This book explores how the birth control pill transforms women's bodies, revealing profound physiological effects on stress, autoimmune disorders, and mate selection. Review: Essential reading - fascinating and terrifying - I've been wanting a reliable book to help me better understand hormonal contraception for a while now. Most of the books available are alarmist or non scientific or approach the subject with a strong anti-pill perspective. This is exactly what I'd been looking for. It's got enough anecdotes to make it relatable, the author gives a very balanced view and certainly doesn't insist you decide one way or another. What I particularly liked was the pure speculation was labelled as such, and where the data came from (humans, animals, social anecdotes, etc etc) was clearly presented. There are still a lot of unknowns, and this book doesn't shy away from that. But what we do know suggests that this is essential reading - we can't rely on overstretched doctors to prescribe us the correct pill for us. This book arms you with the knowledge to talk about the pill to your doctor and to understand what you're looking out for in terms of undesirable effects that you might want to minimise. This is absolutely essential reading for anyone with a teenage daughter. And important for any menstruating person. Honestly, I can't recommend it highly enough. You won't agree with every statement or speculation, and not every fact will be relevant to you. Are we more than the sum of our hormones? I would say yes, but I see why this is a useful prism to consider our behaviour through, and there's good evidence. There are so many things in this book that blew me away. I had no idea. The cortisol effect of the pill is the biggest for me. (I knew about partner selection etc, and I'd heard about depression rates), but that cortisol effect is not well known. Really. Buy it. Read it. You will find it fascinating and useful. Pass it on to your female friends. This needs to be much better known. Review: Not a buzzline- an actual MUST read for all birth control takers - The pill really does change everything. I finished this book somewhat shocked, that I had been ignorant of this information before. All medication should be agreed to based on an 'informed choice' - but doctors have left us completely uninformed of all the potential effects to our bodies, as this information is not made readily available, in lamens terms, for the average (non-scientific) pill user... Until Dr Sarah E. Hill ! I am so grateful this research is in one easily readable, entertaining, and condensed format. We're spoken to with both understanding, and respect, regarding the issues with the pill (unlike my own personal experience on the pill.. with a flippant "yeah that can happen" response from doctors after problems have arised). This book thoroughly explains why the effects are happening physiologically, and entertainingly. There is a full explanation of how the female reproductive organs work at the start - which again, education that should be provided to all women, but is seemingly lacking in schools. Then it moves on to the evolutionary and hormonal influences which have influenced why our bodies do this and that.. even without the topic of the pill, this book has been a great learning resource for me on all things female. Onto the pill- there is extensive information on the different types of pills, the different generations and modifications of the hormones (and what they do/do differently), and how and why they work. Again- this is basic medication information that should be provided by health providers, but instead you will read most of it for the first time here (can you tell a hint of annoyance that I seriously didn't know this stuff? There is a chapter at the end that addresses this). Like a lot of scientific research on females (you will come to find out), the research of the adverse psychological and hormonal impacts of the pill are still in the elementary stages- and Dr Sarah is very transparent about this, informing us of any shortfalls and limitations to the research cited. The point still remains - there is a statistically significant chance. There just hasn't been sufficient research- the focus has been on the safety of the pill ("as it should be" comments Dr Sarah), but this book opens our eyes to this under-researched, and highly important/impactful area. This book is not anti-pill at all, it is pro-informed choices, and Dr Sarah Hill has provided a service to all birth control takers by writing this book so we can all make an informed decision. Exploring the impacts of the pill on our personality, behaviour, hormones, and even mens reaction to us. If I have a daughter, I will absolutely request she reads this book, and I have informed my closest friends the same. The letter to my daughter section at the end was lovely, and hopeful. Thank you Dr Sarah!
