Womb: The Inside Story of Where We All Began
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-03-01 00:51:38
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Leah Hazard
- ISBN：0349015791
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Summary
A groundbreaking， triumphant investigation of the uterus--from birth to death， in sickness and in health， throughout history and into our possible future--from midwife and acclaimed writer Leah Hazard
The size of a clenched fist and the shape of a light bulb--with no less power and potential。 Every person on Earth began inside a uterus， but how much do we really understand about the womb？
Bringing together medical history， scientific discoveries， and journalistic exploration， Leah Hazard embarks on a journey in search of answers about the body's most miraculous and contentious organ。 We meet the people who have shaped our relationship with the uterus: doctors and doulas， yoni steamers and fibroid-tea hawkers， legislators who would regulate the organ's very existence， and boundary-breaking researchers on the frontiers of the field。
With a midwife's warmth and humor， Hazard tackles pressing questions: Is the womb connected to the brain？ Can cervical crypts store sperm？ Do hysterectomies affect sexual pleasure？ How can smart tampons help health care？ Why does endometriosis take so long to be diagnosed？ Will external gestation be possible in our lifetime？
A clear-eyed examination of the cultural prejudices and assumptions that have made the uterus so poorly understood for centuries， Womb takes a fresh look at an organ that brings us pain and pleasure--a small part of our bodies that has a larger impact than we ever thought possible。
The size of a clenched fist and the shape of a light bulb--with no less power and potential。 Every person on Earth began inside a uterus， but how much do we really understand about the womb？
Bringing together medical history， scientific discoveries， and journalistic exploration， Leah Hazard embarks on a journey in search of answers about the body's most miraculous and contentious organ。 We meet the people who have shaped our relationship with the uterus: doctors and doulas， yoni steamers and fibroid-tea hawkers， legislators who would regulate the organ's very existence， and boundary-breaking researchers on the frontiers of the field。
With a midwife's warmth and humor， Hazard tackles pressing questions: Is the womb connected to the brain？ Can cervical crypts store sperm？ Do hysterectomies affect sexual pleasure？ How can smart tampons help health care？ Why does endometriosis take so long to be diagnosed？ Will external gestation be possible in our lifetime？
A clear-eyed examination of the cultural prejudices and assumptions that have made the uterus so poorly understood for centuries， Womb takes a fresh look at an organ that brings us pain and pleasure--a small part of our bodies that has a larger impact than we ever thought possible。
Reviews
Elisa
，
As a reader of nonfiction books about science， I was looking forward to learning more about my own anatomy。 Not having had or wanted children， I was still curious about how everything works。 This volume taught me more than I’d ever learned， even in school， about the miracle of a woman’s reproductive system。 The author’s experience as a midwife was fascinating。 That said， I expected a heavy dose of feminism， but the content was just too woke for me。 The term “birthing person” seems too long to us As a reader of nonfiction books about science， I was looking forward to learning more about my own anatomy。 Not having had or wanted children， I was still curious about how everything works。 This volume taught me more than I’d ever learned， even in school， about the miracle of a woman’s reproductive system。 The author’s experience as a midwife was fascinating。 That said， I expected a heavy dose of feminism， but the content was just too woke for me。 The term “birthing person” seems too long to use instead of “mother。” Learning about trans people was interesting， since I knew nothing， but there was just too much about it。 I enjoy reading books by authors with many different opinions， but the tone of this one was too militant。 The parts about the miracle that is the human body and the future of science were great， they just seemed like the backdrop to a very political manifesto。 I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased。 Thank you， #NetGalley/#Ecco！ 。。。more
Stephen Yoder
，
