The Knowledge: Your guide to female health – from menstruation to the menopause

by Dr. Nighat Arif

An inclusive women's health guide from female GP, women's health specialist, broadcaster and advocate for underserved communities Dr Nighat Arif

THE ESSENTIAL WOMEN'S HEALTH BIBLE

Celebrated GP Dr Nighat Arif brings women's health to the forefront in this extensive guidebook designed to help everyone better understand each of the three key stages of a woman's the puberty years, the fertility years and the peri/menopausal years. Every step of the way, Dr Nighat will help you get to know the female body by explaining what is normal, what to expect, how to care for yourself and when to seek help. This book tackles many important from the help available for people with conditions like endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome to the symptoms of heart disease to look out for in women.

The Knowledge  is for everyone - and this book encompasses all experiences, including the perspectives of women of color, people of all abilities and cultures, and the transgender community to ensure that all groups affected by female health concerns are a part of vital conversations.

This is a life-saving book for all genders, ages and communities. From the young preteen hoping to understand their first period, to the couple experiencing fertility issues, to the single father raising teenage daughters, to the person unknowingly experiencing early signs of gynaecological this book is an indispensable asset for us all.

Genres: Health, Womens, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

Published September 12, 2023

Reviews

[Nouk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably a 3.5/5 stars

I love the focus on inclusivity, the book goes in depth on ethnic groups & lgbt+ experiences around female healthcare. I thought that was well done.

The layout and illustrations are nice, and make the book more readable. The text is written pretty simple and down-to-earth. There are a couple of typos and errors though.

It's a nice book to have with (what-should-be) basic information about menstruation & menopause. It focuses on the UK healthcare systems, so that's something to be aware of if you're (like me) outside the UK.

[Allia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eye-opening and practical, covering perimenopause, menopause, and sexual health in a way that feels inclusive and relevant to non-white communities. I loved the diverse illustrations, as I truly believe that representation really matters and has an impact (to young people especially). This book sets a great example for health education, and I hope to see more inclusive representation used in textbooks, books and other promotional content.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say this book is a must-own. There is so much information within which was not taught to me while I was at school & the stuff about the menopause was particularly enlightening. This book is also catered to everyone so there are passages aimed at trans people, passages aimed at Muslim, Asian, Afro-Caribbean people & others.

I’ve not come across Dr Arif before (I’m not someone that watches daytime television) but I found her tone factual & relatively easy to understand. Our doctor does seem to have some quite strong opinions which come out in places but this seems to be around getting people to advocate for themselves more so isn’t really a bother.

This isn’t the sort of book that you sit & read (though I did for the purposes of the review), instead it’s something you dip in & out of as necessary. I’m definitely thinking about getting it to keep on my shelf for future.

Thank you to the author, publishers & NetGalley for access to this arc in return for an honest review.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as part of a book club, and found it to be a really interesting read. I really appreciated how sensitively a lot of subjects were dealt with, and the inclusivity of the author- Dr Arif is intentionally inclusive of often marginalised people.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic resource, read it cover to cover as it is jam-packed with health advice. Was able to find information relating to my daughters periods, my own peri-menopause symptoms and solutions as well as advice to help an older female relative with their health/medical diagnosis.

[Kirsty Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every female should be given this book at school.

[Freya L · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

I think every household should have a copy of this.