Those who need to, just scoot on to the next review, I know there is a low tolerance for TMI, See you later.
I love Mary Roach as an author, and this author, Jen Gunter, reminds me quite a bit of Ms.
Roach. There is not as much humor as Gulp, or Stiff or Bonk, but there is the same steady, down to earth doctor talk that is believable and mythbusting.
Jen Gunter is nononsense and as a doctor is just like you want her to be, Besides all the plain facts, she takes into account life as it is lived now notyears ago, and also shares her experience and preferences, the whys and wherefors after claiming them as such.
I appreciated her clear delineation between what is, what is preferred by some and what she personally prefers all are presented with the equal weight she doesn't espouse one right way.
On the other hand, when it comes to body health, best practices and medical remedies she is unequivocal,
She also has strong opinions about social shaping of feminine ideals by male priorities over the whole of human development.
This is a unique time in which we live one where women have been accorded more vocal power, more access to information and social flexibility to if not make change then at least have more intentional freedom in their choices about their bodies.
The Vagina Bible covers everything from soup to nuts all of it, I do recommend the audio version, narrated by the author, I enjoyed hearing her own particular emphasis, I usually listen "out loud" as I'm most often alone in my listening, But this, you'd probably want to listen with "ears" to preserve any blush factors and the ability to fast forward if she's talking about something you don't want to know more about.
Every woman should have a chance to consider on their own, this frank information, There
are answers to questions you never dared ask, or think about you'll be disabused of some of the stuff you've made up on your own or with the help of others who were also making stuff up.
You find out normal isn't necessary normal, and weird might just be very normal, I wish I could have given this book to my girls when they fledged, but it wasn't around, They are fully fledged now, and I'm still giving them the nudge to be brave and check this out,
If you are brave, and have one, this is the owner's manual for which we've all been looking,
perfectly PHd, My thanks to the author for putting it out there ha! pun intended, Highly recommended for any person who has ever had a vulva/vagina in either an anatomical or biblical sense, because Dr.
Gunter is inclusive, evidencebased, seemingly embarrassmentproof, and utterly unwilling to put up with any patriarchal or consumerist bullshit, She can also be funny, Not only does she tell you what has been proven, but she tells you how strong the research is, or what the limitations are, and what is under researched or just unknowable.
This is the obgyn everyone wishes they could ask for advice, and a book every generalinterest library should have, In the absence of comprehensive sex education in most public schools, having a copy around the house is a good idea.
Library copy ARC received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review,
Wow, I'm so glad I chose to read this book, It's phenomenal. It's a book where knowledge meets humor, So you can only imagine that this is a fun read that at the same time gives you much needed information about a woman's body, mostly about the vagina as well as the vulva.
I really enjoyed reading about the different functions each part has and also about the numerous trends, Some were really crazy and I for sure would not try them out but to each it's own, right What also helped with the reading were also the detailed sketches and the many details.
Since this book is written by a doctor that has worked as a gynecologist for twentyfour years and therefore has a lot of experience in this field, I would highly recommend to read this book.
And to be honest, this book is for everyone, Not just women. Anyone who wants to know more about this subject is not going to regret the decision to read this book, This is more a book that you read in fits and starts, rather than cover to cover, I read it cover to cover, And I learned a lot! I also got mad by how much misinformation and old wives' tales there are out there, and by how the female body has really been exploited by patriarchy.
I also learned that some women dry their vulvas with hair dryers, NOOOOOO! I screamed.
I also realized that I should probably boil my tweezers, or at the very least, clean them more often.
I like Jen Gunter's personable, nononsense, matter of a fact, science based approach, Her approach is friendly and factual, I wish she was my doctor,
This is a great book, and I hope a lot of people have a look at it, It's also nonheternormative except one part, and trans friendly, I'd never heard of Dr, Jen Gunter before, but since reading this book, I found out that she's got quite an online reputation and following as well as her own column in the NYT, and is a crusader against Gwyneth Paltrow's "health venture" Goop, who, among many other ethically questionable products at best ineffective, at worst potentially harmful, promotes sticking ajade egg up your vagina for "spiritual detox".
. . I can get behind anyone loudly advocating against that,
Dr. Gunter has a very simple "vagenda"to debunk old wives' tales and combat the misinformation women are confronted with, by providing a comprehensive guidebook of accurate, medically sound information, because only someone armed with factbased knowledge has the necessary tools to give informed consent when it comes to their health.
