How to Endo: A Guide to Surviving and Thriving with Endometriosis

Figuring Out 30 podcaster Hustwaite debuts with a candid if uneven account of her struggle with endometriosis. After 12 years of suffering through painful periods and excruciating sex, Hustwaite was finally diagnosed with the chronic and painful condition in which tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside of it. Hustwaite advises readers on finding a specialist (and notes that in just one year, her out-of-pocket medical costs totaled more than $11,000), the benefits of physical therapy (which can help with pelvic pain), and dealing with mental health (grief, anxiety, and guilt are par for the course, she explains). She also offers tips for sex (“penetration isn’t the only pleasure”) and nutrition (the Mediterranean diet “may be beneficial”), and busts “endo myths,” such as the false notions that birth control can treat the condition. Hustwaite touts the power of social media, which taught her more than “any medical professional,” and while her upbeat tone is a balm, the apps, medical practitioners, and accreditation standards she suggests will be most relevant to the author’s fellow Australians. American readers will find the personal narrative stronger than the advice. (Sept.)