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Cracking the Menopause

While Keeping Yourself Together

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Cracking the Menopause

By: Mariella Frostrup, Alice Smellie
Narrated by: Alice Smellie, Mariella Frostrup
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About this listen

'Essential reading for everyone' – Marian Keyes

This enlightening audiobook is passionately narrated by the authors, Mariella Frostrup with Alice Smellie.

It’s time for us to start talking about the menopause. Cracking the Menopause, from straight-talking broadcaster Mariella Frostrup and health journalist Alice Smellie, has all the information you need, delivered with characteristic wry humour.

It’s high time we renovated and elevated this life change. Despite the centuries of speculation and propaganda, we are not overheating or inherently cold, we are not hysterics or boiling vats of toxic poisons, we are not dried up or washed up, we are simply menopausal.

In this no-holds-barred guide, Mariella shares her own journey through the menopause, along with the latest science, advice from leading experts and humorous illustrations – to provide an informative source of wisdom and enlightenment.

Featuring case studies from women in every walk of life and all stages of their menopause journey, Cracking the Menopause opens up the conversation about an urgent topic that half the population will experience, but barely anyone is talking about. Designed to equip you with the knowledge to manage your symptoms from perimenopause onwards, this essential book separates the myths from the reality and offers expertise, hope and advice.

'I inhaled this book, it's fantastic. Women of all ages need to read it.' – Claudia Winkleman

'Mariella and Alice have just written one of the most important books of the year, bravo.' - Gabby Logan

 Adulthood & Aging Aging & Longevity Developmental Psychology Personal Development Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Self-Esteem Menopause Health Funny Witty Mental Health

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Critic reviews

A fresh, insightful take and a great read. (Helen Fielding)
Essential reading for everyone. (Marian Keyes)
I inhaled this book, it's fantastic. Women of all ages need to read it. It’s genuinely helped me understand why I wake up at 5 a.m. and made me laugh along the way. (Claudia Winkleman)
Cracking the Menopause should be mandatory for every medical student and pretty much anyone else who cares about the quality of a woman’s life over the age of forty. Mariella and Alice have just written one of the most important books of the year, bravo. (Gabby Logan)
Menopause is the dark matter of modern medicine, until now almost totally neglected. This book shrugs off generations of silence and stigma. It’s confessional, scientifically accurate and extremely funny. It’s for anyone who will experience the menopause themselves or who knows someone who will . . . so that’s basically everyone. (Dr Chris van Tulleken)
Optimistic, hilarious and informative. A rallying cry for women to love and look after themselves at any age. (Susannah Constantine)
This book is nothing short of revolutionary! Finally, some validation for women who’ve been swirling around aimlessly seeking answers in tomes of patriarchal gibberish. This book arrives at exactly the right time; a guidebook for that stage in life, previously only surviving in shadows and whispers. MENOPAUSE, at long last: a badge of honor. (Naomi Watts)
A fabulous read. For me, this is the first conversation around the menopause that is inclusive of ethnically diverse voices. This is a must-have, revolutionary book for everyone to read. (Dr Nighat Arif)
This friendly, feisty book has all the myth-busting facts, tactics and strategies we need to sail through menopause and not just survive, but thrive. (Alice Hart-Davis, founder of The Tweakments Guide)
Brilliantly well-informed, hugely helpful and, above all, empathetic to women’s needs: I wish I’d had this to read when my own perimenopause kicked in. (Saska Graville, MPowered Women)
A must-read for women of any age. It does not just crack the menopause, it makes it cool. I, for one, cannot wait to become a grumpy and free menopausal woman after reading this book. (Miriam Gonzalez Durantes)
It’s astounding and shocking that a process over half the world’s population will go through is still so poorly understood. This book goes a long way towards clearing up the myths and misconceptions that still surround the menopause. (Lydia Slater, Editor-in-Chief, Harper's Bazaar)
It’s fascinating, and a little scary that men are so ignorant about something that will probably significantly affect someone they’ve lived with for two decades! (Mark Pougatch)
All stars
Most relevant
I love this book and it was a joy to listen to other women’s experiences as I enter my 40s and perimenopause.
A relief to learn it’s not all down hill from here as we’ve been led to believe

An easy and enjoyable listen

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Really helpful to have read this and increase my overall understanding of body and mind through Peri menopause. Very positive suggestions and informative experiences from a broad range of women. Balanced view point on HRT and with a suitable or not for the individual. What a godsend to have been able to read this, or better still have it read by the author!

Excellent book for all women to read, of any age

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I’m so grateful for this book! The content is a combination of confirming, frustrating, educational and community-building. I am not alone in this transition toward my second spring….but blimey if women don’t have enough to battle.

This book offered a lot of information that will be applied or investigated further. It made me laugh (many time aloud!) and feel anger when I reflected on incidents during years where I was unknowingly peri-menopausal and support would have made all the difference, but as the book confirms, we don’t learn about it, or talk about it, and the medical profession doesn’t learn (consistently) enough about it so it often goes untreated, under-treated, ignored or misdiagnosed.

Crazy….I mean crazy! 50% of the population will experience this transition. There are how many symptoms that can start in our 30’s!!!????? And we aren’t told a thing!

Ending the silence.

Thank you Mariella and Alice. You’re both brilliant.

Brilliant audiobook.

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I’m a bloke and wanted to understand more. The Preface was was more than enough to set the scene and this book helped me understand what the menopause is and it’s impacts. I apologise now to my partner if I make mistakes and lack immediate understanding or awareness but I’m here on this journey with you

This book has helped understand what my mum went through and what my partner and I can expect, how I can be proactive, attentive and understanding at this moment in her life - thanks for the insight

I never knew!!

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Would probably have struggled to read it myself but 'audible' was great. Read Well, occasionally funny but oh so informative, well worth the listen.

Thumbs up

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