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The Stitch-Up: How Medical Misogyny Harms Us All
'This book could not be more timely' OBSERVER
Got endometriosis? You should have a baby!
Painful post-birth prolapse? Well, you had a baby.
Let down by doctors? Try our wellness candle!
Episiotomy scar? Why not trim your labia too?
It’s a stitch-up. And we demand better.
As Emma was being sewn up following the birth of her second child, the midwife paused, looked up, and said the worst thing anyone has ever said to ‘Your vagina’s fallen out.’
After receiving a vague diagnosis of ‘prolapse’, she spent the next two years being shunted between specialists. The solutions on offer ranged from kegels to hysterectomy and even labia trimming. Some doctors simply shrugged and said there was nothing they could do.
Women around her spoke of similar mothers told that pain was the price of parenthood; trans women blamed for ‘wanting a vagina in the first place’; Black women disbelieved and dismissed; intersex men and women lied to by their doctors.
The mesh scandal that injured thousands. The ‘love doctor’ who performed nonconsensual vaginal surgeries. Over and over again, Emma heard stories of women in pain, bleeding, dying, failed by the professionals who were supposed to help them.
Medical misogyny kills, and leaves many more in agony, unable to live full lives. The Stitch-Up tells their stories, and calls for better research, healthcare options, language and treatment, arguing that being female should never be a death sentence.
'Inspiring and invigorating' JULIA BUENO, author of The Brink of Being
'Deeply unsettling and affecting' CATHERINE AIREY, author of Confessions
Got endometriosis? You should have a baby!
Painful post-birth prolapse? Well, you had a baby.
Let down by doctors? Try our wellness candle!
Episiotomy scar? Why not trim your labia too?
It’s a stitch-up. And we demand better.
As Emma was being sewn up following the birth of her second child, the midwife paused, looked up, and said the worst thing anyone has ever said to ‘Your vagina’s fallen out.’
After receiving a vague diagnosis of ‘prolapse’, she spent the next two years being shunted between specialists. The solutions on offer ranged from kegels to hysterectomy and even labia trimming. Some doctors simply shrugged and said there was nothing they could do.
Women around her spoke of similar mothers told that pain was the price of parenthood; trans women blamed for ‘wanting a vagina in the first place’; Black women disbelieved and dismissed; intersex men and women lied to by their doctors.
The mesh scandal that injured thousands. The ‘love doctor’ who performed nonconsensual vaginal surgeries. Over and over again, Emma heard stories of women in pain, bleeding, dying, failed by the professionals who were supposed to help them.
Medical misogyny kills, and leaves many more in agony, unable to live full lives. The Stitch-Up tells their stories, and calls for better research, healthcare options, language and treatment, arguing that being female should never be a death sentence.
'Inspiring and invigorating' JULIA BUENO, author of The Brink of Being
'Deeply unsettling and affecting' CATHERINE AIREY, author of Confessions
278 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 29, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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May 5, 2025To preface this, I've not yet finished the book and have been sent an early copy by Vintage. However, this is unfortunately the second book on medical misogyny which ironically gets the definition of endometriosis wrong within the very first few pages. It defines endometriosis as a ' condition of the lining of the uterus', this is completely false. Endometriosis is a condition where cells 'similar' to those lining the uterus grow OUTSIDE the uterus, causing scar tissue which can stick organs together. This may seem like a small difference but endometriosis is chronically under-researched and any misinformation is harmful to those affected by the condition. This incorrect definition perpetuates the idea that endometriosis can be cured by having a hysterectomy - a false and completely outdated theory which unfortunately even some medical professionals are unaware of. Endometriosis currently has no cure.
I totally appreciate this book and intend to read on as it is an important subject but I have to say I am really disappointed that once again simple definitions aren't fact checked. Especially since the book is discussing medical misogyny and misinformation.
I totally appreciate this book and intend to read on as it is an important subject but I have to say I am really disappointed that once again simple definitions aren't fact checked. Especially since the book is discussing medical misogyny and misinformation.
June 19, 2025
This is such a hot topic at the moment, and over the last year or so I have read a lot of books on this subject, so there is a lot to compare this book to.
Unfortunately I found this book quite difficult to read. I found the scientific language to go over my head, and Emma Szewczak's writing style wasn't as conversational as I would have liked. it was lacking in humour.
(If you didn't get on with this book then please please read
It’s Probably Nothing: Critical Conversations on the Women’s Health Crisis by Naga Munchetty)
Unfortunately I found this book quite difficult to read. I found the scientific language to go over my head, and Emma Szewczak's writing style wasn't as conversational as I would have liked. it was lacking in humour.
(If you didn't get on with this book then please please read
It’s Probably Nothing: Critical Conversations on the Women’s Health Crisis by Naga Munchetty)
March 31, 2026
Suositus Näkymättömien naisten suututtamille!
Tapausesimerkeittäisiä kertomuksia ja tutkimustietoa lääketieteellisestä syrjinnästä. Tekijän oma kokemus ohjaa fokusta gynekologisiin sairauksiin ja vaurioihin, mutta teoksessa käsitellään laajaa skaalaa erityisesti naisia vahingoittaneeseen - ja vahingoittavaan - lääketieteeseen. Sisältää muutamia anteeksi mitä -tason keksintöjä sekä tottakai roppakaupalla valkoisia tärkeitä miehiä.
Sensitiivinen, sopivan äkäinen, helppolukuinen teoreettisuudestaan huolimatta. Loistolöytö!
Tapausesimerkeittäisiä kertomuksia ja tutkimustietoa lääketieteellisestä syrjinnästä. Tekijän oma kokemus ohjaa fokusta gynekologisiin sairauksiin ja vaurioihin, mutta teoksessa käsitellään laajaa skaalaa erityisesti naisia vahingoittaneeseen - ja vahingoittavaan - lääketieteeseen. Sisältää muutamia anteeksi mitä -tason keksintöjä sekä tottakai roppakaupalla valkoisia tärkeitä miehiä.
Sensitiivinen, sopivan äkäinen, helppolukuinen teoreettisuudestaan huolimatta. Loistolöytö!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews