Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

I would say this book is a must-read for all women of reproductive age. Even if it's not a textbook and doesn't pretend to give every piece of information on female anatomy - it would be difficult and the book is not meant to be read by doctors, anyways -, I found it extremely informative. It's a compassionate guide to reproductive health, especially for those of us (and I think most women have felt this way at some point) who have felt dismissed, gaslit or simply left confused by the medical system.

I think that the book is accessible to all women, no matter their level of knowledge or their personal experiences. And I loved that she used inclusive language and spoke about issues affecting everyone born with a uterus, no matter their gender.

Tang starts by dismantling the stereotype of "hysteria" and presents how reproductive health has evolved across centuries - a sad, unfair journey that is still far from having ended, given the pervasiveness of male-focused medicine even to this day. Issues such as endometriosis, PCOS, perimenopause are still often underdiagnosed or misunderstood, and many doctors still minimize women's pain and symptoms and treat them ineffectively. As a young girl who's been given oral contraceptives without any blood tests and who's taken years to find the right doctor to understand me and my symptoms, I felt validated.

I appreciated her clear, accessible explanations. She doesn’t just throw medical terms; she walks you through what’s actually going on in your body, and why it matters that you know, while also sharing real stories that show how frequently women and gender-diverse people are dismissed by the healthcare system. She also offers practical tips on how to talk to doctors, what symptoms to track, what tests to ask for.

Honestly, this book felt like a breath of fresh air. Karen Tang manages to explain so many things I wish I had known years ago about reproductive health, and she does it with clarity and zero judgment.