Vagina Problems

Lara Parker basically said every thought that a woman with chronic illness feels on a regular basis. I have Endometriosis,  Rheumatoid Arthritis,  neuropathy, migraines and a few other issues and the pain can be unbelievable. Lara describes her vagina problems with unwavering realness.  She divulged the many ways in which vagina problems interfere and consume her days and nights and all aspects of her life. Lara describes the struggle and fight that many chronic pain sufferers face with their doctors and actually getting them to acknowledge that the pain exists to begin with and is not a Fabrication of imagination.  Thank you Lara for sharing your story. Many thanks to you for advocating and raising awareness of vagina problems.  Hugs 💜

As a fellow sufferer of Vagina Problems, I want to give this book to everyone I know.  I had to put the book down a few times and just marvel at its truthfulness. This book resonates and moves and educates and heals.  A five star must read.

ta•boo: prohibited or restricted by social custom.

Vagina Problems by Lara Parker brings light to SO MANY taboo topics having to do with women’s bodies, their vagina specifically. Society has decided for us that talking about sex and vaginas and the health of our vaginas is off the table. Parker touches on the problem with our healthcare system and how they've failed women's health. She discusses the nitty-gritty details about how vaginal pain causes both physical and mental discomfort for so many women, which in turn keeps them from enjoying the sexual and physical pleasures they have the right to. Lara Parker shares her own story of physical and mental pain relating to endometriosis and a plethora of other diagnoses. A MUST READ for anyone going through the same, but especially a must read for those who squirm at the mention of the word “vagina" or "periods." 

Review: This book contains all of the honesty and raw truth behind struggling with pain and issues with sex that we all deserve to hear while creating such a comfortable space to talk about these issues. I found myself laughing along with Parker’s inner monologue throughout the entire book while really holding onto the seriousness of these issues. I especially loved the honesty about self-blame when dealing with the pain of Vagina Problems. The relatability of this beautiful work is what will certainly make Parker's book successful. 

We shouldn’t have to praise Parker for being “brave enough” to discuss her issues, but should instead read this book and open our damn eyes to how many people resonate with this problem. There were times when I felt parts of the book were repetitive, but thoroughly enjoyed the book so much that I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend it to everyone, ESPECIALLY those of you who can't seem to talk of “vagina.” 

An “A read” from me.

When life for the entire universe and planet turns on its end and like everyone else you "have nothing to do" while your place of work is closed and you are in #COVID19 #socialisolation,  superspeed readers like me can read 250+ pages/hour, so yes, I have read the book … and many more today. (I have played a zillion games of scrabble, done a zillion crosswords and I AM BORED!!!)

I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review.  

From the publisher, as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸.

Shrill meets Everything Below the Waist in this raw and sharply-funny account of Lara Parker's experience of endometriosis from diagnosis, to dating without sex, to work-life balance and more

When Lara Parker first started experiencing what she calls her Vagina Problems, she was just 14 years old. She hurt everywhere, but especially in her abdomen and vagina. The pain was constant, and worse around her period. But if she’d learned anything about periods before she even started her own, it was that you didn't talk about that shit.

So she mostly just tried to ignore it, even as her period made her throw up, pass out, miss school, and wrecked an entire week of her life every month. She convinced herself that everyone must be feeling what she was feeling, but that they were just better at hiding it. When she finally brought it up to her doctor, the doctor brushed it off and made her feel stupid. “Periods are supposed to hurt,” she said. This was only the beginning of Lara’s seven-year journey to find out what was going on in her body. It took multiple doctors, thousands of dollars, and a refusal to take no for an answer for her to finally have some sort of understanding of what was causing her so much pain.

Now Lara is ready to take an honest, funny, relatable, and raw look at how Vagina Problems have affected every single part of her life. From fighting to get a diagnosis, to maintaining relationships through illness and depression, to working a full-time job with chronic pain, to navigating the dating scene when she can’t have sex—this book will have it all. Lara acts as a guide, a confidant, a friend, an outlet, and a support system to anyone who has ever gone through Vagina Problem

WHERE WAS THIS BOOK WHEN I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ENDOMETRIOSIS????  (RANT DONE...) I sat down and inhaled this book - I have been there, done that and bought the postcard. In the words of the author, people need to talk about this shit, and the shit in this book is worth talking about. Half of the world ha vaginas and no one wants to take about them - this book is a great start and should be around for every girl in your life. What an AWESOME BOOK!!!!

As always, I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I love emojis (outside of their incessant use by "🙏-ed Social Influencer Millennials/#BachelorNation survivors/Tik-Tok and YouTube  Millionaires/etc. " on Instagram and Twitter... Get a real job, people!) so let's give it 🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was well-written and wonderfully explained chronic pain associated with vagina problems. I especially enjoyed the humor incorporated throughout and the call for more research into these diseases.

As a educator who as spent twenty-four years in a classroom, and another fifteen years as a School Library Media Specialist, I have encountered many young women who suffered from painful periods, chronic pain, and a lack of understanding from the medical community.  One of my students was told at the age of sixteen that she needed to think about having a hysterectomy to relieve her pain and symptoms.  Another student had to stop attending school and finish her school work online to be able to graduate because she was in too much pain to attend classes.  Can you imagine having to make such a life-altering decision at such a young age?

