Hormone Myth

Stein DeLuca Robyn

Sujets

• Sociologie, société et politique
• Women's health
• Popular psychology

Informations

• Publié par: New Harbinger Publications
• Date de parution: 01 juillet 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781626255111
• Langue: English

Extrait

“ The Hormone Myth is a bracing, accurate breath of fresh air. It turns conventional wisdom about hormones on its head, and provides a far more liberating view of women’s health than what we’ve all been taught.”
— Christiane Northrup, MD , OB/GYN physician and author of the New York Times bestsellers Goddesses Never Age ; Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom ; and The Wisdom of Menopause
“This is a book for every woman who has ever been asked ‘Are you on the rag?’ after she voices an unpopular opinion or expresses an ‘unfeminine’ emotion. Read it, share it with your friends, and join the movement to bust the hormone myth once and for all.”
— Joan C. Chrisler, PhD , editor of Women’s Reproductive Health
“This eye-opening book covers female developmental milestones (e.g., menarche, pregnancy, menopause) where the ‘hormone myth’ is characterized by an excessive focus on biology over modifiable environmental factors, while ignoring empirical findings in favor of pseudoscience, sensationalism, scaremongering, and the fragilization of women. One chapter at a time, from Aristotle to Trump, the author weaves together historical, cultural, and economic developments that—intentionally or not—create and maintain this hormone myth. The author argues cogently that the eventual impact on women is a net negative: despite a few short-term social gains, these myths keep women feeling, and being perceived, as overly emotional and less suitable for competent leadership. This is a must-read for any person who wants to know what science can truly tell us about the relationship of hormones to women’s mental health, and how to help debunk entrenched societal myths that perpetuate gender inequities at home and work.”
—Jacqueline Pistorello, PhD , research faculty at Counseling Services at University of Nevada, Reno, and coauthor of Finding Life Beyond Trauma
“ The Hormone Myth not only helps women recognize the cultural forces boxing them in, but provides the tools needed to be smart consumers of some of the scientific research that falsely insinuates they are ‘hormonal maniacs.’ DeLuca brings a fresh and engaging voice to the stubborn myth of women’s emotional instability.”
— Susan Pincus, MD , family physician
Publisher’s Note
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.
Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books
Copyright © 2017 by Robyn Stein DeLuca
New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
5674 Shattuck Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609
www.newharbinger.com
Cover design by Amy Shoup
Edited by Jennifer Holder
Indexed by James Minkin
All Rights Reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: DeLuca, Robyn Stein, author.
Title: The hormone myth : how junk science, gender politics, and lies about PMS keep women down / Robyn Stein DeLuca.
Description: Oakland, CA : New Harbinger Publications, 2017. | Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016050783 (print) | LCCN 2017020425 (ebook) | ISBN 9781626255104 (PDF e-book) | ISBN 9781626255111 (ePub) | ISBN 9781626255098 (pbk)
Subjects: LCSH: Women--Psychology. | Women--Mental health. | Hormones. | BISAC: HEALTH & FITNESS / Women’s Health. | SOCIAL SCIENCE / Women’s Studies. | MEDICAL / Gynecology & Obstetrics. | SELF-HELP / Personal Growth / General.
Classification: LCC HQ1206 (ebook) | LCC HQ1206 .D3627 2017 (print) | DDC 155.3/33--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016050783
For my daughters, Caroline and Jamie
Contents
Introduction: The Myth That Traps Us 1
1. Meet the Menstrual Monster and the PMSing Bitch 7
2. Only Flawed Research and Profit Back PMS 23
3. Keeping Women Down, Each and Every Month 43
4. The “Significantly” Impaired Preggo 53
5. A Pregnant Body Rules a Woman 65
6. The Media’s Perfect Postpartum Storm 79
7. That’s Not Me Crying, It Must Be the Baby 91
8. The Reputation of Menopause Precedes It 105
9. Aging Into One of the Happiest Times of Life 121
10. Be Afraid of the Menopausal Profit Monster 131
11. How Lies Persist and What We Lose by Believing Them 145
Conclusion: Protecting the Powerful Reality of Women 163
Acknowledgments 175
Appendix I: Women’s Hormones: An Overview 177
Appendix II: Ways to Spot Junk Science 179
Notes 189
Index 221
Introduction
The Myth That Traps Us
“Women’s hormones make them crazy.” Everyone knows this. The ups and downs of our monthly hormone cycle turn women into moody, irrational, angry, unpleasant, PMSing witches. Pregnancy makes us incapable and incoherent. After childbirth, dangerous changes in hormones can cause postpartum depression so severe we can harm ourselves or our babies. And then as menopause approaches, comes, and goes, we get despondent, depressed, and crazy as loons. Therefore, women are to be feared, kept under wraps, and put in their place not just by men but by humanity as a whole.
