The Perfect Menopause: 7 Steps to the Best Time of Your Life

I am fortunate enough to live in the Rochester area and Dr. Hess has taken me as a new patient. I read his book prior to my first visit and was informed enough to have an intelligent discussion regarding my issues. I am a 43 year old woman with weight gain, mood swings, mental fogginess, low libido and fatigue. I just didn’t understand why I had changed so much in such a short period of time and knew I needed help. I was mis-diagnosed with anti-depressants which only added more weight, more mental fogginess and lack of energy.

Dr. Hess’ book pointed to something I never considered - lack of testosterone. We did the blood work that no one else ever considered before and identified this is indeed the problem.

In his book, Dr. Hess helps you understand you need to address your menopause holistically - mind, body, spirit. I am exercising more and eating healthier. I am taking a small dose of testosterone. No more anti-depressant, no more fatigue and no more weight issues.

Dr. Hess does a great job as a myth buster regarding hormone therapy. You do not have to be afraid of hormones - you just have to be informed. It is time to start managing your menopause. Written in laymen’s terms, this book is a must have and make sure you share it with your doctor!

I am so grateful to have found a way to help myself. Many thanks to Dr. Hess for focusing his career on menopausal issues - this could be a life changing experience for all women.

Rating: 5 / 5
The Perfect Menopause: 7 Steps to the Best Time of Your Life

This is an important book for woman and men no matter what their age because there’s not only a lack of information about menopause, even among physicians and other health care providers, but also there has been an astounding amount of mis-information recently which could result in serious consequences for those who are mislead by it. Dr. Henry M. Hess is a gynecologist, chemist, natural therapist and menopause expert who has spent the past 25 years traveling the world learning and teaching about all aspects of menopause therapies as well as helping patients in their search for relief from menopause’s symptoms. (Apparently most medical schools and reputable OB/GYN residencies provide very little teaching and experience on menopause). I love the title and the tag line: “7 Steps to the best Time of Your Life.” This is a promise on which the doctor delivers, spectacularly.

The book itself should be an inspiration to other authors. Written with Tiffany Farrell, a medical writer specializing in women’s health, it is clear, concise, identifies and addresses reader concerns plus provides charts, questions, schedules and case studies that make the subject immediate and real. “Your menopause is not your mother’s menopause,” Dr. Hess writes, “or even your sisters. So much more is known today about all aspects of menopause than even just a few years ago…” My own wife went through menopause five years ago and I now feel I understand it in a way I wish I had back then. Some facts: “The average woman will spend one-third or more of her life in menopause,” “Before 1900, most women did not live long enough to experience menopause,” “Hot flashes and night sweats last for 4-5 years for most menopausal woman; for at least 10% of women, they will last for the rest of their lives” and, very significantly “The famous hormone study of 2002 showed that estrogen causes breast cancer, but recent analysis of this data and additional new studies, show that estrogen use may actually prevent breast cancer for many younger postmenopausal women in at least the first five years of use.”

There are three categories of therapies for menopause: natural therapies, medicinal therapies and hormone therapies. This book addresses the pros and cons of each type. It answers big questions, such as, “What are the differences between natural, synthetic and compound hormones?” and equally important smaller ones, like: “Is a patch a better means of delivery than taking estrogen orally?”– it is. We also learn that “natural” does not necessarily mean safer. Permarin is advertised as a natural hormone because it comes from an animal source (pregnant mares’ urine) but that doesn’t mean it’s natural to humans. I really admire Dr. Hess’s honesty. About proper eating habits: “Most of us really don’t know the elements of a healthy diet, even though we think we do…and the medical profession’s new understanding (of nutrition) has not been effectively translated into practice.” And with regard to sex: “A stale emotional relationship and/or a stale sexual relationship is one of the most significant causes of female sexual dysfunction at any age!” Yes, there is an excellent section on male menopause too.

Like any map, there’s more than one way to reach a goal. Dr Hess presents all of the possibilities in this single, easy to understand book. It is exactly what we need to know.

Rating: 5 / 5
The Perfect Menopause: 7 Steps to the Best Time of Your Life