Customer Reviews

Perimenopause--Preparing for the Change, Revised 2nd Edition: A Guide to the Early Stages of Menopause and Beyond

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

While this book helped me self-diagnose my earliest menopausal symptoms, I think the authors deserve a real thumbs up for the information on how to find the best doctor - and how to talk to this doctor once you find him or her. Talking to my gyno about the change proved VERY frustrating - but this book made me feel like I wasn't alone and gave tips on how to get referred to a specialist in hormonal issues. What a difference! Thanks Drs Teaff and Wiley!

This book has helped me a lot - especially the part on how to tell the difference between PMS and perimenopause. The chapter on how to find the right doctor was also right on the money. I am in my mid-forties and trying to conceive. Dr. Teaff and Wiley have more information on middle age fertility and how to keep it going than any of the other dozens of books I've read on the topic.

This book is lying on my bedside table. I found the authors addressed the symptoms of perimenopause in an easy-to-read, and easy-to-relate to manner. They presented information about hormone therapy but didn't insist that it was the only way to go. I never got the sense they were trying to sell their readers on a particular treatment or point of view, just to rather lay out all the options.

This is a "OK" book with some good and insightful information. I did find that some of the facts, as they were presented, to be erroneous. So if you read it, have your critical thinking cap tightly fastened. It is a supportive book if you are pro-hormone replacement therapy.

As I approach Perimenopause, I've been reading as many books as I can on the subject so I know what's going to happen and what I can do to relieve the symptoms. This book has been a great help. It explains what will happen and why it is happening. There's a handy list of symptoms of Perimenopause and solutions to these symptoms. There's a list of what routine checkups a woman should have at certain ages. Hormone Replacement Therapy is discussed as well as natural remedies for those who don't want to go the HRT route. The book also has chapters on the four major diseases women face as they age and how they can help prevent the diseases through weight control, diet, and exercise. Fertility and Infertility is discussed at length as is sexuality and Menopause. There's a chapter on how to find the right doctor and a very helpful chapter with examples of what some women went through during Menopause.

This was a very informative book. I can't say I'm looking forward to Perimenopause, but at least now I know what's going to happen. There were many charts that I found helpful, especially the ones showing the risk factors for Breast Cancer, Alzheimer's, Heart Disease and Osteoporosis. Scary stuff but good to know. The list of symptoms of Perimenopause was also helpful.

The one qualm I have about this book is that it was written in 1999 and discusses HRT as being more risk free than recent studies have shown. The authors have already revised the book once and I'm hoping they put out a third edition discussing the study results.

Perimenopause is a subject that most women have never heard of. This book prepares women for the symptoms and changes that occur in their body as the approach menopause. Just as puberty does not just suddenly occur, menopause is preceded by many changes in the body. In a well written and well researched manner, the author describes each symptom and its causes, and discusses treatments, both medical and nontraditional. As a health professional I appreciated it's supportative, "here are the facts, make your own decisions" style. As a matter of fact, I am buying this copy to replace the one that I am always loaning out to friends

Oprah, surely you have read this book. Don't let your audience members think all of their symptoms should be categorized under PMS. Women in their 20s, 30s,and 40s need more information than the medical profession provides before age fifty. Teaff and Wiley's proactive approach is ideal for professional women. It addresses the real situations--traveling on a business trip, planning late pregnancies in the perimenopausal stage, understanding the hormones, and seeking appropriate solutions. My reading group of doctors, housewives, lawyers, consultants, professors, and teachers has read it and re-read it numerous times. This book has not only stimulated meaningful discussion among the women but also bridged an unnecessary gap between women and men in understanding an important topic. I strongly recommend it for women and for men who care about women--spouse, partner, mother, sister, aunt or friend. C. L. Brown

This is an excellent book for those who are just starting to have symptoms and seem to be "falling apart". As the author says, you may be having symptoms which you haven't put together as being all related to perimenopause! This book is a wealth of information on ALL choices for handling perimenopause and menopause. I liked that it covered HRT and herbal/vitamin options, giving pros and cons of everything.

Oprah, surely you have read this book. Don't let your audience members think all of their symptoms should be categorized under PMS. Women in their 20s, 30s,and 40s need more information than the medical profession provides before age fifty. Teaff and Wiley's proactive approach is ideal for professional women. It addresses the real situations--traveling on a business trip, planning late pregnancies in the perimenopausal stage, understanding the hormones, and seeking appropriate solutions. My reading group of doctors, housewives, lawyers, consultants, professors, and teachers has read it and re-read it numerous times. This book has not only stimulated meaningful discussion among the women but also bridged an unnecessary gap between women and men in understanding an important topic. I strongly recommend it for women and for men who care about women--spouse, partner, mother, sister, aunt or friend.

This is the first review I've written after being an amazon customer for years, but I'm appalled with this book. Much of the reasoning is spurious. Here's an example:

"a clinical trial of dong quai..proved no better than a placebo...The placebo worked in 25 to 40 percent of the cases, as did the dong quai." A few pages later, "Soy protein in a dosage of 45 grams daily has been found to reduce hot flashes by 40 percent (remember that placebos reduce hot flashes by 25 to 50 percent too..)" NO! Both may be no better than placebo, but you cannot extrapolate the specific percentage of the placebo affect found in one study (certain women taking dong quai) to a completely different study involving soy!

This is a book which believes that,all else being equal, HRT is the best bet for perimenopausal symptoms. They don't come out and say this directly , but do it indirectly by forming cogent arguments in support of HRT, while giving specious information about alternatives.