This edited collection is about the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and traditional medicine (TM) within the context of women’s reproductive health. It adopts a perspective drawn from different social sciences (sociology, medical anthropology, history, and health studies) to discuss topics such as fertility, menopause, pregnancy, child birth practices, post-natal care, breastfeeding, and breast cancer. The contributors explore the uses and values attributed to CAM and TM for women’s reproductive health across diverse cultures from the point of view of patients, CAM/TM practitioners, and other health care providers.
This text provides insights into the wide spectrum of practices, approaches, and beliefs that define CAM and TM, and situates women’s health issues within the local socio-cultural, geographic, economic, historical, and political contexts in which they exist. It also explores some challenges to the integration of TM and CAM with biomedicine.