(Part 2) Best books about general women health according to redditors

Oh you ignorant fool, there are already placenta cookbooks. See 25 Placenta Recipes or DIY Plancenta Edibles: Smoothies + Tincture + Chocolate.

available from some book shops and the big online one

Endocrinologist here. Re strength and muscle mass, it's unequivocal that men are on average stronger, and unequivocal that this is largely driven by testosterone. Testosterone directly increases muscle cell cross-sectional area in humans; strength differences between men and women are directly attributable to muscle cross-sectional area; in any group of men and women with similar training histories, men will substantially outperform women on strength tests; and individual variation in strength is highly correlated to variation in circulating androgens. There's really no doubt about that one and there's lots of good studies with good control groups.

Your other points stand, but for muscular strength, one can't simply brush off the known effects of the androgens.

Reviewed here, here, here, here. The known biochemical effects of testosterone on human skeletal muscle are reviewed in this paper.

You can read the reviews on Amazon. They're mediocre. https://www.amazon.com/Booty-Bible-Alicia-Marie-ebook/dp/B0076PHEN8

If you want a good book about butts, check out Strong Curves by Contreras.

I posted mine over in peak trans, but I'll share it again here. Someone posted a link to a vulva coloring book, and it was problematic because it didn't contain penises.

Pssst. It was right in the title!!!!

"The Guide To Getting it On" is a great comprehensive sex book with anything and everything you could want to know about sex. It is funny and easy to read and addresses all these issues and more. I highly recommend.

http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Getting-Universes-Coolest-Informative/dp/B0009YARI2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344492530&sr=1-1&keywords=the+guide+to+getting+it+on

Even if you think you don't have time to wait for a book, I do think it is still beneficial to consider for the future. It can actually be a lot of fun to read with your SO, or just have lying around for future reference.

Our Bodies Ourselves (http://www.amazon.com/Our-Bodies-Ourselves-New-Era/dp/B001JJBOTC/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344492670&sr=1-2&keywords=our+bodies+ourselves) also has pretty thorough sections on sex and sexuality.

We always found this one in random places. In a high school library, I think I would be disappointed if they weren’t taking it off the shelf!!

This isn't skincare but as another woman with some pretty serious hormonal issues, this book has been life-changing: The Period Repair Manual by Dr Lara Briden.

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She talks about hormones and skin issues frequently in the book and there is a chapter devoted to PCOS treatment as well. I was skeptical at first but following her advice has made a huge difference in my life.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0380762277/qid=1111123444/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-8884594-8931850 (20,001 Names For Baby: Revised and Updated [Carol McD. Wallace])

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1569245908/qid=1111123525/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-8884594-8931850 (The Baby Name Countdown, 5th Edition: The Definitive Baby Name Book [Janet Schwegel])

Cal Garrison's Old Girl's Book of Spells

Judika Illes' Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells

Ray T. Malbrough's Charms, Spells, and Formulas...

I know you didn't really ask for my advice, but if you think you can find the time to supplement your reading, I'd recommend checking out Complete Book of Women's Running.

This was recommended to me when I first started to pursue running. It's very easy to read; you can finish off 20 pages in less than 40 minutes easily. And it's a great tool for lady runners of all levels. It taught me a lot about patience, pacing, why/when/how to rest, and questions like yours. There are also training schedules for most race distances, and you'll learn about the strategy behind racing. The book is very informative, and it really helps to keep you motivated after you've finished your 5k. If you check out /r/running, you'll see users regularly discuss losing motivation after finishing the race they are training for.

A used copy goes for only a couple of bucks on Amazon, so it's pretty affordable. If you're unable to afford that, please let me know. I may be able to send you my copy or arrange to send you a $5 amazon gift card to cover the cost.

The results I got were so minor. I got a lot of good info from a few books. The best so far was the PCOS nutrition guide (I think that's the title) it explains how to treat each symptom. It was good because it helped me find the treatment for my specific symptoms.
I also spotted this one on amazon and it looks like it might be good https://www.amazon.ca/Peach-Fuzz-Baggage-Survivors-Point-ebook/dp/B00MSS1IKI/ref=sr_1_18?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1484078318&sr=1-18&keywords=pcos

I would talk to the school's counselor. Your parents must know you're in a Harvard-feeder. Why go to nursing school at Harvard? Is it that special? At any school, someone has to get the Cs (especially if they bell), and maybe it's you, so what? I could have got straight As at my regular school and didn't, mostly because I didn't want to live with the stress (the 3.7 was hard enough, and I got plenty of shit for it). It took me a long time to realize a C is average, not flunking. Being average is just fine, it's flunking that's not. I'd love to hope that this is their way of telling you to not set your sights so high, because private schools aren't worth it, Harvard-feeder or not. There's only about 10 private schools in the nation that are worth paying for, and that's just for name recognition, and trying to get in to them is enough to break anyone. You can buy grades at those schools more easily than anywhere else.

