, and now we’re delivering their babies.” – Joanna Bedell (14:26)
  • Generational attachment is uniquely strong in OB-GYN, further intensified by their family practice.

3. Menopause and Men: Bridging the Knowledge Gap (21:23–32:15)

• Menopause in the Zeitgeist:
  • “Obviously, menopause right now is hot… and I think it’s important for men to honestly… learn about it.” – Oliver Hudson (21:37)
• What Men Need to Know: Oliver ventures into uncharted territory, admitting his confusion about his wife’s perimenopause and the fluctuating symptoms.
  • “As a dude, I’m like, babe, like… I’m kind of horny, like, what’s up?... but these are all things that I think men need to honestly have compassion for…” – Oliver Hudson (22:05)
• Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT):
  • “It definitely is good for you… every patient is different. Finding the right [balance] is important.” – Joanna Bedell (23:28)
  • “Putting the hormone game back in the headlines… has been a huge plus for social media.” – Joanna Bedell (24:15)
• Awareness and Representation: Exposure in media, social posts by celebrities (Halle Berry, Drew Barrymore, Oprah) has made menopause a mainstream topic.
  • “It’s really just… sparked conversation and created these mini links all along the way…” – Sarah Bedell (27:21)
  • “There’s a camaraderie in knowing you’re not alone, even though you know you’re not alone.” – Oliver Hudson (28:07)

4. Breaking Down Perimenopause & Menopause (29:23–32:15)

• Definitions:
  • “The definition of menopause is no periods for one year… the time leading up to that, with irregular periods and menopausal symptoms, is perimenopause.” – Joanna Bedell (29:31)
  • Perimenopause is highly variable and can last up to ten years.
• Symptoms and Treatment Realities:
  • Experiences vary widely; symptoms may persist into the 60s for some women.
  • “No crystal ball… It can just, like, Boom. Something goes away or… It’s different for everyone.” – Joanna Bedell (31:06)

5. Gendered Health & Patient Dynamics (32:33–36:40)

• Why Women Are Savvier Patients:
  • “From a very young age, girls start getting their period… so we’re just naturally paying attention [to our bodies], by force.” – Joanna Bedell (32:47)
  • In contrast: “What do boys have to pay attention to? It’s like, ‘I’m fine, I’m fine, I don’t need to go to the doctor.’” – Joanna Bedell (33:21)
• Women as Patients vs. Men as Patients:
  • Men, especially as patients or even as fathers at births, can be more skeptical, less engaged, or avoidant.
  • “I really felt treated that way… some of the men talked to me like that, like not looking at me or like… ‘you remind me of my daughter’.” – Sarah Bedell (34:36)
  • “I wonder if there’s something overall where men are just wimpier medically.” – Oliver Hudson (34:52)
  • Star Wars T-shirts are a delivery-room dad trend, for some inexplicable reason.

6. Managing Highs and Lows in OB-GYN Work (36:40–38:03)

• Emotional Toll: Doctors must remain focused during crises, but the emotional aftermath hits later.
  • “In the moment… you’re really not thinking about the emotional part. That stuff hits me when I get home.” – Joanna Bedell (37:14)
  • Family practice offers unique support: “Everyone is immediately understanding as to what happened.” – Joanna Bedell (37:35)

7. Practice Operations, Boundaries, and Family Support (43:00–45:51)

• Choosing an OB-GYN Among Triplets: Patients see each doctor in rotation; whoever is on-call delivers the baby, with attempts for multiple sisters to be present if possible.
• Setting Boundaries—Delivering Each Other’s Babies:
  • “We established that boundary. No… God forbid you had to rush and do a C-section on your sister, and… how do you live with that guilt?” – Joanna Bedell (44:15)
  • Instead, they provide emotional, not medical, support at each other’s deliveries.

8. Teen Girls’ Health Trends (45:56–47:15)

• Early Puberty: The age of first menstruation is trending younger, possibly due to environmental factors.
  • “The range of first period has shifted to a younger age—got to be something environmental.” – Joanna Bedell (46:52)
• Invisible Challenges for Young Girls:
  • “I always feel bad for my patients… as young as eight and nine… that must have been a very scary day.” – Joanna Bedell (47:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I’ve never talked about periods and vaginas more in my life—or menopause.” – Oliver Hudson (48:30)
• “I think dudes have to be [well-versed in women’s health]. It just makes life a little bit easier—if you have some knowledge, if you understand what’s going on biologically, you may not take things so personally.” – Oliver Hudson (48:45)
• “We were all there at the first delivery, and as soon as she was born… all of us were just in inconsolable tears. If I was delivering your baby, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything!” – Joanna Bedell (45:48)
• “If your parents or you were like, ‘Oh, are those triplets over there?’… Triplets are sometimes hard to forget.” – Joanna Bedell (50:28)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 05:24 – OBGYN triplets’ family and career backstory
• 08:06 – First birth witnessed as children
• 10:15 – Nepotism in medicine discussion
• 14:26 – Generational care in their practice
• 21:23 – Menopause as a cultural phenomenon and male partners’ understanding
• 24:15 – Why menopause is trending in the media
• 29:31 – Definitions: perimenopause and menopause demystified
• 31:04 – Symptom variability and treatment complexities
• 32:47 – Why women are generally better medical patients
• 36:40 – The emotional toll of OB-GYN crises
• 43:00 – Practice logistics & boundaries between sisters regarding treating family
• 45:56 – Puberty trends in young girls
• 48:30 – Candid closing reflections

Closing Thoughts

This episode is an accessible, entertaining, yet deeply informative listen for anyone—regardless of gender—who wants a better understanding of women’s health, family medicine, and why open, ongoing conversations matter. With humor and vulnerability, both hosts and guests normalize topics that have long been stigmatized or ignored, emphasizing the importance of compassion, communication, and knowledge for everybody involved.