| Should I be concerned if my cycles are rarely 28 days?
Why do I often feel so emotional before my period?
And how can I know when my period's really going to start?! If you're a teenage girl, you've probably asked yourself these questions and many more. Now Cycle Savvy has the answers that will help you understand what is really happening with your body on a day-to-day basis. It's the first book specifically designed to teach young women about the practical benefits of charting their cycles. Explore the fascinating world of ovulation, fertility, and why you even have periods at all! And learn all about the body signals, mood changes, and other signs that accompany your cycle. With charming illustrations, fun brainteasers, confidence builders, sample charts, and first-person tales of experiences that every girl can relate to, Cycle Savvy takes the mystery out of your amazing body. |
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 Very useful guide, although problematic |
| Review Date: August 15, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Melinda Szell, |
I give this book three stars because it is in part excellent (5) and in part terrible (1).
The good part: "Cycle Savvy" gives a good explanation of how the menstrual cycle works and how individuals can understand their own cycle through cervical mucus, body temperature, and other signs. The writing and explanations are clear and understandable, and the sample charts and review quizzes are useful. The descriptions and explanations of cervical mucus are the most specific and useful I've seen yet. I'd give five stars to pp. 46-48 and 61; they are fantastic.
The bad: Directed to teen girls 14 to 18, it does, however, come off a little condescending -- at the very least, trying too hard to be witty and accessible. Less easy to forgive are some messages the author slips in in the chapter on sex. I was disturbed by the victim-blaming in Weschler's advice to girls to try to "prevent" their own date rapes. In a section titled "How will you know when you are ready for sex?" Weschler asks readers to reflect on "What are ways that I can take control to prevent date rape? Do I fully understand that one of the most effective things I can do to prevent getting into such a situation is to avoid alcohol?" Need I point out that no one ever wants or chooses to be raped, and that the one responsible for rape is the rapist? Drinking alcohol does not make a person responsible for being raped.
Furthermore, the take-home message in the chapter on sex is that a woman's "first time" is a crucial and life-changing moment that must be done with the right person or it will cause regrets forever. Weschler describes the decision when and with whom to have sex as "one of the most important decision you will ever make," and this point is illustrated by anecdotes in which women explain how a bad "first time" caused them life-long regrets, or a choice to wait till marriage or True Love earned them respect and "[took] the regret out of sex." By use of similarily carefully chosen anecdotes, the discussion of sexually transmitted infections regurgitates the stereotype that STIs are caused by, and serve as the punishment for, promiscuity (or, as Weschler would put it, a woman who doesn't treat her body "with the respect it deserves").
Besides mentioning "Most of you are straight, but some of you will realize you're gay or bisexual" and a quick note that people define sex differently, the book's discussion of sex is notably heteronormative and PIV-centric.
It's unfortunate and disappointing that Weschler's book, particularly one for teens, contains blatantly sexist and shaming messages, especially as Weschler does a great job encouraging women to love their bodies and feel empowered by them. Indeed, the book ends with the chapter "Growing your power and confidence," which includes the subsection "Resisting the pressure to be perfect and making peace with yourself in a manipulative world." These progressive messages stand in direct contrast to the messages in the previous chapter, on sex.
Overall, it's a useful resource for learning about menstrual cycles and cycle-charting, but the other sections are best avoided. I would not buy this book, but I would strongly recommend borrowing it from the library and reading and photocopying the most useful sections, because they are quite excellent. |
A must-read for ALL teen girls (and boys)!
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| Review Date: June 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: AlyBrooke, |
As a huge fan of Taking Charge of Your Fertility, I was eager to see how author Toni Weschler addresses the much more delicate issues of teenage health and sexuality in her most recent book Cycle Savvy. I was especially interested to see if this book could "translate" all the essential information on reproductive health and wellness without falling down the slippery slope of pregnancy prevention and achievement. While many aspects of FAM are incredibly important for all girls and women, I saw a potential problem here, especially for families who believe in abstinence-only sex education.
I am pleased to say that Ms. Weschler addressed all these issues with good humor, sensitivity and the utmost discretion. Teenage girls will learn valuable information that will help them throughout their lives, and families can feel comfortable knowing that the information contained in this book is absolutely essential and age-appropriate. I only wish that this book had been written when I was a teenager! Reading this at 16 would have saved me over a decade of suffering due to my own ignorance and inability to understand my body and care for myself.
Cycle Savvy is a wonderful, insightful and enlightening read for teenagers and their families! |
Knowledge is power!!
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| Review Date: May 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Beehappy1973, Orlando, FL United States |
| I bought this book as a gift for a sweet sixteen celebration. I found myself reading the entire book before handed it to the girl. It is super illustrative, clear and fun to read. This should be a book that every parent gives and share with a daughter. I love the emphasis of having sex only when you are responsible knowing all the consequences. The book is not prudish. It shows real life examples of feelings and experiences about sex. For Spanish readers it is easy to understand. Do not get discourage for the language.Buy it and share it. |
Let's choose to inform our teens, not keep them ignorant.
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| Review Date: April 2, 2009 |
| Reviewer: A. Reordan-Hartzell, Southern Oregon, USA |
I was so excited when I found Cycle Savvy! I bought it and read it before I gave it to my little sister. It talks all about the female cycle and what to expect throughout your cycle. It goes over the reproductive system, what the symptoms of a infection are, what to expect on your first pelvic exam, general gynecological health, how to chart your cycle, etc... There are cool pictures, games/tests at the end of each chapter so you can see if you learned the basic points, and the personal accounts throughout the book are really helpful. I like that it doesn't encourage charting your cycle for birth control, but it does have information on contraceptives and STD's/STI's. I found that this book is mostly geared toward teens that arn't sexually active but I think that it is a good read for the ones that are.
I bought Taking Charge of Your Fertility before I bought this one for my younger sister. I was astounded with all the information about my body that no one ever bothered telling me. Why weren't we taught this in Health class, or why didn't I find all this out from my Mom or Sister at least!?!? I then realized that they were all ignorant of this information. How could they teach me when they were Ignorant of it in the first place. I wished someone had been knowledgeable enough to hand me Cycle Savvy when I was in Highschool. It would have saved me a lot of confusion and self loathing when all those bodily changes where taking place. I decided to start informing the people around me of this awesome info. I told my friends, mom, and older sister about Taking Charge of Your Fertility, but then I came to a problem when I thought of my 13 year old sister and I knew she needed this information the most. I knew she would get overwhelmed by such a big book and she didn't need to know about achieving pregnancy and menopause. I was so happy to find Cycle Savvy! It allowed me to be a better role model and provide my little sister with the information about her body that she deserves to know.
Let's choose knowledge for our teens over ignorance.
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My teen loves it!
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| Review Date: July 23, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Cathy L. Bruha, USA |
| A ton of easy to understand information for teens! My teen also really liked S.E.X. by Heather Corinna. Each gave her different information and covered simliar subjects differently. |
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