Blood: The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation

by Jen Gunter

Dr. Jen Gunter fights myths and fear-mongering with real science, inclusive facts, and shame-free advice on the topic that impacts more than 72 million Americans every month: menstruation.

Most women, transgender, and non-binary people who menstruate can expect to have hundreds of periods in a lifetime. So why is real information so hard to find? Despite the significance of menstruation, most education focuses on either increasing the chances of pregnancy or preventing it. Those who menstruate deserve to know more about their bodies than just what happens in service to reproduction. At a time when charlatans, politicians, and social media are succeeding in propagating damaging disinformation with real and devastating consequences, Dr. Gunter provides the antidote with science, myth busting, and no-nonsense facts.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Feminism, Health, Audiobook, Medicine, Womens

462 pages, Paperback

First published January 23, 2024

Reviews

[Nataliya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let’s get it right from the start — menstruation has nothing to do with any sort of “feminine mystique.” It’s not to be glorified or vilified — but it should be understood and dealt with if it impacts people’s lives.
———
Menstruation is the fact of life for most of us who have uteruses and fall in the certain age category. And it’s fascinating and sometimes horrifying how much significance this fact of life has had in the societal consciousness through the recorded lifespan of humanity. Menstruation was - and are still now, somehow - viewed along extremes that range anywhere from making a woman clean, evil or unclean to being the mystical magical vents that keep women in touch with Mother Nature (and a fact that even in my cynicism did not know - the belief that ”menstrual blood can be used as a face mask to treat acne because it has stem cells and special “healing” chemicals”).

Girls are taught - and then continue to believe it as adult women - that suffering is ok, and that at all costs we should avoid the EvilHormones (TM) that god forbid may bring relief from the cycles and -anathema to many of those who’d prefer to keep women in check - prevent pregnancy and forced birth.

Dr. Jen Gunter doesn’t appear to tolerate such foolishness. “I find it unacceptable that people aren’t given vital information about how the body works,” she states, and works on dispelling the myths and misinformation by providing 400-plus pages of no-nonsense well-researched and credible medical information written very informatively and yet very accessibly, but while not cutting any slack for those who spread misinformation, be it influencers or politicians or those who benefit from selling supplements using misleading and often blatantly wrong claims.

“Unfortunately, some corners of the Internet that promote what I call Big Natural Menstruation—sites that are often inhabited by naturopaths, period coaches, and others who sell unregulated supplements to fix “broken” periods—have corrupted the messaging about menstruation as a vital sign into a false narrative that you can’t possibly know how healthy you are if you are taking hormonal contraception and not having what I can only describe as a RealPeriod(TM).”
———
“It’s always amazing to me how the people who fearmonger about modern medicine negatively affecting the menstrual cycle are usually promoting some type of unstudied supplement or botanical.”

Dr. Jen Gunter doesn’t appear to be the one who bought into the mystic nonsense of magical power of menstrual cycle. She doesn’t sugarcoat her message, delivering medical facts in the straightforward approach without talking down to the reader or talking over the reader’s head and promotes the common sense idea that people who are well-informed about their bodies and why’s and how’s of its works can make truly informed decisions about what’s best for them without reliance on sensationalism, mysticism or profitable untruths. She does not believe in infantilizing women.

“When these people say “You can only properly track your health if you don’t take the pill,” I hear “We’re totally okay if you get endometrial cancer as a result of your irregular ovulation and lack of progesterone” or “It’s fine that you suffer from terrible cramps once a cycle” or “If you get pregnant, it’s your own fault.”
————
“It’s true, in ancient medicine vaginal steaming was used as a therapy . . . by practitioners who thought the uterus wandered around the body. If you accept vaginal steaming, you must also accept the belief system on which it is based, including some less-Instagram-friendly recipes. Think a disemboweled puppy stuffed with herbs and then burned for its smoke to fumigate the uterus.”
————
“Providing disinformation about contraception is not feminism; it is misogyny.”

Think of this book as an incredibly approachable popular medicine (by analogy with “popular science”) that is actually written by a very well-informed and experienced specialist in her field with real information. It’s not really an easy reading (unless you happen to be a gynecologist) but it’s worth reading it and processing the actual information (and not doing what I did and venturing over to Gyno Etsy, although Tammy the Tampon crocheted doll may at some point somehow end up on my bookshelf 😅).

