The new book discusses the female body: what we didn't know about health.

According to The Sun: From adolescence to menopause, the female body undergoes many changes. We may know the basics - what a vagina is, the role of the vulva, and how babies are born - but thanks to dozens of medical experts, journalist Polly Vernon has created an encyclopedic in-depth analysis of female biology, from basic things to the astonishing.

“Female bodies were excluded from clinical trials in the US between 1977 and 1993,” explains Polly. “For years, we were treated as smaller, weird versions of men.”

The consequences of this gap in research have focused on the success of diagnostics and treatments.

“Take mammography: would they have designed it this way if it were men's testicles?” asks Polly.

“Or cervical cancer screening - even a woman’s is a better option than swabs?”

But there are rays of change. The self-collecting cervical cancer test, which requires women to only collect a sample at home, will be introduced to the National Health Service for the first time in January, and now, for the first time in the UK, there are more women doctors than men.

“We are far from where we need to be, but things are moving forward,” agrees Polly.

Her book 'How the Female Body Works' is a call to action for all women to reclaim, understand, and demand better when it comes to our bodies.

The article discusses the issue of the absence of female bodies in clinical trials and the implications of this. The author urges women to be more self-aware and demanding about women's health issues.