A New Book Answers Questions and Encourages Conversations

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A New Book Answers Questions and Encourages Conversations

September 2, 2021
An image of a phone and a cup of coffee on a table. The cover of the book 'Let's Talk About Down There' is on the phone.

Dr. Jennifer Lincoln is a board-certified OB-GYN who focuses on caring for pregnant and postpartum people in the hospital. She is also a social media star, with over two million followers on TikTok where she posts videos answering young people’s questions about their sexual and reproductive health. And soon she’ll add author to her impressive resume

Let’s Talk About Down There is a shame-free illustrated guide that addresses all sorts of real questions that Dr. Lincoln hears from the young people that follow her on social as well as from her patients. The content is geared toward folks with vaginas ages 16+, who already have a basic understanding of puberty.  From periods, safe sex, and birth control to basic hygiene and hormones, this book uses words, infographics, and illustrations to dispel myths and make potentially embarrassing topics approachable and digestible. 

For example, Dr. Lincoln devotes all of chapter five to birth control. She discusses IUD insertion, concerns around antibiotics or other drugs ‘canceling out’ contraception, and how to use condoms, in addition to many other questions and concerns. But early on in chapter one she acknowledges that for some young people their parents may be a barrier to getting on birth control. Dr. Lincoln suggests opening a conversation to discuss why a person’s parents may have a problem or a worry with them starting birth control. If talking amongst themselves doesn’t solve the problem, she recommends the young person and their parent head to an OB-GYN’s office together to talk about risks and benefits with a qualified health care provider who can give the facts and answer additional questions. 

“For me, there’s nothing embarrassing about answering questions about down there,” says Dr. Lincoln in the introduction, “I talk about vaginas and birth control like others talk about their new favorite coffee drink or the show they just spent all weekend binging—it’s just a normal part of my day, and sometimes I could go on for hours.”

She encourages readers to pass her book along after they finish so that more people can not only learn the facts about vulvas, vaginas, periods, birth control, and sex, but so that we can all continue to reduce shame around these very important—and very normal—subjects. 

We love Dr. Lincoln’s philosophy and agree that the more people talk about birth control and sexual health the less stigma those topics carry. We want everyone to feel empowered to ask questions and have conversations that will allow them—and the young people in their lives—to make informed decisions that align with their intentions for their futures. 

Dr. Lincoln’s book is available for pre-order on Amazon and at other retailers. It will be released on September 14, 2021.