Womb: The Inside Story of Where We All Began

Blurb

‘There is no organ quite like the uterus. If men had such an organ, they would brag about it. So should we.’ Ina May Gaskin

The size of a clenched fist, the shape of a lightbulb, with no less power and potential. A smooth, pink bundle of tightly woven fibres. The only organ in the human body that can grow another organ – and another human – inside it. Every person on Earth began inside a uterus, but how much do we really understand about the womb?

In this ground-breaking book, midwife and Sunday Times bestselling author Leah Hazard introduces us to the body’s most miraculous and contentious organ, taking us on a journey from the first flickering moments of new life to a future where lab-grown superwombs might alter the very course of human reproduction. Along the way, we meet those who have sought to understand the womb, from Greek philosophers to flamboyant French neurologists; those who seek to profit from it (including the Floridian inventor of Coocheewaa and Vagelixir); and those who would legislate and regulate the organ’s very existence. We learn how the uterus behaves in sickness and in health, how it can transform and mutate over the course of a woman’s life, and how its relationship with the brain may be problematic and thrilling in equal measure.

With fascinating facts, engaging anecdotes and keen professional insights, Womb takes a fresh look at an organ that brings equal pain and pleasure – a small, silent fist that has more of a hold over each of us than we ever thought possible.