The best 23 Women's Health & Maternity books

1
Meals She Eats

Meals She Eats

Tom and Rachael Sullivan
Empowering Advice, Relatable Stories, and 25+ Recipes to Take Control of Your PCOS

What's Meals She Eats about?

Meals She Eats (2023) combines practical advice on PCOS with easy-to-follow recipes to manage the disorder’s symptoms. Drawn from the authors’ own experiences, it shares lifestyle changes and strategies that have proven effective for them. 

Who should read Meals She Eats?

  • Women with PCOS
  • Women suffering from period-related issues 
  • Anyone who wants to eat healthier

2
Fast Like a Girl

Fast Like a Girl

Mindy Pelz
A Woman's Guide to Using the Healing Power of Fasting to Burn Fat, Boost Energy, and Balance Hormones
4.5 (46 ratings)

What's Fast Like a Girl about?

Fast Like a Girl (2022) empowers women to craft a fasting lifestyle based on their own personal hormone cycle. Learn how to harness your natural power by making fasting work with your body rather than against it.

Who should read Fast Like a Girl?

  • Women looking to get in touch with their hormones and cycle
  • Anyone who wants to harness their body’s natural power
  • People searching for a healthier way of eating

3
The Galveston Diet

The Galveston Diet

Mary Claire Haver
The Doctor-Developed, Patient-Proven Plan to Burn Fat and Tame Your Hormonal Symptoms
4.3 (160 ratings)

What's The Galveston Diet about?

The Galveston Diet (2023) is a science-backed diet program for women experiencing perimenopause or menopause symptoms. With a focus on science-backed approaches, this diet program includes a special meal plan designed for six weeks and a variety of healthy, delicious recipes. It is designed to help women in midlife improve their overall health and wellness while managing the challenges that come with this stage of life.

Who should read The Galveston Diet?

  • Women in their mid-30s and up
  • People who want to shed some pounds
  • Fitness enthusiasts looking to maintain their weight

4
The XX Brain

The XX Brain

Lisa Mosconi
The Groundbreaking Science Empowering Women to Maximize Cognitive Health and Prevent Alzheimer's Disease
4.6 (342 ratings)

What's The XX Brain about?

The XX Brain (2020) is a practical guide to improving women’s brain health and preventing Alzheimer’s disease. Women are suffering from an Alzheimer’s epidemic, but so far the medical industry isn’t doing much about it. The XX Brain shows you how to take your health into your own hands, demand the medical treatment you deserve, and take concrete steps to help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s. 

Who should read The XX Brain?

  • Women looking to proactively protect their brains from disease
  • Women who are forgetful and would like more mental clarity
  • Health professionals wanting to improve their approach to women’s healthcare

5
Expecting Better

Expecting Better

Emily Oster
Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom is Wrong and What You Really Need to Know
3.9 (67 ratings)

What's Expecting Better about?

Expecting Better (2013) gives moms-to-be peace of mind by cutting through the haze of pregnancy myths and laying bare the real facts. Author Emily Oster, a leading economist, challenges and reevaluates conventional wisdom so that you can make your own decisions for a happy and healthy pregnancy.

Who should read Expecting Better?

  • Expectant mothers or people planning a pregnancy
  • Anyone looking for concrete facts about pregnancy and childbirth
  • People overwhelmed by all the pregnancy decisions they need to make

6
In the FLO

In the FLO

Alisa Vitti
Unlock Your Hormonal Advantage and Revolutionize Your Life
4.5 (47 ratings)

What's In the FLO about?

In the FLO (2020) outlines a way for women to eat, live, and work in sync with their monthly cycles. Author Alisa Vitti demonstrates how taking charge of your hormonal health can help you unleash your creativity, manage stress, and even improve your sex life.

Who should read In the FLO?

  • People with periods seeking to optimize their health
  • Females of all ages who feel drained or overwhelmed
  • Women who want to reclaim sovereignty over their bodies, relationships, and careers

7
Invisible Women

Invisible Women

Caroline Criado Perez
Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
4.6 (189 ratings)

What's Invisible Women about?

In Invisible Women (2019), Caroline Criado Perez argues that there is a “gender data gap” – that the bulk of the world’s data is based on male bodies and male behaviors. The result is a world that not only caters to men but often actively disadvantages women. Perez shows how the data underpinning everything from medicine and AI to the size of our smartphones fails to account for women’s needs. She explores the myriad problems this data gap causes and suggests how it might best be addressed.

Who should read Invisible Women?

  • Feminists of all genders
  • People interested in design, public policy, urban planning, AI and tech
  • Data scientists and analysts

8
The Fourth Trimester

The Fourth Trimester

Kimberly Ann Johnson
A Postpartum Guide to Healing Your Body, Balancing Your Emotions, and Restoring Your Vitality

What's The Fourth Trimester about?

