This comprehensive new look at the hormonal roller coaster that rules women's lives down to the cellular level, "a user's guide to new research about the female brain and the neurobehavioral systems that make us women," offers a trove of information, as well as some stunning insights. Though referenced like a work of research, Brizedine's writing style is fully accessible. Brizendine provides a fascinating look at the life cycle of the female brain from birth ("baby girls will connect emotionally in ways that baby boys don't") to birthing ("Motherhood changes you because it literally alters a woman's brain-structurally, functionally, and in many ways, irreversibly") to menopause (when "the female brain is nowhere near ready to retire") and beyond. At the same time, Brizedine is not above reviewing the basics: "We may think we're a lot more sophisticated than Fred or Wilma Flintstone, but our basic mental outlook and equipment are the same."

INTRODUCTION: What Makes Us Women

ONE　The Birth of the Female Brain

TWO　Teen Girl Brain

THREE　Love and Trust

FOUR　Sex: The Brain Below the Belt

FIVE　The Mommy Brain

SIX　Emotion: The Feeling Brain

SEVEN　The Mature Female Brain

EPILOGUE　The Future of the Female Brain

APPENDIX ONE:The Female Brain and Hormone Therapy

APPENDIX TWO:The Female Brain and Postpartum Depression

APPENDIX THREE:The Female Brain and Sexual Orientation

NOTES

REFERENCES

INDEX