The Vulva and the Vagina: Separating the Myth from the Medicine
Starred review from August 5, 2019
Empowerment of women through accurate information about their own bodies is the “vagenda” of ob-gyn and New York Times columnist Gunter’s comprehensive, pseudoscience-bashing discussion of all things vaginal and vulvar. Gunter begins with anatomy (including information for trans men with vulvas and trans women with vaginoplasties) and continues with some basic sex ed, focusing on female arousal while debunking the G-spot. Mixing medical background with simple, practical advice, Gunter covers health concerns she often encounters in her own practice, such as sexually transmitted infections, and the basic functions of the vulva and vagina at specific times of life—menstruation, pregnancy and birth, and menopause. Gunter is at her most vehement when advising her readers to leave healthy vaginas alone, reassuring them that yearly pelvic exams are not necessary, while also taking on nonevidence-based “natural” practices like vaginal steaming and Internet-propagated misinformation in general. Most valuably, she uses her expertise to clearly describe what to expect during healthcare sessions, giving excellent advice about effectively communicating with medical professionals. Gunter approachably, respectfully, and even playfully presents a huge amount of reproductive and sexual health education information to women, with the assurance that they can use it.
October 18, 2019
With this title, Canadian OB/GYN, women's health advocate, and New York Times columnist Gunter shatters myths about the "v" word. Listen not when told to wear white cotton underwear for infections: vaginas can't see, and cotton has no magical powers. Don't rush for the bathroom to halt postsex infections--zero magical cures there, too. Be wary of herpes but not hysterical: 80 percent of those with positive HSV-2s never get a sore. Do be wary of antibiotics, linked to yeast infections in 23 percent of sufferers. Bad news: no G-spot. Good news: no need to care, the female body contains many "roads" to orgasm. And fear not a life lived sans "purifying" products; tune out Big Pharma and Big Natural. Obsessions with reproductive tract purity date to a time when woman were judged by their virginity. "Celebrity influencers tap into these fears with articles about products to prevent vaginal mayhem," as if the vagina, which evolved to deliver babies long before sutures were invented, is so fragile it "is constantly in a state of near-catastrophe." VERDICT For anyone seeking a factual and fun take on a subject that should never have been, yet still is, taboo, this book will be much appreciated.--Cynthia Fox, Brooklyn
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