Today’s review is about GET IT OUT by Andréa Becker. This nonfiction book examines the hysterectomy through an inclusive and intersectional lens.
Author: Andréa Becker
Series: None
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: New York University Press
Publish Date: July 15, 2025
Print Length: 208
Want to support local bookstores? Buy a copy of Get It Out on Bookshop.org!*
*These are not affiliate links and I do not make a commission from any purchase made using these links.
Get It Out Synopsis
Synopsis
An examination of hysterectomy and the struggle for bodily and reproductive autonomy
At least one hysterectomy is performed every minute of the year, making it the most common gynecological surgery worldwide. By the age of sixty-five, one out of five people born with a uterus will have it removed. So, why do we seldom talk about this surgery? Highly performed yet overlooked, examining the paradox of hysterectomy begins to unravel the various problems with how we medically treat uteruses and the people who have them.
Get It Out weaves centuries of medical history with rich qualitative data from 100 women, trans men, and nonbinary people who had, want, or are considering hysterectomy. In compelling detail, Andréa Becker reveals how America’s healthcare system routinely deprives people of the ability to control their own bodies along race and gender lines. When people ask for a hysterectomy, they are often met with pushback: Are you sick enough? Old enough? Have you had enough babies? Will you regret this? How will your future husband feel about this? Yet this pushback is not equally experienced. While some people are barred access, others are ushered toward a hysterectomy. These contradictory recommendations reveal the persistent biases entrenched within healthcare.
Get It Out interrogates how little choice people with uteruses ultimately have over their reproductive health, and explores what these “choices” signify amid interlocking systems of inequality.
Get It Out Review
I received a free, digital, advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher. My review is my own and reflects my honest opinion about this book.
GET IT OUT by Andréa Becker investigates the hysterectomy procedure and the reasons many may choose to get one. First and foremost, Becker does a wonderful job with inclusivity in this nonfiction account. She interviewed dozens of people and provides a breakdown (at the end) of the race and gender of those with whom she spoke. Thus, Becker interviewed cisgender women, transwomen, and nonbinary folks and Black, White, Latinx, and mixed race individuals. This makes for a more diverse and therefore better understanding of why folks pursue a hysterectomy.
Surprisingly, as the official synopsis reports, one in five people born with a uterus will have it removed by age 65. That was a shocking statistic! Before Becker incorporates personal accounts from those interviewed, she spends some time defining the hysterectomy. This information provides some context about the different kinds of hysterectomy, its history, and broad reasons people opt in for it. Moreover, it also sets up a couple of main themes present throughout GET IT OUT: racism and sexism. Given that experimentation on Black women led to modern gynecology, racism unfortunately remains an inherent component in the field today.
This racism is evident in the statistics of who receives a hysterectomy and who is denied one. It is also evident in the anecdotes Becker collects for this book. Black women more often receive advice to get a hysterectomy than White women. And it may come as no surprise that doctors do not always provide informed consent about what a hysterectomy entails for the patient’s wellbeing. (For example, removal of the ovaries requires hormone replacement therapy afterward.)
This also opens up discussion about who can access a hysterectomy, such as is one too young, not in enough pain, or not trans enough? Without fully rehashing Becker’s book, she delves into how it takes years for patients with endometriosis to finally persuade someone to perform a hysterectomy. (Note: a hysterectomy is not a total solution for endometriosis. It is necessary to have a surgeon who specializes in endometriosis excision to remove endometriosis lesions that are outside of the uterus. A regular gynecological surgeon does not specialize in this. Thus, a regular gynecological surgeon cannot recognize all appearances of endometriosis in, or even outside, the pelvis.) It can take even longer to receive a hysterectomy if a patient is White. This results from the inherent or unconscious racism that White women should have babies. And this naturally opens up discussion about how society sees women as only baby makers.
Becker also delves into access for the gender expansive community. In summary, they have comparatively “easier” access than cisgender women. A gender dysphoria diagnosis seems to be the key word to receive a hysterectomy. But it also creates some conflict among the queer community because an individual may not identify as trans, but also does not identiy as cisgender, yet also wants a hysterectomy. So the need for a gender dysphoria diagnosis from a professional is seen as a barrier to access.
What I like most about GET IT OUT is that it opens up the conversation about a taboo topic. These conversations already occur online. And these forums are an important resource for those to tap into when they don’t feel heard by their doctors. As Becker discusses, these folks are “rowdy patients.” They come to a medical appointment armed with the knowledge and medical terms to be taken seriously. It’s astounding what patients have to do to get the care they need in what is really a medical business.
One topic I wish Becker had spent a little more time on is the cisgender perspective of fertility and parenthood. There are a couple of stories, but they are all from women who managed to have at least one child before having a hysterectomy. Most of the discussion centers around trans and nonbinary experiences with respect to parenthood.
All in all, GET IT OUT by Andréa Becker is an important and fascinating read. For anyone thinking about getting a hysterectomy, pick this up. Reading about others’ experiences is helpful for some. This is also a great read for anyone interested in (assigned at birth) female health and the intersection of it with racism, fertility, and access.
Rating: 4.5
Content warnings: racism
Reading format: PDF
If you liked this book, you may also enjoy JANE AGAINST THE WORLD by Karen Blumenthal.
Despite years of crippling period pain and debilitating migraines influenced by hormones my mother was almost 40 before doctors would agree to a hysterectomy. She in her 70’s now and she is still mad about it. I can’t say I blame her!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this book.
I can’t blame your mothers for still being mad about it, either! Her account sounds similar to the stories told in this book.
I’m always fascinated by accounts like this that show how hard it is to really take care of our bodies, with so many obstacles in the way. I don’t think I’d read this myself, but I enjoyed your review😁
I definitely learned some things reading this book! I like when I find these books because I feel it helps me know more about how things are in women’s healthcare. But totally fair that it might not be your cup of tea to read all the way through!
This sounds fascinating! Thanks for your thoughtful and informative review!
No problem! It was definitely an interesting read!