Gender Medicine: The Groundbreaking New Science of Sex-Related Diagnosis and Treatment

by Marek Glezerman

Over millions of years, male and female bodies developed crucial physiological differences to improve the chances for human survival. These differences have become culturally obsolete with the overturning of traditional gender roles. But they are nevertheless very real, and they go well beyond the obvious sexual and reproductive variances: men and women differ in terms of digestion, which affects the way medications are absorbed. Sensitivity to pain is dependent on gender. Even the symptoms of a heart attack manifest differently in a man than in a woman.


And yet the medical establishment largely treats male and female patients as though their needs are identical. In fact, medical research is still done predominately on men, and the results are then applied to the treatment of women. This is clearly problematic and calls for a paradigm change—such a paradigm change is the purpose of Gender Medicine.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Medical, Feminism, Gender, Medicine, Health

288 pages, Hardcover

First published June 21, 2016

Reviews

[Ant · Rating 1 out of 5]

Το βιβλίο Φυλοειδική Ιατρική, του ομότιμου καθηγητή Γυναικολογίας και Μαιευτικής στο πανεπιστήμιο του Τελ Αβίβ, Marek Glezerman, αποτελεί ένα συμπίλημα επιστημονικοφανούς σεξισμού που, φυσικά, είναι απόρροια της γενικότερης αντίληψης, ήδη από τα σπάργανα της επιστήμης, πως γυναίκες και άνδρες είναι ολότελα διαφορετικοί. Το βιβλίο ξεκινά με έναν φρικτό πρόλογο του Άμος Όζ που εξαπολύει κάθε είδους αντιεπιστημονική βλακεία που έχει περάσει στην κοινή αντίληψη μέσα από εκλαϊκευτικά άρθρα των μίντια, για την προϊστορική εποχή και τo μύθο του άνδρα κυνηγού και της γυναίκας χωμένης στη σπηλιά. Η συνέχεια δεν είναι εντυπωσιακότερη: λειψές παραπομπές, απαρχαιωμένες έρευνες, στερεότυπα και πολλές γενικεύσεις, μπέρδεμα των γενετικών και των επιγενετικών διαφορών κ.ά.

Στην πραγματικότητα, παρά τα πολλά εκλαϊκευτικά αναγνώσματα τύπου Άνδρες από τον Άρη, Γυναίκες από την Αφροδίτη, περισσότερες είναι οι ομοιότητες παρά οι διαφορές των φύλων. Ακόμα και στις εμφανείς διαφορές, δηλαδή στα αναπαραγωγικά όργανα, υπάρχει μια σαφής αναλογία με λανθάνοντα και υπολανθάνοντα όμοια σημεία στα σώματα ανδρών και γυναικών (μαστοί, η αντιστοιχία των όρχεων στα μεγάλα χείλη του αιδοίου, της κλειτορίδας στο πέος κ.ο.κ) Ήδη από το εμβρυικό στάδιο, γυναίκες και άνδρες πλάθονται με τον ίδιο ιστό. Oι όποιες διαφορές παρατηρουνται, όπως αναλύει και το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο, απορρέουν κυριως λόγω της ορμονικής διαφορετικότητας. Άνδρες και γυναίκες έχουν τις ίδιες ορμόνες, αλλά σε διαφορετικά ποσοστά. Εδώ βέβαια ξεκινά και το βασικό πρόβλημα του βιβλίου: αντιμετωπίζει το φύλο εντελώς δυικά και εξηγεί την βιολογικότητα ως κάτι στατικό, κάτι που δεν ανταποκρίνεται στο φάσμα της βιολογικής πραγματικότητας ανάλογα με το εκάστοτε άτομο, είτε αφορά το χρωμοσωματικό είτε το φαινοτυπικό φύλο.

