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The Gynae Geek
Information is everywhere and yet many women still don’t truly understand how our bodies work and specifically, how our lower genital tract works. Dr Anita Mitra, AKA The Gynae Geek, believes that we can only be empowered about our health when we have accurate information. This book will be that source. This book takes you from your first period to the onset of menopause and explains everything along the way. From straightforward information about whether the pill is safe, which diet is best for PCOS, what an abnormal smear actually means, if heavy periods are a sign of cancer, right through to extraordinary tales from the Clinic. This straight to the heart, sharp shooting guide will become the go-to reference book for all young women seeking answers about reproductive health as well as a way to dispel the swathe of misinformation that’s out there. Dr Anita Mitra shares her personal experiences with stress and anxiety and her learnings about how the gynaecological health of women can be influenced by lifestyle choices.
288 pages, Paperback
First published March 7, 2019
45 people are currently reading
597 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
September 2, 2019
Very disappointed by the anti-vegan message the author sends throughout the book. She advocates consuming dairy and points to a study that is funded by...the dairy industry. She also talks about vegan diets having deficiencies yet fails to mention omnivorous diets on average have 7 nutrient deficiencies(vegan diets have 3).
Not checking to see if a research paper has conflicts of interest makes me question the other references she’s used in the book.
Fortunately I dug a little deeper when I read her dietary recommendations but if I took her information at face value I would falsely think dairy was something I should be consuming more of.
Not checking to see if a research paper has conflicts of interest makes me question the other references she’s used in the book.
Fortunately I dug a little deeper when I read her dietary recommendations but if I took her information at face value I would falsely think dairy was something I should be consuming more of.
May 15, 2019
Everyone, whether they have a vagina or not, should read this book!
May 11, 2019
The Gynae Geek's no-nonsense guide is one of the best, most straight-talking, reliable, fact-based and easy reading books on women's health.
It talks all about how our menstrual cycle is connected with our eating, sleeping, exercising and lifestyle patterns.
It talks about what a smear test is and why we should go for one as women - basically if you don't know it detects abnormal cells in your vagina (caused by hpvs) and helps to get those treated before they turn into cancer.
It talks about pregnancy and fertility.
It talks about periods.
It talks about contraception, sexually transmitted diseases and getting tested for those.
It talks about what a vagina looks like and how the vagina is the inside part and your vulva is the outside part.
It has lots of great information about how our hormones are influenced and what they do; why their important.
It screams out that women need to empower themselves by learning more and reading more fact based studies.
It has so many important messages that every woman and man needs to know about.
It's also a book that's driven by a doctor who knows her stuff, but is passionate about her cause and cares about educating and helping people. Dr Anita Mitra makes the book interesting and accessible. It's not laugh-out loud funny, but there are some pretty shocking moments.
The small ancedotes from her jobs make it more interesting and personal (obviously no names are used). It also makes you realise how many women are suffering because they don't feel confident or capable of stepping forward to their doctor.
This book is great for those interested in health in general, those wanting to learn more about women's health and gynaecological health specifically.
Just an all around great book!
It talks all about how our menstrual cycle is connected with our eating, sleeping, exercising and lifestyle patterns.
It talks about what a smear test is and why we should go for one as women - basically if you don't know it detects abnormal cells in your vagina (caused by hpvs) and helps to get those treated before they turn into cancer.
It talks about pregnancy and fertility.
It talks about periods.
It talks about contraception, sexually transmitted diseases and getting tested for those.
It talks about what a vagina looks like and how the vagina is the inside part and your vulva is the outside part.
It has lots of great information about how our hormones are influenced and what they do; why their important.
It screams out that women need to empower themselves by learning more and reading more fact based studies.
It has so many important messages that every woman and man needs to know about.
It's also a book that's driven by a doctor who knows her stuff, but is passionate about her cause and cares about educating and helping people. Dr Anita Mitra makes the book interesting and accessible. It's not laugh-out loud funny, but there are some pretty shocking moments.