The Fourth Trimester: A Postpartum Guide to Healing Your Body, Balancing Your Emotions, and Restoring Your Vitality (2017) is the ultimate resource for postpartum women who are navigating life with a newborn and want to discover how to reclaim their health, their bodies, and their spirits.

Who should read The Fourth Trimester?

  • New and expectant mothers
  • Women seeking to reclaim their bodies following a traumatic birth
  • Women suffering from postpartum depression

9
HypnoBirthing

HypnoBirthing

Marie F. Mongan
The breakthrough approach to safer, easier, more comfortable birthing
4.2 (90 ratings)

What's HypnoBirthing about?

HypnoBirthing (1992) explores how expectant mothers can enjoy a more comfortable, joyful childbirth. These blinks provide simple hypnotherapy techniques that pregnant women can practice at home. They also uncover the guiding philosophy of HypnoBirthing and reveal how it can help women to have a natural, less painful birthing experience.

Who should read HypnoBirthing?

  • Expectant mothers
  • Partners or birth coaches of pregnant women 
  • Health care professionals looking for a fresh perspective

10
The Menopause Manifesto

The Menopause Manifesto

Jen Gunter
Own Your Health with Facts and Feminism
4.4 (14 ratings)

What's The Menopause Manifesto about?

The Menopause Manifesto (2021) is your roadmap to health and happiness before, during, and after menopause. Despite being the most important transition for uterus-owners after puberty, menopause is shrouded in mystery and prejudice. This guide combats ignorance with scientific facts, expert advice, and a healthy dose of feminism. 

Who should read The Menopause Manifesto?

  • Menstruators and ex-menstruators
  • Science communicators and health educators
  • Anyone invested in women’s health

11
Why We Can’t Sleep

Why We Can’t Sleep

Ada Calhoun
Women’s New Midlife Crisis
3.8 (50 ratings)

What's Why We Can’t Sleep about?

Why We Can’t Sleep (2020) explores the question of why American women from Generation X are experiencing a midlife crisis. These women were sold the story that nothing was stopping them from achieving their wildest dreams, when in reality they’ve faced enormous challenges to get ahead. Not only did they graduate into a disastrous job market, they also face gender and age discrimination and all too often end up having to care for young children and elderly parents simultaneously. Everything they’ve achieved has been against enormous odds. 

Who should read Why We Can’t Sleep?

  • Women born between 1965 and 1980 seeking affirmation for their exhaustion
  • People interested in how parenting has changed over generations
  • Economists interested in the human toll of stock market crashes

12
Love Yourself Well

Love Yourself Well

Lo Bosworth
An Empowering Wellness Guide to Supporting Your Gut, Brain, and Vagina
3.0 (15 ratings)

What's Love Yourself Well about?

As a guide to optimizing female wellness, Love Yourself Well (2022) empowers women to take their health into their own hands. The book presents honest insights into the connection between the gut, brain, and vagina and promotes natural remedies for intimate problems.

Who should read Love Yourself Well?

  • Female health advocates
  • Women experiencing health problems they find difficult to talk about
  • Anyone curious about the connection between the gut, brain, and vagina

13
Flow

Flow

Elissa Stein and Susan Kim
The Cultural Story of Menstruation
4.4 (18 ratings)

What's Flow about?

Flow (2009) explores the historical and cultural context of menstruation. By doing so, it seeks to debunk the myths that surround periods and address the misperceptions people have of the basic bodily process of menstruation.

Who should read Flow?

  • Those interested in the history and cultural significance of menstruation
  • Women who are afraid to ask their friends and family about periods and sexual health
  • Women experiencing puberty or menopause

14
Period Power

Period Power

Maisie Hill
Harness Your Hormones and Get Your Cycle Working For You
4.5 (70 ratings)

What's Period Power about?

Period Power (2019) is your ultimate guide to periods, hormones, and reproductive health. Menstrual health practitioner Maisie Hill explains how your menstrual cycle influences your mood, sleep, and energy and shows how you can harness the power of your hormones to get the most out of each stage of your cycle. Drawing on science and personal experience, Hill equips you with the tools and knowledge to turn your “women’s problems” into period power.

Who should read Period Power?

  • People with periods who are ready to take charge of their menstrual health
  • Girls and women going through puberty, pregnancy, menopause, or other big hormonal changes
  • Non-menstruating people who want to understand their menstruating partners better

15
It Starts with the Egg

It Starts with the Egg

Rebecca Fett
How the Science of Egg Quality Can Help You Get Pregnant Naturally, Prevent Miscarriage, and Improve Your Odds in IVF
4.5 (25 ratings)

What's It Starts with the Egg about?

It Starts with the Egg (2014) demystifies the science behind egg quality and how it impacts outcomes for fertility and pregnancy. In bringing together a range of reputable studies, it offers evidence-based advice on how to make simple lifestyle changes that will improve egg quality and optimize fertility.

Who should read It Starts with the Egg?

  • Prospective parents thinking about trying for a baby
  • Couples who’ve been trying for months without a positive pregnancy test
  • Anyone facing fertility challenges

16
We're Pregnant!

We're Pregnant!

