About me
I am Paola, an engineer, a scientist and writer focused on making female health more visible, more understandable, and less silent.
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For years, I worked as a computational biologist in leading research institutes across Germany and the Netherlands, modeling the spread of infectious diseases. But it wasn’t until I became pregnant — and especially in the postpartum months — that I came face-to-face with how little knowledge, support, and language there is for what women experience because of their biology.
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This blog was born from that realization. Through personal letters grounded in evidence, I explore the physical, emotional, and cultural realities of living in a female body. Each post connects lived experience with emerging, science-based technologies in menstrual, hormonal, and reproductive health.
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My goal is not only to inform women, but to help the next generation — especially men — develop the vocabulary and empathy to understand what half the population goes through.
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If you’ve ever thought “Why didn’t I know this before?”, this space is for you.​
My Story
I’ve always been passionate about health. At 19, I left my home country, Ecuador, to study Biomedical Engineering in Germany, driven by a deep curiosity about how the human body works—and how technology could help us understand it better. I went on to do a PhD in Computational Immunology in the Netherlands, where I explored the complex ways our immune system evolves as a response to disease. Later, during my postdoctoral work back in Germany, I focused on mosquito-transmitted diseases, like malaria and dengue, combining data and biology to tackle global health challenges.
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​But as I moved through labs, research centers, and academic milestones, something else began to surface. The more I learned about disease, the more I realized that some of the most overlooked and poorly understood aspects of health were not far away in tropical regions, but much closer to home—in the everyday experiences of women.
Including myself.​
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Motherhood changed everything. Raising two boys made me see just how critical it is to educate the next generation—not just girls, but boys, too—about the female body. I want my sons to grow up fluent in empathy and understanding. And I want the women in their lives to be seen, heard, and better supported.
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This space is where I bring together science, story, and lived experience. I share what I’ve learned—not just in labs, but in my own body and life—so that more of us can talk honestly about women’s health, and start reshaping how society understands it.
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For those interested in my academic background, you can find a detailed research profile here.
Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.