Okay， so I wrote the really cheeky review （below） late last night， and I hope my attempt at humor isn't disrespectful toward the book or its important topics。 There are so many shameful things perpetrated upon wombs through history -- unwanted surgeries， unwanted removals， shame inflicted upon the regular cycles that wombs experience -- and many of those shameful things are still continuing today。 The focus of the last chapter upon abortion seemed very fitting to me， in that this is yet another Okay， so I wrote the really cheeky review （below） late last night， and I hope my attempt at humor isn't disrespectful toward the book or its important topics。 There are so many shameful things perpetrated upon wombs through history -- unwanted surgeries， unwanted removals， shame inflicted upon the regular cycles that wombs experience -- and many of those shameful things are still continuing today。 The focus of the last chapter upon abortion seemed very fitting to me， in that this is yet another way that the world attempts to manage wombs， rather than let them be managed by the womb-owners themselves。 Very thoughtful book。 I would recommend it to anyone who has spent time in a womb。 Anyone who has avoided spending time in a womb can， likewise， avoid reading this book。______________________________I've been far too distracted of late with various pandemics， invasions， attempts to overthrow our democracy， et cetera， to read。 And that has been a problem。 Thank goodness this advanced reading copy arrived。 I have had all kinds of interactions with uteri （if that plural would be allowed） but Ms Hazard took things to a new （dare I say it？） nascent level。 Using period blood to discern future illnesses？ Whoa。 Uterine transplants that result in live births （this has happened）。 Creating endometrial organoids （what？） to enable tailor-made IVF treatments。 Synthetic wombs to raise fetuses？ Good gracious。 So many breakthroughs have muscled up to the surface （I can't resist at this point）。 Go with the flow and read this book。 It will fertilize your mind （not kidding）。 I did receive an ARC for the possibility of creating this ridiculous review。 Thank you， Ms Hazard。 You've written a really great book about an amazingly important organ。 。。。more
Rae Nason
，
Leah Hazard has done something for me that only one other science non-fiction writer has done for me - told an impeccable， humorous tale on a topic that most people would find disturbing at worst or uninteresting at best。 Personally， I found the book well researched， personable， and highly entertaining。 I was drawn to the book， having a vested interesting in the topic， but always seeking to educate myself on obscure topics。 If you've been on the fence about reading this， do it。 You won't be disa Leah Hazard has done something for me that only one other science non-fiction writer has done for me - told an impeccable， humorous tale on a topic that most people would find disturbing at worst or uninteresting at best。 Personally， I found the book well researched， personable， and highly entertaining。 I was drawn to the book， having a vested interesting in the topic， but always seeking to educate myself on obscure topics。 If you've been on the fence about reading this， do it。 You won't be disappointed。 I can't wait to see what she does next。 。。。more
Kim McGee
，
It is the one thing that ties us together yet it is the most misunderstood and ignored organ in our body。 Throughout history women have endured poking， prodding， testing and countless hours of pain and humiliation all because of the mighty uterus。 Leah Hazard presents a comprehensive look from menstruation to menopause that is very readable。 The joy of child birth to the pain of loss or failure of the uterus to act as it should。 Women have been taught to suffer in silence and take advice from co It is the one thing that ties us together yet it is the most misunderstood and ignored organ in our body。 Throughout history women have endured poking， prodding， testing and countless hours of pain and humiliation all because of the mighty uterus。 Leah Hazard presents a comprehensive look from menstruation to menopause that is very readable。 The joy of child birth to the pain of loss or failure of the uterus to act as it should。 Women have been taught to suffer in silence and take advice from confusing sources。 The author does not just present the negative historical account but also exploration of future treatments and the glorious account of what the magnificent can do。 She invites us to take ownership and fight for rights to your body so we don't relive the mistakes of the past。 A book all women should read and share！ My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy。 。。。more
Kathleen
，
A good overview of the historical treatment， current thoughts， and research about the uterus aka womb。 The book relies heavily on interviews throughout the book。 At times， the book moves slowly。Full disclosure: I won a copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway。
Theresa
，
Very informative book - I learned a lot by the end of the book and recommended others to read。
Tina Panik
，
Revelatory。 This was an ARC。
Heidi
，
