Consent in Birth & Medicine: An OBGYN on Body Authority with Dr. Jennifer Lang, OB/Gyn

What if consent isn’t just about saying yes or no—but about feeling your body?

Explore consent and body authority:
https://rahichun.com/podcast/consent-birth-medicine-body-authority

In this episode, Rahi Chun sits down with Dr. Jennifer Lang—OBGYN and gynecologic oncologist, founder of an integrative women’s wellness practice, and author of Consent: Every Teen’s Guide to Healthy Sexual Relationships—for a grounded conversation on body authority inside the medical system.

Jen shares how hypnobirthing transformed her first birth into a blissful, deeply regulated experience—and how that single night reshaped her approach to obstetrics, including advocating for midwife care, doula support, and nervous-system-aware environments (even in the OR).

They explore consent as a moment-to-moment practice in both medical and intimate settings, and how many people—especially high-functioning professionals—can go quiet or freeze when it comes to their own bodies. Jen also shares how writing Consent became a profound healing journey and reclamation of voice.

Inside the conversation:

• What “body authority” looks like in pregnancy, birth, and gynecologic care
• Why nervous system regulation matters for physiological labor
• How midwives and doulas protect autonomy inside hospital systems
• What OBGYNs are often undertrained in (pleasure, arousal, orgasm, sexual response)
• Why doctors may avoid recommending nonstandard modalities (liability + scope)
• Consent in medicine: asking, pausing, and re-centering choice at every step
• Healing after freeze: finding voice after years—or decades

Dr. Lang's Integrative Gynecological practice: jenniferlangmd.com

Learning to Reclaim Your Pleasure: rahichun.com/reclaimingyourpleasure

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