Orion Spring How the Pill Changes Everything Your Brain on Birth Control.

by Sarah E Hill

How the Pill Changes Everything Your Brain on Birth Control ABISBOOK Orion Spring.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Self Help, Mental Health

320 pages, Paperback

Published May 2, 2024

Reviews

[Manyie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5*

The book raises important questions about contraception and is informative at times, but the statistics feel speculative and the style unbearably pretentious. Endless footnotes (e.g. *„bfd: big f***ing deal“) and repeated mentions of the author’s PhD distract from the content, while alternatives to the pill are barely addressed. Enlightening in parts, but overall undermined by rhetoric and gaps.

[Brianna · Rating 1 out of 5]

In an attempt to be unbiased this book constantly contradicts itself and portrays women as shallow, with them either liking men that are “sexy” or “a provider”. I thought I would find this book interesting however over half of the information is how the pill affects men. The heteronormative takes and the emphasis that women only take the pill for pregnancy prevention were so frustrating that I nearly put this book down several times. Also this was supposed to be a scientific book but use of language said otherwise, with the author stating that “vulva” is a “gross word”. Is that really something that should be stated in a book that is supposed to be about women’s health and how there’s not enough research on the topic?

[Sarah Mather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book as it informs women about their bodies and how they change through the cycle. I feel like every woman needs to read this book as at 21 years old I thought I knew more than I did. However I learned a lot more from this book than I did from what the doctors told me about my body and the pill. After reading it, I told my friends that this is a must read.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

relevant information packed into one book. personally i don‘t quite like the „funny writing“ style but i appreciated her efforts to provide (complex) data in a less academic but more personal way. this book makes it quite clear that there‘s still SO MUCH data missing.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5

[Katie Lowery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good info; some corny millennial attempts at jokes but other than that it was a good breakdown of information that i think all girls need to know.

[Katelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

everyone should read this book at one point!

[Toyah Pillar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think i consumed this book in the wrong format - as an audio book i found it to not be as engaging as i feel it would have been as a physical copy. At times i found the audiobook lacklustre and dull. This obviously is a non-fiction but that doesn't mean it can't be interesting which this topic most definitely is, i wish i had read it physically rather than audibly 2.75

[Meaghan Coyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very in between giving 3 or 4 stars to this book, but I feel like it’s more of a 3 for me. It took me a really long time to finish it because it honestly read more like one long research publication than a book. All of the footnotes made it hard for me to keep track of where I was on the page because of the constant back and forth. I also feel like it was written more for someone who is considering going on birth control than someone who is already on it, which kind of connects to the whole point of the book. We need more research on women’s brains and bodies!! It left me feeling angry and sad, which I guess is the point because it leaves many conversations to be had🥲

[Mariana ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative, made me quit the pill and never felt better. However the author kept making annotations that just felt cringe and kept distracting from what was important
Also, did you know she is a doctor and has a PhD? Wouldn’t have guessed after mentioning that 34 times 🤪

[Sara Huisman · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you can get past the author relentlessly gushing over Darwinism, the actual information presented about how hormonal birth control affects the brain and about the lack of medical studies on women is both fascinating and frightening.

[Samantha Saward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soooo informative and makes so much sense as you read along you have a lot of “light bulb” moments!

[Cinamona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeeeez... The topic is definitely relevant, the information is useful, and I would recommend every woman read the book.
However, the writing style of this author was absolutely terrible! She even mentioned the importance of all such research being taken seriously, of how researchers should tread lightly so that the context would survive the criticism. AND SHE GOES AND WRITES THE BOOK IN THE VOICE OF A BARBIE DOLL. It felt like she was not representing important academic findings, but rather sharing some gossip with a girlfriend. I mean... I almost put the book down right away, but I continued just because there are so few books on the topic so far.

[Nataliana Espinosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved this book! the writing while going into lots of science was easy to follow and very engaging. the author presented both sides of the story and kept things lighthearted. i thought that the research presented was novel and brings a lot of new insights and information to readers that they might not know. i would recommend this to anyone interested in womens hormones and health!

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did you know the author is a scientist?! It was mentioned in every chapter!

Joking aside - recommended reading 100%
Definitely isn’t fully assessing all the studies referenced but this is for lay audience. If you’re interested in the validity of the studies, read the studies. I think this book starts conversations which is most important, I wouldn’t start citing it as a source tho

[Sarah Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the positive side, the message really made me think. I had never heard before this argument that the pill changes the way a woman thinks and feels, but it makes a lot of sense. I also like that she mentions many studies. On the negative side, I felt like there wasn't that much content and it was repeated over and over again. It could have been a shorter book.

[Oona · Rating 3 out of 5]

a great resource. I will earmark the tables on different generations of progestins and the depression rates of different pill types. I should have read the subheading, it truly only centers around the brain and does not include info on (besides a few mentions of PMS and PMDD) endometriosis and other diseases for which the pill is used as a treatment

[Anna Warwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very very informative without feeling scary or overwhelming at all!!
A must if you want to understand your health/women’s health and how the research for it carried out
Very conversational which made it an easy, personable read

[Ana Teixeira · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. A real eye opener and touched really important points when it comes to the pill. Found it rather repetitive at times and the footnotes seem excessive, but overall a good read. Made me think for sure.

[D Murgatroyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crappy language, speculative science however it communicates important questions to consider.if you’re using hormones

[Paige Lesley 💐⭐️]

DNF

[McKenzi King · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides interesting research-supported insights and propositions for how modern oral contraceptive birth control impacts women's livelihoods and consequently, society as a whole

[apple · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5

[Leah Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hope everyone woman I know enjoys hearing me talk about this for the next 6 months

[SplatterGunk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insightful and informative, though a bit too filled with personal commentary (though the personal commentary was thoughtful and genuine.)

[Sammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread

[Ellie Waters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every women needs to read this !!!

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook

[Holly Bramley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful with some important info, however it was a little repetitive. The same points were repeated a few times which kind of took focus away.

[Abbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whilst I think some things said are a little dated, sooooo interesting!!!! I think every girl must read !!!