There are lots of stories about women’s lives and experiences and I could really relate to many of the descriptions and challenges that the women shared. I really liked the idea that we can trust our own wisdom and intuition not just the technology that is used by doctors nowadays to decide our fate! To echo the author’s own words at one point I really did find myself thinking these are the sorts of things you wish your parents or your teachers or doctor had told you. With the well-researched knowledge in this book lies the power to make the choices in your life that will truly benefit you, your children and your whole family. What struck me most was the fact we have so many more 'gentle' choices than we realise e.g. about pregnancy and coping with, and our approach to, the menopause that don’t involve drugs. The author’s upbeat attitude to women’s health and their own bodies was for me a really wonderful revelation. Once you’ve read this book if you’re anything like me then you’ll want to make a present of it to all your family and friends!


I LOVE this book!   February 15, 2006
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I LOVE this book! It's friendly, accessible and a really easy read. It's almost like having a conversation with a friend who knows lots of interesting stuff about things like menstruation and menopause and isn't afraid to talk about it. It's a book that overs all aspects of women's life cycles from birth, puberty, motherhood, menopause and beyond. She uses lots of analogies that I like, eg spirals and how good it would be if there were government-funded hotels for menstruating women, plus there is a great series of cartoons describing how women and men think differently about things. Lots to think about regarding how we know things and what kind of knowledge is best and who knows our body best.

The author clearly thinks that we all know and understand our bodies best of all, which was a really nice change from some of the other stuff you read saying "you must ask your doctor this and ask your doctor that". She offers lots of ideas for different ways of seeing things (like menopause) and also for different ways of treating them which move up a scale from the really basic idea of just thinking about it and the home remedy stuff like hot water bottles all the way up through things like nutrition and herbs to (where necessary) drugs and surgery. I would sooo loved to have read a book like this when I was a lot younger and I'd recommend it to women of all ages!


Great Intro to Women's Lifecycle   November 18, 2004
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Sacred Cycles takes us on a journey through a woman's life, with stops at first menstruation, monthly menses and the moon lodge, pregnancy and birth, mothering and breastfeeding, and menopause. Sara's intention is clear: she wants women to celebrate these physiologic events realize how they are interconnected. She wants us to appreciate the positive transformation inherent in each.

The book is comprised of essays, peppered with women's comments and suggestions. Sara's voice is comforting, reassuring and humorous. As a midwife and midwifery educator, she has much to share in favor of the physiologic and natural, and yet, in the spirit of informed choice, presents a spectrum of options for responding to difficulties we may encounter in our biological transitions. For example, she methodically details women's choices in childbirth, including perinatal tests and procedures, without being dry or tedious.

The chapter on breastfeeding is particularly passionate: "There is an acute need to address the lies, manipulations which we have been fed about breasts, breast milk and breastfeeding... Curiously, although elsewhere in these pages you'll find examples of other blood rites, the rites where blood comes from the vagina, I've never heard of anyone celebrating the blood rite of breastfeeding."

Advice on menopause and aging is well-reasoned and encouraging, and in conclusion, Sara pulls together a spiral view of our lifecycle. This book is a simple, accessible, and appropriate introduction for any woman seeking to embrace her body-based wisdom.

Elizabeth Davis, co-author,"The Circle of Life: Thirteen Archetypes for Every Woman."