The 6 Best Books to Read During Menopause
While menopause seems to be discussed almost everywhere, it can still be a taboo topic. Nobody wants to share details about what’s happening to them with family, friends, co-workers, and sometimes it’s even hard to talk about it with a health professional.
Most women stop getting their periods when they are around 50 years old, but the changes and transformations in their bodies start a lot earlier. Maybe you just sail through this period in life without complications, but many other women experience hot flashes, gut problems, mood swings, and even have problems sleeping through the night.
This may be common but it doesn’t mean you should suffer in silence. Today, there are countless solutions you can find to relieve your menopause symptoms that go from medication and therapy to herbal remedies and lifestyle changes.
And in case you find it hard to pick the best solution for your symptoms, why not read books written by experts to better understand what’s going on with your body and what steps you can take to make it better? Below, you’ll find the best books about menopause that can enlighten and support you through this journey. Let’s go!
Contents:
#1 - The Can’t-Miss Books That’ll Change How You Approach Menopause
1. Dr Susan Love's Menopause and Hormone Book: Making Informed Choices
2. Mayo Clinic: The Menopause Solution
4. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause
5. New Menopausal Years: Alternative Approaches for Women 30-90
6. Before the Change: Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause
#2 - Our Main Takes From These Books About Menopause
Menopause Is Not a Disease That Needs to Be Cured
Keep Your Loved Ones in the Loop About Your Changes
#1 - The Can’t-Miss Books That’ll Change How You Approach Menopause
Whether you are about to enter menopause, are in the middle of the journey, or have finished and would like to know how to protect your health after this profound change, these books will surely help you! They’ll give you insights from the perspective of a trained professional, invaluable information on measures to take to improve your well-being, and advice on how to turn these changes into a sustainable routine. Let’s take a look at the best books about menopause we have found so far!
1. Dr Susan Love's Menopause and Hormone Book: Making Informed Choices
This is a revised edition of a bestselling book by Dr Susan Love, where she discusses the dangers of taking hormone replacement therapy for prolonged periods, backed up by recent studies in the field. For instance, this book about menopause mentions the influence that hormone replacement therapy has on women’s bones, breasts, and hearts, sometimes leading to serious diseases. Thus, she discusses alternative options to this type of therapy and how to cope with symptoms in the most natural way possible, using herbs and homoeopathic remedies for example.
2. Mayo Clinic: The Menopause Solution
Mayo Clinic’s book about menopause focuses on solutions and lifestyle changes that will help you cope with the most common symptoms of menopause (hot flashes, mood swings, cravings, poor sleep). The first part of the book focuses on what happens in your body before, during, and after menopause, explaining hormonal and other types of changes in the most engaging way. The second part gives you a list of medications women can take (with medical supervision, of course) together with nutritional supplements that are effective when dealing with menopause symptoms.
3. Where Did My Libido Go?
As you may know already, menopause and perimenopause can affect your libido, leaving you with almost no desire to have sex. Obviously, this can bring intimacy issues, especially if you have a partner. This book by Dr Rosie King addresses this issue, offering practical solutions to overcome low libido. As you read through its chapters, you’ll learn how sexual desire works and you’ll get effective tips on how to increase sexual enjoyment to have a satisfying sex life at any moment of your life.
4. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause
This is one of the classic books about menopause, first published in 1996 and now revised and updated. It has an informal, simple style that helps you understand everything you need to know about menopause without any medical training. While it discusses the benefits of hormone replacement therapy for women who need it, the author of this menopause book also gives you alternatives to deal with your symptoms in a more natural way, focusing particularly on estrogen dominance and dermatological problems.
5. New Menopausal Years: Alternative Approaches for Women 30-90
New Menopausal Years, predictably, deals with the most common symptoms of menopause (hot flashes, fatigue, fibroids) but also has very useful sections on thyroid health, hair problems, and fibromyalgia and what herbs and spices to take to relieve symptoms. The last sections of the book address what happens after menopause and how to keep your heart, bones, and joints healthy. Called “indispensable” or “a treasure trove of information” by enthusiastic readers, it’s a great resource for women who want to know what's going on with their bodies while doing away with discomfort without the secondary effects most pills have.
