As someone currently going through перименопауза, I can attest that this season of life has come with its share of challenges. From one day to the next, symptoms vary and the body I knew has often felt like that of a stranger. This has been my reality for the last four years.
When I first heard about Dr. Mary Claire Haver’s book The New Menopause: Navigating Your Path through Hormonal Change with Purpose, Power and Facts, it was something I could get excited about. I was curious, but I also had many questions and reservations.
Would it be a book filled with incomprehensible medical jargon? Or would it give me insight into some of the strange symptoms I’m experiencing? And what, exactly, did the author mean by the “New” menopause? These were just a few of the questions I had before reading The New Menopause, but now that I’ve done so, I’m ready to give my recommendation on whether to buy, borrow, or pass on it.
The author, Dr. Mary Claire Haver, is a board-certified OB/GYN who’s been a practicing physician since 2002. Dr. Haver already knew a lot about women and their complex yet beautifully unique reproductive system, but only realized when she herself went through menopause the extreme lack of care and knowledge in this field.
Looking back on how she’d treated peri- and menopausal women in the past, she realized she had not given her patients the proper care and attention they deserved as they navigated this time of hormonal transition. However, her inadequate care was not for lack of empathy. She had simply treated her patients as she had been trained to do while in medical school and residency.
Dr. Haver’s way of treating perimenopause therefore changed drastically when she herself went through it. After that eye-opening experience, she made it her mission to become more educated on the transition to menopause. She started her own practice geared mainly at women going through this transitional reproductive life stage. She now uses her social media platform to spread the message that perimenopause and menopause do not have to be miserable.
Dr. Haver is also the founder of The Galveston Diet, a weight-loss program that teaches menopausal women which foods to eat and avoid to reduce their symptoms. Her medical background, continuing education and personal experience give her both credibility and authority to speak and educate on this topic.
Кто является целевой аудиторией The New Menopause?
Per the title, Haver intends this book for women approaching or currently experiencing “the change,” aka women in перименопауза. Perimenopause is defined as “the time before menopause when your body is getting ready to stop having periods.” Menopause, likewise, is defined as “when periods stop for good. It’s diagnosed after 12 months without a menstrual period, vaginal bleeding or spotting.”
Каковы основные области содержания The New Menopause?
The book is divided into three main sections and a resource section. The first section deals with the history of perimenopause and menopause. While women have existed since the dawn of humanity, only in the 1820’s did the word “menopause” come to be. Historically, perimenopause was considered a time when women ‘went mad,’ and traces of this stigma remain today.
In the second section, which was my favorite part of the book, Dr. Haver delves into what is happening to the body as it approaches menopause. She deals with how the menstrual cycle works, together with the impact our hormones have on our body on a day-to-day basis. This part is so important, because although we have the parts, we don’t always know how they work! But the real winner in this section is the chapter dedicated to helping you prepare for a doctor’s appointment. I certainly could have used it two years ago! Still, I found this section so helpful that I now have a list of questions for my next appointment.
На сайте The New Menopause, Dr. Haver deals with how the menstrual cycle works, together with the impact our hormones have on our body on a day-to-day basis. This part is so important, because although we have the parts, we don’t always know how they work!
In the third section of the book, Dr. Haver goes through perimenopause symptoms in greater depth. We are no longer just talking about hot flashes and night sweats. Indeed, there are so много symptoms that can be exhibited during perimenopause, and these symptoms do not only affect our reproductive organs. Our heart health, brain health, emotional health, and more can all be directly affected by the experience of perimenopause.
Bonus content
Haver’s bonus features include: a Tool Kit of symptoms of which to be aware, plus references to websites on menopause treatments and nutrition. I personally made good use of the Menopause Symptom Scoring Sheet. And finally, Dr. Haver also included a Hot Flash\Symptom diary page.
Сильные стороны The New Menopause
Clear and educational information
In her opening “Letter to the Reader,” Dr. Haver shares that she hopes this book will “help educate and empower women to care for themselves or to help others.” In my opinion, Dr. Haver delivered on both education and empowerment. Not only does she teach about perimenopause and menopause, but she also engages and challenges the reader to seek better help from her physician. Importantly, Dr. Haver also teaches women how to advocate for themselves.
Reading a book written by a doctor may sound overwhelming, but there’s no need to worry with this book. I found that Dr. Haver turned complex subject matter into simple and easy terms I can now use with confidence and ease. I also did not expect her to put so much care into dispelling myths and facts about perimenopause. In short, I was constantly surprised by the amount of information and advice Dr. Haver provided in this book.