The Vagina Bible which covers the vulva and uterus as well is broken up in sections and chapters that cover everything from the most basic anatomy, maintenance and care, menstruation and menopause, as well as STIs and other medical conditions.
Each chapter is fairly short and snappy, full of good information and refutation of bad one, with the most important pieces of info summed up at the end of each with a handy list of bullet points.
Despite having almost thirty years of experience as an OB/GYN, Gunter has been a blogger and columnist for many years, and her writing is the opposite of clinical, but rather lively, engaging, and often quite funnymy favorite outofcontext quote is definitely "it's a vagina, not a piña colada".
The title and subject matter may give the mistaken impression that this book adheres to a sex binary, but Gunter often goes into how certain conditions can affect trans people transitioning from either sex, and I appreciated her making the effort to be inclusive of someone who probably has an even harder time acquiring the information they need.
As for myself, I thought that I had a fairly good idea about my own bits, but this book schooled me and definitely filled some gapsfor instance, I never questioned the what I now know to be a myth that peeing after sex decreases the chances of getting a UTI, because it seemed oddly plausible to me.
I also learned that having gotten my first period early in life won't mean that I'll go into menopause earlier, but the prolonged exposure to those hormones increases my risk of getting breast cancer down the linehow's that for a cheery thought
I've never thankfully, knock on wood suffered from any STD, yeast infection, UTI or anything of the sort and this book made me appreciate just how lucky that is, given the prevalence, so all of that was a wealth of new information for me, although I admit that the latter half of the book felt very UScentric, since Gunter goes into treatment options in detail, giving commercial names of medication and their recommended dosage for intervention.
Those chapters weren't as captivating to read because they were so packed with information I didn't have use for, but the right audience will surely appreciate it, and they're a good resource to have after a doctor's appointment if you have any lingering doubts about a diagnosis or prescription and are trying to decide whether you should get a second opinion.
For myself, I would've liked it if she'd gone more indepth about different types of hormonal birth controlI've switched to the minipill at the start of the year and have started questioning that choice, and there wasn't much on that to be found within these pages, and I missed a chapter on endometriosis, a condition I fear I may suffer from, and a fear every gynecologist I've seen about it has dismissed without any testing.
Some omissions that probably would've been well beyond the scope of the book aside, The Vagina Bible is basically a vulva and vagina encyclopaedia where medical knowledge and myth busting meet a good dose of humor, and I'd recommend it to anyone who has or used to have a vagina, and to anyone who loves someone with onemy own partner has expressed interest in reading this for his own education, and I'll gladly pass it on.
Note: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review, Wow!!
I'm, a mom, college educated, professional, and a mostly Internet savvy feminist, And I learned SO MUCH from this book! I have to recommend it to anyone and everyone who has a vagina.
I mean it, Everyone who has a vagina, including trans women and nonbinary folks, This book is written with diversity in mind and addresses numerous issues specific to these groups, In fact, once I got done reading I donated my copy to my local center for youth between the ages ofandwho are experiencing unsafe or unstable housing, many of whom are LGBTQ and likely have limited access to compassionate health care.
The best part about this book isn't the anatomy lessons or descriptions of STDs and their remedies, The best part is the incredible, timely MYTH BUSTING! What is commonly referred to as "old wives' tales" are a thing of the past.
Yes, they do persist, but nobody I know actually douches anymore, for example, We scoff at our mothers for having done so, What we have now is the casual misinformation of reputablelooking health topic websites like Livestrong, which generally show up on the first page of Google search results and tend to perpetuate many of the modern myths about vaginas that I actually believed.
Here are some bombs from this book:
Peeing after sex doesn't prevent UTIs,
Wearing only cotton panties doesn't prevent yeast infections,
Removing the hair from your labia can increase your risk of contracting STDs,
That whole Chris Pratt meme about pooing and that frustrating "wiping a marker" sensation You don't need to wipe that hard.
The harder you wipe, the more poop comes out, You should basically be blotting down there,
Marijuana and alcohol make you physically worse at sex, Men, too. But since so much of arousal is about lowering inhibitions and feeling relaxed, they might help anyway,
These are juuuuuuuuuuuuust a few examples of the amazing revelations this book has to offer, Seriously, if you have a vag, check out this book, Then pass it on to someone else who has a vag,
Edit: I just deleted a really disgusting transphobic comment, Please don't bother commenting on my review if you're going to be blatantly insulting to the almostmillion transgender people in the US.
If you're trans, please know that you deserve skilled, compassionate medical care that respects your health and wholeness, .