I really wanted to like this book， since it promised a detailed look at the female reproductive system and the advances in medical knowledge about the womb。 I was already aware that women's health is often overlooked in research and that knowledge of our organs， hormones， and body processes lags behind many other fields of medical study。 It's quite shocking how many times during pregnancy/birth care I asked a question only to be told， "That's never been studied。 Nobody really knows。" I was reall I really wanted to like this book， since it promised a detailed look at the female reproductive system and the advances in medical knowledge about the womb。 I was already aware that women's health is often overlooked in research and that knowledge of our organs， hormones， and body processes lags behind many other fields of medical study。 It's quite shocking how many times during pregnancy/birth care I asked a question only to be told， "That's never been studied。 Nobody really knows。" I was really hoping to have some of those questions answered。Having said that， I was disappointed by the content。 It seemed the book wasn't aimed at providing an overview of medical knowledge and research so much as explaining the social context and history of how women's reproductive health has been marginalized in the world of medical research。 That's a valid topic， and definitely plays into the dearth of current knowledge of the womb's inner workings， but it took up far too much of the book， to the exclusion of the medical/scientific information I was hoping to learn。For example， in the chapter about periods， we are invited to ask the question "what exactly happens in the menstrual cycle and what purpose does it serve？" Rather than answering that question， the chapter delves into the experience of shame and social stigma of menstruation， and then spends several pages interviewing a person who is pushing for medication that will eliminate periods based on her opinion that periods are unnecessary。 I suppose that's an interesting perspective， but it was more of a social/ideological take than a medical/scientific take。So if you're looking for a feminist look at how women's bodies have been stigmatized and overlooked by 19th-20th century Western medicine， this is a great resource。 If you're looking for a deep dive into the inner workings of the uterus， this may not be the right book。*Disclaimer: I received an advance reader copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Heidi
，
I really wanted to like this book， since it promised a detailed look at the female reproductive system and the advances in medical knowledge about the womb。 I was already aware that women's health is often overlooked in research and that knowledge of our organs， hormones， and body processes lags behind many other fields of medical study。 It's quite shocking how many times during pregnancy/birth care I asked a question only to be told， "That's never been studied。 Nobody really knows。" I was reall I really wanted to like this book， since it promised a detailed look at the female reproductive system and the advances in medical knowledge about the womb。 I was already aware that women's health is often overlooked in research and that knowledge of our organs， hormones， and body processes lags behind many other fields of medical study。 It's quite shocking how many times during pregnancy/birth care I asked a question only to be told， "That's never been studied。 Nobody really knows。" I was really hoping to have some of those questions answered。Having said that， I was disappointed by the content。 It seemed the book wasn't aimed at providing an overview of medical knowledge and research so much as explaining the social context and history of how women's reproductive health has been marginalized in the world of medical research。 That's a valid topic， and definitely plays into the dearth of current knowledge of the womb's inner workings， but it took up far too much of the book， to the exclusion of the medical/scientific information I was hoping to learn。For example， in the chapter about periods， we are invited to ask the question "what exactly happens in the menstrual cycle and what purpose does it serve？" Rather than answering that question， the chapter delves into the experience of shame and social stigma of menstruation， and then spends several pages interviewing a person who is pushing for medication that will eliminate periods based on her opinion that periods are unnecessary。 I suppose that's an interesting perspective， but it was more of a social/ideological take than a medical/scientific take。 In the end， I learned a bit about hormones and advanced research in diagnosing endometriosis， but didn't gain a lot of new insight into the purpose of menstruation。Similarly， the chapters on labor spent a lot of time complaining about how Braxton-Hicks contractions are named after an English doctor who thought he was the first person to notice the phenomenon （ha） and bemoaning the term "irritable uterus" to describe bodies that have difficulty initiating labor， but once again they don't provide a lot of information about what we know about the process of labor and what's going on with uterine contractions or cervical dilation。So if you're looking for a feminist look at how women's bodies have been stigmatized and overlooked by 19th-20th century Western medicine， this is a great resource。 If you're looking for a deep dive into the inner workings of the uterus， this may not be the right book。*Disclaimer: I received an advance reader copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
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womb the inside story of where we all began