Christian Publishers Challenge Taboos Around Women’s Health
Jun 29, 2026
As publications as diverse as the New Yorker and Christianity Today discuss women’s health issues, Christian publishers are entering the conversation with books that put the holy in hormones and turn perimenopause into devotional fodder
In the not-so-distant past, menopause wasn’t discussed in good society, much less in church. But that’s not true anymore, says Kim Von Fange, associate editor at WaterBrook, where she worked on The Perimenopause Devotional: 30 Days of Grace, Humor, and Relief for Surviving the Hormonal Havoc (Aug.)
“Gen X and Millennial women are leading the charge around this previously taboo topic,” she says, “but there’s so much ground to make up.”
WaterBrook staffers took notice of the growing conversations on the topic, as well the lack of reistian space
“We have many brilliant women on our staff, so it wasn’t long before perimenopause popped up in the conversation,” says Von Fange. The devotional was a group effort, with the goal of “encouraging women to seek out community and remind them of God’s steadfast love and support.”
Caitlin Estes, who has written about women’s health for Christianity Today, is also the author of Woven Well: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Reproductive Health, Fertility, and Wholeness (Moody, Jul.). “While [women’s] minds need to know the inner workings of hormones and fertility,” she says, “their souls need to believe that their bodies and stories have an inherent dignity that cannot be taken away.”
Erin Davis, acquiring editor for women’s books and Bible studies at Moody Publishers, says Estes’s guide meets a perennial need for women, and as a certified FertilityCare practitioner with a master’s degree in divinity, Estes is a trustworthy voice. Podcast interviews, print, radio, and digital placements for the author, and conference presence for the book are part of the “robust marketing campaign,” according to the publisher.
“I’m confident most Christian women are thinking about these themes, but they can’t ask their pastor about them,” says Davis. “Woven Well steps into that gap.” In November, Moody will also publish Beyond Fit: Faith, Fitness & Faithful Body Stewardship by Kate Horney
Holy & Hormonal: A Faith-Filled Guide to Understanding Your Body and the God Who Designed Youby Kim Gargano (Zondervan, Aug.) melds attention to faith and to physical health swings. Gargano a certified integrative nutrition and hormone health coach who brings spirituality into her work
“Kim covers not only the science of a woman’s cycle but also spiritual practices such as meditation on Scripture that align with the different phases of that cycle,” said Andrea Palpant Dilley, senior acquisitions editor at Zondervan. “Women want to feel empowered and educated, and Christian women want an integrated approach to faith and health.”
Dilley highlights Gargano’s advice, such as asking the Holy Spirit for discernment and offering grace to yourself and others, along with loads of practical information on dealing with painful periods and hormonal fluctuations
“Part of the goal is to help women reject narratives of shame or self-loathing and instead see themselves as specially created daughters of God,” Dilley says. Zondervan’s marketing and publicity plan for the book includes podcast interviews, social media content, events, and free ree target audience
In October, Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, will publish The Postpartum Check-In: What’s Normal, What’s Not, and How to Advocate for the Care You Deserve by Alexandra MacKillop, a physician who focuses on the root causes of chronic illness from a faith-based perspective
Andrea Doering, managing editor at Revell, calls the book, which includes questionnaires and symptom-specific guides, “a reader-friendly retum levels or signal a deeper medical condition.” Revell will target both Christian and mainstream markets
“Dr. MacKillop writes with compassion for the reader, bringing her knowledge to a lay-reader level while staying true to the facts,” Doering says, adding that Revell has been looking for faith-based health re
Estes sums up the value of these kinds of books for women. “Knowing both the fundamentals of their design and the foundation of their worth transforms their expectations for how they care for themselves and how they expect others to—empowering them to confidently advocate for their respect and dignity.”
