Rating: 
Summary: Enormous Disappointment
Review: A lady at the health food store recommended this book and I thought, since it was supposed to be about women's health, it might help shed some light on why I developed pre-eclampsia with my last pregnancy. The book was an enormous disappointment; instead of a book about women's health, it was just a lengthy political statement about how women need birth control and abortion in order to be "empowered." In skimming through the book, I came across the testimonial of how the author and her sister allowed their bodies to be mutilated (having their fallopian tubes cauterized) and how they overcame their misgivings about the procedure by scheduling their surgeries for the same day, and listening to sappy music and giving each other foot rubs. Later, they overcame their natural grief over not being able to have any more children by reflecting that the command to "go forth and multiply" doesn't apply in our time anyway, because there are too many children. Instead, the author said she and her sister would "go forth and multiply many spiritual children and give birth to ourselves." I am not kidding; this is really what she said. In another chapter she says that women should only "carry out" their pregnancies if they can be "emotionally available" to the baby. She asserts that prenatal and birth experiences can be remembered, and that babies who pick up on negative maternal feelings while they are still in the womb will remember this and be doomed to a life of "existential depression." To prove her point, she quotes a number of her patients who are certain their mothers never wanted to give birth to them, and this is the root of all of their later problems in life. When I finally got to the section on toxemia, imagine my surprise to learn that my condition was a result of feeling less attractive, less loved, and more helpless. These negative emotions manifested physically through my autonomic nervous system. No doubt if I only felt better about myself, I could avoid complications in future pregnancies. It would almost be funny except that there are women who are turning to this author for genuine medical advice, and what they are getting instead is mindless psycho-babble coupled with liberal politics. In my opinion it is this sort of treatment that demeans women and is a true source of oppression!
Rating: 
Summary: A Woman's Bible
Review: Every woman should own this book. I have used it countless times to in the 5 years I've owned it. Mostly it will put your mind at ease when you are hit with a medical problem or condition that you don't understand. Northrup gives you a medical and an holistic way to deal with the issue. And she also never forgets that the body is tied to the mind and that has to be paid attention to also. Please pick it up!! It's SO worth it!!
Rating: 
Summary: Okay.
Review: A kind of "Our Bodies, Ourselves" for the 21st Century, but not much is new. It's okay, but I wouldn't have purchased it if I would have had a chance to read more first. Some readers will find it more valuable than others. One of my friends loved it, but she's definately a late bloomer ... It's a primer of sorts, for older women. Kinda ho-hum for me.
Rating: 
Summary: Fabulous "Bible" for all aspects and ages of Women's Health
Review: This book has been wonderful. I'm 28 and my mother who is going through menopause recommended it to me. I have given some away since I got it to other friends as well. Its the best holistic resource for women that I've seen. It covers everything from diet to fertility, abortion and menopause. It includes pages, if not chapters, on each part of a woman's anatomy. The back has a wonderful reference section and each of the chapters includes women's stories of health and healing related to the topic at hand. Buy it for yourself, then buy it for your mothers, sisters, daughters and girlfriends.
Rating:
Summary: Great education!
Review: I've been reading this book after reading a lot on women's health. This is one of the most comprehensive, and certainly the best in combining mind-body issues. A "must read" to every woman!!!
Rating:
Summary: AN EXTENSIVE RESOURCE BOOK FOR EVERY WOMAN!
Review: Of all the books written by Christiane Northrup, this one is my favourite. Why? The reason is simply that it shares advice on such an extensive range of topics, i.e., childbirth, infertility, PMS, cancer, fibroids, depression, perimenopause, menopause, etc. There is virtually something to be found for every woman in this well-written book. The fact the auther is a medical doctor(gynecologist) is another huge plus. The view point is not based solely on personal opinion but also comes from factual medical research. I very much liked the attitude of this author. While some may view it as a feminist approach, I truly did not see it in that light. From psychological studies, it has become apparent that several women's emotional problems do, in fact, stem from a patriarchal society. Remember, in days gone by, it was believed a woman's primary place was in the home. She gave birth, nurtured the children, cooked, cleaned, maintained the home and obeyed her husband. She virtually had no identity of her own; she became an extension of her husband's persona. The positive or negative roles your parent(s)played during the critical, formative childhood years, and how they interacted within the family unit, have a bearing on the person you are today. For many in today's modern-day world, society, roles and family structures have changed, indeed, from the traditional family. In many two-parent families where both are low income earners, it often takes two working parents to provide for the necessities. The additional stress can often result in depression, anxiety and other emotional problems which, in turn, can lead to physical problems. All this considered, the author is not taking a "feminist approach," but a realistic approach that conforms to our modern-day society. The book covers both physical and emotional issues, and explains how some of issues inter-relate. I highly recommend this complete, informative book to any woman of any age.
