Womb

*WINNER OF THE SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2023* *A FINALIST FOR THE 2024 PEN / EO WILSON LITERARY SCIENCE WRITING AWARD* A landmark book on the womb - its history, its present and the possibilities for its future - by the bestselling author of Hard Pushed: A Midwife's Story 'A gripping exploration of the science of the uterus, the politics of medicine and the future of reproductive freedom' New Statesman 'Page for page, I may not have ever learned more from a book' Rob Delaney, author of A Heart that Works 'It will change the way you think about bodies forever' Rachel Clarke, author of Dear Life 'Empowerment in book form' Maxine Mei-Fung Chung, author of What Women Want 'A phenomenal book' Elinor Cleghorn, author of Unwell Women The womb is the most miraculous organ in the body - with the power to bring life or cause death; to yield joy or pain - yet most of us know almost nothing about it. In this book, midwife and bestselling author Leah Hazard sets out on a journey to explore the rich past, complex present and dynamic future of the uterus. She speaks to the Californian doctor who believes women deserve a period-free life; walks in the footsteps of the Scottish woman whose Caesarean section changed childbirth forever; uncovers America's long history of forced and coercive sterilisation; observes uterine transplant surgery in Sweden and takes a very personal dive into the world of 'womb wellness'. Written with wisdom, warmth and nuance, and combining the author's years of experience as a midwife with medical history, scientific discovery and journalistic inquiry, Womb is an extraordinary exploration of a woefully under-researched and misunderstood organ. Above all, the book reveals that the uterus is more than the sum of its biological parts: it influences all our lives in the twenty-first century, and how we celebrate, medicate and legislate the womb might yet control where we go from here.

Leah Hazard graduated from Harvard University, and worked in print journalism and television before the births of her two daughters prompted her to change direction. Leah is now a practising NHS midwife in Scotland and has worked in a wide variety of clinical areas, from labour wards to outpatient clinics, delivering hundreds of babies and caring for countless families along the way. Her memoir Hard Pushed: A Midwife's Story was a Sunday Times bestseller in the UK. Leah hosts the popular podcast What The Midwife Said and is a frequent commentator on women's health across the media.