OMG I have finally finished this behemoth of a book. 400+ pages shouldn't be too bad, but this one in particular took forever to go through.

I am familiar with Dr. Jen Gunter after following her for a time on Twitter. I requested this ARC because I've had The Vagina Bible on my TBR for a while, and I grew up in Texas so my knowledge about my own body is very questionable. One thing with this book: the author is very informed but sarcastic. I think that if you've seen her social media, you know more of what to expect, but the casual reader may be turned off by her voice. Dr. Gunter is very vocal in her condemnations of naturopathy and supplements, presumably because patients ask her advice on Goop and Tiktok advice regularly. I presume that some of the absurd "menstrual solutions" addresses in this book are directly taken from questions people ask her about. I hate criticizing a woman for her tone, especially when she is speaking from authority, but her sarcasm was a bit much sometimes.

In all, this book was very sciencey and I got confused by the end between the different hormones and science words, but I think that's ok because I was just reading this for a general understanding. I now understand more of how hormones affect the body, and I think I have a better understanding of some of the questions I might want to ask my gynecologist during my next visit. I think that is the value of a book like this: to answer a few questions and equip readers with some of the thoughts and questions that they can ask their doctor about. I also very much appreciated that this book acknowledged the fact that nonbinary and trans men patients also need menstrual care.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for this ARC.

Oh. My. God. The world desperately needs more books like this one. A down-to-earth and real. No matter how much we think we know how bodies work and what goes where, there is always more information that might be just what you need.

Honestly this is a must-read or even must-have for anyone who menstruates. Yes, this book is EXTREMELY technical at times, but nothing that is absolutely necessary information for understanding what is and is not normal for your body is written too complexly. Yes, she gets a bit technical when it comes to things like hormones and how they work with your period, but that is easily skimmable. The parts that matter - what is normal, what is not, and when you should go to your doctor - are absolutely straightforward and easy to read.

This has been slightly review-bombed, I've seen, by people who are into holistic medicine. While I do agree that Dr. Gunter can be slightly heavy-handed in her dislike toward holistic influencers, it is clear that it is because she wants to make sure that people are making medical decisions with as much knowledge as possible. Dr. Gunter did a great job of helping the reader learn how to question "new" treatments and "natural" remedies (cyanide is natural - doesn't mean it's healthy!).

I really loved this book, and I will be purchasing a hard copy to reference in the future.

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Blood. This book by Dr. Gunter was a "chef's kiss" as I was recuperating from a blood related medical surgery. Learning and studying more about menstruation (and lack thereof) is important. This should be required reading for all medical students and people that bleed.

***I received a free ARC of this e-book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.***

I did it! Finished before Christmas. I really liked this book and thought it gave a lot of really good information. It is important to note when going into this that the author's tone and ideas aren't for everyone. The author is very clear in her stance on certain practices but does a great job of giving the benefit of the doubt. The only reason I didn't rate this 5 stars was the repetition throughout the book for certain information. After you understand the basics of some of the hormones the repetition of what they do over and over again gets a little bit too much. However, I think because of my background in some basic anatomy I had a little better of an understanding which could be why I found this a problem. For people who really know nothing, it is probably beneficial.

Let's talk about Blood. Dr. Jen Gunter shows how menstruation is handled in social and medical settings. In a world built by and for men, the act of menstruation is something to be hidden, something to be talked about behind closed doors and between girls in the locker room. I enjoyed seeing this topic approached with humor and being geared toward the work needed for mental and medical equality.

There is a lot that this book does that I am thankful for. I firmly believe that a women's period should be talked about more often and shouldn't be something so many people shrink away from in some kind of fear or embarrassment. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. This is easy to read, despite being a long read, and has so much information that I thoroughly enjoyed. However, I feel like shunning holistic approaches is something the author and I feel differently on. I understand that some don't feel comfortable with holistic remedies and misinformation about holistic remedies can be dangerous. I still believe that, with the proper understanding and education, holistic remedies definitely have a place among women treating their issues and discomfort. I think there is a right way to go about it and a wrong way, but I don't think it should be left behind entirely.

This was fascinating. It covers menstruation from all sides--biology, evolutionally, socially. I liked the science behind it and it was explained in very clear and simple terms. At 41 this was very enlightening and I wish I had it earlier.

"Acknowledgements - First, I want to acknowledge me."

As she should. This book is a massive effort to fight misinformation surrounding the female/AFAB body, and so many young women could benefit from it. We're often not taught much about our own bodies, which is so criminal considering the amount of political propaganda supposedly about us being used to take away our rights to choice. Knowledge is power. Take it.

