Another book by Dr. Jen Gunter? Sign me in! I am a huge fan of her previous book, "The Vagina Bible: The Vulva and the Vagina—Separating the Myth from the Medicine", which I think should be taught in schools, so when I heard of this one, it instantly ended up on my need-to-read-asap-list.

As I expected, the book is a great source of information - think of anything related to menopause and you'll find it in here. Every topic is dissected and presented under her eagle's eye, from all points of view, with pluses and minuses, and observations based on available studies.

Menopause is much more than just your period stopping, and I think that's the only good thing about it, from a comfort point of view. She takes it step by step and presents all symptoms, possible treatments for its discomforts, diet, exercises, and a lot more.

I was stunned to learn that many women see it as a shame and don't talk about it, or that they feel their sex life, or life, in general, is over: why?! Or maybe there is such a cultural difference between North-American culture and our East-European one? I never heard of a woman here feeling ashamed by it, nor being belittled by men for it.

Anyway, for a medical book, it is a highly compelling read; I could not put it down, and that is also thanks to her writing skills. She explains everything as clear as possible; there is not a single topic to be poorly understood. I think it's a must read for every woman after 40 years old. Menopause is not something that may or may not occur to us, it is something we will have to deal with, and most of the times it comes with a lot of other health problems and discomfort, so it's better to know what to expect.

Dr. Gunter, Chapeau! Again.

This should be required reading for every woman of the menopausal age spectrum, I will recommemd it to all of my female friends. Filled with so much information, and presents many different options for treatment, while also giving honest truths about the pluses and risks of each option. Very informative. The advance copy does have some spelling errors.

This book is very straight forward and told in a relaxing text which put me at ease. I’ve been looking for ANYTHING that would be helpful to help me understand what was happening and how to try to manage my symptoms.
The author says, this book was created so that we (as women) can better advocate for ourselves and become more educated about our medical needs and choices. I can not express enough how much, if you’re a women that you need to read this! I’ve ordered two copies myself because I’m giving one as a gift! This is a life changer.
Ive been menopausal for three years and nothings been as helpful or as informative as this book.
I also want to say that this isn’t just about menopause but a lot of other women’s issues.
Dr Gunter carefully examines and explains the issue. Then she shares ALL of my available options.
Hot flashes, memory, depression and osteoporosis were my favorite topics. I could go on forever so I’m just going to list some things about the book. I highly recommend this. You won’t be sorry.

The book discussed symptoms such as:
• Abnormal bleeding
• Hot flashes
• Night flashes
• Sleep disturbance
• Brain Fog (cognitive changes)
• Joint pain
Along with medical conditions such as:
• Heart disease
• Osteoporosis
• Dementia
• Alzheimer’s
• Depression
• Metabolic syndrome
• Diabetes
• UTI
Thanks Citadel Press, HighBridge Audio via Netgalley.

Quotes from the book:
“If menopause were on Yelp it would have one star.”

“Menopause is puberty in reverse.”

As a woman going into possible Peri-Menopause I have been seeking and researching on this topic as have my friends. With each book, I hold out hope with each book that there will be new helpful information as this is something that has been happening to women's since the begining of time.

This book is filled with information, a lot of it. However, it's pretty much the same information that is already out there.
Build a great relationship with your OB and take control of your health not allowing the healthcare industry to dismiss you.

Whatever book you read on this topic, they all seem to be relatively the same.

A year or two ago, The Vagina Bible was recommended to me and I immediately downloaded it. I will admit I hadn't read very far into it yet but I liked what I saw. When this book was offered on Netgalley, I immediately requested and hoped very much to be accepted. Fortunately, I did get the okay and I've been reading it over the past few weeks.

Growing up, I used to hear about menopause and my impression was it encompassed not just the final menstrual period but the time leading up to it. Many years later, I discovered the more correct term for the years leading up to menopause is perimenopause, which kind of changed the way I looked at it. Dr. Gunter refers to this period as menopause transition, a term that I haven't seen before but reflects it far better. The book starts out by presenting menopause as a part of normal life instead of as a disease that renders women incomplete. This leads to a history lesson in the understanding of menopause and how it has led to poor treatment of women in the past and even in modern times. Although it seems to be a harsh view, the reality is probably better reflected here than in most resources on women's health. The first two chapters certainly opened my eyes to how badly this normal phase of a woman's life has been addressed through the ages.

The rest of part one covers biological aspects of menopause, along with views of the evolutionary advantages of menopause, and information on its timing. Part two addresses the symptoms and goes into considerable detail on cardiovascular, bone, and bladder health. It also addresses brain fog, abnormal bleeding, sex, and sleep issues occurring during menopause. Part three addresses treatment, with most attention on MHT (menopausal hormone therapy) but also information on "alternative" treatments that are available. At the end, there are several tables included, most of which look at treatments available.. The information presented is comprehensive and doesn't gloss over much. I will point out that the book is written with a US-centric view and so information is based on the standards and terminology there. I don't say this so much as criticism as something it's important to know if you live elsewhere.