Dr. Haver turned complex subject matter into simple and easy terms I can now use with confidence and ease.
Education on hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
I always assumed that HRT was the only (and most effective) way to help women get through perimenopause. As someone who started hormone replacement therapy (HRT) this year, I was especially interested to read Dr. Haver’s take on it. She took care to explain things in detail, so the reader knows and understands what HRT is, and how this type of treatment may not be an option for everyone. I also appreciated how Dr. Haver explains the different ways that HRT can be administered. It gave me a better sense of security in using HRT as a way to help my body progress towards menopause.
The effect of nutritional choices on perimenopause symptoms
Before reading Dr. Haver’s book, the role that nutrition and other factors play in a woman’s experience of perimenopause never occurred to me. But I learned that nutrition can definitely either tamp down or ramp up symptom severity. Who knew that certain foods–even some that we might consider healthy–could potentially cause inflammation in our bodies during this transitional time? I was astounded to learn the small changes to my daily habits that could help transform my perimenopausal journey from miserable to enjoyable.
I was afraid this would turn out to be another self-help book–a sort of “cheerleader for menopause.” But Dr. Haver’s “Letter to the Reader” at the beginning of the book is poignant and emotional, and it grabbed my attention from the start.
Doctors often forget the patient’s experience until they become a patient themselves. In fact, until you’ve experienced perimenopause yourself, it’s difficult for anyone to fathom what it entails. Having been a patient undergoing perimenopause, Dr. Haver experienced the same feelings of being unseen and unheard that her previous patients felt. It was a powerful and enlightening moment for her as both a doctor and woman. That experience is what made this book possible. She could have easily disregarded her experience and moved on. Instead, she did something about it!
Now, Dr. Haver thrives in her practice and shares her thoughts and knowledge as best she can. She is happy to see more women talking about perimenopause. Her hope is that this ongoing discussion will help secure more funding to keep perimenopause and menopause research moving forward, so that future generations do not have to see this transition as something to be dreaded, but as a normal life event that can be managed.
Ограничения или слепые зоны The New Menopause
A lot of self-promotion
There is a fair bit of self-promotion in The New Menopause. Dr. Haver repeatedly mentions her private practice, her other business (The Galveston Diet), and gives some affiliate links. Personally, I think this is to be expected as this is her business (and I appreciated that she is very transparent about it).
Still, I can see how some readers may be put off by this. It may leave one with the uneasy feeling that she may just be wanting to seek out new patients or business. And I will admit that I felt this way, at first. But the wealth of information in the book and the helpful resources contained within it ultimately won me over.
Not all of the resources are created equal
Besides Dr. Haver’s own websites, she recommends several telehealth options, including Midi Health. On the one hand, virtual healthcare offers women the option of finding a well-versed clinician in perimenopause regardless of where one lives in the country. As someone who once traveled two hours to see a surgeon, I can see the benefit in offering a service such as a virtual clinic.
At the same time, I am uneasy at the idea of having a virtual clinician help women with such an important health issue. Perimenopause care is more complicated than simply refilling medications. Sure, some things may be taken care of over the phone or via video chat, but what about physical symptoms that must be looked at with a more careful examination? Additionally, if the telehealth clinician is not in-network with your insurance, you may be on the hook for $200 or more per virtual visit.
Finally, the Hot Flash Symptom Diary, part of the bonus materials in the back of the book, was a letdown. It was a simple lined page and nothing more. It would have been more useful to have the ability to chart on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Having a chart that included the option to track the most common symptoms (with a few blank lines for miscellaneous other symptoms) like we track our menstrual cycles would have proved far more beneficial.
To buy, borrow, or pass on The New Menopause?
When I first started reading The New Menopause, I was put off by the self-promoting aspect. Yet, I ultimately arrived at the conclusion that the content of this book is far too valuable to skip over. Once I saw the content at face value, I read this book with a different mindset. This shift in mindset allowed me to appreciate Haver’s message to the reader: women can be educated and empowered as they go through perimenopause.
I recommend purchasing this book for yourself and\or as a guide for your fellow female friends and family members. It is more than just a book about perimenopause and menopause. It is a powerful educational tool and resource that all women—even those not yet at that stage—would benefit from having in their possession.
The more I read of The New Menopause, the more I wished I’d had it when I started to feel the very first symptoms of perimenopause. It’s my opinion that this book is indeed a “new” and better way for women to take charge of the transition to menopause, helping them get the care they deserve. It will also allow them to no longer accept being told: “Oh well! It is what it is!”
The more I read of The New Menopause, the more I wished I’d had it when I started to feel the very first symptoms of perimenopause.
