Book Review: The Menopause by Deirdre Lundy

After reading about a menopausal werewolf (fictional) I decided that it was probably a sensible idea to read up on the reality.

Dr Lundy has an inclusive and relaxed tone of writing. She methodically goes through every aspect of the menopause in great detail. The book is sprinkled with humour to lighten what is otherwise an intimidating topic.

This is almost solely focussed on the medical side of menopause. While honest about the limitations of science (and the shocking lack of knowledge among some practitioners) it never lowers itself into the "woo" of crystals and chakras. It goes from a GCSE biology lesson all the way up to cutting-edge medical research. This isn't a casual pamphlet; you will almost certainly want to take notes.

Although it strives to be accessible, it does get a little bogged down in the science. There's an array of acronyms to remember, a hilarious assortment of product names (I'd love to see the marketing exercise which came up with Kyleena, Mirena, Provera, and all the others), and some rather tedious descriptions of exactly how many mg of X should be used in combination with Y.

At times it is like the book doesn't know if it is for the patient or the doctor. I suspect a few people will be put off by some of the overly formal and detailed descriptions of the exact biological changes occurring. It also is, frankly, not for the squeamish.

The books is divided into logical chapters. If you don't need to know about, for example, how Lupus affects the menopause, you can safely skip it. Each chapter ends with a few bullet points of practical information.

It is trans-inclusive - with a whole chapter about the realities of the experience, while being honest about the lack detailed research available.

One of the things which is missing is the role of friends, family, and wider society. There's nothing about accessing social support networks, or workplace adjustments, or how one's family can be useful. This is very much geared to "here are the medical interventions available."

It is also a little lax about privacy. There's a discussion about period tracking apps, but not about the data protection risks. Similarly, there's mention of a menopause discussion group for doctors which, of all places, is hosted on Telegram! I hope none of the 800 participants are sharing confidential medical data on there.

If you or someone you know is going to experience The Change, this is a good book. You may need to gird your loins for some of the more frank and intimate discussions, but Dr Lundy's warmth and humour do a good job of making a difficult subject accessible.