Period Repair Manual

"So helpful. I don’t know why the doctors don’t take the time to explain stuff to you. As a woman of color I’ve experienced my fair share of medical neglect but once you ask the right questions the doctors take you more seriously. This book helped me know the right questions to ask. "

"There is so much that most of us that have uteruses are never taught about how our bodies and hormones work. Even a basic understanding can totally revolutionize our daily lives.<br/><br/>I’ve been studying my hormonal health for several years now so I honestly didn’t learn that much new information from this book, but what I did learn was really valuable and I’ve had a really hard time finding information about. I still read the whole book because it was interesting and there was more in-depth info in this book about figuring out exactly what may be causing your symptoms and specific treatments for them. And this was exactly what I was looking for.<br/><br/>During my prior research and lifestyle changes, I’ve been able to almost entirely heal my period—very little PMS, very light periods, and almost no pain or bloating at all. However, I’ve found it very difficult to get info about one persistent issue I’ve had: what it means to have spotting the few days leading up to your period. I’ve scoured books and the internet for info about this but this book was the first time I really got clear and concise information about what it might indicate and how to treat it. I really appreciated the clear information about how to boost low progesterone because while I knew already that this is likely the cause, it was really hard to find info about what to do about it!<br/><br/>I also really liked that this book talks about the entire lifespan of menstrual cycles from first starting your period onto menopause. Most period books center around middle aged women and fertility so I really liked that this mentioned the difference between a teen on their period and someone in perimenopause etc.<br/><br/>Something that wasn’t mentioned in this book about treating period pain (which I thought was weird because you can find this info most places and I’ve found it immensely helpful) is that avoiding caffeine a day or two before your period starts and for the first day or two of your period does WONDERS for solving period pain. I have essentially no period pain at all these days unless I’m not paying attention to where I’m at in my cycle and drink coffee the day before my period and if I do drink coffee that day, I always get cramps and lower back pain without fail. So I’m just noting here in case anyone finds that as helpful as I have!<br/><br/>Also, I do find it a little frustrating when there’s so much focus on insulin resistance and high blood sugar, but next to no focus on people who suffer from low blood sugar. If you suspect you suffer from low blood sugar, I’d suggest reading WomanCode by Alisa Vitti. In fact, I recommend everyone who has a uterus to read this book and Womancode. Womancode was really helpful in many ways and covered some things that this book does not, but Period Repair Manual is still a must read because it covers so much Womancode didn’t.<br/><br/>It was also very refreshing that this book wasn’t SO heteronormative which Womancode REALLY is. Womancode can be very cringey when it comes to that aspect, but I still recommend it because it teaches you about the different systems of your body which impact hormones starting with blood sugar management. The suggestions in that book about blood sugar management have totally changed my life for the better so it was worth slogging through all the heteronormative crap.<br/><br/>I literally read this is one day because I found it so interesting even though I don’t experience many of the issues covered in it!"