The small ancedotes from her jobs make it more interesting and personal (obviously no names are used). It also makes you realise how many women are suffering because they don't feel confident or capable of stepping forward to their doctor.
This book is great for those interested in health in general, those wanting to learn more about women's health and gynaecological health specifically.
Just an all around great book!
August 31, 2019
Very useful book to read for information about females bodies. It does get a little bit too repetitive: every chapter is ended with first an FAQ section ('all you wanted to ask...') and then a 'knowledge bomb' which is a summary. The very end of the book has another (short!) summary.
I found the first half, which is very fact-based, about anatomy and the cycle of the menstrual period most interesting. The section on diseases feels more like it could be used as an encyclopedia, there was a lot of detail on treatment etc that didn't feel massively relevant to me - but very useful to have if you need it later.
Her writing style is very inviting, the author tries hard to make it an easy read to appeal to - I guess - people who don't read a lot of research/non-fiction. To me, it felt a little bit 'too appealing', if that makes sense - but I realise I am probably not part of the main target group (a lot of the facts/information presented really isn't new to me).
Kudos to the author for writing an informative book that I hope will be read by a lot of women who will learn a lot.
I found the first half, which is very fact-based, about anatomy and the cycle of the menstrual period most interesting. The section on diseases feels more like it could be used as an encyclopedia, there was a lot of detail on treatment etc that didn't feel massively relevant to me - but very useful to have if you need it later.
Her writing style is very inviting, the author tries hard to make it an easy read to appeal to - I guess - people who don't read a lot of research/non-fiction. To me, it felt a little bit 'too appealing', if that makes sense - but I realise I am probably not part of the main target group (a lot of the facts/information presented really isn't new to me).
Kudos to the author for writing an informative book that I hope will be read by a lot of women who will learn a lot.
August 12, 2019
A must read for everyone. I'm so glad to have stumbled upon this book, will definitely be buying myself a personal copy for reference and to share with others.
There is so much conflicting information about female sexual health it's impossible to know what to even do anymore. Mitra addresses absolutely anything you may be wondering about in a brief, non-judgemental and accessable way, encouraging readers to seek further professional help if needed.
There is so much conflicting information about female sexual health it's impossible to know what to even do anymore. Mitra addresses absolutely anything you may be wondering about in a brief, non-judgemental and accessable way, encouraging readers to seek further professional help if needed.
December 18, 2019
great book that is aimed at a regular reader who wants to know more about their bodies and health. How it's all supposed to work and what can be done when things dont go to plan. Really aimed at younger and older people alike who are concerned about their gynecological health.
February 17, 2019
I wish I had had this book in my life sooner. Will be recommending to ALL of the ladies in my life - thank you Dr Anita!!
January 10, 2020
I highly recommend this book. not only is it entertaining it contains a lot of common sense and information anyone with a vagina should take time to read about.
October 7, 2021
The best book I've ever read about my 'down there' healthcare! Easy to understand. Highly recommend!
December 2, 2022
3.5
Some very interesting information here and learned a lot, like never knew fallopian tubes could actually move 😯
Some very interesting information here and learned a lot, like never knew fallopian tubes could actually move 😯
March 28, 2024
I learnt a lot!! Dr Anita Mitra narrated the audiobook herself, and her passion for educating people really came across, so that was lovely! I get the book is for more general education, everything was super clear and easy to understand, but I did want a bit more science at points, and some more depth and detail on some of the topics. I think this book did a good job dispelling some of the myths surrounding female health, and when I thought of a question it was like she'd read my mind because it was usually immediately answered! I do think our society would be better off if everyone was more educated about female health and the female reproductive system (and this book is a great starting point!)
April 21, 2020
My husband bought this for me last year as I was following Anita on Instagram and was interested in her newly released book. My husband is also an obstetrician, and I was keen to understand a bit more about his field and was just curious as a woman as well!
This book explains concepts and answers questions that we all have had in easy to understand ways, while being in depth enough to explain the "how and why" as well.
Having read and discussed sections with my husband, I couldn't recommend this book more. Perfect for both girls just starting on their journey into womanhood and women who just want to understand their bodies a bit more, Anita does a great job of making sometimes scary topics and questions not so daunting in a relatable and personal way.
