Dare I Say It

Starred review from December 15, 2024
Destigmatizing and demystifying menopause and its effects. In the voice of a wise but self-effacing older sister, actor and entrepreneur Watts offers an engaging contribution to the growing body of publications that seek to enlarge and center discussions of menopause and the dizzying range of its physical and psychological effects on women and their families. Citing research from more than 50 doctors and credentialed experts on women's health, Watts elucidates the effects of menopausal symptoms and explores treatments for many of them, including fluctuating sex hormone levels, disrupted sleep, anxiety, hot flashes, brain fog, weight gain, UTIs, and heart palpitations. The roll call of corporeal discomforts is harrowing, but the author shares with brio and humor many of her own experiences with these symptoms and their subsequent remedies, organically interleaving disarming stories about her fertility struggles and the menopausal symptoms she began experiencing in her mid-30s, around the same time she began to seriously consider starting a family. The medical experts Watts interviewed share actionable advice on alleviating menopausal symptoms through diet, exercise, and sleep hygiene. They also discuss hormone replacement therapy at length, which was first available in the 1960s. HRT grew increasingly popular through the 1990s, but in 2002, the Women's Health Initiative made the now-discredited announcement that HRT had carcinogenic effects on some women. HRT has been making a comeback, aided by Susan Dominus' 2023New York Times article, "Women Have Been Misled About Menopause." Watts herself has been a happy beneficiary of the treatment. Perhaps what's most winning about this book, ultimately, is its author's pro-aging message. In a society that values youth above all else, Watts celebrates women's inherent value, no matter their age.

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December 1, 2024
In this marvelously candid menopause memoir, actor and producer Watts shares her experiences with and feelings about hot flashes, infertility issues, UTIs, and more. She weaves in insights from her interviews with prominent experts, including JoAnn Manson, a Harvard professor of women's health, and Bobbi Brown, the makeup mogul. The result is empowering, funny, and racy. She titles her introduction, "What the Eff Is Menopause?" When she is about to be intimate for the first time with her now-husband, actor Billy Crudup, she blurts out that she's in early menopause and wears hormone patches. He wins her over by saying he's got gray hairs on his balls. Watts offers many helpful health tips and explains that while she loves using hormone replacement therapy to prevent night sweats and keep her on an "even emotional keel,"" it's a personal choice. One caveat: Watts frequently mentions her company, Stripes Beauty. (Its tagline: "Skincare for down there. Honor the vag.") Overall, this menopause guide with its many humorous asides feels like a reassuring, spill-the-tea gabfest with a wise and witty friend.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Watts' stardom is a big shiny magnet, and the intimate subject matter will amp up interest in this frank and helpful menopause chronicle.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.