This volume explores the conditions under which women are empowered, and feel entitled, to make the health decisions that are best for them. Bringing together personal narratives, key theory and literature, and original qualitative and quantitative studies, the book provides an in-depth comparative picture of how and why women's health varies for distinct groups of women.

Introduction Annette Madlock Gatison Part I: Mothering and Reproduction 1. Women's Childbirth Preferences Edith LeFebvre and Carmen Stitt 2. "Hush, Little Baby, Don't Say a Word": Nursing Narratives through New Media Andrée E. C. Betancourt and Elise E. Labbé 3. What Do Prenatal and Postnatal Women Discuss With Their Healthcare Providers? Findings From the Los Angeles Mommy and Baby (LAMB) Survey Yuping Mao and Lu Shi 4. Depression and Suicide under the Japanese Patriarchal Family System Kimiko Akita Part II: Womanhood, Sexuality and Relational Health 5. It's Getting Hot in Here: Chemotherapy and Surgically Induced Menopause Effects Sexual Health in BRCA Previviors and Survivors, It's more than a Personal Summer Annette Madlock Gatison 6. Breast Cancer and Shame: Problematizing the Pink Ribbon in Locations of Women's Breast Healthcare Sarah Hochstetler 7. Pink is for (Survivor) Girls: Late-stage Breast Cancer, Silence, and Pink Ribbon Culture Elizabeth M. Davis 8. An Examination of the American Discourse on Menstruation: Iterating a Taboo on Women through Feminine Hygiene Products Erika M. Thomas 9. "Does This Mean I'm Dirty?" The Complexities of Choice in Women's Conversations about HPV Vaccinations Jennifer Malkowski 10. Sexual and Relational Health Messages for Women Who Have Sex with Women Sandra L. Faulkner, Pamela J. Lannutti, Andrea M. Davis, and Manda V. Hicks Conclusion Annette Madlock Gatison