Choice Review
Minkin (obstetrics and gynecology, Yale Univ.) and writer Wright offer an outstanding book that should be in every library, including elementary schools, for the benefit of teachers and school nurses. The authors write clearly and as though speaking directly to patients. Information is practical, based on current research, and never demeaning to women. For example, dysmenorrhea (painful menstrual cramps) is not dismissed lightly or simplistically as being a minor part of the female role; rather, it is discussed in relation to the body's production of prostaglandins with suggested relief coming from NSAIDS, fish oil supplements, or even herbal remedies such as raspberry tea. The basic suggestion for PMS is to chart one's life, discover patterns, and avoid identified stressors on difficult days. The authors use case studies and patient stories to show the variety of human experience and multiple causal factors. They always write in terms of the ethics of medical practice. There is a thoughtful discussion of sex within the context of contemporary society, and the final chapter covers lifestyle issues including body image and size. It is a pity the topic is restricted to women's reproductive health, but anything more would require several additional volumes. Resources include Web sites. ^BSumming Up: Essential. All levels. M. K. Snooks University of Houston--Clear Lake
Library Journal Review
The qualifications of this volume's authors are the chief reasons to consider purchasing yet another guide to women's health that covers less territory than the classic Our Bodies, Ourselves for the New Century. Minkin, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University School of Medicine, graduated from and trained at Yale. Freelancer Wright has written on women's health topics. Aiming to provide readers with information needed to make choices that may be presented in a gynecologist's office, the text covers menstruation, contraceptives, infections and sexually transmitted diseases, breast and genital tract cancer, pregnancy and infertility, and abortion and miscarriage. The chapter "Premenstrual Syndrome" includes a chart called "Anxiety Levels and PMS" and pages of information about various remedies, including diet, alternative medications and therapies, hormones, and antidepressants, while "Fibroids and Endometriosis" contains wide-ranging information about risk factors with emphasis on drug treatment and surgical intervention. Surprisingly, there is little information about new technological innovations used in treatment of gynecological diseases, such as uterine artery embolization for fibroids. Brief chapters cover lifestyles (eating habits, alcohol use, and exercise) and sexuality, but it should be noted that lesbian-specific healthcare issues are not addressed, and patients described in vignettes are specifically or implied heterosexual. There are 33 figures, several tables and charts, a glossary, and a thoughtful, though brief annotated list of resources, both print and web-based. While this guide is more extensive than Scott Thornton and Kathleen Schramm's Everything You Always Wanted To Ask Your Gynecologist, which briefly answers 200 questions, other libraries may prefer more comprehensive books such as Karen Carlson and others' The Harvard Guide to Women's Health. Recommended, with reservations as noted, for libraries lacking titles in this area. (Index not seen.)-Martha E. Stone, Massachusetts General Hosp. Lib., Boston (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
![Cover image for The Yale guide to women's reproductive health [electronic resource] : from menarche to menopause / Mary Jane Minkin, Carol V. Wright.](/client/assets/5.1326/ctx//client/images/no_image.png "Cover image for The Yale guide to women's reproductive health [electronic resource] : from menarche to menopause / Mary Jane Minkin, Carol V. Wright.")