Board-certified OB-GYN and adolescent gynecologist Dr. Charis Chambers, known to millions online as @theperioddoctor, officially released her debut book on May 19. The Period and Puberty Parenting Revolution: It’s Time to Own the Conversation, Empower Your Child, and Rewrite the Rules of Parenting Kids Through Puberty is now available nationwide through Sourcebooks.
Released during Menstrual Health Awareness Month, the book arrives as conversations around reproductive health, youth mental health, body autonomy, and access to trusted information grow increasingly urgent for families navigating adolescence. A national survey found that 74% of teens feel more comfortable discussing periods than their parents’ generation did, and Dr. Chambers believes that opening the door wider is exactly where the next generation’s health literacy begins.
The book offers parents and caregivers a practical, culturally aware framework for talking with their children about puberty, periods, body literacy, consent, and emotional well-being without shame, fear, or secrecy. It covers how to prepare children and caregivers for a first period, how hormonal changes affect emotional well-being and self-esteem, how fathers and nontraditional caregivers can actively participate, and why addressing stigma and misinformation early creates lasting impact on how young people see and advocate for themselves.
“Period education has never been just about periods. It’s about self-love, agency, advocacy, and liberation. It shapes how children understand their bodies, how they develop confidence and self-worth, and how they learn to advocate for themselves in every room they enter.”
— Dr. Charis Chambers
Bacon sat down with Dr. Chambers ahead of the release for an exclusive conversation about her path from fellowship to platform, her role as Chief Medical Officer of the Clue app, and the deeply personal reason she wanted this book to exist. She told us the book is everything she wishes she could have given every patient she has ever seen, and everything she wishes had existed for her own mother when she was growing up.
“I could not have had a better mother. I could have had a better period introduction.”
— Dr. Charis Chambers
The Period and Puberty Parenting Revolution is available wherever books are sold. Order your copy here.
Read our full interview with Dr. Charis Chambers: Dr. Charis Chambers on Her New Book and the Future of Period Health Care
About Dr. Charis Chambers
Dr. Charis Chambers is a board-certified OB-GYN and specialty-certified pediatric and adolescent gynecologist focused on advancing honest, accessible conversations around puberty, periods, and adolescent health. Through her platform @theperioddoctor, she has built a trusted digital community centered on reproductive health education, parenting, and body literacy. Learn more at theperioddoctor.com.
