About "What's Up Down There?"
What if your best friend was a gynecologist and you could talk candidly about every question you’ve ever had about gynecology, sex, and women’s health, all while drinking a glass of wine and sharing a good laugh? My girlfriends actually get to indulge in that kind of intimacy, asking me all the things they would never ask their doctors. Most women don’t have a gynecologist at their beck and call, so they share girl talk amongst themselves, often perpetuating myths and repeating misinformation. What’s Up Down There? Questions You’d Only Ask Your Gynecologist If She Was Your Best Friend -- the blog and the book (on shelves Sept 28) -- aim to bridge that gap.
Carrie + Eve = Dr. Lissa!
If Carrie Bradshaw, the columnist from Sex and the City, and Eve Ensler, the author of The Vagina Monologues, went to medical school so they could become gynecologists and write a book together, you might wind up with a book like this. We’ve collected the secret vagina questions women are too embarrassed to ask their gynecologist but are dying to know, and as an OB/GYN physician, I answer them. I teach sexuality workshops to small groups of women, and as it turns out, when you create a safe space for women to get real, they’re dying to talk about sex and vaginas. What’s Up Down There? answers the questions of real women with compassion, candor, and a sprinkle of gynecologist humor. Although I am an academically trained doctor, I take off my white coat, climb down from the ivory tower, and stand side by side with women, down in the trenches (no pun intended!). By answering their questions as a friend might, I invite women to relax into an honest discussion about who we are as women and what makes our bodies tick. What’s Up Down There? aims to demystify the female body and all its quirky, eccentric intricacies, while empowering women to learn about their bodies and celebrate the curious oddities that make us women.
Let's Talk
In this age of managed care, most women get no more than ten minutes with their physicians, and a rushed doctor’s visit leaves them feeling uncomfortable bringing up sensitive topics. Consequently, too few women truly understand the inner-workings of their own bodies, which leads to anxiety, shame, fear, guilt, and the perpetuation of misinformation. My goal is to get people talking about vaginas, openly, honestly, and with love and acceptance for our beautiful girly bits.
Everyone knows that vaginas can be funny. When you say the word “vagina,” people start to snicker. After all, vaginas emit strange secretions, make weird noises, behave unpredictably, and birth bowling-ball sized babies. They shudder, squirt, and elicit shrieks of pleasure. Vaginas are a mystery. While some books about vaginas poke fun at this curious orifice, sometimes coming across as mean-spirited or misogynistic, What’s Up Down There? honors vaginas and women. Not to suggest that What’s Up Down There? isn’t funny. It is! You can’t help laughing. But the humor is served up with a dose of genuine compassion from a doctor who not only respects the women she cares for, but has her own vagina she’s not afraid to discuss. Let’s invite the G spot, the scary metal duckbill, the bikini wax, and the feminine deodorant spray to come out of the closet. Let’s put the maxi pads, the douche bags, the sex toys, and the clitoris out there on the table for discussion. Let’s give vaginas a chance to shine, empowering women to embrace and own their femininity, with all its glorious pink power.
Find out What's Up Down There?!
