Books we love by Australian authors on periods & bodies
By
2023
We’ve collated a list of books about periods, uterus issues, menopause and much more by Aussie authors that we love that keep you, your kids and anyone else who needs it in the know.
Sometimes you don’t want to talk about it. Googling leaves a trail, we get it. There’s nothing better than curling up with a good book, spread out or relaxed - why not add a bit of learning to the mix too?
We’ve collated a list of books by Aussie authors that we love, with most of these authors also listed in our Red Pages. They cover non-fiction stories, information and experiences, guides and how-tos and non-fiction too!
Fiction for pre-teens
Last one in the Universe
by Chrissie Perry
About: Girl vs. the World is a fun, true-to-life series about navigating high school, first crushes, and the ups and downs of adolescence.
Hazel’s friends are super cool, but she feels like a fraud. She doesn’t have her period yet and she’s never been kissed, and she’s not confident or pretty like her friends are, either! So what should she do about her crush on Leo, who’s sweet and funny but in the year above? Maybe it’s time to take matters into her own hands…
Cycling to grandma's house
by Jac Torre-Gomez
About: Luna has just been assigned a challenging school project: to find the most incredible characteristic about being a girl and then present it to her class. Luna races home to ask for advice from her mother, who suggests she do her project on an experience that Luna shares with other girls all around the world: menstruation.
As she summons the courage to talk to other girls and women from various cultures about their first period, she embarks on an exciting journey that will change her life forever.
Waiting For It
By Christine Keighery
About: There's something wrong with Hazel Atherton she just knows it. She's not a kid anymore, but she's not grown-up either. Hazel hasn't even kissed a boy and she's not sure she ever will.
Although that doesn't stop her from thinking about Leo in the year above… Hazel wishes she could talk to her mum about it - but these days her mum is too busy hanging out with her new boyfriend. Does anyone understand what's going on with Hazel?
All The Little Tricky Things
by Karys McEwen
About: A novel about taking on new challenges, dealing with change and growing up, All the Little Tricky Things is perfect for readers about to start secondary school, or those moving into a new stage in life. All the Little Tricky Things is a charming, heartfelt novel about a time when everything is changing, and a girl who’s trying to make sense of it all.
Highlight/link to celebrating first periods
Introduction to periods
Welcome to your period
by Dr Melissa Kang and Yumi Stynes
About: A frank, funny, age-appropriate guide for pre-teens about getting your period, from Dr Melissa Kang (a former Dolly Doctor) and Yumi Stynes (all-round excellent woman).
This little book is packed with honest advice on all the things you need to know: from what cramps feel like to whether you can feel it coming out, to what you should do if your pad leaks onto your clothes.
Welcome To Your Period includes case studies, first-person accounts and questions from real teens (and answers from real experts – us!) so you can manage your period like a boss.
About bloody time
By Karen Pickering & Jane Bennet
About: About Bloody Time makes the case for menstrual revolution as an essential key to unlocking gender equality. Thousands of women and girls shared their experiences of menstruation and menopause.
The results were clear. Shame. Stigma. Humiliation. Disgust. Negative attitudes are pervasive, entrenched, and harmful. This book digs deep into the menstrual taboo: where it exists, how it came to be and why it’s so resilient. Our culture asks women and girls to view their bodies through a prism of negativity and fear. We want to change that.
50 things you need to know about your period
by Claire Baker
About: Talking you through her 50 best pieces of advice, Claire explains the 'four seasons' of our menstrual cycle and how they vary hormonally to affect everything from mood, motivation and memory, to energy levels, focus and stress. The advice is divided into five main areas - Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Period Positive - all packed with straightforward science, cycle-syncing suggestions, frank and funny commentary and relatable real-life advice that encourages you to experiment with a whole new way of living and bleeding.
Learn about your body
Period Queen
by Lucy Peach
About: Period Queen takes the worst thing about being a woman and turns it into the best thing. Author and period preacher Lucy Peach urges us to stop treating periods like nature's consolation prize for being a woman, banishing the notion that hormones reduce us to being random emotional rollercoasters.
Become an expert in recognising what you need at different times of the month and learn how every cycle gives you a chance to cultivate the most important relationship of your life: the one with your precious self. It's pretty bloody amazing.
The Vagina Bible
by Dr Jen Gunter
About: Obstetrician Jen Gunter, an expert on women's health-and the internet's most popular go-to doc-comes to the rescue with a book that debunks the myths and educates and empowers women. From reproductive health to the impact of antibiotics and probiotics, and the latest trends, including vaginal steaming, vaginal marijuana products, and jade eggs, Gunter takes us on a factual, fun-filled journey.
Wild Power: Discover the Magic of Your Menstrual Cycle and Awaken the Feminine Path to Power
by Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer (Red School)
About: Wild Power is a book about feminine power-the power of the menstrual cycle. An embodied consciousness that opens a woman to a unique force that can heal, restore love, guide her home to herself, and support the manifestation of her dreams, ambitions, and life calling.
Written in an engaging style, with humor, tenderness, and practicality, and packed with women's stories and quotes throughout, Wild Power is an invitation to a new consciousness born out of an awareness of and fidelity to the menstrual cycle, restoring women to wholeness and reinstating the full majesty and grace of the Feminine.
Digging deeper into your body
How to endo
by Bridget Hustwaite
About: A vibrant, empowering guide to surviving and thriving with endometriosis, from triple j presenter and endometriosis advocate Bridget Hustwaite. Inspiring, vivacious and completely honest, Bridget's book is for everyone on the endo spectrum: the battle-hardened warriors, the newly diagnosed and those still searching for answers.
Endo Unfiltered: How to take charge of your endometriosis and PCOS
By Erin Barnett
About: The real-life guide to endometriosis and PCOS (from someone who's living it) from international reality TV star and women's health advocate Erin Barnett.
'Endo and PCOS won't stay neatly contained within your body . . . No chance. They'll bleed into every area of your life: school, work, relationships, finances, self-esteem, mental health . . . There's no part of your life they won't touch, and that's exactly why I'm going to come at them from all angles in this book.'
Vagina problems
by Lara Parket
About: Lara tackles it all in Vagina Problems: Endometriosis, Painful Sex, and Other Taboo Topics with courage, wit, love, and a determination to live her best life.
With candid revelations about her vaginal physical therapy, dating as a straight woman without penetrative sex, coping with painful seizures while at the office, diet and wardrobe malfunctions when your vagina hurts all the time, and the depression and anxiety of feeling unloved.
Want to discover more?
Explore our database of everyone working towards menstrual equality in Australia.
Inclusivity note
Within this article, we may use the terms she, her, woman, girl or daughter. We understand that not all people with uteruses who are assigned female at birth menstruate, and not everyone who menstruates identifies as a female, girl or woman. For more information on this, please see our article about the importance of gender inclusivity when discussing periods and menstruation.
