Quercus bags book on how 'male-centric' medicine endangers women's lives

Quercus is publishing Sex Matters by Dr Alyson McGregor, about how "male-centric" medical research studies and testing protocols impact on women's healthcare.

Editorial director Jane Sturrock acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Amber Hoover at Hachette Books. Publication in hardback is set for 20th May 2020. 

The synopsis reads: "Sex Matters by Dr Alyson McGregor tackles one of the most vital, yet unspoken issues facing women's healthcare today: all models of medical research and practice are based on male-centric models that ignore the unique biological and emotional differences between men and women – an omission that endangers women's lives."

Sturrock said: "Just like Caroline Criado-Perez’s brilliant book exposed the data bias in our society that favours men, Sex Matters reveals how our male-centric research studies and testing protocols don't tell us what is actually happening in women's bodies. I think many of us know that women are far less likely to survive a heart attack than men because they are too often misdiagnosed in a critical time-period, but what I hadn’t realised was the extent to which this disparity exists across many areas of medicine. The facts are chilling, but this book is also an empowering manual for how women can get the best care for their bodies."

McGregor said: "Women are biologically different than men from the level of our DNA on up. We are not simply men with breasts and ovaries; we are unique in every cell of our bodies. But because our modern medical system is male-centric—meaning, it is foundationally based on knowledge of, research on, and observation of male bodies and male patterns of illness—women often don’t fit the textbook models by which we as physicians learn to diagnose and treat our patients. 

"This book is a handbook for todays' savvy women to understand their bodies in relationship to the framework of today's complex medical system. It's my intention to educate women about exactly how their bodies are different than men's and what this means in real medical situations, as well as provide actionable suggestions to navigate and counteract our male-centric medical system's implicit and explicit bias against women. This will empower them to narrow the gap between their experience in the health care system and that of their male counterparts."

For the publicity campaign McGregor will tour the UK in the release month and will participate in broadcast interviews and events in and around London.