Στο πρώτο κεφάλαιο ο συγγραφέας επιχειρεί να δικαιολογήσει την υποτιθέμενη αναγκαιότητα της φυλοειδικής ιατρικής συγκρίνοντάς την με την εξατομικευμένη ιατρική. Η εξατομικευμένη ιατρική αφορά κατά βάση την ανάλυση των γενετικών πληροφοριών του κάθε ατόμου προκειμένου να ληφθούν πληροφορίες για ασθένειες που υπάρχουν ή μπορεί να εκδηλωθούν στο μέλλον, με βάση το ατομικό του προφίλ, κάτι, που σύμφωνα με τον συγγραφέα, μπορεί να επιφέρει πολλά προβλήματα βιοηθικής.

Βέβαια, κατά τη γνώμη μου, η εξατομικευμένη ιατρική, δεν υπάρχει λόγος να φτάσει σε τόσο ακραίες εκφάνσεις ούτε να επικεντρώνεται αποκλειστικά στη μελέτη του γονιδιακού προφίλ του ατόμου, αλλά να πράττει το ιδεώδες στην ιατρική που είναι η εξέταση με βάση το ατομικό προφίλ, το οικογενειακό ιστορικό και γενικά την κατάσταση του εκάστοτε ασθενή, χωρίς να επικεντρώνεται στα στερεότυπα του φύλου.

Ο Glezerman φαίνεται να μην λαμβάνει καθόλου υπόψη πως κάποιες από τις παρατηρούμενες διαφορές προκύπτουν λόγω περιβάλλοντος, κοινωνικών αντιληψεων και ανατροφής, παρά λόγω κάποιας εγγενούς διαφοράς. Φαίνεται μάλιστα, αν λάβουμε υπόψη τον προαναφερθέντα πρόλογο του Άμος Όζ, να θεωρεί "φυσικό" οι γυναίκες να έχουν θέσεις δακτυλογράφων και γραμματέων, μιας και δεν είναι τόσο "δυνατές" και "ανταγωνιστικές" όπως οι άνδρες.

Για το μύθο των αμέτρητων εγκεφαλικών διαφορών -που αποτελεί και ένα απο τα κύρια επιχειρήματα του βιβλίου- ανδρών και γυναικών υπάρχει εκτενής βιβλιογραφία που επικρίνει τις υπάρχουσες έρευνες, άρα δεν θα αναλύσω το συγκεκριμένο κεφάλαιο για να μην καταλήξω να απεραντολογώ, θα αναφέρω ωστόσο πως, δεδομένου πως ο εγκέφαλος είναι ένα πλαστικό όργανο, όπως μάλιστα αναφέρει και ο ίδιος ο συγγραφέας καθόλη τη διάρκεια της ζωής του ανθρώπου, πολλές παρατηρούμενες διαφορές,αφορούν, και πάλι, την υπάρχουσα κοινωνική δομή (πχ η ικανότητα λεκτικής επικοινωνίας) Ειδάλλως, αυτές οι διαφορές δεν θα παρατηρούνταν και στα τρανς άτομα, που έως τώρα, όσες έρευνες έχουν εξετάσει την εγκεφαλική δραστηριότητα, φαίνεται να δείχνουν μια αδιάψευστη ταύτιση της εγκεφαλικής δραστηριότητάς τους, όχι με το "βιολογικό" τους φύλο, αλλά με το φύλο προσδιορισμού τους.

Στο κεφάλαιο για τα καρδιολογικά νοσημάτα γίνεται αρκετά πιο πρόδηλη η στεγανή αντίληψη του συγγραφέα.
Σταδιακα, εχει πλεον αρχίσει να αναγνωρίζεται, πως οι γυναίκες έχουν μικρότερη επιτυχία διάγνωσης στεφανιαίας νόσου, μιας και οι καρδιολόγοι φαίνεται να υιοθετούν την γενίκευση πως τα οιστρογόνα προστατεύουν μέχρι την εμμηνόπαυση τις γυναίκες. Αυτό το θλιβερό γεγονός προκύπτει ακριβώς λόγω της φυλοειδικής προσέγγισης που ο Glezerman εξαίρει, καθώς, αν δινόταν μεγαλύτερη βάση στο εξατομικευμένο προφίλ (το οικογενειακό ιστορικό, τη διατροφή κ.ο.κ) δεν θα υπήρχε η αγνόηση των γυναικών πασχουσων.
Θα ήταν πλήρως ανόητο ένας καρδιολόγος να προσεγγίσει έναν ασθενή, αποκλειστικά με βάση το φύλο του, που σε σύγκριση με το οικογενειακό ιστορικό, λόγου χάρη, παίζει μικρότερο ρόλο στα καρδιαγγειακά νοσήματα.

