Everything Below the Waist

Everything Below the Waist examines women's reproductive healthcare in America through research, interviews, and historical analysis. Block investigates how the medical establishment approaches women's bodies and questions many accepted practices and protocols. The book covers topics from routine pelvic exams to childbirth, fertility treatments to hysterectomies. Through conversations with doctors, midwives, researchers, and patients, Block traces how current medical practices developed and explores their impact on women's health outcomes. The narrative moves between past and present, documenting both historical developments and contemporary experiences in reproductive medicine. Block highlights voices of dissent within the medical community and profiles practitioners who take alternative approaches. This investigation of the American healthcare system reveals tensions between medical authority and bodily autonomy, raising questions about power, gender, and the medicalization of women's bodies. The work contributes to ongoing discussions about healthcare reform and reproductive rights in America.

Readers praise Block's research depth and exposure of systemic issues in women's healthcare, with many highlighting the chapters on birth control history and unnecessary medical interventions. Multiple reviewers noted the book helped them understand their own medical experiences better. Common criticism focuses on the book's organization, with readers noting it jumps between topics without clear transitions. Some found Block's tone too angry or biased, and several medical professionals disputed specific claims about procedures and statistics. Specific praise: "Made me rethink everything about my reproductive healthcare" - Goodreads reviewer "Finally puts into words what many women experience but can't explain" - Amazon reviewer Specific criticism: "Gets lost in tangents and anecdotes" - Goodreads reviewer "Needs better fact-checking on medical details" - Amazon reviewer Ratings: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (1,200+ ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (250+ ratings) LibraryThing: 4.0/5 (100+ ratings)

Bodies and Barriers by Sarah E. Dawson This investigation of healthcare disparities exposes systemic issues in medical treatment of marginalized groups and women's bodies through research and patient testimonies.

Ask Me About My Uterus by Abby Norman A medical research journey chronicles one woman's fight for endometriosis diagnosis while examining gender bias in pain treatment and reproductive healthcare.

Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez This data-driven analysis reveals how medical research and healthcare systems have historically excluded women from clinical trials and treatment development.

The Doctors Blackwell by Janice P. Nimura The biography of Elizabeth and Emily Blackwell charts their path as the first women physicians in America while documenting the resistance they faced from medical institutions.

Doing Harm by Maya Dusenbery An examination of medical research and clinical practice reveals how gender bias in healthcare leads to misdiagnosis and improper treatment of women's conditions.

🔬 Author Jennifer Block spent over three years investigating women's reproductive healthcare, conducting more than 100 interviews and attending numerous medical conferences and workshops. 🏥 The book reveals that the episiotomy rate in the U.S. was nearly 100% in the 1960s, despite no scientific evidence supporting its routine use. 👩‍⚕️ Block explores how the field of gynecology has roots in experimentation on enslaved women, particularly highlighting the controversial work of J. Marion Sims in the 1840s. 📊 The book discusses how the U.S. has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among developed nations, with rates that have been rising since the 1990s rather than falling. 💊 Block documents how pharmaceutical companies marketed hormonal birth control pills to doctors in the 1960s as a way to "solve" women's natural cycles, treating normal menstruation as a medical condition to be controlled.