Ok, so this is a fun one! We’re going to start a running list of all of the books we recommend to our own patients (and friends and family and neighbors and random people on the seat next to us… If there’s one thing pelvic health providers love talking about, it’s a good pelvic health book). And please reach out if you find one you think we should add. I’m not adding any books that we here at Pelvic Health Fund haven’t personally read, but if we haven’t read your recommendation yet, we would absolutely love to do so! Happy reading!
Pelvic Health
The Musculoskeletal Mystery: How to Solve Your Pelvic Floor Symptoms by Ingrid Harm-Ernandes, PT, WCS
Power to the Pelvis by Alicia Jeffrey-Thomas, PT, DPT, PRPC
The Vagina Bible by Jen Gunter, MD
Restoring the Pelvic Floor by Amanda Olson
Pelvic Floor Recovery by Sue Croft
Pelvic Floor Essentials by Sue Croft
Pelvic Pain
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, MD
The Interstitial Cystitis Solution by Nicole Cozean
Beating Endo: A Patient’s Treatment Plan for Endometriosis by Dr. Iris Orbuch and Dr. Amy Stein
The Way Out: A Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven Approach to Healing Chronic Pain by Alan Gordon, LCSW
Outsmart Endometriosis by Jessica Drummond
Why Pelvic Pain Hurts by Adriann Louw, Sandra Hilton, Carolyn Vandyken
Sexual Wellness
Come as You Are by Emily Nagoski, PhD
Come Together: The Science (and Art!) of Creating Lasting Sexual Connections by Emily Nagoski, PhD
You Are Not Broken: Stop “Should-ing” All Over Your Sex Life by Kelly Casperson, MD
When Sex Hurts by Andrew Goldstein, Caroline Pukall, Irwin Goldstein, and Jill Krapf
Better Sex Through Mindfulness by Lori Brotto
Sex Without Pain: A Self Treatment Guide to the Sex Life You Deserve by Heather Jeffcoat
Reviving your Sex Life After Childbirth by Kathe Wallace, PT, BCB-PMD
Pregnancy, Delivery, and Postpartum
Connecting With Your Body Throughout Pregnancy by Heather Ensz Marra
Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
Labor and Delivery Positions by Cassie Shiels
This Isn’t What I Expected by Karen Kleiman
Matrescence by Lucy Jones
Like a Mother by Angela Garbes
Why Did No One Tell Me by Emma Brockwell
Transgender Wellness
Care Without Pathology by Christopher Hanssmann
Transitioning in Later Life: A Personal Guide by Julian Ray Celentano
Trans Teen Survival Guide by Fox Fisher and Owl Fisher
The Transmasculine Guide to Physical Transformation by Sage Buch
Gender Affirming Therapy: A Guide to What Transgender and Non-Binary Clients Can Teach Us by Laura Bonnhomme, Davies Skye, and Michael Beattie
Everything You Wanted to Know About Trans (But Were Afraid to Ask) by Brynn Tannehill
The T Guide: Our Trans Experiences and a Celebration of Gender Expression – Man, Woman, Nonbinary, and Beyond by Gigi Gorgeous, Gottmik, and Swan Huntley
The Trans Partner Handbook by Jo Green
What’s The T? by Juno Dawson
American Teenager: How Trans Kids are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era by Nico Lang
For Kids!
I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings
Calvin by JR and Vanessa Ford
When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff and Kaylani Juanita
Reproductive Health
It’s not Hysteria by Karen Tang
Blood by Jen Gunter, MD
The Art of Waiting: On Fertility, Medicine, and Motherhood by Belle Boggs
Infreakinfertility: How To Survive When Getting Pregnant Gets Hard by Melanie Dale
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler
Mothers in Waiting: Healing and Hope for Those with Empty Arms by Crystal Bowman and Meghann Bowman
Peri/Menopause
New Menopause by Mary Claire Haver
The Menopause Manifesto by Jen Gunter, MD
Generation M: Living Well in Perimenopause and Menopause by Jessica Shepherd
The Menopause Brain by Lisa Mosconi
The Galveston Diet by Mary Claire Haver
Oestrogen Matters by Avrum Bluming MD
Me and My Menopausal Vagina by Jane Lewis
Hormone Repair Manual by Lara Briden
The Definitive Guide to the Perimenopause and Menopause by Louise Newson
Pediatric Pelvic Health
M.O.P. by Steve Hodges
Pre-M.O.P by Steve Hodges
It’s No Accident by Steve Hodges
Emma and the E Club: An Epic Episode About Eliminating Enuresis and Encopresis by Suzanne Schlosberg
Bowel and Bladder
One Step: An Informative Introspection on the J-Pouch Surgeries by Tara Sarathi
I Laughed So Hard I Peed My Pants by Kelli Berzuk
Mayo Clinic on Chron’s Disease & Ulcerative Colitis: Strategies to Manage IBD and Take Charge of Your Life by Francis Farraye and Sunanda Kane
Chron’s and Colitis: Understanding and Managing IBD by Hillary Steinhart
Understanding and Treating Incontinence: What Causes Urinary Incontinence and How to Regain Bladder Control by Sarah Haag
The Mind-Gut Connection by Emeran Mayer
The Beautiful Other Category
Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn
Why Aren’t We Talking About This?! by Hazel Mead
Divergent Mind by Jeanna Nerenberg
No Pity by Joseph Shapiro
Living Life to the Fullest with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome by Kevin and Kathleen Muldowney
Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness, and Liberation by Eli Clare
Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements by Charlene Carruthers