The Perimenopause & Menopause Workbook: A Comprehensive, Personalized Guide to Hormone Health Review

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(More customer reviews)I just can't say enough good things about this book and its balanced treatment of the issues (and no, I don't know the authors!).

Because I work in a related field, friends often ask me for advice as things start going haywire in perimenopause.I've bought a stack of about 20 books trying to find one that is a one-stop-shop for people so they don't have to just take my word on recommendations.This book is it.It's the book I would have wanted to write for friends and family if I had 48 hours in each day!

To give you an idea of the feel of the book: it provides references for the points it makes, but in a low-key way.It is much less information-heavy than "Screaming to be Heard"-- it is more focused on providing overview and analysis than an encyclopedic compendium of research.(By all means, if you want to learn a lot more about the subject, read Elizabeth Vliet's book, but watch out for typos, particularly the error in the conversion table of oral to transdermal estrogen.And if you're under 50, you'll find the new edition of her book "It's My Ovaries, Stupid" to be both relevant and more up to date-- just ignore the dumb title.)

Returning to the perimenopause workbook, it is that rare commodity: a book that doesn't fall into any of three camps: 1) the "progesterone is the greatest thing since sliced bread and will cure everything that ails you" camp (exemplified by Dr. Lee), 2) the "progesterone is miserable stuff and should be avoided whenever possible" camp (Dr. Vliet tends this direction), or, 3) the "estrogen is evil because the Women's Health Inititative told us so, so use it only when absolutely necessary and at as low a dose and for as short a time as possible" camp (this third camp still hasn't processed the results of the second arm of the WHI study, which pointed to the synthetic progestin, not estrogen, as a major culprit).

The authors of this book mention the large body of research indicating that estradiol by patch or gel (instead of oral horse estrogen) plus real progesterone vaginally or by mouth (instead of oral synthetic progestins such as Provera) has a very different, much more positive profile.I can tell you from reading all that research that they're right on the mark, and when they make generalizations they are backed up by research.So again, this book is about how to figure out how to make your life better, not a blow-by-blow treatment of the science.For that, you can turn to Dr. Vliet, or to some extent Dr. Uzzi Reiss' book (although it would sure be nice to have a new edition).

The weak spot in this book is that it's not heavy on specifics.It's pretty clear what regimen is likely to help a lot of women: the 0.1 Vivelle Dot patch, plus vaginal Crinone progesterone gel 14 days a month.But the authors are balanced enough in their treatment that they realize women may have too much, or too little, of either estrogen or progesterone at different stages in their perimenopause.They advocate looking for a knowledgeable doctor to do tests and plan a program, which is the right thing to do-- it's just that it can be a bit tough to find a good doctor.At the end of book it says there are tips on finding a doctor at the book's website, but I didn't find any referral ideas there (unless you happen to be near their clinic).Personally, I'd suggest doing a search for an "age management" doctor in your area, and then try to find one who isn't too into selling supplements.Fibromyalgia and fatigue centers can also be promising, although again taking with a grain of salt any "mitochondrial enhancement" or "dysbiosis" stuff they want to do.Or maybe you'll get lucky and your regular doctor or endocrinologist will be interested in learning!

Two more positive things about this book: It's not ga-ga about soy like some.And it covers adrenal hormones and androgens, unlike many that just cover estrogen and progesterone.(An otherwise very good book, "Perfect Balance," loses points for dismissing adrenal treatment.) One cautionary note: the graph of the menstrual cycle should say days 1 and 28 at the beginning and end, not days 7 and 21 (this typo could be confusing!).

In summary: Get this book if you want to feel better, and then find a doctor who will work with you on its absolutely evidence-based recommendations.If you don't just want to feel better and want to know all about this subject, you can continue on with books by Vliet (maybe her new one will finally come out soon) and Reiss.But this is the ONE book that succinctly pulls it all together from a perspective based in scientific research.

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Product Description:
It's no stretch to say that the information about hormone health, menopause, and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is considerable, confusing, and often intimidating. But the consequence of ignoring hormone health are pretty scary, too. With so many choices and so much riding on them, what's a woman to do? The authors of this book have spent many years researching age-related health problems, especially the effects of hormones on health. In this workbook, they put all of the most up-to-date, scientific knowledge about hormone research in one place and use it to help you decide the best treatment available for your particular health situation.
Using extensive and interactive checklists, symptom lists, and self-assessments, the book helps you track symptoms. Then it takes you through the medical and non-medical treatments available, including human-identical hormones (the new HRT), lifestyle and dietary changes, supplements, and other non-HRT treatments. Without necessarily advocating one treatment over another, the book helps you decide which approaches are best for your particular situation.

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