A great nonfiction book, written by such a knowledgeable doctor?! YES PLEASE! There are so many topics in this book that are so helpful to women. I feel that all women would benefit from reading this book. As women so many things are taboo to talk about, so instead we don't know our bodies.

Book 25 of 2024 - ✅! Thank you to NetGalley, Flatiron Books and  Dr. Karen Tang for an ARC of It's Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health (but Were Never Told) in exchange for my honest review.

Things in my world have been quite busy, in the very best way. I thought that reading a non-fiction book would be helpful during this time period, as the chapters could potentially read like a podcast. Dr. Tang truly got some of the most educated and experienced minds in the field (including herself) to contribute to this book. Informative and educational, Dr. Tang’s book felt like a one stop shop for all things that one needs to know about their reproductive system (as evidenced by the title).

Though this would be a tall request, I think I would have appreciated it if there were some personal stories and anecdotes included in the chapters, as the book felt a bit “textbook-y” at times.

All that said, I appreciate that this book exists and I would absolutely refer and recommend it to everyone, because as a society, we need to better educate ourselves on reproductive health.

3/5 ⭐️ overall. 🥼🩺👩🏽‍⚕️ #NetGalley #itsnothysteria

Every woman should read this book. I learned things that I never knew and I am 37. Dr. Tang provides clear explanations on many female things as well as ways to advocate for yourself. It is important how she gives information from many different angles. Well done.

“It’s Not Hysteria” definitely has an ideal audience. It’s not a popular science book with witty writing that makes you want to curl up and read it from cover to cover. Instead, it reads more like a textbook. Even for someone who has a career in sexual health, it felt incredibly dry. If I had been reading this while working towards my nursing degree, that would have been one thing. Reading it while on vacation was something entirely different — even for a nerd like myself.

The saving grace for this work is just how jam-packed it is with knowledge. Despite it being dry overall, Dr. Tang’s writing remains accessible for readers without a background in healthcare. She thoroughly covers pretty much every gynecological condition that I could think of — and continuously encourages patient empowerment while doing so. (She also recognizes & respects gender diversity, which is often very lacking in the field of so-called “women’s” health.) There is a lot of talent & expertise here; just not entertainment.

In the end, I think that this is a good library addition for folks who already have a pretty nerdy interest in gynecology. But where I think it might really shine is for folks experiencing some sort of gynecological issue and not getting the answers or treatment that they deserve. The power of this book seems strongest in referencing individual chapters: learning about a specific condition and the options available to someone living with said condition. In a society where gynecological symptoms are often not taken seriously, “It’s Not Hysteria” provides a way for patients to seek out trustworthy medical knowledge on their own.

I thought this book would be more in depth about issues women have with vaginas. Like endometriosis or pmdd. but it was more basic information that is covered in this book. I'd heard good things so it was a bit of a let down for me. Overall it felt like information easily found on google. It was a lot of different topics covered in minute ways overall. I could see clips of this being great on tiktok but not in depth. More like an encyclopedia to look up a little info on a lot of different items.
The author focused on using inclusive language- which could make some people love this book and make others hate this book.

Overall I've read a lot of books about endometriosis so this one was a bit of a let down for me.

I loved It’s Not Hysteria by Dr. Karen Tang. It’s a great handbook for common issues found in reproductive health that I was never taught in schools. I would definitely recommend picking up this book as a guide for how our bodies may behave. Great informative read!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a well-researched, much needed resource on womens health from puberty to menopause. Many women don't know much about their reproductive health, and this is a good antidote. Readers can skip around and focus on issues that are relevant to them, or read from cover to cover. The author includes chapter summaries to reinforce learning (or help the lazier reader). This is written in such a way that the average person will have no trouble reading it.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I will purchase for my library.

This is a must read for every womxn. Also a must read for doctors, to-be fathers, husbands, etc. If you want to better understand the human body, read this book

An incredibly thoughtful, well-written, and informative book. I found myself learning so many new things about my reproductive systems! I really really appreciated that this author took a gender-inclusive perspective in this book and that they made the effort to include everyone that is non-cis gender (included whole chapters on trans and intersex peoples!). To be honest, this book is the perfect book for every person.

This book is a wonderful resource and I would recommend it to anyone. It doesn’t use overlay complicated language or wording and gets straight to the point. The book is broken down into areas of interest, which allows readers to skip around or come back to a topic easily.


It is a great introduction to many of the most common, but oft overlook, gynecological health conditions. Through the entirety of the book, Dr. Tang emphasized how patients deserve to speak up for themselves and be heard. This is such an important message and I’m glad that it is reiterated.

