Could It Be...Perimenopause? (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Laurie Ashner (Author) "When it first starts to happen to you, the symptoms are so subtle that by the time you start to worry, they're often gone..." (more)
Key Phrases: making estrogen, actual menopause, perimenopausal symptoms, Questions Women Ask, United States, America Online (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The decade before menopause, says Dr. Stephen R. Goldstein, is a time of profound change--both physically and emotionally--yet many women don't realize this. They may try to ignore subtle-to-bothersome symptoms such as erratic menstruation, "free-floating anxiety, inability to concentrate," forgetfulness, weight gain, sexual difficulties, and insomnia, when they could be effectively treating these problems. Unfortunately, not all doctors recognize perimenopause or know how to treat its symptoms, which may lead them to discount patients' complaints, or worse, suggest unnecessary treatments--including hysterectomies. That's where Could It Be ... Perimenopause? can help.

In clear, supportive prose, Goldstein offers no-baloney advice. "Today's perimenopausal women has neither the time nor the patience to go through four to fifteen years of symptoms without relief," he says. He fully delineates the roles of various hormones, how to determine if you're in perimenopause or not, as well as how to treat the various symptoms to gain control over your life. He's a big advocate of low- and ultra-low-dose birth-control pills: "There is nothing inherently advantageous about bursting the capsule of your ovary and having to repair it each month. There's no reason for having fluctuating levels of hormones floating around unless you want to have a baby." He also recommends some natural and herbal treatments (he tells which ones are more appropriate for menopausal or postmenopausal women, and which are worthless or even dangerous). He's also a big promoter of sonohysterography, a type of ultrasound test that he says could prevent up to three-fourths of all emergency-room visits made by women with excessive uterine bleeding.

With added resources, including URLs for recommended newsgroups, Web sites, and medical databases, along with information about the very latest in treatments (such as crinone, a natural progesterone gel), Goldstein's created an enormously beneficial reference for both women and health-care providers who could stand to brush up on this topic.

Review

"An accurate, up-to-date, thoroughly readable and sympathetic guide, one I would heartily recommend to any woman undergoing 'the change before the change." -- from the foreword by Lila E. Nachtigall, M.D.

"Could it be ... I feel better after reading Dr. Goldstein's book! Clear, understandable information on a subject we baby boomers need to know about now." -- Carol Levin, Founder and Director, Optimum Wellness Now Women's Health Support Group, New York University

"Every woman between the ages of thirty-five and fifty should read this book. Dr. Goldstein has given women valuable information and options for our peace of mind and well-being." -- Elisabeth Halfpapp, Fitness Director and Vice-President, Lotte Berk Method Limited

"Perimenopause is one of the most important issues facing women of my age group.... Many gynecologists are more comfortable dealing with surgical issues, contraception, and pregnancy than with the very difficult, nebulous subject of perimenopause. Dr. Goldstein is one of the few who address a very real health problem that afflicts almost every woman. -- Beryl Benacerraf, M.D., Clinical Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology and Radiology, Harvard Medical School

"This clearly written and immensely readable book makes accessible to all women a wealth of information about this phase of feminine development. Dr. Goldstein and Ms. Ashner describe perimenopause in terms of the physiological changes that occur, and they explore with great sensitivity the effects that these changes have on our emotions, thought processes, and sexuality. This information, combined with the practical, useful coping strategies they suggest, can be an enormously powerful tool for women to use in transforming their experience of perimenopause." -- Dr. Carla Solomon, Clinical Psychologist and Psychoanalyst; Member, The New York Psychoanalytic Institute and Society --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1st edition (November 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316318981
• ISBN-13: 978-0316318983
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #390,083 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Sanity You Save Could Be Your Own!, May 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Could It Be...Perimenopause?: How Women 35-50 Can Overcome Forgetfulness, Mood Swings, Insomnia, Weight Gain, Sexual Dysfunction and Other Telltale Signs of Hormonal Imbalance (Paperback)

The sanity you save could be your own!

I have read almost every book I could get my hands on on this topic. Many gave herbal remedies only, and being the "aging hippie" that I am, I followed a lot of them.

Here is the BIG NEWS! Menopause (for which many herbals are touted), is NOT the same as peri-menopause! You may actually make the problem WORSE by not finding out at least which stage you are in before self-medicating.

I found, after a blood test, (after reading the book), that I am in peri-menopause, and the LAST thing I needed was more estrogen plant remedies.

I am now on a low dose birth control pill, and feeling MUCH BETTER, thank you! I would never have thought I would consider traditional medical treatment over herbal, but for me it was the best choice. Herbs can do much good, if you know exactly what you are doing and what you are treating, but they can make you feel worse.

Thank GOODNESS I found "Could It Be ... Perimenopause?..." - by Steven R., Md Goldstein. I am grateful, my family is grateful, (those crying jags are a bit tiresome!) and most of all, I have learned it's not all black and white out there in this area, you can take what you feel is best for YOU and go with it.

The most important part is to be informed.

This book will do that for you.

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Lone voice here, December 9, 2004

By	KL Ashton (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Could It Be...Perimenopause?: How Women 35-50 Can Overcome Forgetfulness, Mood Swings, Insomnia, Weight Gain, Sexual Dysfunction and Other Telltale Signs of Hormonal Imbalance (Paperback)

Everyone else raves but I really really didn't like this book. Here are my reasons:
- he rejects all herbal remedies because they have not been FDA approved. I admit there are problems with quality control and no you shouldn't ask the check out clerk for advice on natural remedies but there are other educated practitioners, even doctors, who can give advice on natural remedies.
- he is too quick to recommend a hysterectomy. While he says that you shouldn't have a D & C to try to identify excessive bleeding if you're going to have any surgery you might as well have a hysterectomy, forget myomectomy or any other less invasive surgery. I'm quite happy that I got rid of my fibroids with a myomectomy and still have my uterus - thank goodness my doctor didn't agree with this book.
- the book is 4 years old now and doesn't take into consideration the recent studies which show that HRT may not be the right way to go. I'd like to know how those studies affect his recommendation that all perimenopausal women take low dose birth control pills
- he seems to have only one answer for perimenopause and that's low dose birth control pills. I'm always suspicious of complicated problems that have only one answer.

I'm still looking for a book that I feel comfortable with.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disguised ad for low dose birth control pills?, October 17, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Could It Be...Perimenopause?: How Women 35-50 Can Overcome Forgetfulness, Mood Swings, Insomnia, Weight Gain, Sexual Dysfunction and Other Telltale Signs of Hormonal Imbalance (Paperback)

The book was informative but it seemed to me that the answer to everything was low dose birth control pills and any other solution was suspect. Fortunately, I didn't stop my research with just one book. I also read "What Your Doctor May Not tell you about Premenopuase". I can't say I agree with all that either but I like the idea of having alternatives. I am currently trying out the progresterone cream with some positive results after only a few weeks. And I intend to keep reading...