5 stars and a sincere recommendation to read this book. I will be checking out Dr. Gunter’s other books soon because if this one is anything to go by, they will be worth it.

“Condoms are a barrier method of contraception, meaning they block sperm. They appear in Greek mythology in the story of King Minos (son of Zeus, and the king of Crete), who apparently ejaculated “serpents and scorpions,” which sounds terribly painful for Minos and was apparently so potent that it killed several of his mistresses. The answer was an animal gallbladder or bladder that went in his wife’s vagina or on the scorpion-spewing penis itself, depending on the version of the story.”

Those Ancient Greeks and their “adorable” wandering uterus ideas, and now this. I swear…
————

——————

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books, Citadel for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

——————

Also posted on my blog.

[Jenna ❤ ❀ ❤ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was twelve years old when I got my first period. I was at my grandmother's and the toilet was in a tiny closet, added recently to a house that initially had none.

It was somewhat dark in there. I think there might have been a dim lightbulb on the ceiling, the kind where the string hangs down and you pull it, to turn it off and on. 

I noticed a weird pain in the bottom of my tummy and "down there". I wiped and, perhaps due to the pain, looked at the toilet paper.

There was something dark. I opened the door a crack to see better. It was blood.

I panicked. I thought I was dying. How could there be blood when I peed?? (Naive as I was, I thought there were only two orifices, not realizing I had a vagina.)

I was humiliated to tell my grandmother but didn't know what else to do. To my surprise, she laughed. I knew she didn't like me but it still shocked me. I might be dying and she's laughing?

She said to go ask my older sister about it, which I did. She confided that she bled there too and that it's normal. 

When we got home, she got out the encyclopedia she'd turned to when she had gotten her first period a year ago. She was too embarrassed to tell our mother and never did, simply stealing pads, lining them with paper towels so they'd last longer. 

I don't recall ever telling our mother either, though at some point she must have realized we were taking her pads. We were too embarrassed and I'm sure she was too. Too embarrassed to talk, mother and daughters, about this thing called menstruation. 

Young people today hopefully are more informed when it comes to their periods. Unfortunately, there's more disinformation than information, so while they might not think they're dying, they still don't know the facts.

Books like this are necessary to dispel the myths that come with all things vagina-related, and to provide basic education that many of us never received. 

As the author notes, "Feminism demands bodily autonomy, and that can be achieved only with facts. You cannot make an empowering decision about your health when the information you have been given is false. Lying about the body is a hallmark of the patriarchy".

Dr. Jen Gunter writes very engagingly and wittily, which made it all the more fun to learn.  A few facts that were new to me (despite being near menopause):

•There's such a thing as menstrual diarrhea. I'm fortunate I had no idea about it though about 12% of people who menstruate have it.

•Less than 2% of animals menstruate: "Humans, most other primates, a few species of bats, the elephant shrew, and the spiny mouse." (You may have noticed your dog bleed if she's not neutered, but that's estrus, not menstruation.)

•Nature thrives on abortions - "only 20 to 30 percent of conceptions result in a live birth". 

•The human body produces three types of estrogen, not one.

•All eggs (primordial follicles) are made by a fetal age of 20 weeks. There are 6-7 million of them but by birth only about 1 million remain. "By the first menstrual cycle about three to five hundred thousand" are left. Menopause happens when only about 1,000 are left.

There was much more that I learned - this book is a wealth of information. I was a little bored by all the information about contraceptives, my choice of partner also being a cisgender female and thus no chance in hell getting me pregnant.

That's 100% birth control, my friends. I'd like to see the abstinence only crowd encouraging homosexuality to keep teens from getting pregnant.

Yeh. No, that ain't gonna happen.

The author discusses a lot of quackery that's spouted all over the internet, and shows exactly why it's nonsense (here's looking at you, Social Media Influencers making money from supplements). 

She delves into the science of all things menstrual related, and calls out patriarchal bullshit. For instance, trying to make it sound like birth control pills are unsafe when in fact, "In the United States especially, a woman is far safer being on the pill than being pregnant."

I love that the author points out that, "Not all women menstruate, and not everyone who menstruates is a woman." Sex and gender are two different things, folks. I know that's hard for some people to get their head around but just know that everyone knows themselves much better than another person ever will. Just because you think someone should be female or male, doesn't mean that's who they are. MYOB and let people live their own lives.

