The Menopause Companion
By Sasha Davies
By Tori Hudson
It’s one of the most important, least discussed events that happens for half of the population.
It’s a physiological event, a cultural construct, and a deeply personal and emotional experience of profound change all woven together in a jumbled knot. It’s menopause.
But why is there so much mystery surrounding the topic? This accessible and to-the-point guide makes the broader landscape of menopause—beyond the physiology—more transparent.
If what you need is a level-headed friend to help walk you through the litany of fears to face, questions to ask, and practical decisions to make throughout your transition, this indispensable primer offers no-nonsense, straightforward information about what to expect and how to navigate your path. It offers:
- Descriptions of common symptoms and options for managing them—when should you see a health practitioner and how do you talk to them?
- A refresher course on reproductive system anatomy, life cycle, and physiology—what are hormones and how do they influence your body?
- Insights about the medical and cultural histories of menopause—how are these stories influencing your experience of menopause today?
- Advice on how to get ready, notice changes, and call in support—what tools, practices, and supports are available and how do you assess what’s right for you?
It’s the ultimate companion for navigating a change in your body that changes you.
"The book grounds us in a deep understanding of the menstrual cycle so that we can understand what’s happening as the body transitions from ovulatory cycles into menopause. It offers a wide range of resources, from how to understand hormone replacement terminology to asking the big questions like, 'who am I now?' Moving quotes from women experiencing or having already experienced the transition from peri to post are interwoven throughout, punctuating the pages with a feeling of companionship and solidarity. I will be recommending The Menopause Companion widely!" —Nicole Jardim, certified women’s health coach and author of Fix Your Period
"Due to the misogynistic period stigma of our society, menstruation is often seen as an indicator of a menstruator’s utility—labeling their sole purpose as being the ability to reproduce. Thus, menopause is then framed as when that person might lose that usefulness. To battle this stigma, we need a fundamental shift to radically change how we consider, think, talk, and educate ourselves about periods/menopause, and also eradicate the way we value humans simply by some sort of patriarchal understanding of ‘utility’ in the first place. Reading The Menopause Companion is an amazing tool to aid in this conversation and to support reframing the experience around menopause to be a more empowering and understood one." —Nadya Okamoto, CEO and cofounder of August and author of Period Power: A Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement