A trailblazing, conversation-starting history of women’s health—from the earliest medical ideas about women’s illnesses to hormones and autoimmune diseases—brought together in a fascinating sweeping narrative. Elinor Cleghorn became an unwell woman ten years ago. She was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease after a long period of being told her symptoms were anything from psychosomatic to a possible pregnancy. As Elinor learned to live with her unpredictable disease she turned to history for answers, and found an enraging legacy of suffering, mystification, and misdiagnosis. In Unwell Women, Elinor Cleghorn traces the almost unbelievable history of how medicine has failed women by treating their bodies as alien and other, often to perilous effect. The result is an authoritative and groundbreaking exploration of the relationship between women and medical practice, from the "wandering womb" of Ancient Greece to the rise of witch trials across Europe, and from the dawn of hysteria as a catchall for difficult-to-diagnose disorders to the first forays into autoimmunity and the shifting understanding of hormones, menstruation, menopause, and conditions like endometriosis. Packed with character studies and case histories of women who have suffered, challenged, and rewritten medical orthodoxy—and the men who controlled their fate—this is a revolutionary examination of the relationship between women, illness, and medicine. With these case histories, Elinor pays homage to the women who suffered so strides could be made, and shows how being unwell has become normalized in society and culture, where women have long been distrusted as reliable narrators of their own bodies and pain. But the time for real change is long overdue: answers reside in the body, in the testimonies of unwell women—and their lives depend on medicine learning to listen.

'Incredible insight with a transgressive, witty, spirit.' COURTNEY LOVE 'The most sensational read of 2022!' GEMMA COLLINS 'A breath of fresh air... I want so many people to read this!' TRAVIS ALABANZA 'Visionary' VIV ALBERTINE A STYLIST MUST-READ FOR 2022 Wellness is oppressive, self-love is a trap, hustling is a health risk and it's all the patriarchy's fault. Poor Little Sick Girls is THE book for femmes who are online and want more from activism and life. Ione Gamble never imagined that entering adulthood would mean being diagnosed with an incurable illness. Watching identity politics become social media fodder from the confines of her sickbed Ione began to pick apart our obsession with self-care, personal branding, productivity and #LivingYourBestLife. Using her experience with disability to cast a fresh gaze on the particularly peculiar cultural moment in which young women find themselves, Poor Little Sick Girls explores the pressures faced - as well as the power of existing as - a chronically ill, overweight, and unacceptable woman in our current era of empowerment. Founder of Polyester zine and a host of The Polyester Podcast, Ione has been named one of fifteen coolest young Londoners by The Evening Standard, and a 2019 New Debutante in Tatler Magazine. If you love Trick Mirror, Feminists Don't Wear Pink and Hood Feminism,you don't want to miss this book.

Helps women break through the tired and hurtful stereotypes of aging to better reflect who they are, how they live, and what they want as they age. Who hasn’t heard the stereotypes about women of a "certain age?” That’s the age when women become invisible, irrelevant, undesirable, asexual, unhinged, dried-up, hormonal messes. It’s when women quickly slide into fragility and become forgetful, passive, weak, feeble, debilitated, disabled, dependent, and depressed. Or so the story goes. Not only are those outdated narratives sexist and ageist, they are also damaging to women’s physical, emotional, financial, romantic, and sexual health. It’s time to change them. In Not Too Old for That, Vicki Larson helps change the narrative about being a woman at midlife and older. She questions what we’ve been told aging would be like and encourages us to instead ask ourselves, what do we want it to be like, and how can we get there? The key is to be curious, open-minded, and intentional about the ways we are becoming our future selves.We have an opportunity to create new narratives of aging as a woman, ones that value women at all stages of life, not just youth, and it starts with us. Once the stereotypes that have held women back are broken down, women can move past them and rather than feel helpless as the years add up, they can discover and tap into just how much agency they have. Not only will this book help to create a less-ageist, less-sexist, more-inclusive future, it will release our daughters and all young women from a similar future.

A powerful call to confront the reasons why politics is jeopardising women's health across the world, by a prize-winning academic 'A powerful and inspiring must-read' Elinor Cleghorn, author of Unwell Women 'Radical and thought-provoking, this book should drive us all to action - and the author tells us how' Gina Rippon, author of The Gendered Brain We know the causes of disease and death among women all over the world. We have the funding from governments and philanthropists to tackle them. So why are women still dying when they don't have to? Across the globe, women's health is being caught in the crossfire of politics: from the repeal of abortion rights and the bombing of Ukrainian maternity hospitals, to lesser-known issues like healthwashing and the exploitation of vulnerable patients as well as women health workers. Exploring urgent questions including populism, big data and the undervaluing of women's work, Sick of It also offers smart solutions on how to fix this crisis through activism and political work. 'A very powerful read' Lucy Easthope, author of When The Dust Settles 'Illuminating, accessible and important' Dr Rageshri Dhairyawan, author of Unheard: The Medical Practice of Silencing 'Sophie Harman has gathered both the disturbing and heartbreaking facts and the vital possibilities open to all of us for action and engagement' Stella Duffy, OBE