This book is well worth reading if you menstruate and want to learn more about how your body works and to ensure you have the facts, or if you want to learn about it simply because you've benefited from menstruation as every human has.

I wish I'd had this book when I was 12 (though it's written on an adult level, not YA).

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish this book was available when I went through health class in high school. We watched like 5 movies on alcoholism and spent no time on periods.

This book is comprehensive, well organized, and easy to understand. Very approachable. Most importantly, it allows people to go into medical conversations with a stronger base knowledge.

I especially appreciate Chapter 21 on alternative therapies. Toeing the line between proven science and homeopathy is difficult. This chapter outlines ways to obtain useful info from one's doctor on the matter and what certain phrasing actually means.


Thanks for the ARC.

[Mai H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐ Goodreads Choice Awards 2024 Opening Round - Readers' Favorite Nonfiction

Women’s History Month 2025 #2

A very comprehensive look on periods. Don't believe the fake news you see on social media. Seed oils aren't going to cure your troubles, including your periods. If people understood menstruating as much as they did Viagra, we'd live in a better world, but we don't.

"There are communists in the funhouse." -- I love a period euphemism. Denmark gets it.

🥃 Take a shot every time an influencer doesn't understand periods
🥃 Take a shot every time women are taxed for being women
🥃 Take a shot every time there is misinformation surrounding periods

🎧 Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got my first period when I was ten years old. They were heavy and unpredictable, and they'd invariably put my life on hold for days as I'd soak through underwear, clothes, and often my bedding. I was anemic for years, nauseous to the point that I couldn't eat or sleep through the night, and in such pain from cramps that I'd either miss school, or regularly have to be excused from class to go change my pads and/or throw up. In both cases, I sometimes wasn't quick enough, so I got an extra helping of humiliation to go with my pain and discomfort. My mother's solution? Homeopathic sugar pills and the occasional magnesium supplement.

I didn't set out to make this review personal, but this is my third book by Dr. Gunter, and the one that hit closest to home. I took a look at other reviews, and the fact that there's a slew of one-star ratings because of her attitude towards alternative "medicine" and naturopaths got me riled up. As all her previous books, Blood is thorough, well-researched, she provides scientific data and studies, and quotes her sources; the people review-bombing her book claiming that there's "tons” and “plenty of sufficient and valid” evidence for the efficacy of their preferred natural remedies… don't provide any. I was a child who couldn't advocate for herself, my mother pushed her holistic shit on me instead of giving me ibuprofen, and the bottom line is that I will never forgive her for close to a decade of completely avoidable monthly suffering.

Dr. Gunter's strong opinions about natural alternatives may not be for everyone, but given my experience, I very much appreciated her no-nonsense approach to combating misinformation—informed consent and bodily autonomy are of paramount importance to her, and Blood is meant to educate and empower anyone who menstruates. It starts out very science-heavy, and goes on to explore what's within the spectrum of "normal" and what's concerning—I know first-hand how some OBGYNs can dismiss menstrual concerns because it's just part of the package of being a woman, but it's simply not our curse to suck up—that's the patriarchy speaking, find a different doctor.

Dr. Gunter dives right into menstrual diarrhea (what a gamechanger it would've been to even just know how common that side-effect is...), menstrual migranes, PMS, endometriosis, PCOS, fibroids, and the truth about toxic shock syndrome. There's a fascinating brief history of menstrual products, as well as pros and cons for different types of hormonal contraception and how each affects the cycle's underlying biology so you can make an informed choice about what is right for you. For the record, a few years ago I finally found what worked for me: The combined pill made my migranes worse, and the mini-pill caused too much spotting; with the drospirenone pill I'm on now, I hardly ever menstruate at all, and let me tell you, it's the fucking best.

Blood is a comprehensive, clear, and crucial guide on how to best deal with and manage something which most modern women will go through hundreds of times in their lives.

