You Are Not Broken

Author: Kelly Capserson, MD
Book Reviewer: Sarah Suhood, OMS III

Author Bio

Dr. Kelly Casperson is a board-certified Urologist and founding member of Pacific Northwest Urologist Specialist in Bellingham, Washington. She earned her medical degree from the University of Minnesota and completed her residency at the University of Colorado. In addition to treating men and women for a wide range of urological issues, she also specializes in urogynecology. She then began a journey to best provide her patients with a full range of care and began learning more about sexual health. Dr. Casperson found that there was a lapse in education for physicians in medical school and residency training in addition to a lapse in our society’s education for women regarding their health. From here, she branches into podcasts, TedTalks, public speaking and authoring the #1 selling book “You Are Not Broken.” 

Website: https://kellycaspersonmd.com/
Instagram: @kellycaspersonmd
Facebook: You Are Not Broken
Spotify: You Are Not Broken

Book Review:

Dr. Kelly Casperson has offered providers, women and partners a fun, witty and yet highly educational book debunking societal norms regarding women’s sexual health. With plenty of satirical comments to keep you entertained, she provides the best sexual education we never had. 

Dr. Casperson begins by sharing the story of a patient whom she had successfully treated for bladder cancer but was now crying due to her loss of sexual desire. Even with four years of university, four years of medical school, five to seven years of urology residency, Dr. Casperson reflects on how all her training had barely touched on women’s sexual health. Intending to empower not just physicians but patients as well, her book has both informative in-text citations and sarcastic side comments.

In Part One, Dr. Casperson boldly challenges the norms that our society has established. She dives in and questions topics from virginity, desire, masturbation even the simple definitions of sex. Breaking past any awkward hesitation, the refreshing, blunt take allows us to best read and learn without any fear of judgment. In Part Two, aptly titled “Sex Positive Sex Ed,” Dr. Casperson begins diving into sexual education. With proper definitions of the anatomy of both female sex organs and male sex organs, this book provides more education than most medical school lectures. She then dives into hormones, dispelling common misconceptions and their role in libido. In understanding the chemistry of pleasure, readers can better understand what and how orgasms happen. In Part Three, she then discusses other potential reasons for sexual dysfunction, such as sexual desire discrepancy, menopause, and medication options for low libido.

This book will leave readers feeling informed, empowered, relieved, maybe a bit emotional but most importantly safe. It’s a safe read to face any fears that have been lingering in the back of minds or bottled up and ignored.

Now on my rotations as a 3rd-year medical student, this book helped me approach my rotations in a unique light. I observed which preceptors seemed to dance around sex topics and how preceptors had clever phrases to disarm patients from awkward topics. Yet they all used evidence-based medicine to provide patients with the best guidance - whether different diabetic medications or different types of lube.

With authors and physicians like Dr. Casperson being open to teach and speak about sexual health, hopefully, we will see a change in not only our skills but in patient satisfaction (pun intended).

Reviewer Bio:

Sarah Suhood is an OMS-III at the University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine. After living in Sri Lanka, she lived in Houston, Texas, then moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for most of her adolescence. While attending USF in Tampa, FL for her undergraduate and master’s degrees she worked as Nurse Tech at the Advent Health Tampa Mother & Baby/Gynecology Unit on night shifts. A Health Professional Scholarship Program recipient, she was commissioned as a 2LT in the U.S. Air Force when starting medical school. She hopes to advocate for patients of color both within the military and civilian sectors in the future as an OBGYN.