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.
"Women deserve to be heard before they are labeled," Dr. Rahman said. She writes that symptoms involving sexuality, pain and reproductive health are too often minimized, psychologized or dismissed outright.
The book covers conditions rarely discussed in exam rooms
Topics include painful sex, pelvic pain, persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD), menopause, trauma and the cultural expectations that shape how women describe -- or hide -- their symptoms. Dr. Rahman argues these issues extend beyond South Asian patients, citing broader research on "weathering," a phenomenon describing how chronic exposure to racism and structural stress accelerates reproductive aging in women of color.
Short appointments leave little room for disclosure
Dr. Rahman identifies time as a central barrier to accurate diagnosis. A 15-minute appointment, she notes, often does not give patients enough space to discuss painful sex, trauma or pelvic pain. "Sometimes the diagnosis isn't in another lab test or another scan or another prescription," she said. "Sometimes it is in something the patient has not yet had the courage, safety or space to talk about."
The book targets both patients and clinicians
Dr. Rahman is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine and founder of the GYN & Sexual Medicine Collective. She frames the book as relevant to OB-GYNs, sexual medicine specialists, menopause care providers and primary care clinicians, as well as patients seeking language to advocate for themselves. The book is available through major retailers including Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.