Επιπλέον, ο επιπολασμός δευτερευόντων παθήσεων, όπως ο διαβήτης, που συνεισφέρουν στη δημιουργία αθηρωματικών πλακών και συνεπώς στις αυξημένες πιθανότητες εμφράγματος, πάλι σχετίζονται, σε μεγάλο βαθμό με το οικογενειακό ιστορικό αλλά και με το ατομικό προφίλ του καθένα.

Στο κεφάλαιο για το πεπτικό, ενώ παραδεχεται ότι μεγαλύτερο ρόλο παίζει η χώρα και οι διατροφικές συνήθειες του καθένα, παρά το φύλο, φτάνει στο σημείο να προτείνει γυναίκες και άνδρες να τρώνε διαφορετικές ώρες και λιγότερες φορές οι γυναίκες επειδή "η τροφή καθυστερεί να φύγει από το στομάχι στις γυναικες" Αυτό οφείλεται, κατά τον ίδιο, στις ορμονες, καθώς όταν τα οιστρογόνα αυξάνονται η ταχύτητα διέλευσης της τροφής μειώνεται. Βέβαια εδώ υπεισέρχεται ξανά το ζήτημα του ατομικου προφίλ. Κάθε άτομο έχει, αποδεδειγμένα, διαφορετικά επίπεδα ορμονών.

Σε όλο το βιβλίο, τέλος, υπάρχει μόνο η ετεροφυλοφιλική θέαση της πραγματικότητας και μάλιστα ο συγγραφέας προχωρά και σε ανόητες αντιεπιστημονικές διακηρύξεις όπως "η Εξέλιξη στοχεύει στην αναπαραγωγή". Η εξέλιξη δεν είναι οντότητα, αλλά μια παρατηρούμενη διαδικασία και όπως έχει αποδειχτεί δεν έχει συγκεκριμένο σκοπό αλλά ευκαιριακές εκφάνσεις με βάση το περιβάλλον.

Συνοπτικά, το βιβλίο ήταν πλήρως απογοητευτικό και δεν θα το σύστηνα σε καμία περίπτωση, σε άτομα που θέλουν να εντρυφήσουν στη βιολογία ή την ιατρική των φύλων.

[Elentarri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is interesting, but the author didn't go into as much detail as I was looking for.  Glezerman focuses more on statistics and just mentioning that such-and-such difference exists, those differences usually being attributed to genetics and hormones (I thought this a bit obvious and superficial, but anyway).  The book includes chapters on pregnancy, the fetus, reproduction, heart disease, the gastrointestinal system, pain management, temperature regulation, and the doctor-patient relationship.

[Jim]

This was originally an Israeli program & published in Hebrew. My edition is updated with more information & in English. It's well written, but couldn't hold my attention. There were several minor issues that just added up to glazing my eyes so I didn't finish it. It's not a bad book & I can understand really loving it, but the level of detail for such a long list of issues just didn't work for me.

Illustrating the far reaching effects of a relatively minor pre-birth condition is fine. Explaining the mechanisms of one or two is interesting, but explaining dozens in detail is just more information than I want. I might excuse it if it was a textbook, but this is popular science. Hit the high points & move on. He doesn't, so I did. No star rating since it's both very good & bad.

I knew this book would be controversial & some of the reviews show it. People don't like or understand generalizations in our 'liberal' society. Glezerman did a good enough job for me explaining how he would generalize & how he would tend to focus on some medical issues, many of which would only be fully addressed biologically since they vary so much environmentally & in society. Besides, medical professionals rarely have time to get to know that level of detail of their patients, so ignore the nitpicking reviews & their low scores. He also starts this edition with a bit about how equality doesn't mean the same, but that we are free to be different in our own ways.

