Blood The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation

Get empowering, no-nonsense, science-based, and period-positive facts from Dr. Jen Gunter, New York Times bestselling author of The Vagina Bible!

"The world's most famous and outspoken gynecologist” (The Guardian) fights myths and fearmongering with real science, inclusive facts, and shame-free advice on the topic that impacts more than 72 million Americans every month: menstruation.

Most women can expect to have hundreds of periods in a lifetime. And yet despite this monthly physiological experience, few are given the tools to understand the science of their own cycle, how it changes over their lifetime, and how it connects to their overall health.

Instead, the patriarchy has weaponized menstruation through outdated cultural norms, medical dismissal, inadequate menstrual accommodations, and useless products. To distinguish medicine from mythology, people need information. To advocate for ourselves, we need to know how our bodies work. Consequently, many people suffer in silence thinking their bodies are uniquely broken, or they turn to disreputable sources. 

This is the true curse, and the way we break that curse is with knowledge.

In this practical, inclusive guide to menstruation, Dr. Jen Gunter delivers empowerment through knowledge. She explains what’s normal, what’s not, and what requires medical intervention, while also examining the historical and social myths which keep women uninformed and disenfranchised. Written with the no-nonsense expertise and frank, fearless wit that have made Dr. Gunter today’s most trusted voice in women’s health, Blood gives women the tools to take back control of their bodies and kick menstrual shame to the curb. Period.

Dr. Jen Gunter is an internationally bestselling author, obstetrician, and gynecologist with more than three decades of experience as a vulvar and vaginal diseases expert. Her New York Times and USA Today bestselling books, The Vagina Bible and The Menopause Manifesto, have been translated into 21 languages and The Guardian calls her "the world's most famous—and outspoken—gynecologist." The recipient of the 2020 NAMS Media Award from The North American Menopause Society, she is a New York Times contributor and the star of Jensplaining, a CBC/Amazon Prime video series that highlights the impact of medical misinformation on women. Dr. Gunter’s TED Talk was the third most-viewed of the year and led to her popular TED Collective podcast, “Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter,” where she interviews fellow doctors about the lies you’re told—and sold—about your health, debunking some of the stickiest myths out there while helping you to understand how your body really works.  She lives in Northern California and can be found online at DrJenGunter.com.