Advice for young women

Press, 30 May 1981, Page 17

Advice for young women

Period. By Jo Ann Gardner-Loulan, Bonnie Lopez, and Marcia Quakenbush. McPhee Gribble Publishers. 87 pp. $5.95 (paperback). (Reviewed by Nancy McMillan)

This cheerful and friendly book fills a gap frequently noticed by parents and health educators. Information about menstruation is often included in books for young people which deal as well with many other aspects of human sexuality, but it is unusual for the focus to be, as it is here, solely on the monthly period. It is useful, therefore, for those who wish to give girls, and women, a more detailed discussion on the subject. It also makes a good starting point for those diffident parents who, although wanting help with talking about menstruation with their daughters, still feel uneasy with some of the books dealing with a wider range of sexual topics. Regardless of attitudes to more controversial aspects of sexuality, no-one is likely to be offended by anything here.

The book begins with a description of the female reproductive organs, accompanied bv notes on pronunciation, and clear, simple diagrams. There is a practical discussion of the different kinds of sanitary protection available, and sensible advice on questions which have caused many girls great embarrassment

in the past, such as what to. do when caught unprepared, or how to get rid of cramp. There is also a reassuring section entitled "A Pelvic exam” which should do much to dispel the nervousness, sometimes acute, over procedure which should be recognised as a vital health measure for all women..

Finally, there is an imaginative treatment of the emotions associated with menstruation, based on quotations from the many girls and women to whom the authors talked while writing the book. Readers are not given a depressing rundown of the more jagged aspects of premenstrual tension, but are presented with such a wide range of responses that probably most young readers will b'e impatient to embark upon this important aspect of self-discovery. Will they find that they react in the same way as Linda, who always feels much better about her plants when she is having her period, and loves to sing to them, or as Roxanne who writes better poems, or Lynn who feels lonely, or Jackie who prefers to be alone? Will they be like Carol who feels “as if I’m just one part of this big exciting world. My menstrual cycle makes me feel like part of the world's cycles — seasons, day and night. It’s nice.”? The book is illustrated with drawings which add greatly to its humour and clarity. “Period” is a valuable contribution to the literature on human development and relationships.