We’ve all heard PMS jokes, coddled a pregnant woman, followed horrifying accounts of postpartum murder in the news, and seen a sitcom character come unhinged because she is “of that age.” I’m sure you and many women you know have had your anger explained away because it’s “your time of the month,” had sadness you felt in the weeks after childbirth chalked up to “just hormones,” or found your new aspirations in life dismissed because you are just being “menopausal” and not yourself.
Everyone agrees that changing hormones make women nuts; it’s a fact of life we all unfortunately have to live with. Right?
Wrong. Hormones don’t make women crazy.
How can that be? How can something so taken for granted actually be wildly overstated? This persistent and willful ignorance of the truth is what makes the hormone myth so dangerous. Women individually and as a whole, all men who care about us, families, marriages, businesses, communities, politics—the very structures of our societies—are harmed by believing it.
Because what everyone “knows” is actually inaccurate. A large body of scientific research says that fluctuating reproductive hormones don’t play a major role in women’s mental health, because when women’s emotional stability is measured by the frequency and severity of mood swings they experience over time, it is in fact similar to the stability of men.
Surprised? Well, here’s the kicker: psychologists have known that since the early 1990s but it is probably news to you. This shows the power of the hormone myth’s spell over us and speaks volumes about all the profiting, political-maneuvering, salary- and career-repressing, and relationship-appeasing motives that compel us to keep believing in and perpetuating something that’s just not true for every woman.
Yes, some women suffer disturbing physical symptoms because of hormone change. There are women who have terrible cramps during their periods and perimenopausal women can have twenty hot flashes a day—their complaints are definitely real and may need medical attention. And there are some women who do experience distressing emotional symptoms associated with hormone change that require treatment. But they are a minority. The hormone myth says that all women become emotionally erratic when their hormones fluctuate and that is simply not true. Mistakenly attributing any negative emotion women have to hormones comes with many costs, and I wrote this book because I believe we will all be better off once we stop blaming women’s feelings on their hormones.
I use the term “myth” to describe a belief that is based on faulty information or reasoning, but has been accepted by society and serves, in some way, to maintain the status quo. The power of these myths is wide-reaching, long-lasting, and seemingly intractable. The hormone myth is built on the foundation of the ancient but persistent idea that women are inferior to men because of a biological-based emotionality and on evidence from poorly done scientific studies conducted in the mid-twentieth century. The myth has been perpetuated through all types of media, whether on television, at news outlets, in books and magazines, or throughout the Internet. And as you’ll see, many parties benefit financially and socially from the maintenance of the hormone myth—even as it causes women’s health, professional advancement, and personal relationships to suffer.
Here are some important truths that psychologists have known since the early 1990s. The majority of studies used to support the existence of PMS were deeply flawed and unreliable; high-quality studies of women’s emotions during the menstrual cycle show no evidence of a widespread “syndrome.” There is also no evidence that pregnancy affects cognitive skills and memory. It is clear that, while many variables contribute to postpartum depression, changing hormones isn’t one of them. And despite the fact that older women are widely represented as sexless, depressed, and deranged, studies consistently find that the majority of menopause-aged women feel happy and satisfied with their lives.
Psychologists and physicians also know that some women have symptoms related to reproductive events. It’s common for menstruating women to deal with backaches, cramping, and occasional irritability. Pregnant women’s hormones do increase dramatically. In the first few days after childbirth, weepiness and mood swings frequently do occur. And hot flashes are the most common symptom of perimenopause.
But the evidence is clear: for the great majority of women, changes in hormones caused by reproductive events don’t cause mental disorders.
Many people resist the idea that this myth is false. And why wouldn’t they, it’s so ingrained. The idea that a woman’s reproductive system is responsible for her emotional s