I'm Too Young to Get Old: Health Care for Women After Forty [Paperback]

Judith Reichman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 29, 1997

If you're a woman over forty, you probably have questions and concerns about your health.  Unlike your mother and grandmother, you don't want to go passively--or silently--through the next half of your life.  Want to know about contraception--or pregnancy--after forty?  Will being on the Pill increase your risk for cancer?  Is hormone replacement therapy right for you?  I'm Too Young to Get Old has answers to all these questions and much, much more.  Renowned gynecologist and Today show health contributor Judith Reichman, M.D., understands what today's women need to know, including such topics as:


How to cope with changing hormones, moods, body temperatures, and sleep patterns
Birth control
Hormone replacement therapy
Cancer prevention and detection
Heart disease
Osteoporosis
Avoiding hysterectomy
Coping with urinary incontinence
Weight control
Avoiding wrinkles
Sexuality from forty to ninety (See the chapter "Sex, Hormones, and Rock and Roll")
Preparing for a healthy second half of life despite our abuses in the first half

Written in a warm, accessible style and laced with the humorous perspective of someone who's going through this stage of life herself, I'm Too Young to Get Old  has all the authoritative, up-to-date information you need to take control of your health.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Reichman is a renowned gynecologist and frequent contributor to the Today show. Here she discusses in friendly "girlfriend" language the issues that confuse and worry women ages 40 and older. The book starts with asubject that women in this age range usually don't concern themselves with--contraception--and includes some shocking statistics (half of all pregnancies in women older than 40 are unintended; the abortion rate in this age group is only second to that of teenagers). Reichman explains the pros and cons of different forms of contraception, including the mini-pill and surgical options; she omits natural family planning, but she does include 10 methods that are in development and awaiting government approval.

For women having difficulties becoming pregnant, Reichman details a dozen tests that hopeful couples can use to pinpoint the problem; the stages of the procedures, costs, and potential complications are included in down-to-earth, nonintimidating language. The true value of this book, though, are Reichman's answers to scores of questions that nervous patients might be too upset or too afraid to ask--or might not even consider--as well as those that physicians might forget to address or lack time to fully explain.

The chapters on menopause and cancer, and the lucid and lengthy explanations of risk factors, treatments, and side effects, are the most useful parts of the book. Who knew, for example, that living at altitudes above 10,000 feet can cause menopause to begin as much as two years earlier than normal? Reichman also includes clear explanations of--and prevention tactics for--scary health problems that commonly affect women in this age group, including bladder-control problems, heart disease, and osteoporosis.

For those women who have trouble communicating with their physicians, Reichman will provide much-needed answers and advice.

From Publishers Weekly

Female baby boomers will find herein everything they wanted (or didn't want) to know about aging: hot flashes, estrogen, progesterone, osteoporosis, bladder control and more. In a chipper voice, Reichman, an LA-based obstetrician/gynecologist and host of the PBS series Straight Talk on Menopause, issues a dire warning to her audience: mistakes of the past (e.g., drinking alcohol, smoking, multiple sex partners, improper nutrition) are catching up with them. But there's good news too: midlife is usually not too late to take charge and recover health. Readers who ignore the silly asides ("So 'oy,' can we 'soy' our way out of hot flashes?") and editorial "we" ("we just got our period") will find plenty of pertinent facts here. Reichman comprehensively discusses?and advocates?hormone replacement therapy. She addresses fertility problems faced by women of later childbearing age and frankly explores contraception and sexual issues for single women. Practical information (today's birth control pill, safer and weaker than yesteryear's, can reduce the risk of some cancers) is augmented by critical commentary (the female condom, which makes a "crinkly noise," is "not a pretty sight!"). Also covering heart disease, osteoporosis, autoimmune diseases and cancer, this book's strength remains its direct explanation of the medical options available to women facing midlife health decisions.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 509 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1 edition (December 29, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812924258
• ISBN-13: 978-0812924251
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #858,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dr. Reichman gives all women a health game plan., December 27, 1998

By 

"superevie" - See all my reviews

This review is from: I'm Too Young to Get Old: Health Care for Women After Forty (Paperback)

Dr. Reichamn has written a well thought out health game plan for all women over thirty. She addresses many common health challenges and presents good options and explainations. When I realized at age 36, I was going through perimenopause,it was Reichman's book that got me on track. She offered help for my pounding heart, constant hot flashes, and troubles with sleeping. It was a godsend. As the creator and host of HotFlash!, an online perimenopause support group, I recommend this book for my new memebers. It has literally helped hundreds of women. Dr. Reichamn acknowledegs the special differences each woman possess and how these differences require unique solutions. She discusses both natural and traditional means to help women through perimenopause and other health challenges. If there is only one book to buy this would be it. I have read dozens of perimenopause/menopause books, conducted extensive research on the how the body changes with perimenopause/menopause and have talked with hundreds of women about their health needs. This book has it all. It reflects my belief that all women need to be educated about ALL aspects and therapies for perimenopause. Buy one for yourself, and buy one for your best friend : ).

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm Too Young to Get Old, March 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: I'm Too Young to Get Old: Health Care for Women After Forty (Paperback)

I have referred to this book since it was published in 1996 and find it to be a treasure trove of information. It is well written and covers all issues that I have ever had the need to look up. As a woman experiencing perimenopause and now menopause, it has been a real aid to me. I find the description of HRT options to be the most informative I have found. I would like to see an update to reflect revisions to medical options since 1996, but with that proviso, give it a high recommendation.

4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful book, December 12, 2010

By 

B. Crouser (Painesville, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: I'm Too Young to Get Old: Health Care for Women After Forty (Paperback)

This book has some good information in it. Honestly, I already knew much of the information contained in the book, and much of it does not apply directly to me, but it still is a good resource for women approaching or going through menopause. The book arrived as advertised, so I was very happy from that standpoint.