I am not a beliver in many things. I am a hard core skeptic. But I am sold on this book. I have bought multiple copies and handed them out to my girlfriends, something I have never done before.

This books will inform you at the very least. Some people in the reviews say Dr. Lee's science is bad. While he explains what happens at the celluar level with hormones, this isn't a science book. I think there is still a great deal about women's bodies in particular that we just don't understand. Science or no science, my experience and that of many other women speaks for itself. I would agree though, that before starting any type of HRT, you should consult with your doctor.

I had all the troubles of a hormone shift described in this book. Not only were they getting worse, they had a compoubnding effect. I was finding it hard to sleep at night and that worsened the mood and energy levels during the day. I was exercising 5 times a week with a very good personal trainer, watching my nutrition without seeing a change in my BMI. I am a very stable, naturally happy, healthy, and together person, but I was feeling out of control of my emotions and my life. And I was managing people. It was starting to hurt my rapport with my employees.

For three years, I complained to my doctor who ran all the blood tests to see if there was an imbalance and couldn't find anything. But I just knew that it was a hormone thing. I started my research and this is the only book I found written specifically for women in their thirties who aren't pregnant. I read this book and it was like an epiphany. I talked to my doctor about it and she agreed pretty much with what Doctors Lee and Hanley had to say beacause I have no other health problems. And, talking to my older sisters and my mother, there seems to be a family history of estrogen dominance (which can be caused by estrogen levels that are too high or too low - something Dr. Lee points out). She put me on natural progesterone pills. Within 6 weeks, I dropped 2 pants sizes, and had no more PMS symptoms to speak of. I was back to being myself. I continue to do very well. I have been able to cut back on the exercise, I can eat more freely without the bloating and weight gain, and I am feeling much more in control of myself and my life. My doctor tells me that natural progesterone can't really hurt you (unless pregnant). My mother's doctor told her the same thing and she is 84!

Perimenopause is a marketing construct, intended to sell drugs, books and other products by instilling self-doubt and insecurity. Resist the effort to pathologize everything about women's bodies.

Perimenopause is a marketing construct, intended to sell drugs, books and other products by instilling self-doubt and insecurity. Resist the effort to pathologize everything about women's bodies.

I found this book very informative and gave it to my daughter, too. I believe women of any age can benefit from reading this book and it is worthy of giving to other women in the gift of friendship.

Well, it's a great book I had it two days and now my mom has it. She loves it.

Well, it's a great book I had it two days and now my mom has it. She loves it.

this is a great book the facts and truth about menopause what the doctors are pushing --the book does not sat why but we all can figure it out---the drug companies and money not that the book is about this at all --the book is just facts about estrogen and bones and cancers and WHY and WHAT to DO
this is a most have kind of book
i am using the directing of this book it works
it works
buy 2
you will want to give one to a dear friend

this is a great book the facts and truth about menopause what the doctors are pushing --the book does not sat why but we all can figure it out---the drug companies and money not that the book is about this at all --the book is just facts about estrogen and bones and cancers and WHY and WHAT to DO
this is a most have kind of book
i am using the directing of this book it works
it works
buy 2
you will want to give one to a dear friend

I found this book to be very informative. It really focuses on how your body needs and uses hormones. It addresses the years 30 - 50. There is a big difference between "Premenopause" and "Perimenopause". Pre simply means the years before you reach the point of menopause. It explains how you can balance your hormones and the dangers of too much estrogen vs. progesterone. It was surprising to me just how important it is to balance your hormones. It has helped me tremendously.

I found this book to be very informative. It really focuses on how your body needs and uses hormones. It addresses the years 30 - 50. There is a big difference between "Premenopause" and "Perimenopause". Pre simply means the years before you reach the point of menopause. It explains how you can balance your hormones and the dangers of too much estrogen vs. progesterone. It was surprising to me just how important it is to balance your hormones. It has helped me tremendously.

I have read most of Dr Lee's books and all have been very helpful and I found much of the information to be accurate. Anyone replacing or supplementing hormones should have their levels checked and Dr Lee states this clearly in all his books. I have adrenal insufficiency, Hashimoto's autoimmune thyroid disease, irritable bowel disease, and myofascial pain syndrome. I take physiologic doses of most of the major hormones, the bioidentical form. I have also read numerous other books on hormones by other authors, many have something to offer to the reader. I use a bioidentical progesterone cream prepared by a compounding pharmacy and it makes me feel much better. I use it at night and it aids my sleep and raises my body temperature. It is an overall mood elevator for me.

