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I was honored that Sincerely, Your Gynecologist was one of five books chosen this year to be read by the No Name Yet Book Club members. This past weekend, I had the opportunity to facilitate the discussion. Each member was to choose one of their favorite letters and discuss why it resonated with them. We then reviewed questions from the Sincerely, Your Gynecologist book discussion guide. Afterward, each member was to rank the book.

Sincerely, Your Gynecologist is a book on women’s health that fosters intergenerational conversation and encourages discussion among women. We discussed various topics concerning women’s health, but one lingering question remained – where can you find trusted information to understand all the options available to make the best decision for our health? There is so much misinformation on the Internet (social media), it can be very difficult to know what to believe.

I have been thinking about this question. Science has advanced, the Internet has a wealth of information, and we are doing more things now than ever. Information is literally at our fingertips. You can only begin to know all your options once you understand the information provided. This was one of the reasons I wrote my first book, Letters to My Sisters: Plain Truth and Straightforward Advice from a Gynecologist, and now Sincerely, Your Gynecologist to provide trusted information on women’s health. It was the reason I started this blog.

Here are some of my suggestions for combatting misinformation on the Internet:

1. Always check the credentials of those providing the information. Do they have the credentials to provide the information?

2. Talk to your healthcare provider – ask questions about the information you have found online. Your provider should be able to tell you why they believe the information is true or false.

3. Talk to friends who have the same condition that you have to see what they are doing and then discuss the options with your provider. Again, your provider should be able to explain why you are or are not a candidate for what your friend may be doing.

4. Read, read, read – go to multiple sources. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has a wealth of information and an excellent resource to compare with information you may get from other sources.

5. Attend seminars offered by the library, local universities, health departments, community groups, or community centers. Often these seminars are free to low cost. Usually, the speakers are vetted by whoever invites them.

At the end of the book club discussion, it was time to rate Sincerely, Your Gynecologist. The rating is from 0 – 5, with five being excellent, I would recommend it to other book clubs and zero meaning, do not waste your time with this book. When ranking the book, you must provide comments. I am happy to announce Sincerely, Your Gynecologist received a 4.7, with four members giving the book a 5.0. The comments included: compassionate, direct, relatable, balanced, language is not verbose or dismissive, medical jargon explained for the non-medical reader, and user-friendly. This book will also be great for men. The reason for ranking the book less than 5 was that some members wanted more. They wanted more topics discussed. They felt just as they were reading about a topic and getting into the letter, the letter ended. I would have loved to give more, but I am not sure how many people would pick up a book that is 500 – 600 pages.

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I am incredibly grateful No Name Yet Book Club chose Sincerely, Your Gynecologist. It was beautiful to be with a group of women discussing the book. I hope more women can read the book. In this time of so much misinformation, we must read and share information. We must continue to have the conversation. This is how we empower ourselves, and this is how we keep our sisters (all women) alive and healthy. Click here for the discussion guide to start the conversation.