Te ruahinetanga | menopause transitions are highly individualised experiences that are often surrounded by social stigmas. Menopause and peri-menopause symptoms can occur in a wide and diverse range of ways that can affect a persons quality of life in vastly different ways. World Menopause Day is celebrated every year on October 18th to raise awareness and encourage the sharing of experiences and knowledge to help reduce stigma around this natural stage of life.
We’ve created a reading list that includes a selection of new titles and popular staples, exploring both personal experiences and medical know-how. Browse through our Te ruahinetanga | Menopause list on Libby, which includes eBooks, eAudiobooks and Magazines on the topic. And since this year’s theme is Cardiovascular Disease don’t miss our upcoming free Heart Health Check at Kilbirnie Library.
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 also 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
The M word : everything you need to know about the menopause / Kaye, Philippa
“The menopause does not have to mean the end of your libido, of sex, or of feeling like yourself. The M Word is a complete guide to the perimenopause and menopause, covering everything from symptoms to treatments and lifestyle advice. With a positive and uplifting tone, this book will help you not just survive, but thrive through the menopause.”(Adapted from Catalogue)
Menopause & You (eMagazine)
The menopause is an inevitable part of a woman’s life, and yet every woman’s menopause journey is different. Some sail through with barely any symptoms, whereas others struggle to keep up with the mental and physical changes involved. Discover how to manage, reduce and even prevent symptoms. Take control today and enjoy life’s most liberating stage. (Overdrive description)
The power decade : how to thrive after menopause / Saunders, Susan
“The menopause for many women is a daunting time of change, of unexpected health challenges, of rollercoaster emotions and unprecedented shifts in how we feel physically and emotionally. But we emerge wiser than before, and stronger than we know. For many, the years immediately post-menopause bring other seismic changes too – the decade that takes us from our early 50s to early 60s is a time for us to take stock, to power ahead, to decide who we are and how we want to live as we face the future. ” (Adapted from Catalogue)
‘What’s wrong with me?’ : 101 things midlife women need to know / Candy, Lorraine (eAudiobook)
“Tackling everything from empty nest, career reinvention, sex, marriage, brain fog, burnout, perimenopause and menopause this laugh out loud memoir is a pathfinder for women whose messy midlife rage caught them by surprise as they embrace this liberating and transformational new stage of life.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
FAQs on menopause / Robinson, Julie
“No question is too simple, too embarrassing, too rude or too offbeat to be included in this book of FAQ’s. Asked by thousands of people just like you this short but powerful book is a helpful and practical guide to managing your menopause symptoms. Read at your leisure, or dip in and out when you most need the support- use this book to shine a light on the problems and feelings that are making you uncomfortable or unhappy, and to bring them out of the shadows.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
The definitive guide to the perimenopause & menopause / Newson, Louise
“Menopause affects 51% of the population. Yet despite increased awareness in recent years, so much of the menopause remains a mystery. Here, Dr Louise Newson, the UK’s leading menopause specialist, breaks remaining taboos with the definitive guide to menopause.”(Adapted from Catalogue)
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)
Hot and bothered : what no one tells you about menopause and how to feel like yourself again / Dunn, Jancee
“When Jancee Dunn hit her mid-forties, she was bombarded by seemingly random symptoms: rampant insomnia, spring-loaded nerves, weirdly dry mouth, and Rio Grande-level periods. After finally discovering the culprit–perimenopause– Jancee realised she was unprepared. Hot and Bothered is clear, with easy-to-follow advice to help you reclaim yourself–and fully embrace life’s next chapter.” (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)
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)
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)
