Go Figure! The Astonishing Science of the Female Body by Lisa Falco
The story about a body in continuous transformation.
This book unravels the mystery surrounding women’s health and biology and explains what is happening underneath the surface.
We all know that the female body changes cyclically every month during the reproductive years, and that it completely transforms during puberty, pregnancy and menopause. However, most of us ignore the fascinating details. What triggers those changes and what are the sometimes unexpected consequences?
The facts are as mind-blowing as entertaining. Based on the latest research, all information is presented in an easy to read manner with plenty of anecdotes; from historical prejudices to personal experiences, with some evolutionary ideas in between.
Information about the Book
Title: Go Figure! The Astonishing Science of the Female Body
Author: Lisa Falco
Release Date: 23rd November 2021
Genre: Non-Fiction
Pages: 330
Available on Amazon
An Except from GO FIGURE!
A body in continuous transformation
One thing that makes the woman’s body so extraordinary is its continuous changes. You not only have the major transitions – puberty, pregnancy, postpregnancy, perimenopause and menopause, – but also the cyclic transformation happening each month The hormonal changes over the menstrual cycle can impact our mood, how we react to pain, how hungry we are, how strong our immune system is, and what our bodies look like, just to name a few examples.
Women’s health is quite extraordinary, For some women, the changes over the menstrual cycle can be a radical experience with many ups and downs, whereas other women can go through the cycle while hardly noticing any impact. The major transition phases are hard to go through without noticing. In puberty, oestrogen changes the body’s shape and function fundamentally. The breasts develop and the levels of fat increase under the skin, on the hips, thighs, and buttocks, all that accompanied by emotional storms, changing body odour, and hair growths. Everything is triggered by the new hormones.
Pregnancy might be the largest transformation of them all. The body is turned into a machine capable of producing and nourishing life. It is easy to observe the outer changes, such as the growing belly, the increasing size of the breasts and the additional fat needed to provide food for your growing baby, both inside and outside of your womb. Again, these changes are triggered by hormones, but this time released by the placenta, a new organ (you read correctly) formed inside the womb in the early pregnancy. On the inside, the placenta is not only releasing hormones, but also acting as a life support machine, providing the developing foetus with oxygen and nutrients while cleaning the foetus’ blood. At the same time the breasts are growing and changing their entire internal structure to be able to produce milk for the new baby.
The last major transformation in a woman’s life is the menopause. This is when her menstrual cycles stop once and for all. It marks the end of her reproductive life, and this is a transition that is dreaded by some and celebrated by others. The sudden removal of sexual hormones has a large impact, not only on the reproductive capacity, but it also affects metabolism, bone and muscle strength, ageing of the skin, and mental health. It might sound terrifying but it is a very natural part of growing older and a key to the successful evolution of humankind.
Later in this book you can read about the captivating details driving these transformations. This will allow you not only to observe what is happening, but also to understand it. Hopefully, this will help you feel more in control and able to enjoy those changes.
About the Author
Lisa Falco, MSc, PhD, a native Swede living in Switzerland, has been working in the interface between medicine 
and technology for almost 20 years, on how data can be used to better understand the human body and Women’s health. Doing so she has worked within varying fields of women’s health, such as bone research,diabetes and fertility. She was previously Director of Data Science at Ava, a Swiss FemTech startup, where she led a team developing algorithms and artificial intelligence to help women get pregnant faster by using their physiological data based on their menstrual cycle. The work she did there, and the women I encountered in the process, inspired her to write this book to fight against the misinformation and lack of knowledge about the female body.
Website: https://www.lisafalco.com/
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisafalco
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