As someone who was horribly ill while taking oral contraceptives for many years.. I'm grateful for this book.

The fact we are taught almost next to nothing about our bodies is appalling. I remember the entirety of the education I received in 5th grade. "Girls bleed. Use this." I am not exaggerating.

It is unsurprising that grown women don't understand their cycles or what certain contraceptive methods do to the body.

There are books you come to out of curiosity, and there are books you feel you *had* to read. This was definitely the second case. The moment I saw it, I knew it was for me, and it did not disappoint in the slightest.

Let's start with context, because I think it matters: endometriosis is one of those conditions that almost every woman knows about, not necessarily because she's experienced it herself, but because someone in her close circle has. A friend, a cousin, a mother, a coworker. And if there's one thing all those stories have in common, it's that the medical outcome is almost always the same: *here, take these birth control pills*. No real explanation. No exploration of alternatives. No genuine education about what that actually means for a woman's body.

And that is exactly where this book steps in, with a force that is, honestly, deeply refreshing.

What I value most about this read is that it doesn't stay on the surface. It doesn't just say "hormonal contraceptives have side effects" and leave it at that. It goes further: it explains clearly, accessibly, and honestly how hormones function in the female body, what happens when external hormonal disruption is introduced, and why it's so problematic that this disruption is simultaneously the standard and nearly only treatment offered for a condition as complex as endometriosis. That contradiction, which so many women have felt without being able to name it, is laid bare here with a clarity that feels both eye-opening and deeply frustrating, because you find yourself asking: why isn't this talked about more?

The answer, unfortunately, is misinformation. And not just the kind that circulates on social media or online forums, but the kind embedded within the medical and educational system itself. For decades, women have been expected to simply *endure* or *medicate* without truly understanding what they're taking or what it's doing to their bodies. Sex education, in many countries and contexts, remains disappointingly shallow, and when contraceptives are discussed in schools or doctor's offices, they are rarely addressed with the depth they deserve. This book attacks that gap head-on, and does so without condescension or fearmongering, which is a difficult balance to strike and one that is achieved remarkably well here.

One of the strongest points, and what I found absolutely brilliant, is the way hormones are explained. For those of us without a scientific background, the hormonal world can feel like an incomprehensible maze of technical terms and biological processes that are hard to visualize. This book demystifies all of it. It breaks down the cycle, estrogen, progesterone, androgens, and how that entire orchestrated system can be disrupted, in a way that anyone can understand without needing a medical degree. In a book about women's health, that's not a small thing: it's everything. Because information you can't understand is information you can't use, and here, everything lands with clarity.

I have always been passionate about sexual education. I genuinely believe that knowing our own bodies is a political act, one of self-care and autonomy. So when I came across this book, I immediately knew I had to read it, and I can say without hesitation that it exceeded my expectations. It didn't just give me new information; it helped me articulate things I had already sensed but didn't know how to put into words.

This is the kind of book you want to lend to your best friend, send to your sister, or leave on the waiting room table at a gynecologist's office. It is necessary, it is well-written, and it fills a void that has existed for far too long.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. It has been one of the most enriching reads I've had in a long time.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A personal story of discovery about how the hormonal chemicals of contraception interact with human bodies, and the biological consequences which it gives rise to. The author was ‘put on’ birth control in her late teens, but looking back now, she can see that she really did not understand the full implications which it would have for her body. This is the book which she wished she could have read at that time when birth control was first suggested to her.

The first half of the book focuses firmly upon birth control, while the second half looks at related issues like sleeping, diet, etc. In the first half each chapter is devoted to a specific hormone or group. Thus chapter 1 deals with estrogen, chapter 2 focuses on progesterone, and so on. The chapters explain the biological and chemical reactions specifically involved with fertility, but it they then go on to show how estrogen, progesterone (etc) have much wider roles in the human body, contributing to bone health and organ health, among many other fascinating implications. To some extent, fertility ends up being a relatively minor aspect of their role in the human body.

What emerges from the book is a picture of the complexity of the human body, and the over-simplification which is often involved in prescribing a powerful drug to deal with just the one (fertility) aspect of human lives, without having a holistic view of what else the medication is doing, and the cost to wider bodily health that it exacts.

The author ends the book by narrating how coming off birth control had a positive impact on her wider health. One of the issues left hanging in the background is whether, or to what extent, her experiences might be representative of more women? She writes well of what she has experienced, but it raises the question of how many other women are (probably?) experiencing the same kinds of adverse implications? She gives a few anecdotal examples as she writes, but it would have been interesting to hear if there are any formal research studies which can give a reliable indication of the potential scale of the issue.

One of the strengths of the book is that it presents a lot of information about hormones and their interactions with the human body, but it does it in a largely non-technical way. Each chapter provides footnotes to follow up points in the scholarly literature, but the chapters themselves are easy to read. This means that the book is accessible to readers from high school upwards, and no medical background knowledge is presupposed.

To make things clear. This book is NOT anti-birth control. It is pro informed decision making:

‘Too often, hormonal birth control is offered as a default solution with little explanation of how it works or what long-term effects it may have. Real choice means having access to the full picture-both benefits and risks-so that women can make thoughtful decisions that align with their health goals, not just symptom management.’

The above excerpt from the book says it all. It is a treasure trove of tips regarding hormones and how to balance them. There is a focus on stress management, nutrition, sleep and exercise.

I loved that chapters ended with a ‘Questions to Ask Your Doctor’ segment as well as a ‘Self-Reflection’ question. The handy info charts made the information easy to digest if the text itself got too overwhelming. A great read for women looking to be more informed about their bodies.