Still, he's going to catch a lot of crap since he starts out saying that women stuck closer to the cave & did more gathering than hunting which is not a popular point of view now. Yes, the previous view was too male-centric, but most women of child bearing age were stuck closer to home & needed more support due to the rigors of reproduction & the needs of the children; enough that it is statistically important in how we evolved & that's what he's focused on.

This is a really important book because there are differences between the sexes besides our reproductive organs & women have typically been treated the same as men which is just wrong. Testing is typically done on men because it is simpler & cheaper. He gives a great example right off the bat. A woman with seizures required a higher dosage during her fertile period because the hormones reacted with the medication so varying the dosage fixed the problem. Her doctor hadn't even contemplated that until Glezerman pointed it out. This is what people should be paying attention to. At least he's making an effort to bring the issue to light.

There are a lot of other differences between the sexes. Women tend to communicate more & better, so they actually use two different parts of their brain rather than one as men do which means they recover from some stroke issues better. They have more robust immune systems due to dealing with the rug rats & staying in closer quarters more historically, but the trade off is that they also have a higher incidence of some autoimmune disorders now. He points out some that are societal such as the high incidence of carpal tunnel in women due to typing when secretarial work was one of their few decent jobs. Thankfully manual typewriters are a thing of the past. The sheer number of keystrokes & force it took was horrific.

27May - on hold for a bit since this has gotten too technical & rather boring. It's good info, but not pertinent to me (child bearing women & effects on the fetus) & it's going on & on. My eyes are glazing over.

1Jun - tried again yesterday & I kept zoning out. If I had this in text, I'd skip ahead. That doesn't work well with audio, so I'm abandoning it.

[Jasmin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Update: I received a very kind email from Mr. Glezerman, in which he responded to my complaints, saying that the book title is indeed misleading and that his publisher rejected a change for the sake of brevity. He also said that he'll work on unclarities in certain chapters for the next edition.

"Without control over excretion, we would not be able to maintain a social life."
- I picked this quote as it is exemplary for the biggest problem concerning the book: generalization.

Glezerman writes in the introduction that he will refer to sex- and gender-based medicine solely with the term "gender medicine" for the sake of simplicity. Throughout history it has never proved to be a very good idea to generalize facts, things or people, especially when it comes to presenting scientific results, and I would've liked to hear Stephen Hawking comment on this outrageous quote.
The book is full of interesting facts concerning sex-based differences between genetic females and males, but since Glezerman refers to these differences as being gender-based, he completely disregards of genuine gender differences that are grounded on sociocultural conditions and not biology.
An example: He explains that ADHD is more commonly diagnosed among boys than girls because experienced maternal stress during pregnancy has a greater impact on male fetuses than on females. What he disregards of entirely is the true gender difference that ADHD surveys scan for criteria that biologic males show more commonly than the other sex due to their upbringing as "men" in a particular society and culture.

Examples like this one, where sex differences are explained thoroughly, but the gender aspects are ignored, appear repeatedly and provide readers with only one side of the coin.
The book should therefore only be read with caution and requires critical further research.

[M. V. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is great for lay-persons wanting to better understand how medicine can affect them, but my copy of this book is heavily annotated with all of the issues I had with the text.

Firstly, the author had an ambitious thesis that (I felt) was barely addressed in the book. Arguments should be stronger, and could have been better structured to prevent unnecessary repetition or back-tracking. Most of the time, I felt the author deviated from the aims and purpose of this book, instead providing a summarised version of undergrad human biology.

The other issue with the book is the author's careless use unverified research and made claims throughout the book that were either irrelevant, outdated, or unexplained. Inconsistent citation (or lack of in-text citation in pop medico-scientific literature) is my pet-peeve, but I don't need an in-text citation telling me that grass is green, when the author hasn't cited in-text research that supports radical medical claim - and no, preferencing scientific claims with "researchers have found" is not adequate.