—————

Note: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Dr. Jen Gunter reviews:
The Vagina Bible · ★★★★
The Menopause Manifesto · ★★★
Blood · ★★★★

[Kate Laycoax · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know this is a book written by a doctor, but there is SO MUCH misinformation and disinformation in this book. The author repeatedly shames and shuns people who turn to and use holistic alternatives or who see functional medicine practitioners, as if those have no bearing and have no place or haven't been helpful for plenty of patients. While there are quacks out there, there are also legitimate helpful things within this alternative, holistic medicine approach. To sit and write a book where you don't acknowledge real risks and associations with the things you are recommending is appalling, especially when there is plenty of sufficient and valid evidence to the contrary. I was cringing with each chapter because as each topic was discussed, the author had so many things to say that were simply wrong and this does a disservice to those who menstruate and may face these issues. While I do think more authors should be speaking freely about this topic and its one that needs more people to talk about it but this is NOT IT. I recommend, if someone wants to learn about these topics, to refer to books like those written by Jolene Brighten, as these books contain actually ACCURATE information.

Thank you to NetGalley and Citadel for the eARC of this book.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very back-and-forth for me.
I'd first like to highlight what I enjoyed about this book:
I appreciate Dr. Gunter's very great points about patriarchy and marketing and how those things intertwine with menstruation. She does a great job of bringing forth facts to dispel many myths that have been swirling around about menstruation. I think she is very passionate about this topic. She is also likely a very caring and compassionate doctor towards her patients, and it sounds like she advocates for many of them well. She is also, obviously, incredibly knowledgeable.
What I did not like:
I had a fundamental issue with how mental health was completely glossed over when discussing birth control side effects. Mental health was relegated to the second to last chapter, and was minimized essentially to "when people talk about mental health issues surrounding birth control I first ask them, what's going on in your personal life?" I am someone who tried multiple forms of birth control (multiple kinds of BC pills, the ring, etc) and hormonal birth control caused me to have a mental health crisis. I think my experience is very much in the minority and I also think every single person should have the option to take hormonal birth control if they so choose. With that being said, everyone also has the right to know what exactly the side effects may be. I'll cite this study because I don't believe reviews should be generalizations.
In this study "83% of individuals responded that their provider never mentioned the possibility of psychological side effects during contraception." This is a small sample study so very introductory research, but it is something worth considering when discussing mental health and birth control. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
Overall I had things I liked and also things I did not like. Certain aspects of this book would be great to have as a reference. Thank you to the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book.

[Grace Dionne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Dr. Gunter’s direct and evidence-based approach to this topic and I found this book to be extremely informative on a range of topics that I’ve been looking to learn more about!

I definitely appreciated that she discusses these topics without sensationalizing them, acknowledging that menstruation, fertility, pregnancy, abortion and the medicine surrounding them are simply biology and medical care that we deserve to be educated on.

Everyone is going to have biases, it’s unavoidable, but I found this book to be quite good at laying out the information and research, upsides and downsides, symptoms, side effects, etc. about various topics without an obvious effort to sway you one way or another based on opinion rather than fact. In saying that, Dr. Gunter does strongly discourage the misinformation that exists around a lot of menstrual and hormonal products that is *not* based on research or evidence, which I also appreciated!

It’s worth mentioning that I studied reproductive biology at university, so while that doesn’t mean I’m an expert by any means, I did have a ground level of knowledge to approach the book with and then build on. I know everyone’s preference for nonfiction writing styles will be different; I personally found this book to be a good balance of scientific and accessible, but I’m not sure if that’s because I am more familiar with some of the biological terms and processes than other readers might be. I think your mileage may vary in digesting the material!

Regardless of your background in science, I think that we deserve to be informed on our bodies, and clearly the author agrees. For that reason this is a strong recommend from me!

[Meilech · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Goodreads for the free copy of this book.

This is a very good book for someone who want to get familiar with these topics and wants to learn more. However, the authors disregard for any holistic approach to these issue is doing a huge disservice to women out there. Of course people need to know what and when to to go which route but to completely shun it is not right. There's ton of evidence that shows their benefits.

[Laura Hirsch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very scientific and very informative
I felt her snarky comments got old quickly
I felt like she put birth control on a pedestal as the panacea to all reproductive problems without addressing the very real negative side-effects of birth control

[Lucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of this book and below is my honest opinion.

I think this book should be handed out to every high school student, if not to their parents to help explain the science bits. I learned more about my own menstrual cycle in this 400+ page book than I ever did 7+ years of public education sex ed and the 12 years following.