Just need an obstetric version of this book now!
This book explains concepts and answers questions that we all have had in easy to understand ways, while being in depth enough to explain the "how and why" as well.
Having read and discussed sections with my husband, I couldn't recommend this book more. Perfect for both girls just starting on their journey into womanhood and women who just want to understand their bodies a bit more, Anita does a great job of making sometimes scary topics and questions not so daunting in a relatable and personal way.
Just need an obstetric version of this book now!
January 11, 2025
"The Gynae Geek" by Dr.Anita Mitra
I've just finished this book, and it's an absolute 10/10! Hands down my favourite female health book so far!
It's packed with back-to-basics, essential information that we really should be taught in school. For example, did you know that most of the time we say "vagina," we actually mean the vulva? I learnt so much from this book - things I thought I already knew!
The book is really easy to understand, well-written, and I love how Dr. Mitra summarises each section at the end to make things even clearer. It's practical, no-nonsense, and empowers women to take control of their own health.
I highly recommend buying it. I'll be making some videos for my female health Instagram to share the amazing info l've learnt!
If you want to understand your body better and feel more confident about your healthcare, this is a must-read!
Al xx
I've just finished this book, and it's an absolute 10/10! Hands down my favourite female health book so far!
It's packed with back-to-basics, essential information that we really should be taught in school. For example, did you know that most of the time we say "vagina," we actually mean the vulva? I learnt so much from this book - things I thought I already knew!
The book is really easy to understand, well-written, and I love how Dr. Mitra summarises each section at the end to make things even clearer. It's practical, no-nonsense, and empowers women to take control of their own health.
I highly recommend buying it. I'll be making some videos for my female health Instagram to share the amazing info l've learnt!
If you want to understand your body better and feel more confident about your healthcare, this is a must-read!
Al xx
April 20, 2023
On paper, this is a decent entry-level resource in a social climate where there's still a deficit of common knowledge regarding uterine, vaginal, vulvar and menstrual health - in other words, gynaecology. In practice, the author seems to be disgusted by fat patients who come to see her for easily treatable problems she decided to medically specialise in. So... not very promising.
(Reviewer context paragraph: It took me myself about a decade to receive a serious diagnosis for life-threatening uterine issues, and in the meantime, I was recommended major surgeries that ended up worsening my quality of life... so, yep, I'm a statistic. I'm also pretty well educated on my conditions, PCOS being one, as I've been an active participant and advocate for my own care over the years - you have to be - and I know what it feels like to be respected by your doctor as mine is fantastic. Ultimately I read this so I could be sure I could recommend it to people in my life.)
I have the audiobook version, which Dr. Mitra self-narrated. She is very expressive and you can tell she has passion and noble intentions, and displays shock and sadness at the lack of gynae-specific care and education her patients have received in the world at large.
In one specific part, though, she verbally and uncharitably gawks at a fat patient who requests her assistance with a medical problem, and then never actually mentions doing anything to help this patient, r/AITA anecdote style.
As a means to cover the topic of PCOS-related infertility, Dr. Mitra recounts an anecdote about a fat patient coming to see her whilst having trouble conceiving. PCOS, being an endocrine disorder, can cause issues conceiving due to anovulation - pretty common and simple to treat.
I also understand the process behind seeing a gynaecologist in the UK is an involved one, requiring a referral and quite a long waiting period - it's similar in my country. So naturally this patient can be presumed to have gone to a lot of effort to make it to Dr. Mitra's office.
Hence I was disappointed to hear in this book Anita make something quite ugly out of what could have been a teaching moment for women advocating for their own healthcare.
To recount, Dr. Mitra describes a woman who visits her office to be prescribed pharmaceutical help for assistance conceiving (the patient was experiencing PCOS-typical anovulation) which is not an unusual symptom, and is a good reason to see a gynaecologist as an adult woman with PCOS.