Finally, the author at times unknowingly reifies gendered misconceptions: since I expected this book to address the sensitivity of gender/sex in medicine, these glaring flaws in tone were ironic. In one such example, the author describes the Fertilisation Fairytale model of reproduction (i.e. aggressive sperm, passive ovum), but fails to explicitly mention how this phenomena has experienced a paradigm shift role-reversal in the scientific community two decades before this book was written. The paradigm shift in the reproductive narrative was an important keystone in gender and sex-specific medicine, but reserved little attention and only took up half a page; meanwhile an explanation of digestion took up a whole chapter - and only managed to explain that women have slower bowel movements which affects the reliability of FOB screening. The book should be better-worded to prevent sounding unnecessarily sexist or... insincere? Somewhere in Ch3, the author writes something to the effect of 'poor people tend to breed with poor people and are more likely make genetically inferior children' - that's my paraphrasing, but I have re-read that paragraph a few times just to make sure I wasn't misinterpreting it.

This is not the first time I have read literature addressing gender and sex-specific medicine, and I suppose I picked up this book hoping that it would be a more academic consideration of the progress and challenges of gender/sex-differences in medicine. "Gender Medicine" is more a morning-commute type of read for people who have not got an academic nor medical background, but are interested in bettering their own understanding of how medicine varies between sexes.

[Evie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Started this a few years ago but never really got into it. Quite an easy read though when I picked it up again this time. Didn’t go into quite as much detail as I would have liked and felt that the author did make some conclusions and sweeping statements that I didn’t fully agree with. Still an interesting read and also focused on the data gap that still exists in medical research similar to invisible women.

[Loesje · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interessant onderwerp, maar net iets te ingewikkeld woordgebruik voor mij om comfortabel te lezen.

[Jaime K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find it very interesting that this was translated from Hebrew into English, and that includes five extra chapters then originally published.

Until recently, men and women were treated with the same medications and dosages, etc. even experiments were mostly on men, despite the fact that there are different chemical compositions, including women’s ovulation cycles.

Huh. Men’s chromosomes are deteriorating and are, at that cellular level, the weaker sex.

Looks at social, emotional, and political aspects of gender, all of which truly do shape us and how we are diagnosed.

Glezerman provides information on what is excluded and the author’s note in general is just very good.

Our biology has to catch up to technological advances, especially in our understanding of our evolutionary history. And so, Glezerman focuses more on the biological definitions of gender for that reason.

He gives a lot of very interesting different past and present information based on our evolution and development, including how diseases manifest. Gender medicine is just another aspect of a comprehensive medical diagnosis and treatment.

I love how specific he is about the fact that YES, male and female brains ARE different.
But those differences (and even barring them), from fetal development on, can make any expecting mother ultra paranoid about how she approaches each moment of pregnancy.

I like that Glezerman goes into the psyche/soul aspects. WHOLE body.

It’s pretty scary that surgery For possible preventative measures can bring on more issues then if you waited for that maybe issued to arise.

Glezerman explains a lot about the differences between males and females in why and how:
- Symptoms and issues manifest
- Each gender is more prone to certain issues than the other
- Diagnoses must be approached
- Microbiomes are important
- How we experience pain
- Skin surface area versus body volume (and thus the differences in inner core temperatures).

All the sexual stuff from kissing to reproduction was interesting and also weird at times--particularly the saliva stuff..

There have been issues with the Y chromosome from conception—including, but not limited to, genetics, hormones, fewer coping strategies with lice’s stressors, and the lack of a repair mechanism found in the X chromosome.

Glezerman also discusses the different psychological needs of each gender. It all seems like common sense and yet the lack of knowledge and support/treatment shows otherwise.

I now understand the reasons why stomachaches and diarrhea occur during periods.

The FDA has already begun gender-specific doses in some medications.

Also discusses differences in linguists—genderlect ?() which made me laugh.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to read about the health related differences in both women and men. The author details the evolutionary aspects of these differences as well as the future to come, appropriately citing research and studies. I felt like I gained a new understanding of how being a fetus in the mother’s womb plays a large impact on the future of a child in terms of the child's inclination to encounter certain health concerns as they age depending on exposure or experiences in life as well as during those 9 months of a pregnancy. I also appreciated that there was a chapter focused on microbioma and the second brain, it's a topic that continues to fascinate me and I enjoyed reading about the gender linkage from that perspective.

