Cycles, the Sacred and the Doomed: Inquiries in Female Health Technologies

by Morgane Billuart

In a world propelled by swift technological progress and perpetual obsolescence, women frequently find themselves adapting and altering their daily experiences in order to remain functional. In the 21st century, as technology purports to comprehensively assess and address women’s conditions and physical discomfort, Cycles, the Sacred and the Doomed delves deeply into the realm of female health technologies, revealing a space where science, holistic methods, and mythology converge. This book challenges the idea of combining ancient wisdom with modern innovation and takes readers on a multidisciplinary journey to explore the intricacies of female’s health.

136 pages, Paperback

Published July 2, 2024

Reviews

[Um · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so so glad to have found a book written about this!!Particularly in relation to PMDD. This book has given me a lot to think about; new perspectives, ideas and feelings to evolve. Will continue to sit with me for some time.

[Natalie]

- I love the concept of this book, and I love artists investigating these issues. I enjoyed the format of mini essays, which introduced food for thought on a range of topics in a digestible way.
- BUT overall, I think the execution was pretty flawed. It could have used much tighter editing and review from subject matter experts, there were many typos / formatting / consistency issues (especially with the block quotes), word choice that didn’t totally make sense, many ideas were repeated or redundant throughout without adding new info, and importantly many arguments were made very superficially with no supporting evidence or “examples” that didn’t make sense in the context (ie on my read didn’t actually support what she was trying to say.) or, she’d state one thing and then in the next paragraph contradict that (and not in a self aware way). imo the essays showed a lack of, or very very rudimentary, understanding of all issues raised (privacy, participatory research, solutions) and workings of the femtech industry (which wasnt defined and often referred to as a monolith). I also personally disagreed with the POV on “alternative” medicines, and thought it was irresponsible not to highlight the potential risk to health as the biggest concern. There’s definitely value to non experts writing critically about these things, the impact and implications of tech, but i was disappointed by how incoherent this was.
- i thought the strongest parts were when the author recounted personal experiences, rather than trying to explain theories or research or advancing arguments. I would have loved to see more of the personal, and to see things presented as her own opinion rather than a definitive point of advocacy or statement of fact. The excerpt and interview at the back of the book was cool too.