The Venus Week

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In one of my book stack, is The Venus Week. The subject matter grabbed my attention immediately, as I’ve always been intrigued by how women’s bodies work. It’s really a shame that most women don’t really know their bodies, but then again, the very subject matter has been highly elusive to even members of the medical field.

I started reading the book by picking a random page, while waiting in the waiting lounge at the doctor’s office. I was attracted immediately to the age group most pertinent to me, and before I knew it, hubby was already out with Baby Zoa and I was still lost in the book.

At home, I actually managed to sit down and read the book from page one, and so far, it has been a very insightful journey. My reflections upon reading it:

1. The wisdom behind the requirement of two women witnesses instead of one in Islam, is maybe due to the fact that hormonal surges and decline affect our decision making
2. Divorce in Islam is NOT, (alhamdulillah) in the hands of women. I was just saying to hubby, “If it were, there’d probably be a divorce every month!” Again, the decision-making is affected by these hormonal dance (as it’s termed in the book)
3. The t eachings of Islam on keeping women chaste and modest really protects women, as well as progeny, and genealogy. In the Venus Week, according the Dr. Booth, women feel more attractive, and are more prone to flirting. Uncurbed, this can lead to extra marital affairs, one night stands, and unwanted pregnancies.
4. A woman needs to be in tune with her own body, so she can have control over how she carries herself during these hormonal surges and plunges, and make the best of the surges and the best of the plunges.
5. Towards perimenopause and menopause, the occurrences of the Venus week is shortened but can be more intense. Without the Venus week, life can be depressing for a woman, but in Islam, attachment to Allah, His words, and His remembrance is the key to overcoming this, especially when menses are eventually absent.

I have to say this is one of the books I enjoy reading, such that I am inclined to write a blog post about it.

Dr. Booth uses analogies that lay persons can understand and relate to, though in my humble, Muslim opinion, the use of the Greek and Roman deities as part of the analogy is a little distracting, for me at least. The description of the ’symptoms’ of the Venus week, and the effects are eye opening and ‘aha’-inducing. Dr. Booth relates her experience as an OB/GYN, and gives instances of her patients’ situations to better explain these. She also touches on the pros and cons of use of contraceptive. What I like best is the fact that she also covers the topic of teens and puberty, which will help a lot of mothers with blossoming daughters.

As of now, I have yet to finish reading the book, but it has been a great read so far.

The Venus Week website.

CBS News Video: Eye to Eye: The Venus Week

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