Menopause is having a moment in the spotlight after long being something women felt ashamed, scared, or ill-equipped to talk about. Part of this new attention is undeniably due to the efforts of actor and author Naomi Watts, elegantly enumerated in a foreword by expert Dr. Mary Claire Haver (The New Menopause; Demystifying Menopause). In Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I'd Known About Menopause, Watts is frank and engaging as she investigates the subject from many angles.
Watts found that there was a dearth of information when she was assessed as being in perimenopause--the phase of years leading up to menopause--at the relatively young age of 36, while undergoing fertility treatments. She wondered why nobody had ever mentioned to her what menopause actually entailed, and she set out to destigmatize these kinds of conversations and provide clear, candid information and guidance: "I thought that by sharing our stories, we could one day live in a world where we've cut away all the stigma associated with middle age, and it's the norm to be fully, authentically ourselves at any age."
Watts shares anecdotes as well as the most current medical knowledge and studies, in straightforward, accessible prose. She covers all aspects of menopause and perimenopause, including libido, nutrition, and medical care. Readers will find something of use in every chapter, delivered with humor and the conversational style of a good, learned friend.
Dare I Say It strips away the social stigma surrounding menopause, and will be useful for anyone wanting a personal guide. --Elizabeth DeNoma, executive editor, DeNoma Literary Services, Seattle, Wash.