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Comedy and candour collide in Amy Veltman’s PSA: a funny, frank look at pelvic floor health

James Macfarlane James Macfarlane
14 Jul 2025

James Macfarlane chats to Amy Veltman about everything funny in "that department".

I’m endlessly grateful that my problems are related to the pelvic floor, which is related to pee and poop and sex, which are both innately funny and essential to our quality of life

Let’s start with the obvious: why pelvic floor health? What made you decide to turn such a personal and overlooked topic into a comedy show?

I chose to share a lot of my personal story because I didn’t know anyone else’s. The rough outline of my experience is this: for years, I’d had several amorphous midsection issues that were having a negative impact on my quality of life, but I had no idea what kind of doctor to consult or exactly what my question was, which was its own embarrassment. It turned out almost all of my problems were connected to the pelvic floor. What?? When I was prescribed physical therapy for my own pelvic floor, I thought I must be one of the few people in New York City who’d ever experienced such a thing.

What I learned in pelvic floor physical therapy astounded me. I was incredulous that, as a 55+-year-old woman, daughter of an obstetrician/gynecologist, and all-around curious person, there was so much useful information I didn’t know about our most basic bodily functions. My treatment improved my quality of life an unbelievable amount.

I wanted to spread the word, in the off-chance I wasn’t the only one with my set of problems, and started writing and performing little bits of what would become the show. The more I talked about my issues, the more people talked to me about their own. Ah, so I wasn’t some unique creature in my city of 8 million people!

Your observation that the topic is “overlooked” was a big attraction for me. Menopause is getting so much attention these days, but the poor pelvic floor often gets taken for granted, especially considering how much it does for all of us. I wanted to give the pelvic floor a moment in the sun.

Your show blends character work, music, multimedia and a ‘medically unsanctioned chart’. What can audiences expect from the experience?

Audiences should be prepared for some silliness. Also, while the show delves into the workings of the body, I’m not going for shock or gross-out. I try to take people through my own discoveries and reactions, along with my difficulty acknowledging and accepting them, let alone sharing them with anyone else, even my husband. And yet, everything I learned was so useful and funny, I had to share it with someone, so now we have a show.

You’ve performed PSA across the US, from San Diego to Off-Broadway in NYC. How does it feel to now bring the show to the Edinburgh Fringe?

For years, I’ve been Edinburgh Fringe-curious, but whenever I would go to an information session or hear about it from a friend, I would think, “That sounds a bit overwhelming for me!”

But then I made this show I’m proud of, which people have responded to by laughing and even occasionally seeking help for their own medical issues or feeling “liberated” by hearing someone talk about something they felt isolated experiencing. It’s also so much fun to perform this show; I’m finally sharing with others all the stuff that has made me a star in my own mind.

Lastly, not to bring down the vibe, but I’m 57 and a half, and I’m shifting into a more urgent now-or-never mode. My body can do this show. My kids are (mostly) out of the house. My brain can hold the whole thing. I was able to access the resources to perform here. I’m grateful that the window is open.

There’s a real push right now to destigmatise conversations about women’s health. Did you set out with a message in mind, or did the comedy lead the way?

A job I had was coming to a planned end, and people kept asking me what I was going to do with my “extra time.” It sounds corny, but I asked the universe (or whatever) to help me find a solution that would fit my two criteria: I wanted to do something that would have a positive impact, and I didn’t want to be bored. In response, the universe delivered some worsening issues, the means to address them, and the title PSA: Pelvic Service Announcement. I’m endlessly grateful that my problems are related to the pelvic floor, which is related to pee and poop and sex, which are both innately funny and essential to our quality of life.

I agree with your premise that women’s health is stigmatised, which leads to it being under-researched, under-funded, and under-taught. Some doctors (male and female) are dismissive of women’s experiences of pain and suffering, which leads to terrible outcomes. In the United States, these problems are much more acute for Black women.

Having said all that, I want to emphasise that pelvic floor health is a concern for men and women. As much as I wish it were otherwise, I believe the misconception that pelvic floor health is solely a women’s health issue makes it even more stigmatising for men to seek care when they have issues. Cynically, I wonder if we can get pelvic floor health to be seen as more of a men’s health issue, so we can get ample energy and funding to research and care for all of our pelvic floors!

As a comedian, podcast host, and mum, you mine a lot of material from everyday frustrations and bodily surprises. Where do you draw the line, if at all?

I definitely draw a line! I want to be that cool, chill girl who’s fine being outrageous and shocking, but I think my mom built in a white-gloved inhibitor. For example, as I was creating and then performing the show, several people wanted to know more about the impact of my pelvic floor problems on my sex life. Due to popular demand, I had to push myself to add a little more candour in that department, but not an excessive amount – as you can tell by my referring to it as “that department.”

James Macfarlane

James Macfarlane

Broadway Baby's Comedy Editor and Scotland Editor. In a previous life James did the same thing for ScotsGay. But we poached him.

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