Very helpful book with a lot of solid advice on helping with hormonal issues. I liked it so well that I purchased a hard copy for my home library.

This book is all about maintaining healthy hormones! There is a wealth of knowledge about women’s gynecological health. What’s normal? What’s not? It includes a 6-week plan to get hormones back in check using supplements, diet, exercise, and relaxation methods. Meal plan ideas are included to help you be your best self.

I found the information very helpful and plan on implementing the principles of the Mediterranean diet. Unfortunately, I have lots of food intolerances that will prevent me from following the diet exactly, but I can definitely do better with the foods I am eating. If you need help balancing your hormones, this is a great resource!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper One for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This amazing book is filled with amazing knowledge that every woman needs to read right away. I loved how much information is in the book but it is easy to to access and interpret even as an average woman who doesn’t have a medical degree.

***Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.***

I was very excited to read this book since I had heard so many positive things about Dr. Aviva Romm. I am left feeling slightly disappointed. I learned pretty good information to be sure. I liked that she mentioned how some times we can feel invalidated by our OBGYNs when they brush off our feelings or concerns as "just normal". I have always been pretty in tune with my body so I expect when I go to a doctor and explain something feels off that they take my concern seriously. I also liked that she focused on how various foods and vitamins can impact our hormones.

I was disappointed by the harsh treatment of men throughout the book. It felt like she was trying to hard to come off sounding like one of the "girls" and needed to put men down in the process. I am all about supporting other women and letting men know that WE are capable of making the best decisions for OUR bodies but not all male doctors are incapable of providing quality care. I have gone to both male and female doctors over the years and there is something to be said for both.

In this book Dr. Aviva Romm attempts to explain and help treat certain hormone related problems through diet and lifestyle changes. Dr. Romm has over thirty years experience practicing as both a midwife and Yale-trained doctor, and shares her recommendations based on this wealth of experience and knowledge.

The book has four parts:

In Part One, Dr. Romm discusses the causes of hormone problems, and how to identify signs that you might not even recognize at first as issues with hormone balance. Dr. Romm stresses the inadequacies of the modern medical system with regards to woman’s health and hormonal issues; and gives advice about how to be a better at recognizing your own symptoms.

Part Two: “Find Balance/The Hormone Intelligence Plan” focuses on six specific causes of hormonal issues, and outlines a six week plan to try to improve your health. This section urges you to pay attention to your diet and stress levels, as well as energy levels and sleep patterns.

Part Three: “Get Personal/Advanced Natural Protocols” has suggestions for dealing with specific conditions. There are sections for various issues such as period/PMS issues, PCOS, endometriosis, and fertility. For each issue, Dr. Romm provides a list of things to try in the following categories: Lifestyle, Food, Mind/Body, Nutrients, Herbs, and Conventional (medication). This is mostly in bullet-point list format, which makes it easy to quickly find the information relevant to you.

Part Four is The Hormone Intelligence Kitchen, which contains a recipe list with dozens of different recipes. There are recipes for salads, veggies, grains and legumes, fish, eggs, meat, tofu, smoothies, drinks, desserts, and more. Finally there is a Botanical and Supplement chart, which lists many different supplements, what symptoms they can help with, and what the recommended dosages are.

This book contains quite a bit of information, and will likely have at least some helpful insights for anyone that reads it. There was more of a focus on foods and healthy eating than I expected, so anticipate some dietary changes if you are going to follow Dr. Romm's plans. Even you ignored all of the advice and explanations, and somehow nothing else resonated with you, there are still some great recipes you might like!

I got interested in this topic after being diagnosed with a thyroid disease. This book offered various insights related to that topic and gave me some ideas of how I can cope better with this disease moving forward.

An in-depth look on hormones and the body, and how foods play an important role. She explains nutrition and its importance to keep our bodies whole. I loved the healthy recipes and the plan she lays out. There is a lot of information, but she keeps it enlightening and interesting.

I was thrilled to obtain an ARC copy of this book because I have familiar with Aviva Romm and also love researching anything hormone related. On one hand, I really enjoyed many parts of this book. I loved the multitude of more natural remedies to various hormone related issues, and she even lists many that I have personally used and know to help.

One of the things that really bothered me though is the blatant misandry throughout the book. She went overboard on the "girl power" and it distracted from the premises of the book. She even goes as far as telling the reader that they "need" a female doctor. My experience with female doctors has been the opposite of what she claims. I find that the female doctors I have gone to lack empathy and feel because they haven't gone through what I have or felt the same way, that somehow, my experiences or feelings aren't valid. Whereas, most of the male doctors I have had know they have not experienced what I have and are quicker to listen, less likely to dismiss me. I have talked to a number of individuals who have the same experiences as myself. I'm sure it does happen in the reverse sometimes, but I feel like her pool of opinions, women who are following her or go to her, is so strongly biased that it invalidates her argument. Yet, she speaks so black and white, as if she is an expert on the subject because she is a female doctor and she knows some women who have had negative experiences with male doctors. I am very hesitant to dismiss a whole sex of people in a particular profession, like she has, because there are always some bad eggs. By her logic, I should surely dismiss ever going to a female doctor because the way she outlines male doctors is exactly how I was treated by female doctors. My point is, if she wants to give a shout out to other female doctors, that is fine, but she doesn't have to throw male doctors under the bus to make her and other women doctors look good. Actions speak louder than words. She also uses some language in the book, which was distracting and felt out of place.

I enjoyed a lot of the information, but some parts were just too agenda driven and opinion heavy.

I have Endometriosis, and those sections of this book made me understand myself and my body more than I ever have. I now know why things are happening or have happened and know what I can do to help my hormones to balance out more. Thank you for this!!