Menopause Before 40: Coping with Premature Ovarian Failure Review

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(More customer reviews)Karin Banerd explains at the beginning of this book that premature menopause can occur naturally, as a result of a full or partial hysterectomy, or as a result of radiation or chemotherapy treatment. When Banerd realized that she was experiencing premature ovarian failure naturally (her body began the process before she was 35), the lack of information and support for women in her situation left her feeling isolated and lost. Her desire to fill this gap in women's health literature prompted her to write this book.

Menopause Before 40 is full of useful information. Banerd provides practical advice on how to identify and cope with the symptoms of early menopause. She includes a clear, thoughtful discussion on the pros and cons of various hormone replacement therapies (HRTs), and identifies the benefits and risks of some alternative approaches to alleviating menopausal symptoms. A list of web resources (which includes both Canadian and US sites), an extensive bibliography, and a good index are also provided.

But what makes this book unique is Banerd's courageous, deeply personal account of her own experience with early menopause. She describes the physical, emotional, and mental highs and lows that she experienced, and how they affected every aspect of her life, including her marriage, her work, and her sense of self. She tells the story of this tumultuous period in her life with unflinching honesty. It's all here - the frustration of trying to find doctors who would listen to her (at least one flatly refused to believe that a woman of her age could be menopausal), the devastating bouts of depression, the havoc wreaked on her sex life, and her struggles to fulfill her roles as employee, wife, and mother. Banerd tells her story calmly and matter-of-factly, but her descriptions of these experiences are heartrending.

Menopause Before 40 is an excellent resource for women who are, or suspect they are, experiencing early menopause. Karin Banerd makes the sometimes complex material interesting and easy to understand. This book will also be of interest to anyone, male or female, who wants to gain a deeper understanding of the impact that early menopause has on the women who experience it and those around them.

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Product Description:
Every woman will eventually make the journey through menopause. For most, menopause occurs around around age 50.Those women are lucky, because they can access the plethora of books that will help guide them through every phase of menopause. But for at least 1 in 100 women, menopause can occur as early as age 35, sometimes younger. And thousands more women will experience premature ovarian failure due to other medical conditions and treatments, such as cancer treatment. Whatever the cause of early menopause, women going through it are left in a vacuum, where finding a healthcare practitioner experienced enough to treat them is difficult, let alone finding suitable information.
Until now. With Menopause Before 40: Coping with Premature Ovarian Failure, Karin Banerd adds an important voice to menopause literature, addressing the distinct needs of the woman in premature menopause, as they are quite different from those of natural menopause. Banerd's personal experience and knowledge of premature menopause offers a unique perspective, as she shares her intimate, treacherous and painful journey that started at age 35.
In the book, Banerd describes the warning signs of hormonal decline and the havoc these unexpected changes wreaked on her life. She also highlights the unique context of premature menopause, how it necessitates a different set of responses from doctors, and what she feels those responses should be. She goes on to explain exactly what premature menopause is and how it differs from natural menopause. And finally, she details various strategies for maintaining optimum health during the menopausal years. The last section, in particular, demonstrates how premature menopause can be a wake-up call for making nutritional and lifestyle choices that have far-reaching effects into the senior years.