The menopause industry : how the medical establishment exploits women / Sandra Coney.

Healthy women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s have become a commodity to be exploited for commercial gain. They are being targeted by pharmaceutical companies, medical manufacturers, and doctors with products and services to sell. They are asked to mistrust their own bodies and to rely instead on medical procedures and drugs. Sadly, as menopause has grown into a money-making enterprise, the truth about what happens naturally during this time has been lost. Many women don't know who to believe or what to do. Should you have hormone replacement therapy? What are the side effects? What percentage of women actually develop osteoporosis or breast cancer? Do you really need cervical screening or a hysterectomy?

Coney destroys the myth that menopause is a disease with inevitable symptoms like depression, osteoporosis, and low sex drive. She explains what is really known about midlife health, explores the effect of society's negative views of aging, and examines the benefits and risks of common medical interventions like hormone replacement therapy, mammography, and cervical screening. After you read The Menopause Industry, you will be aware, informed, and able to make the right choices for you.

Alameda, CA : Hunter House, 1994.

ix, 370 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : black and white illustrations, plates ; 22 cm

This item was donated as part of The Women's Health Library archive held by Wellcome Collection, reference SA/WHL https://wellcomecollection.org/works/fjg4s86y

First U.S. edition.

Originally published: Penguin Books (NZ), 1991.

Copy 1. Donor: This item was originally held in the Women's Health Library. It was donated to Wellcome in 2016 by the Feminist Library, which acted as temporary custodian following the closure of Women's Health in 2006.

Copy 1. Former Women's Health Library shelfmark: U

Foreword / Barbara Seaman -- Preface / Paula B. Doress-Worters -- Guide to Reading: The Menopause Industry -- pt. 1. Women at Midlife. Ch. 1. The Medicalization of Midlife. Ch. 2. The Fabulous Midlife Woman -- pt. 2. Menopause. Ch. 3. The Construction of the "New" Menopause. Ch. 4. Will the Real Menopause Please Stand Up. Ch. 5. Hormones at Menopause: What Really Happens When the Ovaries Retire -- pt. 3. Osteoporosis. Ch. 6. The Meaning and Marketing of Osteoporosis. Ch. 7. Preventing Bone Loss and Fractures -- pt. 4. Hormone Replacement Therapy. Ch. 8. All Roads Lead to Hormones. Ch. 9. Mostly Good News About Hormones. Ch. 10. The Not-So-Good to Bad News About Hormones -- pt. 5. Screening Programs. Ch. 11. The Business of Breasts. Ch. 12. All About Cervixes. Ch. 13. Final Thoughts.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 359-363) and index.