A lot of words that start with the letter “M” are wonderful and beautiful things. Motherhood. Marriage. Massage. Meditation. For most women, however, menopause isn’t one of those “M” words that inspire visions of wonder and beauty. Culturally, menopausal women are looked upon as forgetful, cranky, indecisive and beyond childbearing, but it wasn’t always this way. In fact, many cultures celebrated the wise woman in her “crone” years, considering her a wealth of knowledge and wisdom.

At 35, I am not looking forward to menopause, even though there is a part of me that’s been anxiously awaiting my last menstrual cycle since I was 11-years-old. As I watched my mother begin to go through it, as well as many of the older women in my life, I started to ask myself if having a period was really all that bad when compared to the downside of menopause.

While I probably still have a good five to ten years before I sink into perimenopause (at least I hope, anyway,) I am still curious about what to expect. I’ve been finding myself browsing book stores and library shelves for educational materials on menopause, and many of them are daunting volumes that rival the dictionary. Chock full of medical terminology I’d need a dictionary to understand and  process, I usually walk away without picking them up. In the last six months, I’ve been offered the opportunity to check out some great books to review. Recently, I was given a copy of Rebecca Hulem’s “Feelin’ Hot?’ Described as a humorous, informative and truthful look at menopause, I had an inkling of hope as I cracked the cover and started reading.

Hulem’s writing stile is familiar and friendly. As she goes through the symptoms we can look forward to (or dread, depending on your perspective,) she approaches them in a simple-to-understand and often comedic fashion. She explores the different treatments available to alleviate symptoms, such as hormone replacement therapy, holistic vitamin and herbal supplements and physical activity.

One of the neatest things about Hulem’s book was her methodical approach to treatment called SHOP. SHOP stands for Select a Health Care Provider who is Open to your Point of view. The fact that as women, we love to shop, makes this an almost perfect analogy, as we should carefully consider a health care provider who understands our viewpoint, rather than just subjecting ourselves to whatever the doctor orders.

Menopause is a time in our lives when we have little to no control over the changes our body is going through, but we don’t have to subject ourselves to the symptoms that come with it. There are treatments out there; it’s just up to you and your doctor to determine what’s right for you.

On a personal level, I was glad I read this book, as it did make some of the information a lot of other experts make difficult for every day people to understand. If you have questions about menopause, I highly recommend “Feelin’ Hot?”

“Feelin’ Hot?” is an RJH Communications LLC book available for just $14.95. For more information about The Menopause Expert, Rebecca Hulem, visit her official website.

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