This book is an important topic to address presently as medicine is fast advancing, and the world of health care is up against technological change, legal scrutiny, biological and environmental changes. These are all factors that I've come to realize are truly double edge swords when we argue for a personal touch in health care. I would agree with the author's note and recommend that this book truly is for "anyone who is curious to learn more about the wonders of the human body" (with a lens on gender differences).

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was fascinating. The main focus of the book is the reality that men and women's bodies are very different. Historically, the field of medicine has treated women's bodies as if they were similar to men's bodies. Research, dosing, treatment, and symptoms have been based on men's health largely. Obviously, this has lead to disparities and poor outcomes. Dr. Glezerman explores several medical disciplines and examines the differences between men and women's health in each. My only complaint is that the chapters are too short. You only get a brief glimpse of a very fascinating topic in each. The chapters are built like jumping off points for further research. I really appreciated the perspective.

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glezerman writes in a highly relatable and understandable style. I would recommend this book for health professionals, and for those interested in increasing their own medical autonomy and knowledge regarding gender based medical decision making.

[Sophy H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very well written book with plenty of evidence based arguments for supporting a gendered approach to medicine and treatment.

The only criticism I have is that the chapters on life in the womb were too long, and the chapter on infertility was unnecessary and protracted (there again I have no interest in reproduction!) I feel that these chapters could have been dedicated to some of the subjects the author chose not to explore such as oncology, dermatology, surgery etc.

Otherwise a well structured and interesting look at the difference between the sexes when it comes to health and illness.

[Ana-Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive look into the importance of gender and sex of patients in medical practice, “Gender Medicine” provides insightful information on the differences between the sexes when it comes to decision making in patient centered care. The book covers aspects from the basic differences between the two sexes, to how differently pathologies manifest in men and women and how different treatment is required to treat them, ending with an important vision for the future of evidence based medicine. I recommend this to medical professionals of any specialty, as well as to the large public, the ideas and style in which they are presented aiming to be easily understood by everyone.

[orlando · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un mundo feliz de Aldous Huxley

[Shiela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a book with an agenda - one I totally applaud!
Though it is more pseudo scientific due to numerous generalizations and unsubstantiated opinions, it is well worth reading/listening.

[Viki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het is absoluut noodzakelijk om te weten dat tot een paar decennia geleden vrouwen totaal geen deel uitmaakten bij het testen van medicijnen en ze hierdoor bij het nemen van huidige courante en specifieke medicatie heel andere & zelfs levensbedreigende bijwerkingen kunnen ondervinden.
Ziektebeelden die wij leken & zelfs ook artsen associëren met bepaalde ziektes gelden vaak enkel voor mannen. De symptomen bij vrouwen worden dan gelieerd aan andere zaken en hierdoor worden ze verkeerd behandeld.
Tot op vandaag gebeurt er nog steeds te weinig onderzoek -amper 50%- naar vrouwenzaken en daar moet dringend verandering in komen.
Helaas leest het boek helemaal niet als een thriller zoals vermeld op de cover, want vervalt de auteur al te vaak in details of in algemeenheden waarvan we allemaal al op de hoogte zijn (geen alcohol tijdens de zwangerschap, bv.) en start helaas ook met een achterhaalde visie op de taakverdeling ten tijde van de 'oermens'.
Ik heb uiteindelijk enkel het begin gelezen en de hoofdstukken die mij sowieso boeien.

[Cherry Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just not that great. I could definitely tell that the author is just a doctor, not a writer. I know that it's a book about medicine but I feel like it could have been far more engaging. Chapter after chapter of the same "how this system works" and then "how it's different for men and women." Sometimes it felt like I was reading WebMD. I did kind of enjoy it still because I really like physiology but mehhh.

Also, I felt like the author jumped to conclusions sometimes. One instance I remember is on page 177 after discussing how women are less likely to be given pain medication than men he concludes that it can't be due to discrimination because medical staff is both male and female. I felt like this was such a shallow way of understanding the situation. That's a pretty good way to sum up this book, honestly. Very broad, but shallow. Lots was covered but I never felt like I really dove deep into anything.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

About a 3.5
I read this in chunks, and it was very fascinating. Differences between genders in medicine should be a sort of 'well obviously' kind of thing but it seems that's not the case. Reading that there is more of a move to that is exciting, I just hope it continues in the future.
As far as how approachable this book and readable for a someone not in the scientific field I'd say it's fairly good. I know very little about medicine and bodies besides what I read in books and I was very rarely lost in this, if ever. It had a lot of very interesting facts and studies to look at, and taught me quite a bit. If it seems interesting I do think it's worth reading.