Adrian Kulp
The First-time Dad's Pregnancy Handbook

What's We're Pregnant! about?

We’re Pregnant! (2018) answers all those questions first-time dads scratch their heads over. It shows you how to tackle daily, weekly, and monthly tasks to provide strategic support to your partner throughout pregnancy and childbirth.

Who should read We're Pregnant!?

  • First-time dads seeking practical advice on how to support their partners during pregnancy and childbirth
  • Dads keen on acing the next pregnancy
  • Anyone trying to understand the challenges women experience during pregnancy

17
The Art of Waiting

The Art of Waiting

Belle Boggs
On Fertility, Medicine, and Motherhood
3.1 (20 ratings)

What's The Art of Waiting about?

The Art of Waiting (2016) details the social narratives surrounding birth, pregnancy and parenting. These blinks offer poignant personal anecdotes alongside historical examples to shift the spotlight onto the often unheard stories of adoption, in vitro fertilization and forced sterilization.

Who should read The Art of Waiting?

  • Expectant mothers
  • Couples struggling to conceive
  • Anyone considering adoption or in vitro fertilization

18
Napoleon’s Buttons

Napoleon’s Buttons

Penny LeCouter & Jay Burreson
How 17 Molecules Changed History
4.4 (51 ratings)

What's Napoleon’s Buttons about?

Napoleon’s Buttons (2004) is all about the molecules that have guided the course of human history in the unlikeliest of ways. These blinks explore how major geopolitical and social changes can be traced back to the simple bonding of atoms in a molecule.

Who should read Napoleon’s Buttons?

  • People interested in the history of chemistry
  • Students of history who want a different perspective on world events
  • Anyone who’s intrigued by the ways everyday objects have changed world history

19
The Vagina Bible

The Vagina Bible

Jennifer Gunter
The Vulva and the Vagina: Separating the Myth from the Medicine
4.3 (43 ratings)

What's The Vagina Bible about?

The Vagina Bible (2019) is your comprehensive guide to everything to do with vaginas, vulvas and women’s health. Navigating the sea of online myths, advertising promises and sexist misinformation, gynecologist Jen Gunter is here to help you separate fact from fiction. From basic anatomy to proper maintenance, pregnancy, menstruation, STIs and more, The Vagina Bible will teach you not only what your vagina can do for you, but also what you can do for your vagina.

Who should read The Vagina Bible?

  • People with a vagina
  • People who spend time with people with vaginas

20
Moody Bitches

Moody Bitches

Julie Holland
The Truth About the Drugs You’re Taking, the Sleep You’re Missing, the Sex You’re Not Having, and What’s Really Making You Crazy
4.1 (48 ratings)

What's Moody Bitches about?

Moody Bitches (2015) is your guide to the female body and brain. These blinks explain some of the reasons behind the emotions and fluctuating moods that women can experience and how they can better tune into themselves, embrace their feelings and their bodies.

Who should read Moody Bitches?

  • Women who are frustrated by their mood swings
  • Young girls who want to know more about their brains and bodies
  • Women who want to have better sex

21
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding

La Leche League International
From Pregnancy to Weaning, the Book Every Nursing Mother Needs

What's The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding about?

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (2010) is an updated version of the classic, definitive guide on breastfeeding. Based on the premise that breastfeeding should be the baseline standard of baby feeding, the book offers answers and techniques to both common and obscure breastfeeding challenges.

Who should read The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding?

  • First-time breastfeeders
  • Anyone pregnant and considering breastfeeding
  • Partner of a breastfeeding (or soon-to-be) mother

22
The Gynae Geek

The Gynae Geek

Anita Mitra
Your No-nonsense Guide to ‘Down There’ Healthcare
4.1 (24 ratings)

What's The Gynae Geek about?

The Gynae Geek (2019) is a straight-talking guide to women’s health, led by gynecologist Dr. Anita Mitra. You’ll learn the answers to all the questions you never asked about anatomy, periods, sexual health, and fertility.

Who should read The Gynae Geek?

  • People with uteruses looking to understand their bodies better
  • Men who want to educate themselves on female anatomy
  • Shy people looking for answers to questions about the vagina and its functions

23
Ask Me About My Uterus

Ask Me About My Uterus

Abby Norman
A Quest to Make Doctors Believe in Women's Pain
4.8 (22 ratings)

What's Ask Me About My Uterus about?

Ask Me About My Uterus (2018) explores one woman’s struggle with endometriosis. Shining a light on the devastating impact of this little-understood disease, these blinks also explore the sexism of the healthcare industry, which often compounds patients’ suffering. Drawing on personal experience and delving into scientific research, Ask Me About My Uterus explores the painful intersection of sickness and inequality.

Who should read Ask Me About My Uterus?

  • Women suffering from endometriosis
  • Healthcare professionals seeking a fresh perspective
  • Feminists looking for new insights

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