Reviews

How the Pill Changes Everything: Your Brain on Birth Control by Sarah E. Hill

lollalong's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.0

I was really enjoying this book when I first started it, but it quickly became clear that this book was very narrow in what it was trying to say. There was a strong implication that women aren't able to make the correct choices when on the pill due to the way it affects the chemical balance of our hormones. But the author was always trying to point out that she wasn't demonising contraceptive measures. It seemed a little contradictory. 

The author makes the argument that there are so many failed relationships because the pill makes women want to choose less perfect partners and when they come off it, to start a family for example, the relationship breaks down. It seemed a little ridiculous. As someone who has taken contraception for nearly two decades, and recently had a child, it seems that the case studies were more anecdotal than anything else. However, they were almost presented as though they had been researched and this was the conclusive evidence.

I did find it really interesting that medical research conducted doesn't use women who aren't on the pill as it can cause too many differing results. And that until the contraceptive pill was more widely used, women were excluded from studies to allow for a more streamlined result. This ties in nicely with the face that the world wasn't built with women's bodies in mind. 

Overall, I think it was a good starting point to look into potential changes that occur during the menstrual cycle but it shouldn't be the only thing read.

floorvm's review against another edition

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informative reflective

4.0

Ik ben zo blij dat dit boek bestaat.
Dr Sarah E. Hill, dankjewel.
Het heeft mn hart gebroken en ik ben boos en doodsbang maar zo ontzettend dankbaar voor dat deze informatie nu zo beschikbaar in de wereld ligt.
Vrouwen worden niet genoeg onderzocht in de medische wetenschap , en we weten daardoor niet wat er met ons lichaam gebeurd. Ik ben blij dat dit boek het gesprek open gooit, elke vrouw een kans geeft om zichzelf te informeren en een goed geinformeerde keuze te maken. Boos om dat ik dit niet wist. Bang voor wat ik mijn lichaam misschien wel heb aangedaan. Gebroken hart voor vrouwen op aarde die beter verdienen. 
Duidelijk feministisch geschreven, voornamelijk voor jonge vrouwen.
Lees dit als je over vrouwelijke hormonen beschikt. 

Ik zie nu veel reviews over irritaties van het boek en ik snap die. Dat de schrijver een ‘cool mom’ is, en ‘hippe’ taal gebruikt om mogelijk meer aan te sluiten bij jongere doelgroepen is niet langs me heen gegaan. Ook heb ik gelezen hoe de auteur je in bepaalde denkrichtingen stuurt, aannames maakt over wat je wilt en niet wilt of wel en niet leuk vind etc. Ik snap ook irritaties daarover. Maar lees eroverheen. Laat het boek niet verpesten daardoor. De informatie is goud waard, gebruik het.

yusra_jb's review against another edition

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informative reflective sad

4.0

maceyhoff3's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

misssleepy's review

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I definitely want to revisit this, I just wasn’t in the headspace to keep going.

averagereadin's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5

aylin125's review against another edition

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informative fast-paced

3.75

bridance's review

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informative fast-paced

2.5

besssss's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

4.0

madalynn_owens's review

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informative medium-paced

4.0

This book was really informative and surprisingly inclusive for being written in the early 2000s. 
It really helped me interpret some of my experiences and was also incredibly interesting once I looked past the personal. I wish it went slightly less in the weeds on a as many individual studies as it did but it was very informative. Would recommend on audio!