And you know who was on the list, you can put it back, if you really have your heart set on those schools. Your academic counselor should be able to help you. A psychological counselor would be able to help you. Can you get your parents in the same room with your academic counselor?

And for the record, you will not be the first person at the school to scale back. Just imagine the stress some of your peers must be under. Ever read The Overachievers? Kids get pushed so hard, that dropping out or 'slacking off' at a public school would seem a god-send. There's no way you'd be the first.

Worst-case scenario, split the difference. Apply to all of them, your schools and their schools. If you get in to yours, see what scholarships they throw your way. I got in to the local private school, but was only offered $5500 toward a $15000 education. BS!!! I got a full ride to the better of the state schools, an I'm proud of it! I love my alma mater like none other, and I came out with no debt. The no debt is important, trust me on that.

Keep working at it. Find some middle ground. Don't go for broke just because you can. But don't give in just to make them happy. If you're dead set for private school, you'll get what you want. Take them to the counselor with you, they'll come around.

I read A Simple Guide to Vaginismus by Kenneth Kee recently and it suggests a connection between pain and vaginismus, doesn't have to be genital pain. Ignore the review, it's a very informative book.

According to the book any of those health issues you mention could have triggered it :/ No one really knows why.

Well no it's not absolutely necessary for everyone, but there are some good reasons to be on a birth control pill if you have PCOS.

One of the most significant is if you don't have regular periods, being on the pill can protect your uterus. The uterine lining is still being stimulated to grow by estrogen, but if it isn't shed regularly like normal it can get overgrown. This is called endometrial hyperplasia, and it's what can cause the 2+ week long periods some women get with PCOS. These sort of conditions are excellent for cancer cells to develop. That's why women with PCOS are at higher risk of uterine cancer...so being on a hormonal birth control pill can mitigate that risk.

Another reason is to treat the masculinizing symptoms of PCOS (acne, hair loss, facial hair grown). For this to work, though, one needs to be on a medication that will block the effects of testosterone. There are different medications that can do this, and some are birth control pills so they can be used this way to kind of kill two birds with one stone. Of course, for this to work it's important that they be anti-androgenic. Combination birth control pills contain synthetic estrogen and a compound that behaves similarly to progesterone...the progesterone mimic is the one that is the anti-androgenic compound in Yasmin, Yaz, Ocella (there are others too I just don't have an exhaustive list).

Why you bled so severely on a birth control pill, obviously I don't know but if you do see another doctor about this be it a gyno or an endocrinologist, be sure to tell them that so you and your doctor can decide if being on a birth control pill is safe for you.

As for diabetes medication, the fact that you have PCOS and they didn't talk to you about that makes me want to bang my head against a wall. PCOS is very often related to insulin resistance, so diabetes medications can help! The one your doctor was probably talking about was Metformin. It's very common and dirt cheap ($4 without insurance). I'm not on it now because it does have stomach side effects and I have IBS, so it was making me so sick I couldn't go to work. However, I took it for years as a teenager and it did really help. Not to mention, if you are insulin resistant, and if you have PCOS there's an excellent chance you are, you want to know about it! That's very significant for your future health, but there are things you can do to manage it such a changing your diet and taking medication, that can prolong or even prevent it from progressing to diabetes. At the least, you want to have your A1c tested to see how your blood glucose control is doing.

I understand the insurance concerns. Maybe you want to try this book? https://www.amazon.com/PCOS-Workbook-Complete-Physical-Emotional-ebook/dp/B004SPYNCO

There's a lot you can do yourself in terms of lifestyle changes to help control PCOS, and something like that can help explain the ins and outs of how it works.