| Customer reviews | 4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,276) |
| Dimensions | 15.2 x 2.6 x 23.2 cm |
| Edition | 1st |
| ISBN-10 | 1409178838 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1409178835 |
| Item weight | 396 g |
| Language | English |
| Print length | 320 pages |
| Publication date | 10 Oct. 2019 |
| Publisher | Orion Spring |
A**R
Essential reading - fascinating and terrifying
I've been wanting a reliable book to help me better understand hormonal contraception for a while now. Most of the books available are alarmist or non scientific or approach the subject with a strong anti-pill perspective. This is exactly what I'd been looking for. It's got enough anecdotes to make it relatable, the author gives a very balanced view and certainly doesn't insist you decide one way or another. What I particularly liked was the pure speculation was labelled as such, and where the data came from (humans, animals, social anecdotes, etc etc) was clearly presented. There are still a lot of unknowns, and this book doesn't shy away from that. But what we do know suggests that this is essential reading - we can't rely on overstretched doctors to prescribe us the correct pill for us. This book arms you with the knowledge to talk about the pill to your doctor and to understand what you're looking out for in terms of undesirable effects that you might want to minimise. This is absolutely essential reading for anyone with a teenage daughter. And important for any menstruating person. Honestly, I can't recommend it highly enough. You won't agree with every statement or speculation, and not every fact will be relevant to you. Are we more than the sum of our hormones? I would say yes, but I see why this is a useful prism to consider our behaviour through, and there's good evidence. There are so many things in this book that blew me away. I had no idea. The cortisol effect of the pill is the biggest for me. (I knew about partner selection etc, and I'd heard about depression rates), but that cortisol effect is not well known. Really. Buy it. Read it. You will find it fascinating and useful. Pass it on to your female friends. This needs to be much better known.
S**R
Not a buzzline- an actual MUST read for all birth control takers
The pill really does change everything. I finished this book somewhat shocked, that I had been ignorant of this information before. All medication should be agreed to based on an 'informed choice' - but doctors have left us completely uninformed of all the potential effects to our bodies, as this information is not made readily available, in lamens terms, for the average (non-scientific) pill user... Until Dr Sarah E. Hill ! I am so grateful this research is in one easily readable, entertaining, and condensed format. We're spoken to with both understanding, and respect, regarding the issues with the pill (unlike my own personal experience on the pill.. with a flippant "yeah that can happen" response from doctors after problems have arised). This book thoroughly explains why the effects are happening physiologically, and entertainingly. There is a full explanation of how the female reproductive organs work at the start - which again, education that should be provided to all women, but is seemingly lacking in schools. Then it moves on to the evolutionary and hormonal influences which have influenced why our bodies do this and that.. even without the topic of the pill, this book has been a great learning resource for me on all things female. Onto the pill- there is extensive information on the different types of pills, the different generations and modifications of the hormones (and what they do/do differently), and how and why they work. Again- this is basic medication information that should be provided by health providers, but instead you will read most of it for the first time here (can you tell a hint of annoyance that I seriously didn't know this stuff? There is a chapter at the end that addresses this). Like a lot of scientific research on females (you will come to find out), the research of the adverse psychological and hormonal impacts of the pill are still in the elementary stages- and Dr Sarah is very transparent about this, informing us of any shortfalls and limitations to the research cited. The point still remains - there is a statistically significant chance. There just hasn't been sufficient research- the focus has been on the safety of the pill ("as it should be" comments Dr Sarah), but this book opens our eyes to this under-researched, and highly important/impactful area. This book is not anti-pill at all, it is pro-informed choices, and Dr Sarah Hill has provided a service to all birth control takers by writing this book so we can all make an informed decision. Exploring the impacts of the pill on our personality, behaviour, hormones, and even mens reaction to us. If I have a daughter, I will absolutely request she reads this book, and I have informed my closest friends the same. The letter to my daughter section at the end was lovely, and hopeful. Thank you Dr Sarah!
S**Y
Very interesting
Very interesting book! Would recommend to all women!
A**R
Would recommend
Great book! Very informative
F**K
Excellent and well informed
Amazing book, absolutely brilliant. Could explain to me better what was going on with my hormones than my GPs. Gave me the confidence in my body settling after hormonal birth control prior to trying to concieve.
M**O
I put the book down many times because I was afraid of the discussion I will have to have with myself afterwards. But I finished it and I am absolutely satisfied that I got till the end. I felt that I was being describied in every page, knowing that other women go through the same guilty feelings about their sex lives after the pill was just... enlightening. Thank you, Sarah, for addressing the elephant in the room and let's keep talking about it.
M**N
si
D**N
J’ai lu ce livre et wow rien a redire, j’ai énormément appris sur la pilule et j’ai beaucoup aimé que l’auteure n’incite pas les lecteurs dans une direction ou une autre.
C**E
Un libro que toda mujer debería leer! Me encantó como abordó el tema la autora. Fue muy interesante leerlo. Me gustó mucho.
H**G
I like everything, I don't have dislike, everything good.
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