This book was so refreshing! Our era refuses to teach women about their own bodies and acts like any and all talk about their bodies should be shameful or bad. It's exhausting to fight the very people who are supposed to be on our sides constantly and I felt like this book was a great starting point for learning to advocate for yourself.

I found "It's Not Hysteria" by Dr. Karen Tang to be very concisely written, and an interesting way to address the vacuum of knowledge as it surrounds the female body and health. It did not address the specific issues I was interested in learning more about, as I was more interested in the psychological impacts of women's physiology on women's mental health, but for many it will offer some great insight.

It's Not Hysteria fills a much needed gap existing in the literature on reproductive health. Dr. Karen Tang presents an accessible, yet still in depth, guide to many reproductive health issues. The book manages to be engaging and approachable despite the sometimes heavy subject matter. Dr. Tang's voice is comforting and knowledgeable. Everyone who reads this book will walk away with valuable information that they did not have before.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an eARC.

Unexpected but interesting read. You should read it at least once in your lifetime. Impactful.

A look into gynecological conditions by a doctor who seeks to explain what many doctors don't. Dr. Tang first explores the history of hysteria and how it was used to explain women's health issues without really addressing the problem. She then goes through the various issues of women's health from fibroids to endometriosis and more. She ends with various treatment options.

I appreciate how straightforward she was here! As someone who has lived with endometriosis, I really liked the way she described not only that but all conditions. It is scary how many things can affect women's reproductive systems, especially since many are not often discussed. I thought it was easy to understand, and very thorough. Finally, I liked how inclusive she was throughout the whole book! Definitely would recommend to all women.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wish this book existed when I was a teenager because I had so many fears and questions about my anatomy and I always wondered if I was overthinking the pain and frustration I was feeling. I’ve had heavy bleeding, migraines, nausea, mood swings and debilitating cramps from my first period until recently and my concerns were often brushed aside by doctors and I’ve been given medication for pain relief but none of them ever took the time to explain anything to me about what was causing theses awful symptoms. After reading this book, I found the courage to be more outspoken and advocate for my health and I asked for referrals to see specialists so that I could get the answers I deserved. I’m so grateful to this author and I’m glad that this book exists because I got the treatment I needed and I no longer have to bear the pain just because many people have bought into the belief that periods should be painful and it is a normal thing for women to go through. A huge thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this wonderful book because I will recommend it to all my friends and family members.

I learned so much from reading this book. I've been on a bit of a journey over the past year+ to learn more about women's health (there's so much that we are never taught and that is rarely talked about!) and this book addressed everything I was wanting to learn about and more. I loved the format of the book with dedicated chapters for each topic and that Dr. Tang explained everything in a way that was easy to understand. I also thought she was great about presenting different treatment options without ever veering into telling another person what to do.

Overall, this was an extremely well researched and well written book. I think all people with female reproductive organs - as well as all doctors who treat people with female reproductive organs - would benefit from reading this book.

This book was powerfully informative. As a Afrolatina woman, this book made me feel seen and understood in a way I have never felt when it comes to my medical health. This book should be implemented into our education system, everyone should have the knowledge readily available. The information is easily digestible and to comprehend. he topics in this book need further discussion and scientific exploration. Spreading the word to everyone I know to read this book.

I’ve been working to read more nonfiction, and this looked like it was going to be an important read. And I was right.

This is a thorough explanation of everything you never knew you needed to know about gynecological health.

Wow! I was blown away. There’s a part of me that’s embarrassed about everything I didn’t know in this book, but more of me is angry. For most of my life I thought debilitating pain & long heavy periods was all normal. It was nearly 20 years with a period before a doctor took me seriously. I should have known better. I should have been taught better.

Every chapter breaks down common and more rare issues that can affect gynecological health. Then there are sections about possible treatments. No matter what is being discussed, the writing is frank and matter of fact, with lots of information without being overly technical.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the opportunity to review this arc.

More than half of the world population are born with a uterus, yet it’s the one organ whose diseases and conditions are under-researched, under-funded, and highly misunderstood. More than 9 out of every 10 people with a uterus experience some sort of reproductive health problem, including endometriosis, fibroids, PCOS, pelvic floor dysfunction, and more. Many times, those of us suffering are told that “it’s normal” or “it’s in your head” when experiencing these debilitating symptoms, even by physicians. Dr. Tang has not only dedicated her career to understanding these conditions, but treating them and the patients with them. She goes into scientific detail about each ailment, with both proven and hypothetical causes, common treatments, and suggestions for living better. Each chapter describes a different common reproductive health problem, and ends with take-home points, to easily wrap-up the content. This book is easy to read and easy to understand, written in everyday words for the layman.

I rate this book five stars. It is a tool that everyone with a uterus, or who cares for someone with a uterus, should utilize.