This month I am highlighting the book “The Menopause Manifesto: Own Your Health with Facts and Feminism” by Dr. Jen Gunter. Here’s another resource addressing perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause transitions for women. Dr. Gunter debunks misogynistic attitudes and challenges the over-mystification of menopause unveiling the things we truly need to know about. This book is filled with practical, reassuring information and a guide for women as they experience menopause.
Gunter’s book is a feminist manifesto, not a tame scientific review of medical problems and their treatments. She is angry and not afraid to show it. She is angry about the invisibility of menopause and aging women in culture and in medicine. She is fed up with the insidious effects of the patriarchy on women’s minds and bodies. She is outraged that women have to fight to even know how their bodies work. She wants something better for women, especially as they age and transition into menopause. She believes that every woman should know as much about what to expect at menopause as any well-informed gynecologist. As she says, this will require “facts and feminism”; both evidence-based information about the menopause transition to combat stereotypes, inaccuracies and outright lies . . . and the moxie to stand up against the patriarchal status quo.
I found value in the information Dr. Gunter provides in her book. Unfortunately, Dr. Gunter is not a proponent of chiropractic care. As a chiropractor, I understand the concerns some medical doctors may have about chiropractic care, but I respectfully disagree. Chiropractic adjustments, grounded in years of training and evidence, offer effective, non-invasive solutions for many patients, experiencing different conditions. Integrative care, including chiropractic, can complement traditional medicine and provide a holistic approach to health.
Dr. Gunter is a Canadian-American gynecologist, a New York Times columnist covering women’s health, and an author and a specialist in chronic pain medicine and vulvovaginal disorders.
For more information about Dr. Gunter and her book, visit her website.