Rating:
Summary: Connon Sense, Better Sense
Review: I am a Registered Nurse. I have had many female patients under my care over the years. But there was not anything this close in my education as a female and nurse to describe what is in this book. It is must reading for all women, of any age and in any life cycle. The living habits are exceptional, but most of all, natural. Dr. Northrup gives you, the reader, choices, informed choices, to help you maintin your health, obtain better health, and live a better life. I have adopted many of her suggestions, as have my daughters. Some of her suggestions may be contraversial, but remember that medicine was "pioneered" by men. Most of the research and writings (about 95%) have been done only on men, with the assumption that the same will apply to women as well, without any real research. (Many writings that were done, were from a Freudian view of hysteria, emotional dependence and unreliability of information from the person. "Women lack the intelligence to help with real research" was and still is, the belief in many research circles.) Only recently in the course of human history, have women recieved the amount of vaule we have today (except in some native American cultures where it was always high), Although we would like to believe we are equal in all ways, thus the same, female and male biological processes are very different for good reason. This is the first, indepth book, to look at those differences from a positive, empowering point of view. Must reading and a great gift to all women. Thank you Dr. Northrup!
Rating: 
Summary: not what i had hoped for
Review: The book "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom" was a depressing read for me. I didn't wish to continue reading most of it because it was very disheartening. I was hoping for a much more positive, up-beat book rather than a plight of the female condition. Some of the book was insightful and meaningful but it wasn't the holistic, loving perspective I thought it would be. It was more of a "Watch out or you could end up dealing with this <disease>!" I truly believe in the emotional tie between body and mind but also in general health practices for good body care. Read this book "with a grain of salt" , maybe it's meaning will be different for you.
Rating:
Summary: This book is hogwash
Review: I am writing to tell women.. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK. It is a waste of money. Ms. Northrup surely is an embarrassment to the female race. A medical doctor? NOT!! I was particularly disturbed by the statement on pre-ecampsia in pregnancy a result of the "hypochondriac pregnant patient" PLEASE!! Give me a break already. I am as positive as a woman gets and I got pre-eclampsia and NO I am NOT a hypochondriac and NO I wasn't mentally pushing my baby out of my womb early because I didn't want to be pregnant anymore. GIVE ME A BREAK This book should not be on the book shelves. Spare us please. Women are MORE INTELLEGENT than this book portrays us to be..Let's get on with REALITY. !!!!
Rating:
Summary: Women should be wiser . . .
Review: This book combines sound advice with utter claptrap -- a much more dangerous blend than a book of solid foolishness, as people who recognize her strong areas may not have the background to know when she's talking through her hat. The foolishness here is the old diagnoses "hysteria," dressed up with the verbiage of feminism to make it seem new. It is a toxic enough foolishness to undermine the rest of the book. It is exceedingly ironic that a feminist would take such a heavily Freud-influenced "blame the victim" approach to so many facets of women's illness. For generations, women had to suffer through male doctors telling them that their real physical problems were "all in their head" or indicative of mental problems. Now we have a female doctor ready to tell us that our cramps or infertility are just manifestations of our unconscious. Sad, really. The main flaw in Northrup's logic is that she fails to correct for normalcy. Surely *all* women have both positive feelings and fears when it comes to having children, and all young girls have ambivalence and stress about dealing with the realities of becoming a woman in our society; yet only a small fraction of these are infertile or have incapacitating menstrual problems. In any case where the doctor digs for these feelings, she will find them, and *eureka*, she has found the "real cause" of the problem. It's all in your head, dear. In the world this book was written in, a woman who desparately wants to have children must not really want that, or she would get it. Somehow her body is seen as flawlessly implementing her "real" feelings. Such a perfect body, that is unaffected by the oddities of genetics, environment, chance or other real-world factors, must be wonderful to have. This logic is dangerously close to the old logic that said a woman couldn't get pregnant from a "real" rape, as her horror and fear would cause her body to prevent that from happening. Additionally, gathering evidence from anecdotes and one's own practice and experience is notoriously poor science -- show me studies that demonstrate that these psychological issues go hand-in-hand with the physical symptoms, that it's more than coincidence and digging up normal feelings and labeling them as causes for serious problems. Show me that dealing with these supposed problems is actually a more successful treatment than a placebo. In short, I think women deserve more than the same old treatment that the male medical establishment has given us for so long -- treating us to diagnoses based in the doctor's own feelings and philosophy, not in serious study that respects the patient's feelings *and* intellect.
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