Addresses gender differences in psychiatric illnesses and the psychological and pharmacological treatment of psychiatric illness in women

In early 2015, the Royal College of Psychiatrists had 4,640 female Members and Fellows and 6,015 male Members and Fellows, a ratio of 43.5% to 56.5%. Despite the high and increasing proportion of women in UK psychiatry over the years (relative to other medical specialties), publications about the history and practice of psychiatry have traditionally been written by men and about men, and there has been a distinct lack of commentary from the woman's perspective. Women's Voices in Psychiatry: A Collection of Essays examines the role of women in psychiatry and shares some of their key contributions to the specialty. Presented as a collection of thoughts, opinions, and experiences of women doctors specializing in modern day psychiatry, this book is intended to be accessible to all readers interested in the mind, mental health services, and women's roles in medicine. Interspersed between these essays are short biographical profiles of pioneering women who have contributed to psychiatry and mental health services. Women's Voices in Psychiatry: A Collection of Essays covers a diverse range of topics and aims to draw lessons from history, particularly about women's roles in UK psychiatry, and to make things better for psychiatrists of the future.

Not Born a Refugee Woman is an in-depth inquiry into the identity construction of refugee women. It challenges and rethinks current identity concepts, policies, and practices in the context of a globalizing environment, and in the increasingly racialized post-September 11th context, from the perspective of refugee women. This collection brings together scholar_practitioners from across a wide range of disciplines. The authors emphasize refugee women's agency, resilience, and creativity, in the continuum of domestic, civil, and transnational violence and conflicts, whether in flight or in resettlement, during their uprooted journey and beyond. Through the analysis of local examples and international case studies, the authors critically examine gendered and interrelated factors such as location, humanitarian aid, race, cultural norms, and current psycho-social research that affect the identity and well being of refugee women. This volume is destined to a wide audience of scholars, students, policy makers, advocates, and service providers interested in new developments and critical practices in domains related to gender and forced migrations.

This book explores the intersections between wearable objects and human health, with particular emphasis on how artists and designers are creatively responding to and rethinking these relations. Addressing a rich range of wearable artefacts, from mobility aids and prosthetics to clothing and accessories to digital health tracking devices, its themes include care and cure; wellness culture and the commoditization of health; and the complex interactions between (human) bodies and (non-human) objects. With a theoretical framework inspired by the work of materialist thinkers including Sherry Turkle, Bruno Latour and Jane Bennett, and bringing the disciplinary fields of fashion studies, art and design practice, and medical and health humanities into dialogue for the first time, this volume draws attention to the complex agencies entangled in the things we wear, and situates fashion and art in relation to broader cultural and historical contexts of health, illness and disability.

This essential collection examines South and Southeast Asian Muslim women’s writing and the ways they navigate cultural, political, and controversial boundaries. Providing a global, contemporary collection of essays, this volume uses varied methods of analysis and methodology, including: • Contemporary forms of expression, such as memoir, oral accounts, romance novels, poetry, and social media; • Inclusion of both recognized and lesser-known Muslim authors; • Division by theme to shed light on geographical and transnational concerns; and • Regional focus on Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Muslim Women’s Writing from across South and Southeast Asia will deliver crucial scholarship for all readers interested in the varied perspectives and comparisons of Southern Asian writing, enabling both students and scholars alike to become better acquainted with the burgeoning field of Muslim women's writing. This timely and challenging volume aims to give voice to the creative women who are frequently overlooked and unheard.

New title in the popular Midwifery Essentials series originally published in conjunction with The Practising Midwife journal. The series covers core topics in midwifery education in an engaging and friendly format using a helpful 'jigsaw' approach which encourages readers to explore topics from a variety of perspectives e.g. effective communication, team working and health promotion. Helpful 'scenarios' throughout each volume encourage debate and reflection, core elements of midwifery education. - Provides a useful, friendly source of information - Strong focus on contemporary women-centred care - Designed to stimulate debate and reflection upon current practice, local policies and procedures - Scenarios enable practitioners to understand the context of maternity care and explore their role in safe and effective service provision - Helpful 'jigsaw' approach enables readers to explore specific topics from a variety of perspectives e.g. consent, safety and health promotion - Explains the professional and legal issues surrounding clinical procedures - Chapters designed to be read as a 'standalone' or in succession - Emphasises the crucial role of effective communication