What's Up Down There?: Questions You'd Only Ask Your Gynecologist If She Was Your Best Friend [Paperback]

Lissa Rankin (Author), Christiane Northrup (Introduction)

Book Description

Release date: September 28, 2010

Suppose you had a wise, warm, funny best friend—who just happened to be a gynecologist.  You’re out with the girls for cocktails and the conversation turns to sex, and then to girly parts.  One by one, you start asking her all the questions you’ve secretly wondered about—and discover that you have a lot in common.  If you were to write those questions down, then you’d have What’s Up Down There?, a life-changing little book that answers:

• Do old ladies have saggy vaginas?
• How do male gynecologists have a sex life without feeling like they’re stuck at the office?
• Is it normal for your inner labia to hang out of your outer labia?
• Can the baby feel its mom having sex during pregnancy?
• How common is it for one's boobs to be two totally different sizes?

And so much more!  As outrageously funny as it is empowering, this book reveals how to love yourself and your body—and will have you recommending it to every woman you know.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Written entirely in Q&A form, this ob/gyn guide is alarmingly frank. (One question: “Does having anal sex give you a stretched out butthole and make it so you can’t hold in your farts and poop?”) The subtitle says the book answers questions a best friend would tackle if she were (or “was,” as the grammatically incorrect wording says) a gynecologist. But would most readers really talk to pals about such things? Rankin tries to sound chatty, but chapter titles such as “pee” and “butts” simply come across as unprofessional. She litters the book with expressions such as “va jay jay” (instead of vagina), “boobs” (instead of breasts), and “the big O” (instead of “orgasm”). Some readers may want to know about the author’s sex life, but others may find it off-putting. (She “chats” with her vagina, which she calls her “yoni”—Sanskrit for “source of life.”) Still, the book does give good medical information, and surprisingly, the well-respected Christiane Northrup, MD, author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom (1994), writes a glowing foreword. Just don’t whip this book out on a crowded train. --Karen Springen

Review

“Imagine sitting next to a warm, charming, funny gynecologist on a seven-hour flight where they're handing out free cocktails.  Reading What's Up Down There is that sort of experience:  delightful, giddy, memorable and illuminating.   What a wonderful book.”  --Mary Roach, New York Times bestselling author of Stiff and Bonk

“Once in a generation there's a book like no other. You're holding it in your hand. Buy it. Bet you'll love it. Bet you'll read it more than once. Bet you laugh and cry each time you do “ –Rachel Naomi Remen, MD, bestselling author of Kitchen Table Wisdom 

“Lissa Rankin is a sassy, brilliant, articulate, funny, fun, loving genius. Every woman must read this NOW.”   -- Regena Thomashauer, author of Mama Gena’s School of Womanly Arts

"Dr. Lissa Rankin provides answers to the questions every woman always wants to ask her doctor—and some that they've never thought to ask, but should. Best of all, she does it with both humor and style." —John Gray, New York Times bestselling author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus

“Dr. Lissa Rankin is a woman’s health visionary, and What’s Up Down There? is just what every woman needs: a gynecologist girlfriend who answers the kinds of questions that women are still afraid to ask. This book is a pleasure. Read it. You’ll see.” —Christiane Northrup, M.D., New York Times bestselling author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom

 

“I laughed, I cried, I wanted to throw my arms around Lissa Rankin and thank her wildly! What's Up Down There is a book of rare honesty, comfort and humor that casts a feminine eye on the most powerful and vulnerable part of the female body.. What's Up Down There has everything I've ever wanted to know about vaginas but was too shy to ask!” –Sheila Kelley, author of The S Factor

“Dr. Lissa has served up one of the hippest, coolest, straight speaking books on women’s genital health, function and fun.  Finally!!!” -- Lou Paget, bestselling author of How to be a Great Lover

“Dr. Lissa Rankin has written a courageous book, providing information about topics that few others are willing to tackle. And when she doesn’t know the answer, she says so, giving us all the more reason to trust the answers she does give. What’s Up Down There dispels myths while reminding us of the beauty and mystery of our girl-bodies.”  --Diana Daffner, author of Tantric Sex for Busy Couples