The phrasing with which Dr. Mitra physically describes this patient is quite unprofessional. This aside, Anita is sure to know that plenty of people with PCOS conceive and carry healthy pregnancies to term. It's a very common condition.
Instead, Dr. Mitra only mentions providing this patient unwarranted diet and exercise advice, based purely on a visual examination at a distance, and then does not actually mention she ever helped this patient with what she came in for... you'd hope that a book focused on education would tell the whole story, but this human being was basically just a means to tell a story about non-compliant fat patients with PCOS from the perspective of a poor unlistened-to doctor (with a massive instagram following, a boo hoo hoo?).
On this note, unfortunately, Dr. Mitra does not recover the ground she lost here, because she kind of just stops talking about PCOS after this. Awesome.
It's pretty disappointing because if Anita has dealt with many patients with PCOS, a primary and common point of difficulty is to have doctors focus unnecessarily on your weight in a morally charged way, because to be fat is to be presumed stupid and noncompliant. You will be frustrated to tears trying to get even life-threatening problems addressed with anything besides diet and exercise advice even when it is unsafe or ineffective for you.
Anita Mitra doesn't do much besides inflate the status quo when she covers PCOS-related infertility by telling a story about being a shitty doctor to someone in a demographic less likely to get quality healthcare by her own admission, and ends up shooting herself and her message in the foot. Can you imagine being the woman this was written about? I'm surprised her editor didn't catch this.
The absolute lack of self awareness in this actually made me pretty angry, and I'm still pretty unhappy now after mulling over writing a review for several weeks.
In other words... yeah, no recommendation. Perhaps quotable in parts. There are better resources. And certainly ones that don't normalise this sort of disrespect.
If you're on goodreads, seeing this, then you're probably up for "Vagina Obscura", which was an awesome and fascinating read, going into enough detail to educate, but staying topical enough to be relevant and not "a history book".
If you're not up for Vagina Obscura, you could probably try Scarleteen, which has worked hard to be an inclusive and accessible resource for sexual education for people of all ages for most of the time the internet has even existed.
https://www.scarleteen.com/tags/gynec...
(Reviewer context paragraph: It took me myself about a decade to receive a serious diagnosis for life-threatening uterine issues, and in the meantime, I was recommended major surgeries that ended up worsening my quality of life... so, yep, I'm a statistic. I'm also pretty well educated on my conditions, PCOS being one, as I've been an active participant and advocate for my own care over the years - you have to be - and I know what it feels like to be respected by your doctor as mine is fantastic. Ultimately I read this so I could be sure I could recommend it to people in my life.)
I have the audiobook version, which Dr. Mitra self-narrated. She is very expressive and you can tell she has passion and noble intentions, and displays shock and sadness at the lack of gynae-specific care and education her patients have received in the world at large.
In one specific part, though, she verbally and uncharitably gawks at a fat patient who requests her assistance with a medical problem, and then never actually mentions doing anything to help this patient, r/AITA anecdote style.
As a means to cover the topic of PCOS-related infertility, Dr. Mitra recounts an anecdote about a fat patient coming to see her whilst having trouble conceiving. PCOS, being an endocrine disorder, can cause issues conceiving due to anovulation - pretty common and simple to treat.
I also understand the process behind seeing a gynaecologist in the UK is an involved one, requiring a referral and quite a long waiting period - it's similar in my country. So naturally this patient can be presumed to have gone to a lot of effort to make it to Dr. Mitra's office.
Hence I was disappointed to hear in this book Anita make something quite ugly out of what could have been a teaching moment for women advocating for their own healthcare.
To recount, Dr. Mitra describes a woman who visits her office to be prescribed pharmaceutical help for assistance conceiving (the patient was experiencing PCOS-typical anovulation) which is not an unusual symptom, and is a good reason to see a gynaecologist as an adult woman with PCOS.
The phrasing with which Dr. Mitra physically describes this patient is quite unprofessional. This aside, Anita is sure to know that plenty of people with PCOS conceive and carry healthy pregnancies to term. It's a very common condition.