I found many of the comments made by the readers with unfavorable reviews inaccurate, I think they are not careful readers. Dr Lee addresses many of their complaints. For example when first using progesterone cream symptoms of estrogen excess can be amplified. He also notes the symptoms of excess progesterone and recommends that hormone levels should be tested and even tells you where you can have a saliva test done on your own.

I have had my hormone levels measured through serum and saliva and have found that it depends upon which hormone is being tested as to the correlation between the two tests.(THyroid hormone cannot be measured in saliva) The problem with blood work is that especially for hormones which must be carried through the blood by a protein carrier the amount measured is the total amount of the hormone ( bound and unbound) and is not available for use by the body. Only the unbound amount or 'free' hormone is biologically active. Thyroid and testoserone can be measured as Free T4, Free T3 and Free Testosterone. These test are more expensive and often doctors do not order them unless you ask for them. He explains this in his book.

Dr Lee's book on Breast Cancer is a must read for all women simply for the information it presents on bone scans and the role and function of estrogen. All of the information is not up to date however but it is a good starting point. Tumors in breast tissue can be responsive to both estrogen and progesterone and sometimes to both. There is no easy answer.

The doctor does not do much discussion of thyroid function and that is a shame because it is often the smoking gun behind most autoimmune diseases and endocrine dysfunctions. There are many good books out there, but a book is not going to diagnose you. Anyone looking for information should start by looking up the studies cited by the authors in their books and reading some of them, or do a google. I obtain much of my information from the internet, do a search and often several Medline articles will turn up.

For anyone who is having difficulty being diagnosed or finding a doctor willing to listen I highly recommend the Broda O Barnes Foundation. Go to their website and contact them. They are an endocrine research foundation. They were able to diagnose me and literally gave me my life back. I cannot say enough about them.

For other reading I would recommend:

Adrenal dysfunction- Dr McK Jeffries Safe Uses of Cortisol

Thyroid Disease- Dr Barnes- Hypothyroidism the Unsuspected Illness

Ridha Arem- The Thyroid Solution- but discount his information on which thyroid medication to take, he is clearly biased toward synthroid, however his descriptions of the psychological manifestations are very good.

Dr David Brownstein- Overcoming Thyroid Disorders
Dr David Brwonstein- The Miracle of Natural Hormones- both books give good information on bioidentical hormones and reference levels along with case studies

Overall Health
Dr Carolyn Dean- The Miracle of Magnesium--very easy to read and good book, I take a high dose of magnesium daily and my doctor monitors my magnesium in red blood cell, it has really helped improve my irritable bowel

Dr Mary Enig- Know Your Fats-Excellent book on lipid(fats), explains saturated and unsaturated, trans, where they are found, the composition of each. It can be a little technical but for those who want to take charge of their health this is a must.

I purchased this book after it was recommended to a friend of mine.
While reading it I felt as if I had found the cure for my PMS and heavy/painful periods. I ran out and got some Natural Progesterone Cream that was recommended in the book, and started using it.
Well all I can say is to proceed with caution. After using it for just a short time, I began to have a re-occurance of my depression symptoms. I have since stopped using the cream and am slowly returning to my normal self. When I did a net search on the side effects of too much progesterone I found many people with my same experience. This book is very one sided, and he does not talk much about the negative aspect of using the cream.
Please consult with a physician before starting this stuff on your own, or at least be aware of the possible side effects so that you can stop the cream as soon as you see them. This book has helped many people, I guess. But I'm not one of them.

I purchased this book after it was recommended to a friend of mine.
While reading it I felt as if I had found the cure for my PMS and heavy/painful periods. I ran out and got some Natural Progesterone Cream that was recommended in the book, and started using it.
Well all I can say is to proceed with caution. After using it for just a short time, I began to have a re-occurance of my depression symptoms. I have since stopped using the cream and am slowly returning to my normal self. When I did a net search on the side effects of too much progesterone I found many people with my same experience. This book is very one sided, and he does not talk much about the negative aspect of using the cream.
Please consult with a physician before starting this stuff on your own, or at least be aware of the possible side effects so that you can stop the cream as soon as you see them. This book has helped many people, I guess. But I'm not one of them.

