After a lifetime in the spotlight, Brooke Shields’ new book, Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old (out January 14), is her most provocative book yet.

At 59, the star is remarkably candid about everything from sex to motherhood to having autonomy over her body – even in the doctor’s office.

She writes about an irregular Pap smear that led to a “cone biopsy,” a procedure to remove abnormal tissue from the cervix. The precancerous cells were removed – but it wasn’t until years later that she learned (from a doctor) that the aggressive biopsy would make it difficult to conceive because of the scar tissue left behind. This was just the precursor to another medical procedure that had unexpected consequences.

Below, read an exclusive excerpt provided to PEOPLE from the chapter titled “No More Punching Bag: A Plea for Self-Advocacy,” about the moment she discovered a medical procedure she hadn’t consented to.

About eight years after I had my two daughters, I found myself in another—and, in retrospect, even more egregious—situation in which I felt like my medical care had been taken out of my hands. I had an appointment with my gynecologist and after my exam she asked if I had ever experienced any discomfort with my labia.

“Only in skinny jeans and spin classes and every romantic moment ever,” I said.

(I apologize if this is too graphic or just TMI as some generations still call it. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t embarrassed to share this very sensitive information. But if we’re the kind and changing the way we approach and talk about women’s health, we need to address the uncomfortable but very real issues of shame.

My labia (you have to admit, that’s a weird word) have been a problem for me since I was in high school, and one that I’ve always been ashamed of. My best friend Lisa had the same situation and at least we were able to laugh about it together. “It’s like being in a boxing gym and having two little speed bags between your legs,” we would joke. It hurt and got in the way, and when I told my gynecologist she said it was very common and that I was certainly a candidate for a labia reduction.

Technically it would be a cosmetic procedure – even that still bothers me because we’re talking about pain – but it was one that would significantly ease my discomfort. Why should this be reduced to a cosmetic decision, as if I wanted more photogenic labia so I could star in adult films (no offense to those in this profession!). This also meant that, like many other important procedures for women, this would not be covered by insurance. In any case, my doctor made me feel less embarrassed and relieved that there was a solution. She recommended a doctor in LA

I had a consultation with this (yes, male) doctor and wondered why I hadn’t heard about this surgery before – years of discomfort, possibly resolved! I went to have the procedure done. When it was over, the doctor explained to me what had happened. “I was very detailed,” he said, to my relief and excitement. And then, “I was in there for four hours, and you know what I did? I made you a little tighter! Gave you a little rejuvenation!”

Wait, what?? I was shocked, speechless. I don’t remember how I reacted or if I even said anything. Should I say thank you?

“After two children, everything is more relaxed,” he said. But I had a C-section and a scarred, narrower cervix, I replied. “Still…” he said, staring as if waiting for another reaction from the lady whose feet were glamorously in the metal stirrups. He acted as if he had done me a favor and that I should actually be grateful for it. His delivery had a real “I threw that in for free, little lady” vibe. But I had never asked to be “tightened” or “rejuvenated” (translation: a younger vagina). I felt numb.

I was horrified, but also perplexed. I didn’t want to sue this man – or maybe I did, but I didn’t feel like I could – because I didn’t want my female roles to be talked about again on the front page of every newspaper. This man surgically altered my body without my consent. And he thought he had done me a favor by introducing a “bonus procedure”? The sheer impudence made me angry. The fact that the most intimate parts of my body had been in the public eye for so long… was enough. All I could think was: Why can’t everyone just leave my vagina alone? (Even now, as I write this, I know this will be the part that makes headlines. Whatever. Women deserve all the information.)

Had I been happy with the results of the procedure, I would still have been angry that he did it without my consent. But as it turned out, I wasn’t happy with the results and haven’t been happy since. I can’t be bothered to change anything now, but once I healed, I definitely noticed a difference in my body, and not a good one. If I were someone obsessed with sex, I might have been happy about the “gift,” but I’d say my sex drive is pretty typical for a woman my age. I like intimacy, but I don’t need it every day. And the truth is that the procedure didn’t increase my pleasure.

I never took any action against this doctor. I never spoke to him about it again, partly because I had started to question myself and wonder if he was right and if I should be lucky. Or perhaps, I thought, this was a necessary improvement for my husband, who was secretly dissatisfied but never dared to broach the subject of “my loose clothes down there”? It’s crazy to me that these ideas even occurred to me. What’s even crazier is that I didn’t discuss it with my husband until later. I don’t remember why I finally told him, but he was almost as angry as I was.

Because if the same thing happened today, my reaction wouldn’t be so generous. My feeling is basically a giant middle finger. F— this guy! He had no right to do what he did and if it happened to me now I would make my own headline and spread it everywhere. This is what this age feels like for me and I like it much better.

Adapted from Brooke Shields Mustn’t Grow Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Womanwill be published by Flatiron Books on January 14th. Copyright © 2025 by Brooke Shields. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without written permission from the publisher.

Brooke Shields Mustn’t Grow Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman will be released on January 14th and can be pre-ordered now wherever books are sold.