*Finally* - breaking news about my BOOK!
Jumping back onto Substack in the midst of global chaos
(Taps mic) Thank you to everyone who hung in there with this Substack - and to those who have recently joined me here! I have a million things to fill you in on, and very complicated feelings about what is going on in the world, as I’m sure you all do.
Before we get to the incredibly exciting book announcements (!), I wanted to take a moment to explain the two serious reasons that I’ve resurrected this newsletter. Scroll down if you just want to get to the fun book stuff, but hopefully you’ll bear with me for a moment…
My main social media platforms, TikTok and Instagram, have been even more of a hot mess than usual. Meta restricted my IG account for a completely neutral post about the horrific events in Israel and Gaza asking for support for humanitarian aid organizations such as the WHO and Doctors Without Borders. Suppression of content regarding this conflict has apparently been happening en masse, and people have also been indiscriminately attacking others if they do not align 100% with their own views. So I’ve avoided speaking about more serious humanitarian issues on social media entirely. This silence didn’t sit well with me as a mother, physician, public health worker, and as a human being who is horrified by the atrocities of war, as well as the rising antisemitism and Islamophobia that are happening across the world.
TikTok is barely showing my reproductive health content to any of my followers. There’s been a funny trend about “boy math” and “girl math.” TikTok math is having almost half a million followers, and but some of my videos only get a thousand views - so only like 0.2-1% of my followers are even seeing my posts these days. ARGHHH.
So this newsletter is my small, defiant space where I can speak truthfully and broadly without censorship, and where I know that those of you who want to will actually be able to see my videos and posts! Let’s go!!
Now on to the INCREDIBLY exciting book news… We have a *stunning cover* for the US version of the book, and PRE-ORDERS are open!!
It took me a year to write, re-write, rip apart and re-write again, and FINALLY the book is done, and I couldn’t be more proud of it. It’s a guide to *everything* in gynecology - fibroids, endometriosis/adenomyosis, PCOS, pelvic floor issues, PMS/PMDD, infertility, miscarriage, sexual dysfunction, vulvovaginal problems, prolapse, incontinence, gender diversity, intersex, birth control, hysterectomies, cancer, abortion - truly everything that you wish you’d learned about your body years ago, in one place, with a gorgeous cover!
I also included chapters on the history of women’s health (and how we haven’t actually come that far from the ancient Greeks or witch hunts…) as well as chapters for self-reflection and questions to ask yourself and your doctor.
Links to pre-order from all major retailers HERE:
Or please support your local indie bookstores and libraries and ask them to order it! Pre-orders are incredibly important for showing publishers and bookstores that there’s an interest in a book. Thank you all so very much for all of your support, and I can’t wait for you to read IT’S NOT HYSTERIA when it comes out on May 7th!
(For UK Commonwealth and Spanish language friends, stay tuned, we’ll have information for ordering in those countries in the next few months - and I’m hoping for other translations!)
Please also add INH to your Goodreads “Want to Read” list for updates and giveaways (!) and you can request a digital advance reader copy (ARC) on Netgalley (if you’re a book reviewer or talk about books on social media) and Edelweiss (if you’re a publishing professional or librarian)!
If you get an ARC, I would so appreciate your honest reviews, since everyone depends on reviews to decide on books nowadays. Honestly, I’m also fully expecting anti-abortion, transphobic folks to troll bomb my reviews, so any positive ones would be helpful in balancing things out with, you know, actual feedback.
I truly want IT’S NOT HYSTERIA to create a movement and get everyone talking about reproductive health so we can increase awareness, and so people can stop feeling alone when they’re struggling with health problems that millions of others actually share. I also want the public to know how shitty it is that women’s health has been so ludicrously underresearched and hopefully help to increase research and support for these super common and sometimes physically and emotionally debilitating conditions! I’m so excited to dive into conversations with you all about the book. Please share with anyone that you think would want or need this resource!
Finally, here are some humanitarian aid organizations on the ground trying to help those who are suffering through the absolutely unimaginable events in Gaza and Israel. Please show kindness and love to one another, including calling out antisemitism, Islamophobia, or intolerance if you see it. We share a common humanity, and I truly pray that we can strengthen that rather than letting ourselves be torn apart by hatred and intolerance.
The WHO Foundation:
https://opt.who.foundation
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency:
https://donate.unrwa.org/-landing-page/en_EN
Doctors Without Borders:
https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/
NATAL Israel Trauma and Resiliency Center:
https://www.natal.org.il/en/donate/
Next week, I’ll tell you all about why I quit my medical practice (you heard that right - I told you there were lots of updates) and why I finally made the decision to start my own independent practice. Stay tuned!
Definitely going to pre-order this. When I started high school my mom bought me Our Bodies Ourselves. My 17 year-old daughter is going off to university next fall and I can’t think of a better guide for her to take on her life’s journey. Thank you for the work I’m sure you put in to this. It’s appreciated.
I am absolutely excited for you and for the release of this book. Already been telling my friends and have my preorder in!!!!!