OMG!!! I could not put this book down... I am in my upper twenties and I am going thru a bunch of these symptoms already. Yes the book is bios about natural progesterone, so what... I have not personally used progesterone cream yet, because I am waiting for my saliva test results to make sure that's what I need. But even if I don't, everything else provided in the book is amazing information. Your diet, your vitamins, your stress level, your physical activity, everything is co-related to most woman's hormonal imbalances. They even talked about a case where a woman did not want to use the natural progesterone and how by changing all of the other stuff in her life, she achieved hormone balancing. If you are suffering from hormonal imbalances, I will strongly recommend this book. I also bought other ones that I will be reading after this one. But I started with "Be Lean by Romy Seleznov", which is a story from her life and how she struggled to balance her hormones and gives all the details of what she did, then I continued with this book, and the next one I will be reading is "Natural Hormone Balance for Women" by Uzzi Reiss, which does cite this book as well.

If you think you have a hormonal imbalance, please do not rely on your doctor 100%, I am not saying that you should not believe them or rule out everything they say, but do your homework. I have been telling my doctors since I am in my TEENS that I feel I have an imbalance with my hormones and since all of the results come back fine they have been telling me that my symptoms were "normal"... WRONG!!! Now they found a tumor in my pituitary gland, which causes an imbalance... The tumor grows slowly, so I am sure that it has been there for years, but they never checked it before. Now that I am treating it, all of my "normal" symptoms are almost gone. I am still on the process of getting everything in balance. If you feel you have something wrong, even if the results of your blood work comes as normal, READ more and look for healthy ways of changing your diet, exercising more, balance your hormones, and look for second opinions and definitely have a good naturopath that you can go to. Also "Bikram Yoga", is an excellent exercise to helping you with hormonal balancing. At least that's part of what I changed.

This book is one that I will keep on my reference bookshelf, along with my other pharmacological tomes...(I'm also a pharmacist) After turning thirty and leaving my "hormonally-blissful" twenties behind I, like so many other women, began to suffer from mild PMS which progressed to some pretty funky hormonal woes. With today's medical treatment options: medical appointments that take weeks to schedule, Medical plans that require a specific DISEASE or specific DIAGNOSIS to treat for a visit to be reimbursable...my condition was ignored until it turned into a nightmare. I mean, how do you explain to your Doctor that you are just "NOT yourself?" I was faced with some very unattractive treatment options. Finally, I took charge of my own health and began to try to learn as much as I could about alternative therapies. I also realized that many others, including my mother, grandmother and aunts were being faced with decisions like hysterectomies, harmful hormonal therapy options, harsh osteoporotic prevention & treatments. I encourage you to learn as much as possible from as many places/sources available to you and hopefully you can make the best decision for YOUR body and assist others in doing so as well.

This book is easy to read and pertinent to any woman experiencing health problems due to pre-menstrual symptoms. After reading two chapters of this book I cancelled my scheduled hysterectomy. I am following the authors' lifestyle change recommendations and feeling better. I will keep it as a reference manual.

I found this book to be an excellent guide to why i have felt cold for a week every month since i reached the age of 35 and also why my patience were so low at the same time. Every Doctors should have a copy of this book as there is so much in it that i dont think they are even aware of. Excellent, informative and every women when they reach 30+ should be aware of this book.

'What Your Doctor May Not Tell You' is a good book, while covering many of the commonly discussed aspects of premenopause, shines in two areas. First, they go into vivid detail on the emotional and spiritual aspects of premenopause. Second, they discuss the dangers of xenohormones, particularly in hormone-treated meat (which is increasingly difficult to avoid unless you pay attention where you shop).

This book and another, Natural Hormone Balance, are two of the biggest reasons I started my own web site to help other people make safer consumer choices. I have had "mysterious" medical problems since I was a teenager and no doctor ever - EVER - thought to check my hormones. I knew there was something different, something not quite right. I finally found a doctor who agreed! He decided to check my hormones and asked me to read up on the subject so I could learn more about my body and together we could make good decisions. My life has changed! And I'm only 39 - so many doctors told me I was "too young" for hormone problems even though many of the signs of dominance/deficiency are as plain as day in my medical history. If you're concerned about product safety, or chemicals and hormones in our food and our environment, do some research at www.ahealthylifeshop.com and http://ahealthylife.blogspot.com You'll be better educated and perhaps industry will respond as more and more consumers demand safer choices.

Great information for women of all ages even if you don't have health issues. An absolute necessity if you do.

Dr. Lee's book convinced me to try natural progesterone, and it was one of the worst decisions ever. After only one month of use, I developed blood clots in my legs, and became so ill that it has taken over six months to recover. Progesterone cream builds up in your tissues over time and can make you very, very sick. Do not believe it when you read that there are no side effects and it is impossible to overdose. Know that the progesterone you're putting on your skin, although "natural", is capable of having all the same effects as the progesterone in birth control pills and RU-486 ~ in other words, you're using something with serious dangers connected to it. Please, please be careful. Get Barbara Seaman or Ellen Grant, MD's books for better information.

