Dr. B's Book Recommendations for Pelvic Floor Health
My favorite books on sex, hormones, and taking care of your body.
The best way to work through any pelvic floor dysfunction is to make an appointment with a pelvic floor physical therapist. It is a tragedy that so many people are too embarrassed or intimidated to seek out help with these things. Let me be the first to tell you: pelvic floor physical therapists exist to help you. Whatever it is you’re experiencing, you’re not alone!
P.S. If you’re in the Kansas City area and need a Pelvic Floor PT, go here to see if I have spots available. I want to meet you ;)
Caring for your pelvic floor does not stop once your appointment is over. I often recommend books to my patients that will help them understand and continue their journeys toward healing.
Here are a few of my faves:
Come as You Are: For understanding female sexuality and sex drive.
This is an incredible book for women who may be a little uncomfortable talking about sex or unsure about what they want when it comes to sex and intimacy. This book will help educate you and give you the confidence and assurance you need to get what you want out of sex.
Great Sex Rescue: For unpacking religious messages about sex.
If you grew up with religious messaging (or lack of messaging) around sex, this book is a MUST. Take it from me, the authors get you. These authors conducted a survey of more than 22,000 Christian women and the insights they took away blew my mind. This book calls out harmful and abusive messaging born out of the American Christian church, and demonstrates how those messages were never intended to be there in the first place.
Bonus: Author Sheila Wray Gregoire and her daughter and co-author Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach have a podcast and blog that I keep up on regularly. She was even kind enough to have me as a guest last June. Here’s a link to that episode!
The V Book: For learning how to take care of your female anatomy.
Remember being taught all about your vulva, vagina, and how to properly take care of it to avoid things? Of COURSE you don’t! Because these things are rarely (if ever) taught! You would never ignore pain, infection, or dysfunction in other parts of your body. This book is the perfect place to learn where to start when caring for your entire pelvic floor area.
Beyond the Pill: For navigating hormones and overcoming birth control side effects.
A lot of women are on birth control. I am not anti-birth control, and neither is this author. But, there is power in understanding what the pill does to your body and making an informed decision on whether or not you should be on it. This book is empowering and allows you the confidence you need to either go on, stay on, or stop taking prescription birth control.
The Menopause Manifesto: For empowering yourself to navigate menopause without fear.
For so many women, menopause is shrouded in mystery, bad information, and horror stories. We don’t talk about it often enough and so much of the information that’s readily available is either steeped in fear or completely inaccurate. This book is written by an incredibly intelligent OB/GYN who presents facts and teaches you what to expect, all while empowering you to prepare for the stage ahead.
The Period Repair Manual: For getting control over your period through natural methods.
Irregular or painful periods are not realities you have to live with! You have more control over your hormones and your body than you might think. This book will help you get back on track and manage those periods that are out of control.
Sex without Pain: For starting a journey toward pain-free intimacy.
You deserve an amazing sex life. A lot of women buy into the lie that sex is about pleasing their partner. YOUR PLEASURE MATTERS. If you have pain or discomfort, it is not your fault. It’s probably not your partner’s fault either! If you’re ready to start the journey toward better sex, this is a fantastic place to begin.
Disclaimer: This blog post contains affiliate links to books on Amazon. If you click on these links and purchase something, I will get a small commission (at no cost to you). Thank you for supporting my business!
If you have other book recommendations, I want to hear about them! Drop me a DM on Instagram at @wellcorept or shoot me an email at bethany.peterson@wellcorept.com and I’ll add them to my reading list!