Dr. Gunter has created an all-you-should-know manual for people with a uterus. Not only will you be educated on how your body works, but you'll learn what is "normal" v. "abnormal", and all your management options in between.

Sure, it's quite sciency but the effort is worth it to learn about things you might not quite understand. It's even making me reevaluate my own medical care for my cycle.

Further, it's shocking to read how the lack of knowledge regarding medicine and science is weaponized by bad actors in politics, right-wing media, religion and social media. Even I, self-proclaimed science lover was under the illusion that I knew everything I needed to know. I discovered through this book that some interactions with bad OBGYNs was, at best, ill-informed and, at worst, unethical.

This book has left me empowered to ask the right questions and make the right decisions about my body and health. Please read this book 🙏

[Johann (jobis89) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative, enlightening and empowering. Dr Jen Gunter presents what can often be quite a dry subject in a fresh and entertaining way. It’s well-structured and comprehensive, covering every topic you can think of related to menstruation. I did cover a lot of this in my pharmacy degree, but it was a great refresher and debunks so many myths you often see on social media! 4 stars.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

As someone who has struggled for years with endometriosis related pain and issues, I picked up this book with the intent of deep-diving into the topic of menstruation. The one aspect of this book that I can agree with Dr. Gunter on is that there is a need for more conversation and education about menstruation, what constitutes normal and generally a societal need for more resources and support for women.

I ended up DNF'ing this book at 25% as it was deeply concerning to me that a doctor (who was claiming to write this book to provide scientific information) relentlessly inserted her very contested and bias opinions about women's health. This was most evident in her constant pushing of hormonal birth control. She claims repeatedly that studies do not support that there are any negative implications to women taking oral hormone contraceptives. However there is an abundance of literature and studies to the contrary (see: This is Your Brain on Birth Control by Sarah E. Hill (PHD), 2019). She takes this overzealous push for birth control pills even further by taking a very biased stance against Naturopathic medicine. She categorizes Naturopathic Doctors alongside social media influencers and states that they all are just trying to capitalize off of ineffective supplement products and "cure-all smoothies" that are unsafe and untested. This was intensely off-putting coming from a certified OBGYN doctor, as not only is it inaccurate, but comparing Naturopathic medicine to uneducated instagram influencers is absolute nonsense.

To clarify, I have no issue with those who choose to take hormonal birth control or those who find it to be effective. However, there is a significant part of the female population who have not had any success in managing problematic menstruation symptoms through the use of these prescriptions pills. To constantly infer that they are the cure-all remedy is incredibly misleading and not validating the experiences of many women in society today. She also pushes this sentiment so hard that she shared that people that speak out against birth control pills are just "uneducated" and are influenced by misinformation. This is incredibly demeaning and insulting to people who have legitimate concerns and unsuccessful symptom-management experiences with hormone birth control pills.

Dr. Gunter claimed to be so focused on validating information with scientific studies. I suggest she spend a bit more time going back to the research and challenging her own very clear biases on this topic.

[Anastasiia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is very informative, yet the writing style gives it a less scientific perspective. There are absolutely unnecessary jokes and even more unnecessary personal stories from the author. There are also many parentheses that contain no valuable information (and I mean it!) and bring no emotional value (and I mean it again!).

The author uses arguments against methods she doesn't support (e.g., research has been done on muscle pain, so they can't be trusted), but then uses the same arguments to give more credibility to the methods she supports (e.g., research has been done on muscle pain, so it sounds promising!). I understand what she means: the quality of research can vary enormously. However, seeing the same arguments used both to support and to criticize in one chapter just repels me and ruins my trust in the information the author provides.

[Taeopae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to a NetGalley copy of this audiobook. I knew there were some books about menstruation circulating that I had seen come up and was interested in exploring them.. Although I consider myself a well educated healthcare provider, this book provided much needed insight and information on a "delicate" topic and I immediately has information to help myself. I enjoyed that the book had chapters with subtopics within the main theme of menstruation. You could easily pick and chose topics to reread and reference back to. I will be reading her other two books. I feel more educated and empowered by this book to continue to learn and know more about my body and health and to then be able to further educate those around me.