All of this man's books push hormone cream for everything. If it really was a cure for everything and everyone, then no one would have all the problems such as menopause, endometriosis.... I wouldn't be shocked if he put out a book that said hormone cream can cure ulcers and strep throat. Thumbs down

This book has an UNBELIEVABLE amount of vital information regarding women's health. It should be renamed "What Your Doctor Is NOT Telling You About Your HEALTH!". For years I have suffered with PMS.. irritability.. foggy thinking.. mood swings.. severe anxiety.. at age 32 I suddenly gained 50 lbs all around my stomach and upper body.. lost my cycle for 6 months.. headaches.. severe exhaustion.. short breath.. and tingling hands and feet. These things came pretty much out of the blue and hit me like a ton of bricks. I had just moved to a very polluted city and suspected that was the problem.

The DR. tested and said I was going through early menopause. AT 33 YEARS OLD. Most everthing had to do with HRT (drugs drugs drugs) My general mistrust of western medicine sent me to accupuncture and chinese herbs which cured me about 75% back the the vibrant woman I used to be. Wanting to be back 100%, I found this book and it has been a godsend. It is so detailed, it's like reading a fine medical journal but VERY easy to understand. It scientifically attributes PMS, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, INFERTILITY, CANCER (breast and reproductive), CYSTS AND FIBROIDS, among other things to the imbalance of hormones, mainly an estrogen dominance. It scientifically attributes estrogen dominance PRIMARILY TO THE EXCESS OF ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS (Xenohormones as they're called) causing sensitivities in all of us women AND men. It explains why taking antidepressants or synthetic hormones or birthcontrol will NEVER cure you of these symptoms and sometimes cause worse things and it gives very detailed scientific evidence and studies of the different aggrivators of hormonal imbalance namely synthetic hormones (birthcontrol pills, HRT), and other cancer causing substances FOREIGN to the body.

There's information on how DRUG COMPANIES SPENDING BILLIONS OF DOLLORS ON ADVERTISING controls how your Dr. will respond to your health issues. How the media takes a very passive role when it comes to drug companies (notice how many drug ads on tv) and why they are constantly piping out information regurgitated by the drug companies. Why it's in your dr's best interest to hand you drugs and do unnecessary surgeries instead of get to the bottom of your health issues.

Throughout the book Dr. Lee and Dr. Hanley tell you many things, one of which is how using NATURAL non-synthetic progesterone cream, food changes, adding vitamins can help reverse these symptoms, balance your life and bring you back to health.

If you're the kind of woman who doesn't like to just take a pill and not ask any questions as to WHY these problems are happening in such epidemic proportions and WHY doesn't the Dr. give you real reasons why you need a hystorectomy, what causes infertility, why your dr. is so big on just handing out pills without getting to the real cause, then THIS BOOK IS DEFINITELY for YOU, YOUR SISTERS, YOUR MOTHERS, YOUR FEMALE FRIENDS. We must take an active role in our health and this book will DEFINITELY help us do that. Thank my lucky stars for this book!

John Lee, MD, has some of the most intelligent advice I've ever seen for women approaching menopause. He addresses the fact that premenopausal changes begin in the 30s, what sorts of things might be related, and gives frank, no-nonsense advice on how to manage menopause and premenopause without HRT. Of particular interest in the section that explains why many doctors find HRT to be such a money-maker - including such things as hysterectomy, instant menopause, and so on. This book should be mandatory reading for any woman in her 30s who is dealing with sudden weight gain, migraines, irritability, anxiety - all the sorts of things that go with hormonal changes.

While the tone of this book is no doubt reassuring to women who feel they have been ignored by their doctors for too long, the content is riddled with bioloical inaccuracy and just plain bad science.

Smart readers will look beyond Lee's nonsense before choosing to self-medicate with these or any other so-called "natural" products - just as they should do when deciding whether to take drugs prescribed by their doctors.

An excellent place to start that investigation:

...

No kidding... I purchased two copies; one for myself, and one for my sister. At 30+ her rages were becomming uncontrollable. The odd thing is... she HATES to read. One of the most remarkable features of this book, is its ease in reading. You can look up symptoms and receive instant information relative to the problem you're dealing with. She suspected she had endomitriosis based on her research with this book. Voila! She took the book with her to her doctor, and they confirmed her suspicions and with various therapies, she's a new person! Now, we can all drive safely!