Vagina Problems by Lara Parker brings to light the issues that women with chronic pain experience every single day of their lives.  When the topic of endometriosis comes up in general conversation with those involved in the medical community, I am amazed at the lack of information that is in medical textbooks and within the medical community.  This book addresses the lack of knowledge that the medical community has about this disease and other diseases that affect women.  The lack of knowledge is terrifying.

While I read this book, I kept thinking how we as a society have really failed not only young women, but all women in general.  I am thankful that the author has the bravery to put herself out there so others can see they are not alone in their pain and isolation.  The book really addresses the fears, isolation, and depression that so often occurs with those who suffer from chronic pain. 

While the book discusses a serious crack in our medical system and society, there are still some light moments, and most importantly, the book offers hope for those in need. In essence, any young woman who suffers from chronic pain, medical professionals, and really, the general public could benefit from reading the author’s story.  Even if one doesn’t suffer from chronic pain, it is very important that we as a society learn how to help those around us who do. We all could all stand a good dose of empathy.

really what I needed to read at exactly the right time in my life, have been highly recommending not only in store but to all my friends and female family members, such an important subject that often gets ignored, so glad to have been kindly a copy of this book, thank you!!

As someone with a recent diagnosis of endometriosis, dysmenorrhea, pelvic floor dysfunction, and dyspareunia but a sufferer for 15 years, this book hit so close to home. I want everyone around me to have a copy so they can understand what it is I go through. I shared so many of the same struggles as Lara and like she said, this diagnosis can be so isolating. Lara is breaking down that “shh, you can’t talk about!” barrier and gosh, it felt good. I can’t recommend this book enough. Whether you’re a warrior or Endometriosis, Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, Vulvar Vestibulitis, Interstitial Cystitis, Dyspareunia, Premenstrual dysphoric disorder, Adenomyosis. Dysmenorrhea, Ovarian Cysts, and Fibrocystic breasts, or you know someone who is, please read this book to better understand yourself or the people you love!!

Wow. This book gave me ALL the feels. Vagina Problems by Lara Parker is such an important and timely book about what life is like living with chronic pain as a result of endometriosis, pelvic floor dysfunction, vulvar vestibulitis, vaginismus, and vulvodynia combined. Candid, raw and real, Vagina Problems starts the much needed conversation about various taboo female topics that can no longer be ignored. 

I applaud Lara for using her platform to be so open and vulnerable about the topic of vagina problems and share all of the painful depths of her experience in such great detail. As a reader, it is excruciatingly hard to not take her pain and concerns seriously but Lara speaks some serious facts when she says that women are told that most of their issues or pains are associated with “really bad period cramps” or something psychological going on, and are written off many times before anything is even looked into. Not only is it heart wrenching to learn that one in ten women have endometriosis and that it takes an average of seven years to receive an accurate diagnosis, but that there is no cure or reliable method of long term relief from the chronic pain associated with endometriosis. This is not okay and we need to keep these uncomfortable conversations going if we want to see changes with how these concerns are handled in the medical community and find a reliable cure or treatment method for these disorders.

What I especially love about this book is that Lara doesn’t just describe to us in necessary painstaking detail about her day-to-day life living in chronic pain from endometriosis, she also describes her experiences with vaginal physical therapy (I had no idea this was a thing!), dating as a straight woman without being able to have penetrative sex and the depression and anxiety of feeling unloved. When she discusses her experiences in all of these areas, not only is her pain clear as day, but so is her sense of humor, strength to live her best life, and hope and determination for change and answers.

I want to mention again how important this book is. While there are parts of the book that seem repetitive, I was honestly glued to this book and finished it in one sitting. Whether or not you have experienced any vagina issues yourself, or know of anyone who has been diagnosed with endometriosis or any other vaginal disorders, I highly encourage all women to read this necessary book, hitting bookshelves on October 6th! Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this gifted eARC in exchange for my honest review 💛

Wow. Am I ever thankful that I don't have vagina problems. I very much rather live with my few kill-me-now migraines a month, than the constant pain and torture that Parker lives with.
I can't express how impressed I am with Lara Parker and her willingness to put everything out there in the hopes of getting people to talk about topics that are still considered taboo by many. I can't believe how dismissive medical professionals were of her pain, but I can also totally believe that because I've also been dismissed as a hysterical woman when I was in very real pain.
I really hope that Parker's honest memoir is something that helps people open up about what is often dismissed as "female problems" and not given the attention it deserves. Yes, they're not exactly easy topics talk about, but they're also things that affect half the world's population. Let's open up and talk through the uncomfortable to get to the understanding that we need. 

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the chance to read it early.

An honest reflection on the author's journey through years of horrific pain, finally diagnosed, initial relief, and crashing reality as she grapples with several compounding "unfixable" chronic pain conditions. Her obsession with attempted prevention rang very true to my own after my initial Vagina Problem diagnosis. Parker weaves in hopeful and earnest prose without getting Pollyanna or despondent. Reading about her reworking of relationship and sexual expectations helped me release some unhelpful expectations of my own. But even if you have not experienced pelvic pain, this book offers key insight to the daily impact chronic pain in general can have on a person. I feel more empathetic toward myself and my friends with health complications. It's a quick read too, with conversational language. Definitely worth the read even if you don't personally relate.

Yes, Yes and more yes! This book is so relevant, and a topic that is taboo and not often enough talked about. From the first chapter I was intrigued. The author is honest, raw, and and informative...and the reader immediately empathizes with her story. I was shocked! Absolutely loved this one,.