10 Things That Are Worth the Money: Women's Health Edition

There's a trend going around on social media called "things that are worth the money," and forty-five minutes into it, I'd added a Hatch alarm clock and the softest modal LAKE pajamas to my cart with zero recollection of ever typing "modal" into a search bar. Caraway cookware was in there too, along with Eight Sleep, a mattress cover that costs more than my first car and apparently regulates your body temperature all night — which, fine, sounds like a dream, but I already have three kids doing that job for free (badly, but for free).

Most people can barely afford groceries right now, so the whole trend feels a little tone-deaf. But it got me thinking about what's actually worth the money in my world, the stuff nobody's filming a haul about, and the stuff we still don't talk about enough.

So here's my list. Ten things worth the money, women's health edition:

1. A heating pad, for the nights my cramps decide they're in charge.

2. Pelvic floor PT, postpartum. Nobody tells you that peeing a little when you sneeze isn't a life sentence; it's a fixable thing.

3. A weighted blanket, for when my brain won't stop narrating.

4. HRT, for the hot flashes that show up uninvited and overstay their welcome.

5. An Oura ring. It has never once lied to me.

6. Therapy with someone who specializes in reproductive trauma, not someone hearing the word "transfer" for the first time in your session.

7. Dollar store ovulation strips, which work exactly as well as the fancy ones, for a fraction of the price.

8. A good vibrator. Does what it says on the box.

9. A doctor who listens, without checking the clock.

10. A Squatty Potty, because IBS doesn't care about your schedule.

None of it's glamorous, but it's the stuff most women would restock without thinking twice, which is more than I can say for the jade face roller collecting dust in my bathroom drawer.

What would you add to this list? Hit 'reply' and let me know what's on your version!