The Internet's Gynecologist Will See You Now

An interview in Gloria with Dr. Jen Gunter

Hello readers! Today I’m bringing you part of an interview between journalist Elizabeth Keifer and Dr. Jen Gunter MD, whose new book, Blood: The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation, is out now. The interview is published in full over at Gloria, a newsletter aimed at women 35+, that covers health, politics, style, and more. Gloria a really fun read, and you can sign up here. This interview with Dr. Gunter (who — fun fact — also appears as an expert in my first book) is a great overview of her latest project, which I hope you’ll all pick up. Menstruation is something most women experience for decades of our lives, and yet it’s widely misunderstood. In her book, Dr. Gunter does what she does best: Explains what, exactly, our bodies are doing, and busts common, dangerous, and sexist myths.

And thanks for your patience with the light posting this week. I have some sort of heinous flu situation that has fully leveled me. You’ll still get another newsletter or two this week, and I’ll be back in full force next week.

xx Jill

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The Internet's Gynecologist Will See You Now: An Interview with Dr. Jen Gunter MD

By Elizabeth Keifer

During peak pandemic times, Jen Gunter MD — otherwise known as the Internet’s gynecologist — started to notice a convergence of alarming trends. 

“There were all these crazy viral fears about the vaccine and menstrual cycles,” she recalls, “in tandem with this rising discourse on TikTok and Instagram that hormonal contraception is evil.” She witnessed more and more “menstrual coaches” hawking their services, and naturopaths marketing “period repair supplements” that claimed to help rebalance hormones and “reset” your cycle — broadly, a boom time of period-related exploitation. 

“To be clear: There's no such thing as balancing your hormones. Anyone selling you a supplement to do that is either medically illiterate or grifter,” explains Gunter, who devoted a deep-dive installment of her Substack, The Vagenda, to this subject in January. Knowledge gaps about women’s bodies and reproductive health make people more vulnerable to misinformation. Accessible facts provide an antidote. Gunter’s new book, Blood: The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation, aims to provide exactly that. 

Read on for more about, well, blood … and why puberty is a helpful framework for thinking about perimenopause. 

What will readers find when they pick up Blood? 

A factual menstrual instruction manual: what the menstrual cycle is, what the bleeding is, why you have cramps, the science behind PMS, the most common medical conditions that affect the reproductive tract (like endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, fibroids, heavy bleeding, and — the most common condition — pain with periods), along with the treatments for these conditions and how to sort out information online. 

Menopause has really entered the chat in the last few years: Why — and how?  

My husband would say that it's because I wrote a book on it, which is partly true. Also, Gen X women have really raised the level of conversation and the whole online discourse about menopause — like, “Wait a minute, why don't we have more information about this?!” 

But there’s another reason: Menopause has gone from something that was never discussed (because if you're old, you may as well be dead, right?) to being something to monetize. Whenever there's an opportunity to sell something, it creates space for conversation. But it also creates opportunities for charlatans to take advantage of those gaps.  

Read the rest of the conversation in Gloria.