THE HORMONE MYTH

¦ Author Robyn Stein DeLuca was a core faculty member in
the women's and gender studies program at Stony Brook
University, and her research on postpartum depression
and childbirth satisfaction has been published in
scholarly journals.
¦ The author's TEDx Talk, “The Good News About PMS,”
given at Stony Brook University on November 14, 2014,
has had over one million views.

Although the idea that women become raving lunatics when their hormones fluctuate is firmly entrenched in American culture—images of hormone-crazed women are prominent on TV and in movies, books, and magazines—a thorough examination of the evidence overwhelmingly tells us otherwise. This book will confront the pervasive myth that women are at the mercy of their reproductive hormones, and illustrate how the perpetuation of this stereotype harms women.
Scientific evidence shows that the majority of women do not experience major mental or physical symptoms linked to their hormones. Rather, much of women's supposed “irrationality” can be attributed to environmental factors and the cultural and social realities of being a woman in the Western world. With a thorough exploration of women's hormonal lives, from the initiation of menstruation through menopause, The Hormone Myth will help readers reject the negative stereotype of the hormone-crazed woman and gain an appreciation for the natural changes that occur over time.

Robyn Stein DeLuca, PhD, is a research assistant professor in the department of psychology at Stony Brook University, and was a core faculty member of the women's and gender studies program for fifteen years. She has taught a multitude of courses on health, gender, and reproduction, and her research on postpartum depression and childbirth satisfaction has been published in scholarly psychology journals. Her TEDx Talk “The Good News About PMS” has had over one million views and has been translated into eleven languages.
DeLuca resides in Setauket, NY.