One of the major takeaways of this book for me is that women should never allow health care providers to brush off symptoms because they are typical for women in menopause. Just because a symptom is common in menopause doesn't mean it's not important now. And some of these issues may be just the beginning of long-term problems that need to be addressed earlier to be most effective.

Another big takeaway for me is that an entire industry has been made to make profits off women looking for treatment. And most of them are not proven effective. This one isn't a surprise for me but it did show me how pervasive it is in modern society. Also, I really liked the way Dr. Gunter points out that any treatment, conventional or not, needs testing to prove effectiveness. After all, if it proves effective, it would be considered medical treatment.

The last takeaway that I'd like to mention is the focus on cardiovascular and bone health. Women are at much higher risk of both once they reach menopause and it's heavily promoted that a benefit/risk analysis should be done for each woman to determine if MHT or other treatment is needed in menopause. It doesn't try to say that any choice is the correct one but that it should be determined case by case.

I found this an incredibly useful book and think it should be essential reading for women approaching menopause transition or even already there. As a woman who reached menopause in recent years, there was still information that was quite useful and it has prompted a couple future discussions with my doctor. I highly recommend it and give this a solid four stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for sharing an advanced reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

Thank you to Dr. Gunter and NetGalley for this educational ARC read!

My main takeaways are that the patriarchy has largely and incorrectly medicalized what is a natural biological function for women; and that “bio identical” hormones are unregulated and have shown to be inconsistently effective for managing menopausal symptoms. “There is no quality data...to suppose their use.” Also, “compounded hormones are an intested, unregulated $1 billion/year market.” This latter data is covered at location 75% of the book and is what is most interesting to me at age 50.

I am still clinging to Yasmin BCP and Spironolactone because the HRT landscape has been so daunting to think of traversing. This book, thanks to Dr. Gunter’s practical advice on each medical hormone replacement option, especially estrogen, has helped me to imagine life after Yasmin and Spironolactone to manage my symptoms.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Menopause Manifesto is a book that should be in every woman's bookshelf.

Dr. Gunter presents the information in a way that feels like one your best girlfriends is talking with you and sharing super valuable tips'; her experience as an OB/GYN only adds to the book.. As a woman who is peri-menopausal, I learned a lot about my body and found the book to be reassuring as well as informative about other strategies I might explore with diet, MHT, etc. I think this book would be helpful for women approaching perimenopause, those in menopause, and even for their partners/loved ones to better understand what the woman-of-a-certain age in their life is going through.

Highly recommend!

I received an advance edition of this book via NetGalley.

"Apparently there is nothing of lower value than an aging woman's body, and many in our society treat menopause not as a phase of life, but rather as a phase of death. Sort of a pre-death."

Jen Gunter confronts the subject of menopause through a distinctly matter-of-fact, feminist view in her book <i>The Menopause Manifesto.</i> She is an OB/GYN with decades of experience in her field, but also speaks from personal experience, having recently gone through 'the change' herself. As a person of 41 years, most definitely in perimenopause, I found her perspective refreshing. She discusses subjects like sex, bleeding, and hot flashes in blunt terms, and confronts the immense misinformation put forth by the media and lousy doctors. She brings in the history behind the very term and idea of menopause.

The book isn't always an easy read. While the subject is always interesting, some stretches were a bit dry. This wasn't something I could sit and read straight through, but in patches here and there. I found tremendous value in her words. Her humor is wry and witty, and her attitude wonderfully positive. For example, she points out, "Fat-phobia among health care providers has caused many women with hot flushes and night sweats to be dismissed. 'If you'd just lose weight' isn't appropriate medical therapy nor is it compassionate, and the horrible implication is some women deserve their symptoms." PREACH IT, JEN.

My gosh, but I wish I'd had a doctor like her early in my life. I wish I had a doctor like her now! I have a feeling that I will be returning to this book many, many times in the coming years.

I have been eagerly anticipating both menopause and The Menopause Manifesto: Own Your Health with Facts and Feminism for quite a while, and right now I’m disappointed in both. I know Dr. Jen Gunter knows that not every one with a uterus is a woman. I have seen her speak inclusively about trans men and nonbinary people. She also started the hashtag IfMenHadPeriods, which, well, some men do have periods. Unfortunately, The Menopause Manifesto seems to be only for women, and this undermines her stated desire to use facts and feminism to dismantle the patriarchy. In 2021, centering a book about menopause solely on women feels like a deliberate choice. I don’t know what her purpose is in ignoring trans men and nonbinary people, but the result is I cannot recommend or support this book.

