The Second Puberty: A Guide to Surviving and Thriving in Perimenopause

From two leading physicians and perimenopause experts, a comprehensive guide to a critically misunderstood and under-researched phase of women’s lives

After years of being overlooked by mainstream medicine and culture, menopause is finally receiving the attention it’s due. But one major reproductive health cycle in every woman’s life is still hiding in the shadows: perimenopause.

It’s generally assumed that women suffer the worst symptoms during menopause, but perimenopause is actually the time when women most struggle with an onslaught of invasive bodily changes, from weight gain, hair loss, and brain fog to low libido, depression, and trouble sleeping. The arrival and intensity of perimenopausal symptoms are often not only unexpected but met with a collective shrug by the medical community, leaving women adrift when it comes to understanding the complexity of this biological chapter and how best to address its many challenges.

In Estrogen, Interrupted, ob-gyns, medical researchers, and perimenopause experts Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su and Amy Voedisch demystify the changes women experience during perimenopause, explaining what is happening in their bodies and empowering them with evidence-based treatments. While hormones play a decisive role in perimenopausal symptoms, Drs. Dunsmoor-Su and Voedisch emphasize that lifestyle factors such as nutrition, stress levels, mental health, exercise, and physical health also directly impact their severity.

Estrogen, Interrupted is a book for the millions of women who want to understand the constellation of symptoms they may begin to experience as early as their mid-thirties―and that can persist for a decade or more. Weaving research and practical takeaways alongside moving stories from the doctors’ own lives and clinical practices, Drs. Dunsmoor-Su and Voedisch provide women with a roadmap for reclaiming control of their bodies and lives during this transformative chapter.