For Women Only: A Revolutionary Guide to Reclaiming Your Sex Life

by Jennifer Berman, Laura Berman, Elisabeth Bumiller

A groundbreaking book by the co-directors of one of the country's first women's sexual health clinics-destined to be an essential resource for women throughout the country.

According to The Journal of the American Medical Association, 43 percent of American women suffer from some kind of sexual dysfunction. And though the introduction of Viagra has increased attention to male sexual concerns, the problems women face are often ignored. For Women Only is the first book to offer a comprehensive exploration of female sexual dysfunction.

The co-directors of the Women's Sexual Health Clinic at Boston University Medical Center -- Jennifer Berman, a urologist, and her sister, Laura Berman, a sex therapist-draw on research and clinical findings to show that many of the physical problems that cause impotence in men can cause sexual dysfunction in women. In addition, many women experience diminished sexual response as they age, go through menopause, and after hysterectomies or other pelvic surgery.

Covering both physiological and psychological issues in a straightforward, sympathetic style, the Bermans provide authoritative, easy-to-understand information on the medical breakthroughs and treatments that can help women of all ages enjoy more fulfilling sex lives.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Womens, Health

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 10, 2001

Reviews

[Cristie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nevermind the somewhat lame title, this book is amazing. I spotted it on the library shelf and decided to check it out.

The most striking things I read in this book have to do with the gross inequality of scientific research dedicated to male and female sexual function and response. I read that surgically precise procedures are in place for male pelvic surgeries in order to avoid any disturbance in sexual function, but for female pelvic surgeries (like hysterectomy), the precise locations of the nerves and blood vessels that enable female sexual response are still unknown and can indeed be injured during surgery. Still unknown??? In this area, science still treats women as second class citizens! Imagine the different responses from a doctor for a male and and then a female patient who might report, "I've never had an orgasm."

Women tend to believe "it's all in my head," "I'm tired and stressed out," "I have an unhealthy body image" etc. These are all generally accepted reasons behind women's diminished libido or sexual dysfunction. Outside of this book, I don't think I've ever even heard of any of the physical sexual dysfunctions that women can experience. And that's really, really sad.

This book summed up the state of things today, for me, with this quote: "...a comment from a urologist from Harvard, when asked about whether female sexual dysfunction should be included as a subject in a medical study of impotence: 'I can't imagine anything more annoying than prompting a parade of unhappy women into urology offices for evaluation of their sexual problems. Do urologists really want to move in this direction? We must be getting desperate for things to keep us occupied professionally.'"

The book includes information on female sexual anatomy and response (I learned some new things!) and also references same-sex couples in its examples.

[Sierra Hadik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book and figured why not. It focuses on all aspect of women’s health and sex health.

Great read for women everywhere. It’s so important to be tuned into our bodies and understand how it works! Everyone and every upbringing is different so it’s important to know we’re not alone.

I really enjoyed the education aspect of this book and learning things I already knew along with brand new information.

I did skim on some repetitive parts but overall it’s a good educational book.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really know why I read this book. It was sitting on my sister's bookshelf and I thought that I'd give it a try, so if it could answer my sex questions. It's a really helpful book and reads more like novel instead of a boring help guide. It didn't really help me with my sex problem, even though there was a woman who had the exact probably as I do, and they figured out it was caused by sexual abuse when she was younger. Well, that's never happened to me, so I don't know that the issue is. They talk about drugs and other actions you can take for whatever your sexual problem is, and how therapy can help. It actually is a decent book, something that would come in handy to keep around. So ladies, check it out.

[Bird · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. Terrible. I had first read "Real Sex for Real Women" which I thought was a great book. I picked up a few of the Berman sisters' other books hoping that they would be of similar quality. They weren't.

First, there were numerous errors within the book due to it being an updated edition. It would tell you to turn to X-page for more information only to find that the pages were off, sometimes by a bit, sometimes by a lot. I think that when they were making revisions for the new edition they forgot to changes the page numbers too. Small problem, but obnoxious.

Second, I felt like they spent much of the time tooting their own horns and trying to attract people to their clinic. They would frequently remind the readers the purpose of the clinic and what each of the sisters was responsible for. I was annoyed at being continually banged over the head with the information. I got it after the first time ladies -I know who you are and what you do. Move on with it already.

Lastly, and most importantly, I didn't think there was anything of worth in this book. Maybe because I had already read Berman's most recent book, which seemed to cover everything this book attempted to say, only in a better, more succinct format. In the end, I felt that I slogged through several hundred pages for nothing.

[Ashlie aka The Cheerbrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been embarking on a process of self-discovery and came upon this book based on the suggestion of my therapist. As a person raised in a conservative household, I feel like there were definitely gaps in my education. Specifically, what I learned about sex education was from a video in 6th grade called "In God's Image." What Patricia told us, from her rocking chair with eyeshadow up to our eyebrows was that, "When a man and woman are married, and love each other, and make a baby, here is how that is done." Not exactly comprehensive information.

This book, though basic, filled in some of important information. I didn't learn much, other than that I'm not that different, or weird, compared to most women, which actually was a really important lesson for me to learn. This book spent a lot of time focusing on things I may/will face later in life, so I'll definitely keep it around as a resource and definitely suggest it to other like-minded (ie, Catholic/shamed) women who are looking for a little clarity, information, and comfort.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not uninteresting. But for a book titled "For Women Only" it could be a little more inclusive. A page in the beginning, a paragraph in the middle, and a page-long section at the end is pretty much all that's related to women whose partners are, well, not men. Perhaps it is useful as a self-help, but as a research tool it's about as useful as Oprah. The Berman sisters do seem to be doing spectacular work in their fields, and I applaud that. Lots of useful factoids regarding the medical field's complete inattention to female anatomy and issues (but such eagerness to resolve ED!). Anecdotes that feel a little like collages. I wouldn't exactly call it "revolutionary," although it seems like the steps the authors are taking in their practices are revolutionary, indeed.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considero que, a pesar de que este libro ya tiene unos cuantos añitos por lo que está en algunos ámbitos posiblemente algo desfasados —apuntando más a algunos tratamientos, cosa que tampoco estoy segura porque no soy ninguna experta en el campo que tenemos entre manos— considero que Sólo para mujeres es una lectura amena, educativa e interesante para cualquier mujer en cualquier momento de su vida e incluso creo que puede ser recomendable para los hombres que tengan interés en la sexualidad femenina —tanto si tiene problemas sexuales como si no—.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw Dr. Laura Berman speak on Oprah and I liked her ideas and approach to intimacy in marriage, so I went on a spree to read her books. Unfortunately, my first one was not a great experience. Anyone with any idea of how the female body works will not really gain anything from reading this book; I found it to be very basic and skimmed a great deal of it. I do, however, look forward to some of her other books.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

from the library c2001
sisters Jennifer Berman, MD and Laura Berman, PHD

Introduction...info based on work the sisters did as codirectors of the Women's Sexual Health Clinic at BU Medical Ctr...

Helen O'Connell discovered tht the clit is twice as large and complex as shown in medical books

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an okay book, wish it would have gone more into sexual dysfunctions though. A positive is that it doesn't make you feel ashamed about sex and the female body and it was very easy to get through.

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MUST-READ for any woman. Period.

[Eleni Bourinaris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read for young women before going off to college. I'm including this in a basket of other female empowerment books as a gift for my young female cousins.