Instead, Dr. Mitra only mentions providing this patient unwarranted diet and exercise advice, based purely on a visual examination at a distance, and then does not actually mention she ever helped this patient with what she came in for... you'd hope that a book focused on education would tell the whole story, but this human being was basically just a means to tell a story about non-compliant fat patients with PCOS from the perspective of a poor unlistened-to doctor (with a massive instagram following, a boo hoo hoo?).
On this note, unfortunately, Dr. Mitra does not recover the ground she lost here, because she kind of just stops talking about PCOS after this. Awesome.
It's pretty disappointing because if Anita has dealt with many patients with PCOS, a primary and common point of difficulty is to have doctors focus unnecessarily on your weight in a morally charged way, because to be fat is to be presumed stupid and noncompliant. You will be frustrated to tears trying to get even life-threatening problems addressed with anything besides diet and exercise advice even when it is unsafe or ineffective for you.
Anita Mitra doesn't do much besides inflate the status quo when she covers PCOS-related infertility by telling a story about being a shitty doctor to someone in a demographic less likely to get quality healthcare by her own admission, and ends up shooting herself and her message in the foot. Can you imagine being the woman this was written about? I'm surprised her editor didn't catch this.
The absolute lack of self awareness in this actually made me pretty angry, and I'm still pretty unhappy now after mulling over writing a review for several weeks.
In other words... yeah, no recommendation. Perhaps quotable in parts. There are better resources. And certainly ones that don't normalise this sort of disrespect.
If you're on goodreads, seeing this, then you're probably up for "Vagina Obscura", which was an awesome and fascinating read, going into enough detail to educate, but staying topical enough to be relevant and not "a history book".
If you're not up for Vagina Obscura, you could probably try Scarleteen, which has worked hard to be an inclusive and accessible resource for sexual education for people of all ages for most of the time the internet has even existed.
https://www.scarleteen.com/tags/gynec...
July 19, 2019
Anita is very knowledgeable and a reliable source of information. I really liked her style and especially the surprising and sometimes shocking stories she told. This books is super helpful for women in general, but also men can learn from it. It's great that she is quite open to many things, meaning she's not the 'it's either my way or no way' kind of doc. I knew relatively a lot about 'these women things' so there wasn't too much new information for me in the book, but overall a great read!
I was hoping to get answers to a few of my questions, but some of them still remained unanswered, and there are a few things that I disagree with (based on my previous experiences). She mentions Google a few times (with a negative tone, as most of the doctors nowadays) as a source of information for many- clearly there are a lot of misinformation or complete nonsense on Google and it can be really confusing, but I find this constant attack against self-diagnosing a bit annoying, as when I read carefully and check the sources well, I was able to figure out what my problem was multiple times - and sometimes the solutions too - precisely.
I can highly recommend this book, especially for teens, but anyone else too really.
I was hoping to get answers to a few of my questions, but some of them still remained unanswered, and there are a few things that I disagree with (based on my previous experiences). She mentions Google a few times (with a negative tone, as most of the doctors nowadays) as a source of information for many- clearly there are a lot of misinformation or complete nonsense on Google and it can be really confusing, but I find this constant attack against self-diagnosing a bit annoying, as when I read carefully and check the sources well, I was able to figure out what my problem was multiple times - and sometimes the solutions too - precisely.
I can highly recommend this book, especially for teens, but anyone else too really.
February 21, 2023
First half of the book was amazing! I couldn’t recommend it enough to my girls. But once the author started praising pills saying how they are amazing and only doing good I stopped. There’s so many research, and this book is from 2019 so it should already know that pills cause a lot of health issues. It’s not even mentions that doctors don’t do any hormonal check up while prescribing pills, don’t do any follow check up nothing. Only side effects mentioned by the author were migraines, mood swings and nusea. Author jokes that it looks like she was paid to promote pills…. I guess that’s what happened as it was the least objective info about the pills I have EVER read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2025
I would give this 10 stars if I could.
I cannot express how much everyone (especially but not limited to women) NEEDS to read this.
Im not exaggerating when I say it's life changing.