[Samantha Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did it! Finished before Christmas. I really liked this book and thought it gave a lot of really good information. It is important to note when going into this that the author's tone and ideas aren't for everyone. The author is very clear in her stance on certain practices but does a great job of giving the benefit of the doubt. The only reason I didn't rate this 5 stars was the repetition throughout the book for certain information. After you understand the basics of some of the hormones the repetition of what they do over and over again gets a little bit too much. However, I think because of my background in some basic anatomy I had a little better of an understanding which could be why I found this a problem. For people who really know nothing, it is probably beneficial.

[Nina]

Een traantje laten terwijl je non-fictie leest, is een ✨ervaring✨
Met momenten was dit boek iets te technisch voor mij als leek, maar ik heb enorm veel bijgeleerd. Een aanrader voor mensen die, net als ik, soms de bomen door het bos niet meer zien als het gaat over (mis)informatie over anticonceptie, hormonen en het (vrouwelijke) lichaam.

[julia ☆ [owls reads] · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read that taught me new things! Blanket rec to any and all peeps interested in the topic of menstruation and the chaos it brings.

[Madison ✨ (mad.lyreading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly this is a must-read or even must-have for anyone who menstruates. Yes, this book is EXTREMELY technical at times, but nothing that is absolutely necessary information for understanding what is and is not normal for your body is written too complexly. Yes, she gets a bit technical when it comes to things like hormones and how they work with your period, but that is easily skimmable. The parts that matter - what is normal, what is not, and when you should go to your doctor - are absolutely straightforward and easy to read.

This has been slightly review-bombed, I've seen, by people who are into holistic medicine. While I do agree that Dr. Gunter can be slightly heavy-handed in her dislike toward holistic influencers, it is clear that it is because she wants to make sure that people are making medical decisions with as much knowledge as possible. Dr. Gunter did a great job of helping the reader learn how to question "new" treatments and "natural" remedies (cyanide is natural - doesn't mean it's healthy!).

I really loved this book, and I will be purchasing a hard copy to reference in the future.

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[Lily · Rating 1 out of 5]

Entered into this book anticipating a fantastically informative, science-based experience.

Unfortunately, while I wholeheartedly agreed with her inserted rants against misogyny and the patriarchy, they made the chapters feel long-winded and detracted from the clarity of the scientific basics. The delivery was suboptimal, in my opinion, giving off (justifiably) angry diary vibes.

Prior to reaching the first quarter, she had already tried to upsell her book The Menopause Manifesto multiple times.

At times, detail seemed excessive and then she'd drop a statement like "because vitamin E is an antioxidant and those are good for the body it was thought that more was better and boy, did that ever turn out to be incorrect", assuming we all knew what had happened in the past with too much vitamin E intake (which was never elucidated). And then would explain for multiple paragraphs about things like "tampons and pads are menstrual product options", something which should have been commin knowledge to the vast majority of readers. It was a bit of a crap shoot as to when there would be sufficient detail and if it would be about the topic you wanted or needed it to be. Also mentioned EDCs multiple times without clarifying them or citing supporting studies. Am still wondering how estrogen influences the immune system, blood clotting, and pain processing after a seemingly throwaway unsupported section on it.

Writing became more like reading a conversational blog by an antipatriarchal scientist. Lots of rants, snarky comments in parentheses, and sentences in all caps (ie yelling).  More off-putting at the end than relatable and hip.

[Kate Zisopoulou · Rating 4 out of 5]

We need more books like this!

[Camille Brule · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d give it 3.75. SooOo interesting learning the science behind menstruation! It’s very cool to learn so much about something I’ve literally had for 14 years yet knew so little about. I don’t appreciate how the author really dismisses magic and menstruation (there’s got to be mystical powers in that blood!) but she talked about medical colonialism which was cool. It’s a white lady who, when talking about the past only references Ancient Greece, her lack of global perspective was frustrating at times but over a good and important book. My favorite chapter was the one on abortion. I would 100% recommend that chapter to everyone. If you’re curious about menstruation then I’d recommend this book for sure.

[Saarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

extremely dense, packed with information! I wouldn’t recommend reading from start to finish – many chapters were about specific symptoms / conditions, which (when not relevant to me) were interesting to learn about at first, but those chapters close with a long and detailed list of treatment options, so I would start to space out. The chapters with relatable symptoms/conditions left me feeling empowered!! Very interesting history lessons too!