It particularly bothers me that in the introduction she declares the irrelevance of the patriarchy’s opinion on menopause while clinging to patriarchal definitions of gender. I am a cis woman and I have always resented people telling me who I should be because my body has female reproductive organs. It would be even more frustrating to have female reproductive organs and be defined as a woman even when you know you are not. Feminism that allows people to be defined by their bodies is going to fail in it’s goal.

It’s a fact that not everyone with a uterus who will go through menopause is a woman. The feminism that insists on gender binary is not trying to dismantle the patriarchy. It’s trying to rent a room in the patriarchy while slamming the door on trans, nonbinary, and genderfluid people. It won’t work. We have over a hundred years of a feminist movement that shows dismantling the patriarchy just a little gets women nowhere. Women won’t have equality until everybody has equality.

I am crying out for more conversation and science based knowledge about menopause. I would like to know what the hell is going on with my body as I transition into menopause. But, I can’t trust a woman physician who directs her information only at women any more than I can trust a man telling me about my body. I can’t trust that she’s seeing facts and not building a reality that suits her vision.

I really want to like this book. I want to be able to recommend it to my friends, but I can’t.

I received this as an advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It's probably packed with useful information but the style of writing didn't do it for me. I don't want to leave a negative review but I just couldn't get into this and didn't finish it. Sorry.

Dr. Jen Gunter does it again! In her unabashed, honest, feminist style and packed with the most recent science, The Menopause Manifesto is a must read for women, their partners, and allies. It is a book that empowers women to openly discuss their transitions into menopause in order to remove the stigma of aging and defeat the patriarchal control of our health one less period at a time. I found it to be incredibly informative and appreciate the normalization of human changes as we age.

Advanced copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

We really need this book! There is so much information that women need about menopause and the transitions that happen around menopause. I love that it is told from a body positive perspective. I feel like this book was partly for women and partly for medical professionals - both groups will get a lot of of reading The Menopause Manifesto. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in return for my fair and honest review.

I must admit I didn't get too far attempting to read this page by page. That said it's truly informative and something that's amazing to have on hand to consult when you have questions or want more information. Like the Vagina Bible before it's a perfect informative reference book. I've bought her first book to have on hand for me and my daughters as they grow older and although I haven't read all of this book yet I have already preordered it for when it comes out. I look forward to having this information at my fingertips when needed.

This book is interesting in that it is a combination of the history of menopause treatment, a political manifesto on the treatment of women as the locus of menopause and advice from a doctor who specializes in menopausal treatment. It was interesting and strange. I could have done without the entire chapter on the use and meaning of the word "menopause' but overall this was a great read on the plight of women as they age.

I really liked THE VAGINA BIBLE, but this wasn't as engaging -- perhaps I'm not the right audience for it as I'm nowhere close to menopause (despite being interested in the topic!). Still, it's useful info and I'd rec it to anyone interested in the premise.

Ah, menopause. It is ridiculous that this is something that EVERY SINGLE WOMAN will go through yet very little is said about it. Why is that? I think it is in part because of shame/lack of education but also because no one knows what to say because they don't know anything about it! At most, you might ask your Bestie if they are experiencing this or that, but then.. then what?

The Menopause Manifesto breaks those barriers. With information, explanations and helpful words of advice. Gosh, this was long overdue! I am grateful to have this book available to me at the time when I need it most!

PS- In the spirit of openness, I am a newly minted 52, going through menopause but not finished yet. Soon, maybe?

This book is pretty much everything I've been looking for! It's got quite a bit of technical stuff which sometimes I absorb alright based on the topic and this was one of them. Perhaps it's because it's a topic I'm dealing with. I loved how things were broken down by symptom and then given an explanation and then some remedies. This book is kind of written like you're talking to a friend which makes it engaging and digestible without being preachy. Loved it! Thanks so much for letting me read this and to the author for bringing to light an often not talked about topic.

This is a rather overwhelming book in a good way. I read it after passing through menopause a few years ago in my late 40's and I'm not sure if I wish I had it back then or not. I've actually gone through to the other side pretty well on my own, having found that most books did not meet my needs. I have no desire to take hormones for the rest of my life to get through a natural transition, and most books are far too negative for me. This one does cover a huge range of topics and will probably be very helpful for people who are not as natural-minded as I am. It's very thorough.

The Menopause Manifesto is well researched and written and packed with information about both the history and biology of menopause. It covers just about every subject related to menopause and frequently focuses on the historically male-centric views on menopause. This was the first time I have read anything by Jen Gunter. She injects humor into the topic as well as her opinion on how women are viewed once we have reached this inevitable stage of our lives. Some of the chapters were a little lengthy and too detailed for me, but that may hold appeal for some readers. I would recommend this book to friends who are looking for more information on the subject.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC!

I found this book informational and loved the perspective from not only a woman, but also a doctor. She went into detail but didn't overwhelm or talk down. Nothing ground breaking but still a good read.