"Lissa is that approachable OB/GYN we all wish we had. In this frank, enlightening, funny book (you know you're in for a treat when the table of contents makes you laugh) she answers all those questions and every other question I've ever had about my girly bits in 30 years of being a woman, 20 years of being a lover (sorry if that's too much information mum) and 5 years of being a mother." --Lorraine Regel, co-author of The Survival Guide for Rookie Moms

“With humor, honesty, personal candor, and professional expertise, Lissa Rankin breaks through the shame and discomfort most of us feel about discussing the most intimate of subjects. She makes shocking feel comfortable, outrageous becomes commonplace, confusing becomes simpler and suddenly, discussing menstruation, birth control, genital piercing, and so much more, is like a conversation with a great friend over coffee.” –Elissa Stein, author of Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation 

“Yes, I know What's Up Down There is written for women, but I read it cover to cover, with the kind of ghoulish fascination most men have when contemplating the mysteries of the female body. And it delivered, providing answers to the kinds of questions every guy I know has wondered about, but wouldn't dare ask the women in our lives. Lissa's approach is so straightforward, so funny, and so reassuring that it made me want to dump my own primary care doc and see her instead.”  - Armin Brott, bestselling author of The Expectant Father

“Lissa Rankin transitions from doctor to BFF without missing a beat, tackling even our most embarrassing questions with the utmost candor and without a speck of judgment. She rips off the flimsy paper sheet we've used to cover any unfounded shame or confusion we've experienced for being female. Embarrassing? Try empowering!“  --Jory Des Jardins, co-founder of BlogHer

"Every woman needs to be open and honest about her body with her gynecologist. This book answers important questions you may have been afraid or embarrassed to ask. Every woman's body is magnificient and needs to be honored and treated with loving care by her doctor and herself." --Judith Orloff, M.D., author of Emotional Freedom

 

 

 

 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (September 28, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312644361
• ISBN-13: 978-0312644369
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #88,156 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Sexual Health > Women's Sexual Health

More About the Author

Lissa Rankin, M.D. is a physician and New York Times Bestselling Author whose research led her to discover that our bodies have natural self-repair mechanisms that can be activated or disabled based on thoughts, beliefs, and feelings that originate in the mind. She is on a mission to heal our broken health care system, help patients play a more active role in healing themselves, and encourage the health care industry to embrace and facilitate, rather than resist, the body's self-healing capacities. Lissa has written 3 books, speaks around the world, blogs at LissaRankin.com, paints professionally, and founded the Whole Health Medicine Institute, a training program for health care providers. She leads a mentoring program for visionaries, founded the wellness communities HealHealthCareNow.com and OwningPink.com, and teaches online programs, such as "Find Your Calling" with Dr. Martha Beck and Amy Ahlers, and "Visionary Ignition Switch," an online business school for visionaries co-created with Amy Ahlers.

Her work has been featured extensively in the national media, including O magazine, The New York Times, CNN, Health, Women's Health, Self, Forbes, The Chicago Tribune, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan.

You can follow her on Twitter at @lissarankin or at Facebook.com/LissaRankin.

Lissa lives in Marin County, California with her husband and daughter.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#92 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting

#92 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book for women, young and old July 18, 2011

By K. Carson

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I just finished reading this book, and I quite like it.

I am a sex-educator, and I am happy to report that I did know most of what I read in this book (phew! I've been doing my job just fine), but I am also happy to report that I learned a few things, some of them surprising (you can have two vaginas? Is that vaginae?), some of them disturbing and upsetting (a potato in a vagina?!), some of them hilarious (a POTATO! In a VAGINA!) Some of the things I learned made me look at sex in an entirely different way (tantra!), and some made me think about transitions we never really talk about (menopause).

This is a very body-positive, sex-positive, matter-of-fact, nurturing, informative book. I have a daughter. I'll put this in a special place in our family book shelf for her to discover when she's full of questions like these but to embarrassed to ask her old mother. It's exactly the straight-forward and affirming tone I'd like for her to hear when learning about her body and about sex. Above all, the author encourages all of us to treat ourselves kindly and to hold ourselves up, to demand the very best for ourselves and to learn to live well and happily in our own bodies.

