Endless POFibilities -- September 1999

New Book: The Menopause, HRT and You

Date: September 5, 1999
From: Caroline Hawkridge

Can I ask you to include the following thank you in your next newsletter alongside the review? I would very much like to acknowledge your group’s help in the early days:

Some of you may recall a small item in the September 1997 newsletter that asked for help with my book? At the time, I was still recovering from my own early menopause (due to ovarian surgery) and was trying to make contact with women across the world. I was delighted to hear from Catherine Corp and very grateful when she published my request. In those days, the newsletter was only on paper and she was working all hours to set up the Web-site. Two years later, the US POF Support Group has blossomed! The UK group has also grown to several hundred members and my book is out - finally! There are two US women in it and two Australians as well as British women.

Penguin have published it as 'The Menopause, HRT and You' (an up-to-date and practical guide for women of all ages). It has three chapters for younger women who lack hormones for various reasons, e.g. premature menopause, ovarian surgery, cancer treatment and genetic conditions. Although it will not be available in US bookshops (different publishing market), US members can get it through the Internet (www.amazon.co.uk and www.penguin.co.uk). It is available locally in UK and Eire and will be out shortly in Australia, NZ, and South Africa. The US POF Support Group is listed in the back so I hope that women find their way to you through the book. I was also pleased to thank Catherine Corp for her help in my Acknowledgments. Even though she was very busy and we had several computer glitches, we managed to stay in touch!

My best wishes to you all,
Caroline Hawkridge

The Menopause, HRT and You

An up-to-date and practical guide for women of all ages
By Caroline Hawkridge
Reviewed by Lisa Branick

This informative book is a welcome resource for women experiencing POF and menopause. Topics include full explanations of anatomy and sexual development, the menstrual cycle, ways that hormones work, hormonal count-down, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), specific side-effects and controversy about HRT, heart disease, cancer and osteoporosis as well as alternative remedies and future treatments.

The author integrates women’s stories with each topic or chapter to enable the reader to better understand and learn information. From reading this book you are better prepared to consider heath care options since it provides differing views regarding topics such as HRT, natural progesterone and alternative remedies. There is a chapter titled premature menopause and the author states she had early menopause.

I found the book to be extremely helpful and comforting. It should be recommended to all women who are experiencing POF and who are searching for some explanations to related topics.

(Also, the POF Support Group is mentioned in the help section.)