Shoutout to the author also for Acknowledging herself in the Acknowledgments, go off and brag!! You wrote an incredible beast of a book.

[marta the book slayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

reads like a textbook

[Jennifer Mangler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting and informative. I learned so much, and I know I'll go back to certain sections of the book as needed. It is crazy to me how little women know about menstruation and menopause and their own bodies. Books like this are so important for those of us who crave information and feel so lost. I am so thankful that Dr. Gunter is out there combating misinformation and working to make sure women are as informed as possible so they can make good decisions for themselves.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you or someone you know have a uterus? Then you need to read this book. It’s long, but incredibly valuable at a time when science and data are more important than ever. I also laughed several times. Seriously, everyone - regardless if you have a uterus or not - should read this.

[Marie Barr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative book, wasn’t really anything that I did not already know. I agree, we need more awareness of these things. I needed this book in 1994. I’m glad it’s available now.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood by Dr. Jen Gunter is a well-researched, well-written book on menstruation and women's health. This ~500 page book, comprehensively covers all things menstruation from how menstruation works to menstrual disorders to menstrual products to birth control. Throughout the book Dr. Gunter shares her knowledge in an accessible and often very humorous way. Dr. Gunter has decades of experience as an Ob/Gyn and this book is written from the tone of a medical expert/older sister addressing patriarchy in the medical system and how to self-advocate.

For those of us who came of age in the 1990's like me, Our Bodies Ourselves was the go to manual for women of reproductive age. Today, many go to the internet for medical information and Dr. Gunter accurately explains how dangerous this is. I feel like Blood should be on the shelves of all women of reproductive age.

I read this book from cover to cover and it took me a few weeks to complete the book. I studied ovulation for my PhD so this is a topic of great interest to me academically. However, I needed to take a few breaks to digest all of the information. For most, I believe that this book will be used as a reference book with the option to read needed information as opposed to a book that is read cover to cover.

This is a fantastic book, full of useful information and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books, Citadel for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[vicinthemeadow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a thorough encyclopedia of periods! Jen walks us through an array of menstrual related myths, conditions, and options for managing periods, menopause and emergency contraception. I really appreciate her inclusion of trans and nonbinary folks in the conversation as well. She sure tells it like it is!
My only minor critique from my personal past is the biased shame and dismissal put upon alternative and natural approaches to periods. I completely agree they can be harmful, wrong and are full of misinformation however I think in order to help open those folks minds we need to bridge a better gap between eastern and western medicine rather than pulling the judgement card!
But without a doubt this will be my new go to book rec for anyone wanting to learn more about their menstrual cycle and all things repro health!

[Anne-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book - it came into my life at the right time.

It's a really well-written and occasionally funny resource/exploration on the science, medicine, and mythology of menstruation (just as the subtitle says). Dr. Gunter breaks down the myths percolating in society and social media about menstruation, where the research gaps are (and how those can intersect), the current science and research and what medical best practices exist. I really appreciate how she talks about what to expect in medical situations and reinforces the importance of informed consent and pain management. She also stresses that health care practitioners who don't listen to you or dismiss your symptoms and concerns is unacceptable, which I think a lot of people need to hear/read.

She's also inclusive in her language towards women, trans men, and nonbinary people who menstruate and explains in the introduction how and when she uses particular terminology throughout the book.

To me, the book is cohesive and well-structured, with a good flow. It builds the foundation of the biology of menstruation, followed by medical conditions, and other considerations such as contraception and abortion.

For readers who are heavily reliant on alternative medicine, it is covered somewhat with the acknowledgement that a) there isn't a lot of research on many alternative practices, but b) the research out there is usually bad, small in samples, or has other problems with it. Dr. Gunter is not kind to the grifters and people who try to take advantage of the misinformation and ongoing research gaps to sell supplements, promote harmful information and 'medicine', and emphasize 'natural' over well-regulated pharmaceuticals and procedures to vulnerable, desperate, or otherwise misinformed people.

Overall, this is well worth the read. Despite the length and depth, and science presented in the book, it's accessible and has an approachable tone. With all the misinformation and disinformation out there (not to mention the research gaps we're still trying to fill because patriarchy), it's SO important to have access to the knowledge that we do have. And that's what this book aims to do.