Womb: The Inside Story of Where We All Began

By (author) Leah Hazard

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

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.

Reviews of Womb: The Inside Story of Where We All Began

Passionately argued and deeply humane … a gripping exploration of the science of the uterus, the politics of medicine and the future of reproductive freedom ― New Statesman

Leah Hazard expertly blends science with passion in this riveting book. Packed with eye-opening facts and fascinating human stories, Womb is moving, inspiring and genuinely revelatory. It will change the way you think about bodies forever — Rachel Clarke, author of Dear Life

An erudite, compassionate and fascinating biography of a much-maligned organ. Womb is sharp and political, learned and wise, and urgent and necessary. Above all else, Leah Hazard is a brilliant storyteller. I loved it. ― Katherine May, author of Wintering

Page for page, I may not have ever learned more from a book. And I enjoyed myself throughout. Yes, Womb is a history book as well as a biology book but it's also an adventure and a celebration. It's sensitive but unflinching and a very, very worthy introduction to an organ I once inhabited but can only now say I truly appreciate. I loved this book — Rob Delaney, author of A Heart that Works

Leah Hazard approaches a fascinating topic with professional expertise and lively human sympathy — Hilary Mantel

Meticulously researched and powerfully told, Womb is an awe-inspiring exploration of one of the most misunderstood organs of the human body. Compassionate and compelling, Leah Hazard's vital new narrative reveals the importance of understanding the uterus for body autonomy, reproductive justice, and human rights. A phenomenal book ― Dr Elinor Cleghorn, author of Unwell Women

A bravura cultural history of the uterus and the politics that surround it … Hazard's eye is keen, her range broad, and her tone scrupulously compassionate …This is essential reading on the "most miraculous and misunderstood organ in the human body." ― Publishers Weekly

A very important book that will inform and entertain all those with a womb, and everyone who was born from one. This is a major contribution to the under researched and neglected area of women's reproductive health — Laura Godrey-Isaacs, co-author of Maternal Journal