THE NEW MENOPAUSE

Navigating Your Path Through Hormonal Change with Purpose, Power, and Facts

by Mary Claire Haver

There are many reasons I almost decided not to review The New Menopause: (1) I come from a generation that believes polite people don’t talk about personal things like menopause.  (2) I worried how our male readers would react. (3) I thought that even young women of my co-editor’s generation wouldn’t be interested in something which feels so far off in their future.  But I decided in favor of writing the review because I learned more from this book than I have from any book I’ve read in a very long time.  And what I learned is about my own body.  How shocking, thrilling and empowering!  How could I have made it so far in my life without knowing this vital information? I keep thinking I’d like to buy a copy of The New Menopause and put it in the hands of every female I know so that they can benefit from Haver’s comprehensive look at menopause.  Alas, writing a review feels like my next best choice.

What exactly does Haver write about in The New Menopause?  Not only the chemical and physical specifics of menopause, both peri- and post-, but the effects menopause has on virtually every part of the female body. I found Haver’s sections on how to manage these effects especially meaningful. Who knew that we didn’t have to settle for the shifting shapes our bodies take as our hormones change drastically?  Haver promotes an anti-inflammatory diet to combat the visceral fat. She clearly describes why it is so important for women approaching and/or going through menopause to incorporate strength and resistance training into their lives. She explains how to mitigate the risks lower estrogen levels create for diabetes, dementia, osteoporosis and heart disease.

I also found Haver’s guidelines on how to advocate for yourself with your doctors extremely valuable.  I actually showed up for my annual exam with my gynecologist with a list of probably 12 questions.  Before reading Haver’s book, I didn’t even have enough knowledge to formulate those questions.  The New Menopause has given me some practical tools for making positive changes in my life going forward. And that makes me feel like I have some agency over what is happening to my body.  I encourage all of our peri-menopausal and post-menopausal readers to dive into The New Menopause. (Liz)