Stephanie Bender - End Your Menopause Misery: The 10-Day Self-Care Plan

First published in 2013 by Conari Press

Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

With offices at:

665 Third Street, Suite 400

San Francisco, CA 94107

www.redwheelweiser.com

Copyright 2013 by Stephanie Bender and Treacy Colbert

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages.

ISBN: 978-1-57324-585-2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request

Cover design by Nita Ybarra

Interior by Jane Hagaman

Printed in the United States of America

MAL

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48-1992 (R1997).

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This book is dedicated to my sons, Billy and Tim, who traveled with me through this sometimes challenging part of my life's journey.

You never faltered in your love and encouragement of me. Thank you for always being there.

To my grandchildren, Ethan, Cade, and Kendall, whose smiles and energy fueled me and kept me moving forward.

And to my friend, who made me laugh when laughter seemed impossible and who brought new spontaneity to my life.

Each of you has played a very big part in the heart and soul poured into creating this book.

SB

You can't turn back the clock, but you can wind it up again.

Bonnie Prudden

As a family physician, I find that a comprehensive, holistic, and personalized approach to menopause provides the best outcome for my patients. I see many women who are uncertain about how to cope with sleeplessness, depression, low libido, difficulty concentrating, hot flashes, and other signs of hormone imbalance. They worry that menopause marks the beginning of a decline. They want answers but frequently feel overwhelmed about where to begin. End Your Menopause Misery: The 10-Day Self-Care Plan by Stephanie Bender and Treacy Colbert fills a great need with a step-by-step plan to help you sort out what's best for you. At the end of ten days, you'll feel like you've gained a significant measure of control over your health and well-being.

Millions of women suffer daily from uncomfortable and bewildering hormonal changes associated with perimenopause and menopause, but they don't have to. Recognizing and proactively managing these symptoms become much simpler and more straightforward with End Your Menopause Misery. This concise guide will help you improve your health, quality of life, and relationships.

The powerful motto one day at a time applies to this book. Each chapter is devoted to one day, offering specific tips and strategies aimed at easing a particular menopause symptom. Clear and uncomplicated, the plan tells you what to eat, what to avoid, how to find new ways to enjoy being active, and how to think about intimacy with a renewed outlook. The discussion covers everything from restoring sound sleep to lifting your mood, increasing your heart and bone strength, and you'll find flexible recommendations that let you adapt the approach to suit your lifestyle and preferences.

End Your Menopause Misery also unpacks the issue of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), demystifying the subject and explaining it succinctly. After reading this book, women who choose to explore HRT with their health care provider can begin the conversation with a solid understanding and with confidence that their decision will be well thought out and right for them.

End Your Menopause Misery reassures women that they can not only manage their menopause symptoms, but they can also rediscover their happier, sexier selves. I will be pleased to advise my patients to read this valuable guide to a healthy and happy stage of life.

Enjoy,
Fred Grover Jr., MD

I want to thank all the people who offered their encouragement, time, and energy to make this book possible: Treacy Colbert; Barbara Moulton; Caroline Pincus; and Fred Grover Jr., MD. Also Terri Pobanz; Rosalie Stofflet; John DeGraff; Andrea Hyatt; Kate O'Laughlin; Ann Kennedy; Jamie Prall-Kaliher; Cynthia Jackson; Kris Chambers; Julie Davis; Johnny Johnson, MD; Eric Heitman; Phillip Parrott, Zee Heitman, and Cathy Richard. I cannot extend enough thanks to the many women I have had the privilege of meeting and who have contributed invaluable information and insight. Each of you in your own way wrote this book, and I thank you.

SB

Thanks are due to Stephanie DeGraff Bender for the opportunity to work on this project; to Barbara Moulton for sage advice and for leading us to Caroline Pincus, our wonderful editor; to Christine Macgenn Rodgerson for astute guidance, deep knowledge of the subject, encouragement, and keen wit; to Ladan Rafii for thoughtful reading and recommendations; to EBHS friends Jan Kaplan Golden and Bette Bayer Schenkel, RPh, for sharing personal stories and professional expertise; to June Casagrande for brilliance and speed in solving many of my writing dilemmas; to Lindsay Berman for insight on style; and to David and Christopher, for appearing regularly in my office while I wrote this book to make sure I didn't forget about really important things, like dinner.

TC

Take a look at your calendar and circle the date or put a reminder in your smartphone for ten days from now. Between now and then, you're going to find relief from your perimenopause or menopause symptoms and simply change your life for the better. That's right. Over the next ten days, you will discover how to renew your energy, lift your mood, spend more restful nights, improve your libido, savor foods that make you feel good, sharpen your wits, and brighten up your overall appearance. You'll build stamina with the right mix of exercise, and you'll increase your heart and bone strength.

And if all the noise and confusion about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has alarmed you, take a deep breath. We've sorted and sifted our way through the medical literature so you don't have to. After all, what busy woman has time for the medical degree she'd need to fully understand the pros and cons of HRT? This should make it a whole lot easier for you to make choices about taking or not taking medication.

Impossible, you might think. Do all that in ten days? Possible.

The advice in this guide is simple and straightforward, following the latest science on women's health. We've seen so many women try to navigate this change without a lot of help, and they nearly tear their hair out in the process. That's precisely why we wrote this book.

As women of a certain age, we are the ultimate multitaskersorganizing and engineering our job and family responsibilities; helping our kids, stepkids, and grandkids along their path; caring for aging relatives; offering community service as volunteers; and negotiating and navigating our marriages, relationships, and friendships. But we shouldn't have to enroll in medical school, leaf through a dozen books, or consult multiple websites to piece together how to handle hot flashes, mood swings, memory lapses, dwindling libido, or other midlife symptoms that are interfering with life.