C25K is amazing. When I started running I followed the run/walk guide in The Complete Book of Running for Women and that Book was my running bible through training for my first half marathon. I can’t wait to get back down to a weight where my hips will let me run again!

https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Cunnilingus-Exquisite-CUNNILINGUS/dp/B001TMA4HC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484108230&sr=8-1&keywords=Ultimate-Guide-cunnilingus

First of all, you seem to think I'm targeting you specifically and you seem to have become overly defensive about it. I'm using the words "seem to," because like you said I have no way of knowing how you actually feel.

Second, taboo_ is correct, it was "ranty" in jest which I hoped was elucidated by the bit with the bacon and donuts.

Third, I'm really happy for you that you won the popularity contest for you, but for future reference when you're in an argument don't personally attack the person you're arguing with, attack their points only and with solid evidence. You did attack my points, but they lack evidence to sustain your claims.

You don't have to use porn to masturbate. I shouldn't need a source for that, but I suppose I could go out and take some surveys. As I understand it a lot of women prefer to use their imagination (probably because most porn is geared towards men in so many ways).

The porn thing seems to really be a big point of yours. Mind if I ask why? Since the website you linked didn't work, I'm left clueless.

I also said it was a function of our biological needs. Humans need to procreate, or else we'll die out as a species. Masturbation is a part of that, because if you don't have access to a mate then you've still got all that testosterone and your cerebral cortex is still generating sexual thoughts and fantasies. I didn't say sexual pleasure was a biological need in and of itself. Yes, a lot, perhaps most even, is psychological. Testosterone and menstruation, though, actively make you want to have sex. (Source 1, source 2). There is an active physical component to sex drive, and if you have nobody around to relieve it then things can go south.

I'd like to talk about another major reason for my defense of masturbation. You ever have blue balls? You might be among the guys that don't get it, but me? If I don't masturbate after I get an erection that lasts for a while, the rest of my day will be spent in pain, maybe even the next day. As someone who gets kidney stones (so I'm somewhat an authority on pain), blue balls are painful. To avoid being in pain is as easy as masturbating a couple of times a weak at the least.

Now that I've typed all that and reread your comments a few times, it seems as though the argument is fundamentally flawed as well. Your points focus on not masturbating when you are compulsive or addictive (which by the way there is no scientific evidence of: source 1 , source 2, as well as some personal or social stigma involving porn which I assume is the idea that porn desensitizes you when you actually get to the real thing, it's not what you've come to expect from porn.

My original question was, everything I've been tought in biology and sexuality classes as well as personal research tells me there is nothing wrong with masturbating. Of course you can do it like 15 times in a day and might bruise something down there, but as with your water example there's a limit to everything. Just like jogging too much can injure you, it doesn't mean people should stop jogging (no it's not the perfect example).

You insulted my sources, which were simply the first 5 relevant google links I found by the way, not an effort at a professional source gathering since this is just the comment section of a forum, yet failed to provide any of your own. You were obviously hostile and defensive, using the words "uneducated," which is untrue, obviously, and "rant." I included that fox news link because I thought to myself, "wow, even Fox News agrees with it."

I'm interested in reading the sources that you have in favor of your position, but I feel like I've spent enough time on this so I won't be typing out any more responses like this. It's a lot of effort just to be downvoted, insulted, and dismissed by the target audience. That being said, I'm glad to see a lot of people also agreed with me.

I started with proper kegels (youtube them). Then introduced several kegel aids (own ben wa balls, kegelmaster, dildo-shaped trainers). Crawl before you walk, it's an addictive journey. Learn proper kegel technique to identify your muscles and learn to control them and build stamina. Then, buy a dildo-shaped aid. Mine is slender and smooth glass. Its difficult to build neural pathways, but your body will, and you will be able, with dedication, to suck that dildo in and push it out with your V muscles. Also, with the ben wah balls too, but its harder. That, my friend, is pompoir. One of the books I own: http://www.amazon.com/Pompoir-Ultimate-Guide-Pelvic-Fitness/dp/1478311509

I volunteer with a pelvic pain specialist PT. Apart from from already great information posted here is a book that is often suggested for patients called Ending Female Pain by Isa Herrera. This has a lot of information, pictures and exercises/stretches that may assist. Ultimately once she is in a situation where she can see a pelvic pain PT it would be very beneficial as it is specific to her needs. Be careful as many claim to be pelvic pain specialists but unless they regularly practice internal work as well I would not trust them with that issue.