I listened to 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 by Maisie Hill as an audiobook, and I felt it was such an important book that I've also bought a physical copy to refer back to, and dip in and out of.
Everyone should read this book. If you are a woman (or not a cisgendered man), or if you love any women and want to understand what they have to endure, you should read this book.
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𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁.
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The book itself is a MUST read for anyone with a uterus and or 'female' reproductive organs. While Maisie Hill herself states that there are some limitations in the information portrayed within the book, from an inclusive perspective, she does try to make the information as inclusive as possible.
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𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 '𝗳𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲' 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝘀. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻.
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The book is full of useful information, and while the thought of menopause might fill you with dread, knowledge really is power.
I started my periods when I was 10, and so while I'm only in my mid 30s now, I really wouldn't be surprised if I started perimenopause early too - based on what I've learned about perimenopause recently (and what I've unlearned because what I thought I knew isn't true) I may already be experiencing it.
If you're anything like me, you'd rather feel prepared for it, and Perimenopause Power will absolutely equip you with a lot of knowledge.
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𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗡𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝟭𝟯 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗞 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗹. 𝗕𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟱𝟬 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗱𝗿𝘂𝗽𝗹𝗲.
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Given the history of medicine in relation to women, and how underserved women still are by the medical community, it is no surprise that data and research on perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause is limited.
The are many aspects of female/non-male biology that are still in their infancy in terms of our understanding, but Perimenopause Power does provide a lot of information from what IS currently known.
You'll find a lot of myth-busting amongst these pages, including the fact that menopause does not occur because 'eggs run out'. I'm certain we were taught this at school, and it is ridiculous that this is only now being recognised, but better late than never I guess.
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𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝗳𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲, 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗰 𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲.
𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱, 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘀.
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗿𝘆, 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗵𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹, 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹, 𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀.
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Hill also shares a lot of information about different treatments for perimenopause, ranging from herbal supplements to hormone replacement therapy (commonly known as HRT), which is part of the reason why I've also bought a physical copy to refer back to - there is a lot of great information here.
Far from praising one treatment and shunning others, Hill reiterates that everyone's perimenopause journey is different, and that we need to accept a degree of flexibility, because as our bodies change our symptoms will too, and the treatments we need may change as a result.
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𝗛𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘂𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗜'𝗺 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘆.
𝗛𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮 (𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱: 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹) 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘂𝘀.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 - 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘂𝘀 - 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗵𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘆.
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Hill also challenges a lot of historical and sexist language (and attitudes) that continue to pervade and permeate through our society.
Why are young girls and women still shamed about periods? Why are older women shamed about menopause? And why is a uterectomy still referred to as a hysterectomy? It's about time all of this stigma was broken down, and society changed. After all, anything you can do, we can do bleeding.
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𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝟱𝟭, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲.
𝗠𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗱. 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲, 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱, 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘆𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘀.
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Perimenopause Power was such an important and inspirational book that it led to me and a colleague delivering a training session about menopause, where my colleague felt empowered to share her personal experiences - something she had previously felt ashamed to talk about.
Hill also includes lots of resources of where to get support with perimenopause, what to do if your doctor doesn't treat it as seriously as they should, and how we can best support ourselves through this process. I'd encourage everyone to check out Maisie's website (maisiehill.com) and will absolutely be following Maisie Hill and reading more of her works in the future.
And I will be dipping into my copy of Perimenopause Power for a good while to come, I'm sure.