Summer is around the corner! Hopefully that means you have some time off to relax, travel (now that we finally can!), and maybe even read! With that in mind, I thought I would recommend a few women’s and mental health books for your summer reading list, as we end both Women’s & Mental Health months.

Women’s & Mental Health Books

While there is still a lack of good resources on women’s health out there, there is certainly a lot more now thakn there used to be. Here are a few women’s health books ranging from improving your sex life, to helping your body naturally after coming off the pill, and of course, naturally healing PCOS!

Come As You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life, by Dr. Emily Nagoski

This is a game-changing book on the science of women’s sexuality, a subject that has been criminally under-researched throughout history. Nagoski is an expert and educator in human behavior & sexuality. Her research and engaging, humorous style of writing is a great help to all women trying to better understand their own sexuality. Much of it comes from knowing that the mind and the body work together for a full sexual experience. And while it’s sad to admit, there is so much we as women don’t know about our own bodies and anatomies, not even in health education classes (but that’s a rant for another day…).

Come As You Are is a book you can read straight through once, but I guarantee you will use it for reference again and again!

Lady Bits: Understand Your Body, Elevate Your Health, And Reclaim Your Spark Naturally, by Dr. Brianne Grogan

Brianne Grogan is a physical therapist focusing on women’s health, particularly pelvic floor issues. Similar to Nagoski’s book, this book teaches you to look at your body and mind in new ways, from head to toe. I’ve learned many random things from this book that I still remember, like that cilantro is a great natural detox!

Learning to love your body for how it is, treating it naturally, living mindfully, and aging gracefully are all lessons you will learn from this fun, engaging book! It will similarly be a frequent reference book on your bookshelf.

Beyond the Pill: A 30-Day Program to Balance Your Hormones, Reclaim Your Body, and Reverse the Dangerous Side Effects of the Birth Control Pill, by Dr. Jolene Brighten

I’ve mentioned this book in other posts on PCOS and health books before, but only because I’m a huge fan of it and it’s so changed my view on what I put into my body and think of my reproductive (and overall) health. Dr. Brighten is a naturopathic doctor, which I’ll admit at first I was skeptical about, and while I still believe in much of she promotes in her practice, I also encourage everyone to explore all options available with their doctor, including medication such as birth control. What may work horribly in one person may work wonders in someone else, which is essentially what Dr. Brighten says as well.

This book is intended for women who have decided to get off the birth control pill (a decision I made myself a few years ago because I hated what it was doing to my body/mind, which is what I believe led me to this book), but you do not necessarily have to fall into that category to get something out of it. It’s overall a great guide to understanding how your hormones work together (or, when there are issues, don’t) for your menstrual and other endocrine cycles. Dr. Brighten connects how the reproductive system, gut, thyroid, adrenals and metabolic system are all interdependent, and how hormonal birth control can really get that balance out of whack.

As I said previously, with this or any book you need to use what works for you, but I personally have found this book to be one of the most helpful resources in understanding my hormonal balance issues, particularly when it comes to PCOS, which she briefly addresses.

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk

I will mention this book again briefly since I recently just wrote a review on it, but only because I’m such a huge fan of it! This is a great book for understanding how various types of trauma (even some that don’t seem as “bad” as others, all are valid) affect the connected body and mind, and various ways to address those issues in healthy, innovative ways.

Health Books for Summer Reading

I hope you enjoy and learn from any and all of these book recommendations this summer!

Do you have any women’s, mental health or other health books that you think would be good for people to know about? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter! Happy summer & happy reading!

Note: I am an Amazon Affiliate member, so I receive a small commission from any products purchased from my links, at no extra cost to you. Thank you!

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and do not claim to offer medical advice in these posts. These are meant to be informational only. Please consult further with your doctor for specific advice and treatment plans.

Image by Angello Pro on Unsplash