This book was informative funny explanatory and entertaining Dr. Jen Gunter is first and foremost a woman who is comfortable talking about things most people are not comfortable with and although I shared that trait she is much more educated on the subject and with personal stories and well educated advice floods the pages of Blood A book every parent should buy for the minstruating child. Like the doctor I do think we should be more open about having our menses but I don’t share the belief that we should tell in detail the kind of blood they were having… Lol! I am definitely getting a copy of this for my two daughters one is an avid reader and so even if the other doesn’t read it I know my youngest will definitely tell her all about it. This was a great book and takes the guesswork out of an on talked about subject. Kudos to the author for an awesome and entertaining read that I thought was going to be more academic than entertainment and I was so wrong. I do however disagree about re-changing body parts because back when the man who named them… Name them women didn’t have that opportunity. I do believe in generations to come to great grandchildren will laugh at the things we found important enough to complain about because if we rename everything that is offensive but it’s origin we’re going to be talking a whole new language. They have people starving to death and women are crying about who named the penis… How important is that. Still a great book and one I highly recommend. I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review

Dr. Jen Gunter is my go-to expert for no holds barred research-based information about women's health. I feel that she will stand in my corner and fight for me with her arms holding stacks of peer-reviewed published articles supporting her stance. She does not stand for anything less that the truth. With that in mind, you can probably imagine how thrilled I was to read her new book, Blood.
There is so much information in this book, it might seem overwhelming. But, I dove right in and was not disappointed. The book is divided into four parts: the menstrual cycle, a primer, common concerns and menstrual maintenance, bleeding and pain, and contraception and abortion. Each chapter ends with a "Bottom Line" section that bullet points the key takeaways from the chapter. This was so helpful when reading and will help when I refer back to each section.
In her book, Dr. Gunter stated, "My goal was to provide you with a solid background to help you better understand what is happening with your body and why." She succeeded with her goal and more. I felt so much more educated and empowered about my body. I see myself referring back to this book frequently and gifting a copy to my daughter.

Very informative but very science heavy!

This book was great in providing a lot of knowledge and information on the science of menstruation that I ever never knew or was never taught. For example, I never knew that the average length of a menstrual cycle is 21 to 38 days (the generally accepted 28 days length is not the average) and the average amount of blood lost during menstruation is around 2-3 tbsps. I love how the book is inclusive of anyone who menstruates.

The book goes through all types of information on menstruation from the science behind menstruation to menstrual disorders to menstrual products to birth control. The information is presented in conversational way with funny asides and personal experience -- which made the material way less dry than it could have been.

However, if you are a person who is more into alternative medicine or "natural" medicine, this may not be a book that enjoy as Dr. Gunter has strong opinions on alternative medicine (which are based on scientific studies and data).

This book is written by a doctor and it starts off really good and easy to follow but then it starts to get way too technical and science-y for what I feel an average person can truly follow. Don't get me wrong it has good information in it but if you don't have the time to spend on a dictionary for much of the book I say find another book written by a doctor who doesn't feel the need to get super technical or knows how to explain things in layman's terms a bit better.

Blood by Dr. Jen Gunter is a well-researched, well-written book on menstruation and women's health. In this ~500 page book, comprehensively covers all things menstruation from how menstruation works to menstrual disorders to menstrual products to birth control. Throughout the book Dr. Gunter shares her knowledge in an accessible and often very humorous way. Dr. Gunter has decades of experience as an Ob/Gyn and this book is written from the tone of a medical expert/older sister addressing patriarchy in the medical system and how to self-advocate.

For those of us who came of age in the 1990's like me, Our Bodies Ourselves was the go to manual for women of reproductive age. Today, many go to the internet for medical information and Dr. Gunter accurately explains how dangerous this is. I feel like Blood should be on the shelves of all women of reproductive age.

I read this book from cover to cover and it took me a few weeks to complete the book. I studied ovulation for my PhD so this is a topic of great interest to me academically. However, I needed to take a few breaks to digest all of the information. For most, I believe that this book will be used as a reference book with the option to read needed information as opposed to a book that is read cover to cover.

This is a fantastic book, full of useful information and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books, Citadel for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Blood" was an incredibly interesting read. I learned more than I realized I would, given that I've been menstruating for over 20 years. Yet, I was surprised to learn how much misinformation is provided to young women, transgender, and non-binary people who menstruate. It's such an important piece of our overall health and it's high time that such important information is inclusive.

A fantastic, unapologetic look into the lives of those who menstruate filled with education, advice, and a welcoming attitude to embrace your health.

I know this is a book written by a doctor, but there is SO MUCH misinformation and disinformation in this book. The author repeatedly shames and shuns people who turn to and use holistic alternatives or who see functional medicine practitioners, as if those have no bearing and have no place or haven't been helpful for plenty of patients. While there are quacks out there, there are also legitimate helpful things within this alternative, holistic medicine approach. To sit and write a book where you don't acknowledge real risks and associations with the things you are recommending is appalling, especially when there is plenty of sufficient and valid evidence to the contrary. I was cringing with each chapter because as each topic was discussed, the author had so many things to say that were simply wrong and this does a disservice to those who menstruate and may face these issues. While I do think more authors should be speaking freely about this topic and its one that needs more people to talk about it but this is NOT IT. I recommend, if someone wants to learn about these topics, to refer to books like those written by Jolene Brighten, as these books contain actually ACCURATE information.

Thank you to NetGalley and Citadel for the eARC of this book.