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What Fresh Hell Is This?: Perimenopause, Menopause, Other Indignities, and You by Heather Corinna
riotsquirrrl's review against another edition
4.0
I admit that I got this book because I was hoping for some more concrete information on hormone use as a nonbinary person, only to find it a bit thin on the ground, at least in terms of the explicit content. But perhaps I am expecting too much from a book that tries to be a lot of things to a lot of different people.
Ultimately the section on hormones ended up being useful as an intro to the subject, although I don't have any concrete answers as to what I'm going to do. Probably a lot more talking with my endocrinologist, which is what the author suggests anyway. (There's a fair amount of hand-waving of how one should see one's health care practitioner for some sections, which is good in that this book can't provide the up to date info a medical practitioner can, and on the other hand allows the author to avoid getting too into the nitty gritty.)
I'm definitely keeping this book on my shelf as a reference as there's a lot of specific discussion for specific symptoms, and I haven't yet crossed that Rubicon. The format definitely makes it less of a book to read all the way through. Although really I wish the author had put the last chapter first because I think it's the most helpful thing structurally. The last chapter is all about how everyone the author talked about feels better post-menopause than they felt even before menopause. And I think that's what I needed more from a book like this right now than I do the specific advice on the process.
This is a book that is trying to cater to many different kinds of marginalizations, from financial to racial to gender minorities, which I think waters down the usefulness for specific groups. As in, while the author talks extensively about disabilities, especially their own disabilities, I think that a more focused book might be better for dealing with what people with physical disabilities or autism or adhd need during the process. Or a book about how to do menopause when broke might be more helpful. But I suppose that's the problem with any book meant to be a broad overview of a subject, as this book is.
And while I definitely found the author's imput about their own experience to be helpful at times, I think I could do without about a third of it. Like I'm not reading this book because I want to know the author's story, I'm reading it because there literally is nothing else out there about the subject for trans people.
Ultimately I think this book is useful because of its explicit feminist message that menopause can be an opportunity to reexamine one's relationship with others and with caretaking and can be an opportunity to focus on one's own needs instead, and the body will explicitly try to enforce this even if one would rather it didn't. Also menopause represents the opportunity to let go of societal beauty and body expectations, but it doesn't mean that people are relegated to involuntary celibacy because of going through menopause.
Ultimately the section on hormones ended up being useful as an intro to the subject, although I don't have any concrete answers as to what I'm going to do. Probably a lot more talking with my endocrinologist, which is what the author suggests anyway. (There's a fair amount of hand-waving of how one should see one's health care practitioner for some sections, which is good in that this book can't provide the up to date info a medical practitioner can, and on the other hand allows the author to avoid getting too into the nitty gritty.)
I'm definitely keeping this book on my shelf as a reference as there's a lot of specific discussion for specific symptoms, and I haven't yet crossed that Rubicon. The format definitely makes it less of a book to read all the way through. Although really I wish the author had put the last chapter first because I think it's the most helpful thing structurally. The last chapter is all about how everyone the author talked about feels better post-menopause than they felt even before menopause. And I think that's what I needed more from a book like this right now than I do the specific advice on the process.
This is a book that is trying to cater to many different kinds of marginalizations, from financial to racial to gender minorities, which I think waters down the usefulness for specific groups. As in, while the author talks extensively about disabilities, especially their own disabilities, I think that a more focused book might be better for dealing with what people with physical disabilities or autism or adhd need during the process. Or a book about how to do menopause when broke might be more helpful. But I suppose that's the problem with any book meant to be a broad overview of a subject, as this book is.
And while I definitely found the author's imput about their own experience to be helpful at times, I think I could do without about a third of it. Like I'm not reading this book because I want to know the author's story, I'm reading it because there literally is nothing else out there about the subject for trans people.
Ultimately I think this book is useful because of its explicit feminist message that menopause can be an opportunity to reexamine one's relationship with others and with caretaking and can be an opportunity to focus on one's own needs instead, and the body will explicitly try to enforce this even if one would rather it didn't. Also menopause represents the opportunity to let go of societal beauty and body expectations, but it doesn't mean that people are relegated to involuntary celibacy because of going through menopause.
traceyt's review against another edition
funny
informative
medium-paced
3.5
I didn’t learn anything new from this book, but it strived to be more inclusive
cimorene1558's review against another edition
5.0
Definitely my favourite menopause book. Not that I’ve read a lot, but I can’t imagine it not being my favourite. It’s inclusive, realistic, and makes me feel better by being totally honest about the whole menopause transition. Highly recommended.
dogswithnogs's review against another edition
5.0
A really throughout and compassionate guide to peri/menopause. I think any woman in her late 30s and up should read this. Also love that it’s inclusive and contains information for trans people as well.
loriz's review against another edition
5.0
An essential read for anyone for whom menopause is or will be relevant. Love that this book is gender-inclusive and intersectional, too.
elizelizelizeliz's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars rounded down.
as a 43-year-old with a uterus, perimenopause is something i have been working to learn about for several years, mostly through conversations with other queer friends who are my age or older. many formal menopause resources are very intensely gendered and implicitly (or explicitly) heterosexist, which has not felt like something that works for me. and since i am (thankfully!) amennhoreic because of my iud, the "you'll know you're in perimenopause when your periods get weird" isn't sufficient info. until 5 years ago, i didn't even really understand the difference between perimenopause and menopause! as a sex educator, i am always interested in new ways to understand bodies and their shifting experiences.
ANYWAY all that to say i am an easy target for this book. i learned a lot from it--less about the how-to-treat-perimenopause part, and more about the what it can look like, history of it, shifting my frame about it. did you know you can get new allergies in perimenopause? i didn't! and i had an anaphylactic reaction to a totally new food last week so it seems like key information! there were a lot of moments like that--where pieces really came together for me. and the hope of giving even less f's as time goes by was a constantly hopeful theme.
as a longtime fan of scarleteen, i am grateful to have heather corinna in this new life chapter! their voice, knowledge, and queer feminist approach are exactly what i want to walk me forward.
as a 43-year-old with a uterus, perimenopause is something i have been working to learn about for several years, mostly through conversations with other queer friends who are my age or older. many formal menopause resources are very intensely gendered and implicitly (or explicitly) heterosexist, which has not felt like something that works for me. and since i am (thankfully!) amennhoreic because of my iud, the "you'll know you're in perimenopause when your periods get weird" isn't sufficient info. until 5 years ago, i didn't even really understand the difference between perimenopause and menopause! as a sex educator, i am always interested in new ways to understand bodies and their shifting experiences.
ANYWAY all that to say i am an easy target for this book. i learned a lot from it--less about the how-to-treat-perimenopause part, and more about the what it can look like, history of it, shifting my frame about it. did you know you can get new allergies in perimenopause? i didn't! and i had an anaphylactic reaction to a totally new food last week so it seems like key information! there were a lot of moments like that--where pieces really came together for me. and the hope of giving even less f's as time goes by was a constantly hopeful theme.
as a longtime fan of scarleteen, i am grateful to have heather corinna in this new life chapter! their voice, knowledge, and queer feminist approach are exactly what i want to walk me forward.