Dr. Lee & his book has saved me, a Hysterectomy in my mid-forties! I had fibriods, & the pain, menes trouble that went with them. I was told by my GYN, "You'll never make Menopause with out surgery" I went to one of Dr.Lee's lecture, got his books started his program, here I am almost 5 years later, working at the start of true menopause. No it hasn't been perfect, I didn't always feel GREAT! But those I know that have had this surgery don't either. I will continue to follow this wonderful Dr's advice the rest of my life... a full active, healthy mature women! Slainte (your health)

You don't have to agree with or buy every word in this book, but it presents factual information to allow all of us, whether in the 30 to 50 age range or on either side of it, to make informed clear choices. I've already changed my diet and vitamin choices, and feel better as a result. If you are interested in learning about your own body and health, this is an important book for your reference library.

This book gives us the information we need to make informed decisions about our bodies and what we can do to balance the estrogen issue. I have read this book and heeded Dr. Lee's advice about progesterone creams and I feel so much better! His book gives us information about issues such as PMS,Pre-Menapause & Post Menapause. Please get this book and see what our Doctors may or may not know about how hormones really work in our bodies.

I have now read every perimenopause book out there. Dr. Lee's book is a good resource for perimenopause but hands down the best book I have read (and my baby boomer friends agree) is Ann Louise Gittleman's Before the Change.

PREVENT A HYSTERECTOMY: I write this after just having had surgery (abdominal hysterectomy) two weeks ago ... and having come across the book only two weeks prior to surgery. If only two or three months ago I'd been aware of Dr. Lee's book, I truly believe my hysterectomy could have been prevented, nevertheless, refusing my doctor's recommended HRT, I tried the progesterone cream and was amazed with the immediate results: headaches were alleviated; improved mental acuity, energy, and skin tone. Had I known of the book's contents 15 years ago, I believe I would have saved myself from not only surgery and fibrous breast tissue, but numerous other debilitating ailments: migraines, clinical depression, fatigue, lack of concentration along with other symptoms which Dr. Lee listed due to estrogen dominance. My doctor did what he believed to be best for me, however, being conventional, he prescribed therapy which only enhanced the estrogen dominance, leading ultimately to excessive bleeding and anemia. Only after surgery was he able to tell me either my ovary or uterus was four times normal size -- hyperestrogen (loaded with it)! His recommendation had been a total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oopherectomy (removal of uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes and both ovaries), however, he honored my request to save both ovaries if possible ... (even though only one remains). If not for Dr. Lee, I'd never have requested such. Even though I have regrets of not knowing earlier of this informative book, I am extremely thankful for the knowledge of progesterone cream application versus conventional HRT. I look forward to renewed life ahead! Thank you, Dr. Lee! ... P.S. I'm hunting for a doctor who practices alternative medicine.

I have read this fine book as well as the earlier volume by Dr. Lee "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause". I feel that both of these books contain information that every woman and really every person needs to know. We live in a dangerous world. A world full of invisible or unnoticed chemicals that impact the reproductive and general health of all of us, especially those of us in the industrialized world. It is essential to know what is happening and how chemicals are changing our health. Forewarned is forearmed. Many problems that we are calling "normal" in today's world are not normal at all and speak to the need for balance of our hormones. Men and women will benefit from this information. Young women are not immune from the dangers in the environmentthat cause hormonal changes. Please read this. Don't have invasive surgery without first reading this book, it could change your life.

Dr. Lee has done it again with a very comprehensive book for women ages 30-50. We spend much more time in the pre-menopause years than most people think. It's a time to build our bodies, regulate our hormones, and get our bones strong before the onset of menopause. If you've ever wondered why your body seems to be "out to get you", this book may provide some answers. With the addition of Dr. Jesse Hanley, a traditional MD who's added a number of "complementary" therapies to her treatment of patients (massage, acupuncture, holistic practices, nutritional support, etc), Dr. Lee broadens his ideas from just the use of natural progesterone to the inclusion of a well-rounded treatment plan. Dr. Lee includes some of the newer research that's been done since his last book, but still is the leading proponent of natural progesterone, and, where needed, natural estrogens. It's your body; I recommend reading about what's happening to it and how to get yourself back to normal. I, for one, am so happy to know there are safer alternatives to the pharmecutical concotions used in traditional HRT. Chapters include topics on: PMS, stress, exercise, nutrition, contraceptive use/misuse, breast cancer, uterine and cervical abnormalities, osteoporosis, heart attacks, and more. There is a comprehensive index, recommened reading list and references, as well as a resource section. 395 pages. Easy to read though packed with information.