So much knowledge that we are not exposed to/have easy access to gain. Informative whilst still light hearted and in places humorous.
Literally all the things you have ever wanted to know, but didn't know who or where to ask. Things you thought you knew and things we are lead to believe.
Go get yourself a copy. The format means you can pick this up and put it down with ease but I devoured it in 4 sittings.
Also I recommend following @gynaegeek on Instagram the author of the book.
I cannot express how much everyone (especially but not limited to women) NEEDS to read this.
Im not exaggerating when I say it's life changing.
So much knowledge that we are not exposed to/have easy access to gain. Informative whilst still light hearted and in places humorous.
Literally all the things you have ever wanted to know, but didn't know who or where to ask. Things you thought you knew and things we are lead to believe.
Go get yourself a copy. The format means you can pick this up and put it down with ease but I devoured it in 4 sittings.
Also I recommend following @gynaegeek on Instagram the author of the book.
June 16, 2020
Rating: 4/5 stars
It's amazing how the education system does so little on informing women about feminine healthcare, and with that, how little research has been really done to date on women's sexual nature in contrast to the male (however that is another longer theme all together!).
The book itself is very clear, written to the point and filled with facts.
The Bottom line
If you're a woman, I really urge you to read it!
If you're a man, perhaps give it a go, may be an insightful read either way!
It's amazing how the education system does so little on informing women about feminine healthcare, and with that, how little research has been really done to date on women's sexual nature in contrast to the male (however that is another longer theme all together!).
The book itself is very clear, written to the point and filled with facts.
The Bottom line
If you're a woman, I really urge you to read it!
If you're a man, perhaps give it a go, may be an insightful read either way!
May 23, 2019
EVERYONE should read this book! Women and men, no excuses. There are so many social taboos surrounding the subject of sex and our body, that it is no wonder we know so little about it. As a 40 yr bold woman I found myself constantly Ahhhh-ing. It is liberating, empowering to finally get to understand what goes on in our bodies, how our organs react to what we do in our daily life, and to say Vagina outloud without embarrassement.
April 6, 2021
A brilliant guide for every factor that can affect gynaecological health - from descriptions of the genitals, to fertility and pregnancy "must-knows", to how sleep and stress can affect your menstrual cycle and later gynaecological health. As a high school science teacher I will absolutely be taking this book with me for human biology lessons. People of all genders need to read this book!
April 18, 2019
An absolutely fascinating book, and an important one too. Could be a great resource for teaching women's and reproductive health to teens. Besides that would definitley reccommend for those like me who want to become more familiar with how our bodies work and how best to look after them.
July 22, 2019
this was very interesting and educational, HOWEVER it's probably better to actually read this than listen to it (especially if a. you're not reading this in your first language and/or b. don't know a lot about female anatomy)
October 9, 2019
Really good, informative book for women who have absolutely no knowledge of anything related to ‘down there healthcare’. Everything is explained in a basic way so you can really understand what is being spoken about.
January 26, 2021
Educational, interesting and easy to read, I devoured this! Even the parts with little interest/relevance to my situation still taught me something. This is something all ovary owners should read and I only wish I had a copy for the curious 15 year old I was.
July 9, 2021
I borrowed this off a friend, but I will be buying a copy for myself! This book was so interesting, and so informative. It's written in a really easy to read, engaging way. I thought I knew a fair amount about this topic, and I did, but I still learnt so much! Would definitely recommend
April 28, 2019
I really enjoyed this myth busting book. It taught me all the things I always thought I should just know about my own gynecological health. Everyone should read!
June 17, 2019
Interesting reading
Im a health care professional and reas this out of interest, it was very informative and cleared up alot of myths that i grew up believing.
Im a health care professional and reas this out of interest, it was very informative and cleared up alot of myths that i grew up believing.
August 20, 2019
Loved it! Great as audio with Dr Mitra narrating.
November 6, 2019
Very helpful! I learned a lot about sexual health facts that I'd no idea before.
December 16, 2019
A fantastic book that every woman should read. Being aware of your health and what’s normal for your own body is so important when it comes to looking after it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews