by Laura Wershler | Mar 27, 2015 | Literature, Menstruation, Ovulation, Reproduction
In Parts 1 and 2, I wondered why author Ann Patchett chose not to include information about menstruation, femcare products and birth control that, logically, would have enhanced her novel’s inciting premise—lifelong menstruation and fertility—while retaining the...
by Laura Wershler | Mar 6, 2015 | Birth Control, FemCare, Literature, Menstruation
In State of Wonder–Part 1, I mused as to why, in a novel revolving around the extended menstruation and fertility of the Lakashi tribe, only the menstrual cycles of the Brazilian women being studied are made visible to the reader. Why does author Ann Patchett...
by Laura Wershler | Feb 13, 2015 | Birth Control, Books, Film, Literature, Media, Sex, Studio Film, Virginity
Dear Readers: The following post first appeared on July 25, 2012, during the media think-piece flurry over the soaring popularity of E.L James’s Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. With the movie opening on Valentine’s Day, 2015, I can’t wait to find out...
by Laura Wershler | Jan 22, 2015 | Books, Fertility, Hormones, Literature, Media, Menarche, Menstruation, Pharmaceutical
In her novel State of Wonder Ann Patchett explores, among many broad themes, the question: What if there were a drug women could take to extend menstruation and fertility into their seventies? Not evident on the dust jacket, this storyline grabbed the attention of...
by Laura Wershler | Aug 28, 2014 | Birth Control, Coming off the pill, Hormones
re-blogging re:Cycling In celebration of our fifth anniversary, we are republishing some of our favorite posts. This post by Laura Wershler originally appeared April 4, 2012, and has received nearly 600 comments. To avoid confusion, we have closed comments on this...
