World Menopause Day is celebrated every year on October 18th to raise awareness and encourage the sharing of experiences and knowledge to reduce stigma around this natural stage of life. This year’s theme is Brain Fog and Memory Difficulties in Menopause. Te ruahinetanga | Menopause transition journeys are highly individualised experiences, where a range of different symptoms can occur, with varying levels of severity affecting qualities of life in different ways.
We’ve created a reading list that includes a selection of new titles and popular staples, exploring both personal experiences and medical know-how around the inevitable transitions that our bodies can go through.
To access online resources in our collection, browse through our Te ruahinetanga | Menopause list on Libby, which includes eBooks, eAudiobooks and Magazines on the topic. You can also look back at our 2021 World Menopause Day post where Menopause over Martinis founder Sarah Connor shared her personal experience of perimenopause, and how that lead to the founding of her company and an awareness raising journey.
For further online information check out the Australasian Menopause Society, who provide access to resources that aim to bridge the gap between healthcare providers and people experiencing menopause, ensuring accurate and evidence-based information is available to the wider community. You can download their printable infographic poster in both English and te reo Māori. New Zealand Family Planning also provides helpful advice for managing symptoms of menopause, and information on treatments and clinics available across Aotearoa.
Spread the word, begin a conversation with a loved one or deepen your knowledge through our reading lists to help de-stigmatise te ruahinetanga | menopause today.
Reading List
Don’t sweat it : how to make ‘the change’ a good one / Pellegrino, Nicky
“Forget the myths and misinformation, respected health writer Nicky Pellegrino includes the latest research in this wonderfully candid, warm, and witty investigation into the realities of menopause. Nicky shares her own insights into this often-challenging phase of life, and interviews the experts for the latest credible research to help women make the right choice for themselves. Taking an upbeat approach to managing ‘the change’ to reshape how women experience menopause and show how life can be even better for it.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
This changes everything : the honest guide to menopause and perimenopause / Bezzant, Niki
“Niki Bezzant shares the latest specialist research and advice along with personal stories from real women to answer the most important questions women have about the hottest of topics. From bodies to mental health, alcohol to our stressful working lives, fertility to relationships, natural remedies to HRT, she dispels the myths and confusion around menopause – with a healthy side-serve of calling out sexism and snake-oil along the way.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
Queen menopause : finding your majesty in the mayhem / Daddo, Alison
“A friendly, frank, compassionate and comprehensive companion for any woman experiencing menopause, or anyone wondering what to expect. Through sharing her own experience in a very real way, Ali hopes that women won’t feel so alone. Queen Menopause is the book Ali wishes she’d had when she was approaching menopause – so she could have been better prepared for what was coming, embraced the process and felt supported. This is for all women.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
Menopause : a comic treatment
“A collection of comics presenting diverse views of menopause. Contributors address a range of life experiences, ages, gender identities, ethnicities, and health conditions.” (Catalogue)
Next level : your guide to kicking ass, feeling great, and crushing goals through menopause and beyond / Sims, Stacy T
“A renowned exercise and nutrition scientist provides active women approaching or experiencing menopause with all the training and nutrition advice they need to build a strong fitness foundation to keep them strong and capable as they age.” (Catalogue)
Cracking the menopause : while keeping yourself together / Frostrup, Mariella
“Straight-talking broadcaster Mariella Frostrup and award-winning health journalist Alice Smellie equip you with the knowledge you need to manage your symptoms from perimenopause onwards. Separating the myths from the reality and offering expertise, hope and advice, to open up the conversation about an urgent topic that half the population will experience, but barely anyone is talking about.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
Hormone repair manual : every woman’s guide to healthy hormones after 40 / Briden, Lara
“Naturopath Lara Briden has more than 20 years’ experience in women’s health and her fresh approach aims to overturn the stigma of perimenopause and menopause to show women that many symptoms are temporary and manageable. Backed by evidence-based research and case studies, this is a reassuring guide to soothing, nourishing and strengthening your body, mind and spirit during this time of change.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
The menopause manifesto : own your health with facts and feminism / Gunter, Jen
“The only thing predictable about menopause is its unpredictability. Factor in widespread misinformation, a lack of research, and the culture of shame around women’s bodies, and it’s no wonder women are unsure what to expect. Menopause is a planned change, and just like puberty we should be educated on what’s to come years in advance. This essential guide will revolutionize how women experience menopause.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
Older and wider : a survivor’s guide to the menopause / Eclair, Jenny
“Jenny Eclair’s hilarious, irreverent and refreshingly honest compendium of the menopause is a whistle-stop tour of the menopause in all its glory, that will make you realise that it really isn’t just you. As Jenny says, ‘I can’t say that I’ve emerged like a beautiful butterfly from some hideous old menopausal chrysalis and it would be a lie to say that I’ve found the ‘old me’ again. But what I have found is the ‘new me’ – and you know what? I’m completely cool with that.'” (Adapted from Catalogue)
Perimenopower / Wilk, Katarina
“There may be up to fifteen years of hormonal changes in a woman’s body before she reaches the point where her periods stop. These years can be turbulent both emotionally and physically as our hormones fluctuate from our mid-thirties, so do the needs of our bodies. With the right lifestyle and dietary changes, you can turn the perimenopause into a powerful life transition towards a stronger, healthier and happier you.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
