Our Bodies, Ourselves (2 page)
Read Our Bodies, Ourselves Online
Authors: Boston Women's Health Book Collective
The entire editorial team has been inspired by and feels deep gratitude for the extraordinary involvement of those who have contributed over the years to
Our Bodies, Ourselves
. Particular recognition is due the founders of the Boston Women's Health Book Collective as well as to the organization's staff, volunteer board members, and interns, all of whom are listed on pages 873â74. Their early and ongoing efforts and passion have made a true difference in women's lives.
Kiki Zeldes, Senior Editor
Christine Cupaiuolo, Managing Editor
Chapter 1: Our Female Bodies: Sexual Anatomy, Reproduction, and the Menstrual Cycle
Chapter 2: Intro to Sexual Health
Chapter 4: Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation
Part 2: Relationships and sexuality
Chapter 6: Social Influences on Sexuality
Chapter 7: Sexual Pleasure and Enthusiastic Consent
Part 3: Sexual Health and Reproductive Choices
Chapter 11: Sexually Transmitted Infections
Chapter 12: Unexpected Pregnancy
Chapter 14: Considering Parenting
Chapter 15: Pregnancy and Preparing for Birth
Chapter 17: The Early Months of Parenting
Chapter 18: Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Other Losses
Chapter 19: Infertility and Assisted Reproductive Technologies
Part 5: Postreproductive Years
Chapter 20: Perimenopause and Menopause
Part 6: Medical Problems and Navigating the Health Care System
Chapter 22: Selected Medical Problems
Chapter 23: Navigating the Health Care System
Part 7: Major Forces Affecting Women's Sexuality and Reproductive Health 689
Chapter 24: Violence Against Women
Chapter 25: Environmental and Occupational Health
Chapter 26: The Politics of Women's Health
Chapter 27: Activism in the Twenty-first Century
We are delighted to present
Our Bodies, Ourselves
âan in-depth look at women's sexuality and reproductive health, from the first gynecological exam to sexual health in our later years.
Since its first newsprint edition published in the early 1970s,
Our Bodies, Ourselves
(
OBOS
) has enabled women to learn about their bodies, gain insight from the experiences of other women, and consider how best to achieve political and cultural changes that would improve women's lives. This completely revised and updated ninth edition, released on
OBOS
's fortieth anniversary, covers topics ranging from sexual anatomy, body image, and gender identity to pregnancy and birth, perimenopause/menopause, and navigating the health-care system.
This edition reflects the perspective and voices of a wide range of women, and their stories are told through new formats. At our invitation, more than three dozen women of all ages and identities participated in a monthlong online conversation about sexuality and relationships; we found their honesty and forthrightness so compelling that the conversation itself became the foundation of a new “Relationships” chapter.
Other new voices include women's organizations around the world that have created their own resources adapted from
Our Bodies, Ourselves
. Throughout the book, you will meet members of the Our Bodies Ourselves
Global Network and read about their work on issues such as abortion, infertility, HIV education and prevention, and social activism. From distributing posters via canoes in rural Nigeria to setting up interactive websites in Israel and Turkey and reshaping health policy in Nepal and Armenia, their efforts exemplify movement building and the power of voices raised in action.
This edition focuses on the core health issuesâreproductive health and sexualityâthat first brought the Boston Women's Health Book Collective together. Some topics added over the yearsâsuch as nutrition, emotional health, and medical conditions that disproportionately or differently affect womenâhave been omitted this time, in part because information is now more readily available elsewhere. This has given us room to expand on issues such as reproductive rights, violence against women, and environmental health, which not only are centrally related to women's sexual health and well-being but also are areas where, despite decades of advocacy and activism, women still face enormous challenges and obstacles that prevent them from leading safe and healthy lives.
Our Bodies, Ourselves
is both a text dedicated to factual information grounded in the best available evidence and a resource about health-care inequities and the work of those dedicated to ending social injustices. The many contributors to this book did not always agree on how to analyze the social, economic, and political forces that affect women's health or how to characterize a medical controversy. When a conclusion remains uncertain, we have shared their questions and concerns so readers can make their own decisions in the absence of the kind of evidence we ultimately hope will be available. Our website (ourbodiesourselves.org) contains additional content, references, and useful links on women's health topics not covered in this book.
OUR BODIES OURSELVES GLOBAL INITIATIVE
Ever since
Our Bodies, Ourselves
became a best seller in the United States, it has inspired women in other countries to adapt itâin part or as a wholeâto their unique cultural needs. Through the our Bodies ourselves Global Initiative, we support more than twenty-two women's organizations as they develop materials based on
Our Bodies, Ourselves
and use their resources in wide-scale outreach to advance the health and human rights of women and girls in their countries. Although the earliest projects were located primarily in Europe, we have since collaborated with organizations across Africa, South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Europe to bring culturally meaningful and reliable information to communities where it is most needed. As a result of our partnerships, resources based on the book are now available in more than twenty-five languages and in print, digital, and other socially interactive formats. You will read about our partners in the “In Translation” sidebars and we invite you to visit ourbodiesourselves.org/programs/network to learn more.
As always, we recognize how the personal is often political and thus underscore when individual solutions are not possible or not lasting. Throughout the book, women who have joined with others to bring about change share their stories. The combination of practical information with political critique and women's lived experiences has long been the hallmark of
Our Bodies, Ourselves
and is one of the reasons the book has remained one of the most enduring
legacies of the women's movements that grew out of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Much has changed in the United States since the first edition, when abortion was illegal, birth control was not widely available, and the few available texts on women's health and sexualityâalmost all written by menâdiscounted women's experiences and perspectives. Today, information is abundant, but it is still difficult to find reliable information that encompasses the diversity of women's experiences and teases apart the conflicts of interest inherent in many issues that affect women's health. Far too often, corporate and pharmaceutical interests influence medical research, information, and care, and contribute to the unnecessary medicalization of women's bodies and lives. This not only wastes money and poses avoidable risks but also can discourage women from questioning the assumptions underlying the care they receive and from valuing and sharing their own insights and experiences. The need for a book like
Our Bodies, Ourselves
remains as strong as ever.
Changing the medical system, organizing for better care, and altering the larger social, political, and economic forces that limit women's lives require creative and concerted efforts over a long period of time. We believe that enhancing reproductive health and sexual pleasure can play a significant positive role in all our lives and strengthen us as we work toward sustaining a vision of a world that will better nurture all women, men, and children. We encourage you to explore this book with curiosity and vision.
OBOS Editorial Team: Kiki Zeldes, Christine Cupaiuolo, Wendy Sanford, Judy Norsigian, Amy Romano, June Tsang, and Ayesha Chatterjee Spring 2011
CHAPTER 1Our Female Bodies: Sexual Anatomy, Reproduction, and the Menstrual Cycle
L
earning about our sexual anatomy and observing and exploring our bodies are good ways to become more comfortable with ourselves and our sexuality. These are also good ways to learn what is normal for each of us and to become aware of changes and potential problems. Understanding the way our sexual and reproductive systems work, how they interact with other body functions, and how they are influenced by our lifestyle, environment, and general well-being can help us enhance sexual pleasure, reduce the risk of some health problems, and make informed reproductive decisions.
We are often far less familiar with the appearance and function of our sexual and reproductive organs than we are with other parts of our bodies. This chapter aims to change this.
The first part discusses female sexual anatomy, including reproductive and sexual organs both inside and outside the body.
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It names the body parts and explains where they are and what they do.