Review: The Smart Woman’s Guide to the Menopause

While the cover didn’t speak to me, the content did. With articles on bones, beauty and bedtime, there’s more to The Smart Woman’s Guide to the Menopause than expected.

The strap line ‘Life’s most liberating stage‘ rings true.

New magazine The Smart Woman’s Guide to the Menopause didn’t appeal visually, but for £2.99 it was worth a try. From the makers of Woman magazine (not a publication I’d buy), it features articles on most aspects of the menopause.

Three phases of the menopause

The opening section explores the three phases of the menopause and how to identify which stage you may be at. While this won’t replace further reading, it is a useful quick guide to the aspects many women experience.

Articles cover the physical as well as emotional changes of the menopause, with particular openness about anxiety and depression. Strategies for sleep, sex and hot flushes figure alongside features about exercise, beneficial foods and HRT.  There is even a feature on menopause clothing and bedding.

It’s great seeing women with a handle on the menopause

Three pages of inspiring quotes from women, such as actresses Viola Davis and Gillian Anderson, explore the menopause. I like this shared experience approach, with one proviso. It’s great seeing women with a handle on the menopause, but with a team of stylists and make-up artists on hand we’d look in control too!

Good signposting of resources includes suggested books and an interview with Meg Matthews who runs the excellent megsmenopause.com.

Red wine and the menopause don’t mix

I like quick reads, so ’10 things you might not know about the MENOPAUSE’ is perfect. There is so much to remember at a time when you can walk across a room and forget why! One useful snippet is the discovery that red wine and the menopause don’t mix. (I thought it was just me that couldn’t handle a glass!)

On the upside – yes, there are pluses – memory loss is only temporary. Spasms and sleeplessness will go too. The real benefit is the creativity so many menopausal women discover. There is a feeling of liberation. Long may it continue.

Overall The Smart Woman’s Guide to the Menopause is optimistic and compassionate. Other women’s accounts about the symptoms and struggles of the menopause makes me feel much better about my own experiences. Talking, writing and reading about the ‘Big M’ is phenomenal and overdue. Women must be at the forefront of discussion and lead decision and policy making.

The Smart Woman’s Guide to the Menopause surprised me. I hope it paves the way for more like-minded publications.