Unlock Your Menopause Type

Every woman 30 and older needs to read Unlock Your Menopause by Heather Hirsch, MD, MS, NCMP. Or younger women, if you start perimenopause or menopause. Seriously! Moms, buy a copy for yourself and one for each of your adult daughters.

I had a total hysterectomy about a month ago, it was sudden, and I’ve been doing research since. After reading Unlock Your Menopause, I realized I’ve been in perimenopause for some time now, most likely due to the radiation for my cancer treatments. The symptoms that I attributed to my cancer, while may be the case, were also because of my body starting another life cycle. After reading the book, besides knowing I was in Sudden Menopause, I also realized I was in Mind Altering Menopause. I thought the radiation and cancer was causing my brain fog, but since starting hormone replacement, my symptoms are so much better… along with me being super hot when I sleep, not sleeping well, and my crying jags that seem to happen all the time.

Hirsch breaks down each of the six different types of menopause; Premature, Sudden, Full-Throttle, Mind Altering, Seemingly Never Ending, and Silent. She gives you different ways to help with them even if you don’t want to do hormone replacement, including looking at your diet, sleep, exercise, herbs, alternative therapies, and more.

There are so many good ideas that she’s picked up from her patients, as well as examples from her patients as to what they are experiencing, so there’s a good chance you’ll see yourself in some of the women. And it was nice to just know you’re not alone.
There are also lots of resources for you to explore, and the main symptoms are all broken down at the end so you can get a quick reference to what you can do to help… or if your symptoms change over the years.

I highly recommend you read all of the different types even if you think you know which type of menopause you are experiencing. There’s a good chance you will still pick up some information or find a condition or two in the other menopauses that may not be discussed in your particular one.

If you are a woman, you need this book. If you are in a book club, I highly suggest you read this one. If you give gifts, this would be a great book to give by itself or add it to a gift basket.

Interesting take on how to get through the menopause stage by how your body responds to lifestyle choices. Would recommend to other women struggling to make sense what is going on!

Dr. Heather Hirsch provides a reliable resource for navigating menopause in her book Unlock your Menopause Type. She guides the reader through the various types of menopause and provides direction for how to manage the symptoms. After reading this book, I felt more confident in my ability to address my menopause type.