[Liesbet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interessant boek over de verschillen tussen vrouwen en mannen in de geneeskunde en de grote problemen waar we voor staan (oa pijnproblematiek bij vrouwen, vruchtbaarheid) maar voor mij te algemeen. Ik had verwacht dat hij op bepaalde zaken dieper ging doorgaan, daarom heb ik ook enkele hoofdstukken overgeslaan. Goed boek voor wie een inleiding in de geneeskunde voor vrouwen wil, skippen als je er al het een en ander over weet.

[Rudi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een interessant boek over geneeskunde ( naar de toekomst ? ) toe
Persoonlijk miste ik wel wat persoonlijke verhalen van dokters en patiënten waarbij sommige hoofdstukken waar ik wat minder interesse in had wat lazen als een bijsluiter van een geneesmiddel

[Mette · Rating 4 out of 5]

En fin introduktion til emnet.

[Lindsay Cornette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boeiend boek en hopelijk wordt er inderdaad in de toekomst meer aandacht besteed aan en geïnvesteerd in gendergeneeskunde.

[Tristan Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good book for learning the fundamentals of biological factors that differentiates treatments meant for male and female bodies. But more than that, it’s a comprehensive and informative guide to the human body from an easy to understand level.

I read this book out of curiosity hearing a fact once that antidepressants work better on females than on men. I was supremely surprised at the amount of new facts I hadn’t know about men and women, and although most of them are the result of looking at trends in data, they were still interesting to consider and relate them to biological facts. I thought this book was also quite pragmatic and handled the topic of trans-individualism and multi gender spectrum tactfully. I especially liked his perspective and definitions on the topic of “gender” vs “sex”, and how gender is just a term borrowed from sociology, while sex is a physical property of the human.

In all, I think this book is good for anyone with or without much of a background in biology who is curious about how men’s and woman’s bodies differ, or just wants a reminder of how the body works in general.

[Kwon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hopefully by the next generation of doctors, we will be saying "Duh!" to the notion of gender differences in medicine, but unfortunately I feel that in clinical practice this paradigm shift has not quite begun yet.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glezerman has written an introduction to this new way of looking at patients and treatments, a way that is long over due if you are a woman. Had I or doctors known of how some treatments affect women in a way different from men I would have not agreed to some procedures or required a different treatment. But those younger than I really need to read this introduction (by age 30).

Probably about 50% or possibly more I knew before reading this book; I do read books and articles on gender and medicine, so I give it 4 stars. If the topic was entirely new to me, I probably would have given it 5 stars.

Glezerman explains how the fetus develop and how male fetus develop differently from female; you don't need to have had college biology 101 recently, in other words, to understand Glezerman's exposition. He gives basic background information before discussion. This is a good entry book to this field. Read it!

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

We've all heard about women who are misdiagnosed when having a heart attack because women's symptoms differ from men's. Well, it isn't just heart attacks where this occurs.
Diagnoses and medicines are based on research involving men (except for specific female "complaints", of course).
This book gives a general introduction to the problems involved with male directed medicine being applied to females and the need for proper research involving female subjects. It focuses primarily on the heart and digestive issues but the lessons apply to other medical areas. Until women are equally included in medical trials, a woman should be cautious about medical decisions, as your doctor's decisions may be more suited to treating men than women.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains vital information that should be disseminated widely. That being said, reading it was kind of a slog for me (hence 3 stars and not 5). I have had to put it down, but hope to come back to it later when I am in a better head space for it.

[Mairead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but full of assumptions maybe

[Mills College Library]

362.108 G5589 2016

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't read the chapters on pregnancy if you are pregnant or recently had a kid. Interesting things, especially implications in treatment.