6. Before the Change: Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause
Written by a famous nutritionist, this menopause book focuses on the perimenopause period and particularly on sugar cravings, mood swings, and weight gain. The author explains all the stages your body goes through during these years while providing readers with a programme that includes natural alternatives to hormone therapy. For instance, you’ll find recommendations on foods to avoid and what vitamins, minerals, herbs, and spices to take to feel and look your best!
#2 - Our Main Takes From These Books About Menopause
After carefully reviewing these books about menopause, we wanted to share with you some of our conclusions:
Menopause Is Not a Disease That Needs to Be Cured
As Dr Susan Love explains in her book, menopause is not a disease to be cured. Rather, it’s a period of life every woman goes through and should be enjoyed. She claims (and we agree!) that menopause should not be automatically treated, but only women with symptoms that prevent them from leading their normal life should receive medication. In particular, when there are many alternative treatments available that will increase women’s life quality without putting them at risk for other diseases.
Keep Your Loved Ones in the Loop About Your Changes
Menopause symptoms can be debilitating and let’s not forget they can also affect the ones who love you! Mood swings, for example, can make you react badly to what others do and lead to arguments. Low libido, instead, can put a strain on your relationship, as your partner may believe you aren't interested in them anymore.
That’s why it’s always wise to keep your loved ones in the loop about your symptoms and how you are feeling. If they understand what’s going on in your body, they can try and not take things personally while helping you cope with your emotions during this period in life.
Embrace Natural Solutions
By modifying your lifestyle and embracing natural solutions like the ones we mention below, you can achieve wonderful results:
- Increase your intake of foods rich in calcium and vitamin D to decrease your chances of suffering from osteoporosis. This condition is very common during menopause due to the decrease of estrogen you suffer, causing your bones to weaken (1).
- Try to maintain a healthy weight. Your hormonal changes during perimenopause can cause fatigue and sugar cravings, an explosive combination that can lead to weight gain. In turn, excess body fat increases your risk of suffering from other diseases like diabetes or heart failure (2).
- Eat more fruits and vegetables. In addition to helping you maintain a healthy weight, fruits and vegetables can help you keep your heart strong (3).
- Don’t forget to exercise regularly. Among the many benefits of doing exercise, you can enjoy healthier and stronger joints and bones, a better metabolism, and increased sleep hours (4).
- Introduce natural supplements into your routine. Traditional medicine is not the only way to go when dealing with menopause symptoms. You can complement those treatments with supplements such as our New & Ultra Potent Hormone Harmony. It is made of natural ingredients which are effective in balancing hormones, reducing stress and irritability, fighting fatigue, and more! As one of our clients says, “Finally, I’m feeling more balanced since hitting the pre-menopause stage. I’m especially grateful for not having any more consistent sugar cravings and always wanting to bite someone’s head off, but more grateful that it's not another script with toxic side-effects - glad it’s natural”.
- Increase your water intake. Vaginal dryness is another very common symptom of menopause. If you suffer from it, a good way to fight this symptom is to stay hydrated, taking at least 8 glasses of water a day. This increased water intake can also help you deal with bloating.
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Have a look at phytoestrogens. These are naturally-occurring chemicals that resemble the effects of estrogens in your body (5). As such, they may help balance your hormones during menopause and deal with your symptoms.
With these natural solutions in mind, together with all the recommendations made by experts in their books about menopause, soon you’ll not only gain insight into what’s going on in your body but you’ll have a clear path to take care of your health and wellbeing moving forward.
And if you’d like to boost your health even more during menopause, you can try out our Hormone Synergy System, a collection of natural supplements that targets your unique hormonal imbalances while boosting your nutrient intake and helping you feel healthy and confident.
Don’t let your menopause get the best of you!
