New Book Confronts Medicine's Dismissal of Women's Sexual Pain
Chicago – October 06, 2026 -- OB-GYN and sexual medicine specialist Dr. Sameena Rahman releases a new book today, "Brown Girls' Disease? A Guide to Sexual Health and Empowerment Through a South Asian Lens," addressing how medicine dismisses women's pain, low libido and reproductive health concerns. The hardcover sells for $34.99 and the paperback for $24.99 through Lioncrest Publishing.
A dismissive comment during training became the book's title
Dr. Rahman says the book's name comes from an incident she witnessed during her medical training, when an attending physician dismissed a South Asian patient's severe pelvic pain -- so intense she could not tolerate a pelvic exam -- by calling it "brown girls disease" instead of investigating the cause.