Autistic Menopause: A Guide to the Menopausal Transition for Autistic People and those Supporting Them

by Julie Gamble-Turner, Rachel Moseley

Having menopausal symptoms as an autistic person can feel isolating and confusing. You might be wondering why you are feeling so lost or why your experience doesn't seem anything like other people's.

Here to provide you with clarity are Dr. Rachel Moseley, who is autistic herself, and Professor Julie Gamble-Turner, who has personal experience of the menopause. They combine their years of experience researching autism, health and wellbeing to bring you this indispensable book. Drawing on the powerful voices of sixteen autistic experts, chapters cover everything from understanding why being autistic will affect your experience of the menopause to advice about finding the strategies that work for you and seeking help. You will learn how the menopause can cause changes to your emotions, attention and memory as well as affect things like sensory issues, masking and communication, giving you tools to manage changes effectively and, most importantly, provide reassurance that you're not alone.

Whether you're an autistic person currently going through the menopause, are not yet menopausal, or have come out the other side, this book provides the knowledge and support you have been missing.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Medical, Feminism

256 pages, Paperback

Published January 21, 2026

Reviews

[Josephine · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a late-diagnosed autistic woman going through a long and difficult late-onset menopause, this book is a total lifesaver. Thank-you to the authors for writing it. It filled me with deep grief, anger and exasperation but it also made me feel less alone. My own doctor's surgery didn't take any notice of a desperate hand-written letter given in person, where I expressed a desire to no longer be alive. Thankfully, I have a very supportive husband and am still here. This book is invaluable.

[Kara Jorgensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was recommended by a friend, and while I think it was a good source of info, there is an obvious need for more studies on autism and menopause/perimenopause. Also, UK, what is up with your healthcare system and its weird thing against HRT?? Even the menopausal cis ladies struggle to get it. The US isn't like this nearly as often, and it's bizarre to see how other countries handle it even worse than we do in the US.

[Rainbow Goth · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 starts rounded up. I did think this book was well written, and I thought it was well executed.

However, my main concern is that it just makes me more angry. Women have been failed for so long, across so many health conditions.

Autism has been seen as a "male" condition for such a long time.

Women's pain, their symptoms and their suffering have been underplayed and ignored, and I just do not understand why we're not more angry about it.

The main issue with this book is that, while it's well written, engaging and helpful, there is no evidence of what we're actually doing about this gap.

How are we planning to educate doctors, healthcare professionals and the general public? How do we take generations of dismissing women and their health and dispel generations of miseducation?

I feel like, while the research was well presented and this is a guidebook for autistic women and the people who care for them, there is just something missing.

We almost need a call to action, or we're going to be in the same situation 20 years from now.

[Indi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is great, I really appreciate all the information being in one place. Menopause, autism, how they interact and can become vicious circles, how being late diagnosed is in the picture (and why so many AFAB people end up being diagnosed with autism or other neurodiversity in peri/menopause). I really love all the comments and opinions from the autistic experts (a bunch of autistic AFAB people who are close to menopause stage) and it's awesome to see how I'm not alone in my experiences.

[Rie Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad I found this book. I read in preparation for an appointment and found so much information making me feel less alone in this stage of life - perimenopause/PMDD/AuDHD mixing together to make me feel like I'm losing my mind. Thank you to the authors and the autistic experts who made me feel like I will get through this.

[Dora Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Autistic Menopause looks like a thoughtful and much needed resource for autistic people navigating the menopausal transition, as well as those supporting them.

One of the most valuable aspects of this book is its recognition that menopause can feel particularly confusing and isolating when experienced alongside autism. Changes in emotions, attention, memory, sensory sensitivities, masking and communication can create challenges that are not always recognised or understood through conventional menopause guidance.

I particularly appreciate the combination of research expertise and personal experience brought by Rachel Moseley and Julie Gamble Turner. The inclusion of perspectives from sixteen autistic experts also sounds like a meaningful strength, ensuring that lived experience remains central to the conversation.

The practical focus on finding individual strategies, understanding changes and seeking appropriate support makes this more than an informative overview. It appears to offer reassurance and recognition to readers who may have struggled to explain why their menopausal experience feels different from what they expected.

Most importantly, the book addresses an area where greater awareness and understanding are needed. It looks like a valuable resource for autistic people at different stages of the menopausal transition, healthcare professionals and anyone seeking to provide more informed, compassionate support.

[Bernadette Grosjean · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book on one of the most overlooked struggles for so many women, and autistic women in particular. Did you know that estrogen receptors are found throughout the brain? So brain fog is not “just getting old,” and burnout in your fifties is something to consider, because suicide is sometimes not far from despair. Written in the words of the women who agreed to take part, it is a must-have for so many of us: women, the men who live with them, and all the professionals who can help instead of invalidating our experience.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book should be called Autistic Menopause for the Woke. Moving on, they talked about symptoms, which I already knew and basically said the symptoms are worse for the neurodivergent. Wow! Mind blowing information 😒 Then they said for help look at HRT, staying home more, and talking to friends/family. What?! No way! So helpful 😐 Money invested: $0.00. Time invested: about 3 hours. Goodbye time.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was split into two parts. As I have read multiple books on both parts the information was virtually useless to me. I didn’t learn anything new. Maybe it will help if you have never learned about menopause. The first part is The mechanics of menopause and the second is autistic perspectives on their experiences with life and menopause. No scientific backing in how autistic women experience menopause differently. No helpful coping strategies. Just stories. All of it told from a very progressive author who felt the need to continually use the terms AFAB (which I had to google) and CisGender.
I suppose if can help some people feel less alone in hearing other’s stories. Personally I was hoping to learn how the autistic or AuDHD brain and body react differently than neurotypical women in menopause. However I am aware there aren’t a whole lot of studies on this topic. Heck there aren’t even enough studies on women.