nicwarzek's review against another edition
1.0
I’ll get to this review later but 10/10 do not recommend
oddly's review against another edition
3.0
This book is a thorough examination of the hormonal journey women experience throughout their lives from their first period to having babies to menopause, along with issues they experience along the way and how cultural perception continues to adversely affect women who need help understanding what’s going on in their bodies.
I found it an interesting read, though I didn’t feel that it offered up anything truly revolutionary. There is so much to be learned and researched on this subject! Sometimes the book went into great detail about certain scientific aspects—such as the menstrual cycle and how it works—and sometimes it offered more of a general overview.
Morgan talks a lot about her own personal journey: why she became interested in this field of study, all the issues she has experienced, how many doctors never really listened to her or ended up misdiagnosing her. So, parts of the book are heavily influenced by the journey she’s taken in uncovering information to help her.
Should women be defined by their hormonal cycles? In the end, I say no. But more consideration should be given to why and how that cycle can affect mental and physical health. This book is definitely worthy of reading, just to arm yourself with more knowledge about how your body works.
I found it an interesting read, though I didn’t feel that it offered up anything truly revolutionary. There is so much to be learned and researched on this subject! Sometimes the book went into great detail about certain scientific aspects—such as the menstrual cycle and how it works—and sometimes it offered more of a general overview.
Morgan talks a lot about her own personal journey: why she became interested in this field of study, all the issues she has experienced, how many doctors never really listened to her or ended up misdiagnosing her. So, parts of the book are heavily influenced by the journey she’s taken in uncovering information to help her.
Should women be defined by their hormonal cycles? In the end, I say no. But more consideration should be given to why and how that cycle can affect mental and physical health. This book is definitely worthy of reading, just to arm yourself with more knowledge about how your body works.
bitinglime's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to this as an audiobook, which was read by the author herself.
Not sure how I feel about this one. I knew about alot of what was in here, and wasn't at all surprised by how little women's health is taken seriously. The author does talk a lot about her own health and struggles within the health system and I'm more inclined to put this in the memoir genre for it if it weren't for the subject matter. I think hearing about her health struggle is important because not all women's health struggle is the same, but in a way I think she is lucky. Not because of her health issues, but because it seemed like a lot of her doctors were men and they actually tried helping her. I never have luck with male doctors even listening to me at all and was actually turned away at my last encounter for intense ovary pain on my right side, the doctor saying it was normal to feel "cramps" during menstruation. I've been menstruating for 2/3rds of my life at 30, I know if a cramp doesn't feel right. A month later a female doctor actually took the time to look me over and discovered I have fibroids on that side.
While the title says, "Why We Need to Talk About Women, Hormones, and Mental Health," I feel like everything was barely brushed upon. Like, yes, those things were covered, but nothing really significant stood out to me. Whenever I read books like these, I always question how the author thinks we can move forward, but unfortunately there wasn't much she was suggesting. I would love to know how to talk to my doctors to make sure they listen to me. Or how to make sure drug companies aren't just making sure their medicine works for men and completely disregarding women's reactions or side-effects. I can't take medication for my mental health because of the side-effects.
The one thing I was surprised to hear about was PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder). I have done my own research on PMDD in the past, looking for answers about my own menstrual health. Very little is known or said about it, so I thought it would be interesting to hear her take, but I was again running into the problem of already knowing what she was saying.
Would I recommend this book? Actually, yes. I don't think this book is bad by any means, and in fact it may help a lot of women. It just didn't have what I wanted out of it. I do a lot of my own research on things like this, so it wasn't really for someone like me, but I will say it is nice to have a lot of that information in one place.
Not sure how I feel about this one. I knew about alot of what was in here, and wasn't at all surprised by how little women's health is taken seriously. The author does talk a lot about her own health and struggles within the health system and I'm more inclined to put this in the memoir genre for it if it weren't for the subject matter. I think hearing about her health struggle is important because not all women's health struggle is the same, but in a way I think she is lucky. Not because of her health issues, but because it seemed like a lot of her doctors were men and they actually tried helping her. I never have luck with male doctors even listening to me at all and was actually turned away at my last encounter for intense ovary pain on my right side, the doctor saying it was normal to feel "cramps" during menstruation. I've been menstruating for 2/3rds of my life at 30, I know if a cramp doesn't feel right. A month later a female doctor actually took the time to look me over and discovered I have fibroids on that side.
While the title says, "Why We Need to Talk About Women, Hormones, and Mental Health," I feel like everything was barely brushed upon. Like, yes, those things were covered, but nothing really significant stood out to me. Whenever I read books like these, I always question how the author thinks we can move forward, but unfortunately there wasn't much she was suggesting. I would love to know how to talk to my doctors to make sure they listen to me. Or how to make sure drug companies aren't just making sure their medicine works for men and completely disregarding women's reactions or side-effects. I can't take medication for my mental health because of the side-effects.
The one thing I was surprised to hear about was PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder). I have done my own research on PMDD in the past, looking for answers about my own menstrual health. Very little is known or said about it, so I thought it would be interesting to hear her take, but I was again running into the problem of already knowing what she was saying.
Would I recommend this book? Actually, yes. I don't think this book is bad by any means, and in fact it may help a lot of women. It just didn't have what I wanted out of it. I do a lot of my own research on things like this, so it wasn't really for someone like me, but I will say it is nice to have a lot of that information in one place.
melannrosenthal's review
4.0
I'm always looking for more books like this where the author presents an account of her own experience alongside specific scientific data showing how she was mistreated by doctors or in a greater sense, society as a whole, and pointing out how we can be better moving forward, believing women and people with uteruses about the truth of their pain and mental health.
hannahslittlenook's review
5.0
This book is my top social science book for the year hands down. As a female, I can relate to the author who talks about her own struggles with doctors, pain, expenses, and PMS. Women are not taken seriously when they have pain and it almost cost her her life. This book fired me up and taught me a lot that I did not know about the human body, seeming as I'm a female and wasn't taught the majority of this..I was shocked. Highly recommend reading this book, if for nothing more than a glance into a world you might not have to deal with daily.
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