The only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars is that I have a whole lot of questions of my own that I'd like to ask my GYN if she was my BFF that went unanswered here... and that I am too embarrassed to ask on Amazon. Maybe we need a sequel! Or maybe I just need to make friends with the author. I like her already!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book! February 22, 2011

By Leanne Holveck

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is an awesome book, I bought a copy for myself and one for my 22 year old daughter. Dr. Rankin talks about things that truly you are too embarressed to ask your dr, and things you should be able to talk to your daughters so they can believe in themselves and know that they are normal and unique individuals...to be adored the way they are made. I have a very big thumbs up for this book, thank you for writing this book.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book! February 17, 2011

By yogagirl06

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is so incredibly helpful! So many of my questions have been answered, I wish my mom would have given me this book when I was 17 (she couldn't because it is just out)I am 22, but none the less I have learned a lot and have come to feel much better about insecurities I once had.What I love most is that everything is right here, no more surfing the web to find answers that I only so-so trust. Thanks Dr. Rankin you finally came out and answered so many questions that most books tip-toe around. I recommend this book for every female!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you ever wanted to know & some stuff you didn't know you didn't know December 15, 2010

By A. McMahon

Format:Paperback

I became interested in this book on the recommendation of Dr. Christiane Northrup, who wrote the forward, and quite honestly I'd buy anything she endorsed. I wasn't disappointed. This book is written in the voice of a woman, with the added credibility of an M.D. qualification, rather than an M.D. who happens to be a woman. That's its charm. A blunt, surprisingly honest & open account of the female body.
The final chapter, Giving Birth to You, is one of the finest pieces of writing I've read in a long time. Way more holistic than a typical visit to the gynecologist, essential bedtime reading in more ways than one. Every woman should read this book.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Laughs and an Education, Too January 15, 2011

By Toni Rakestraw

Format:Paperback

I've been following Lissa Rankin on Twitter for awhile now. She's fun and has a colorful personality. All of it has come through in her book, What's Up Down There?. So many women today are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with their bodies. Dr. Rankin has found a way to talk to women about their bodies that makes them seem more familiar. She doesn't hesitate to use pet names like coochie and va-jay-jay. She tells some hilarious stories of what she's seen in her years as a gynecologist. And she feels like she's your best friend.

I loved her chapters on vaginas, sex, orgasm, fluids, periods and menopause. Her chapters on other parts of the body were equally good. I will admit that I'll just have to agree to disagree with her on pregnancy and birth. She can't help it; she was trained to be an obstetrician. Since I am a proponent of homebirth and extended breastfeeding, I'll just pass on those topics. It almost seemed like the answer to most of the questions in those chapters included weaning the baby. While that may be the mainstream opinion, it is one I cannot share. Breasts are for feeding babies in my book. My only other criticism with the book is the editorial errors. C'mon, St. Martin's... put more editors back on your staff so they can do their job.

Anyway, in my opinion, the rest of the book is fully worth the purchase price even if you agree with me about birth and breastfeeding. The author's sense of humor is wonderful and it feels like you're just having a chat with a good friend about all that private stuff.

If you've never been comfortable with your body parts and how they function, this is a nice introduction. The author encourages you to spend time getting to know your body. This is a concept I heartily endorse.... How can you know something is wrong if you don't know what it is like when it is going right?

Do yourself a favor and read this. Even if you are on good terms with your body, you might still learn something. Read more ›

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Who knew? October 14, 2010

By DTheus

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm old enough to think I know the vast majority of what I need to know about my body, but this book taught me more. And the bonus is it's not just about my body. I learned a whole bunch about being a woman from questions that never would have occurred to me to ask. But having read them I have a whole new appreciation for what my body is capable of and what others experience. It's like the knitting circle wisdom I don't have access to at Starbucks in the latte circle. Most importantly, it has made me more comfortable thinking and talking about these core parts of being a woman. I'm really glad I read this book.