The menopause industry
Subtitle: how the medical establishment exploits women
By: Sandra Coney.
Edition: 1st U.S. ed.
Publisher: Hunter House
Published: 1994
Place of publication: Alameda, CA
Language: eng
Number of pages: 370
Subjects: Menopause -- Popular works; Middle-aged women -- Medical care -- Social aspects; Women -- Health and hygiene -- Sociological aspects; Menopause -- Hormone therapy
Description: 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.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 359-363) and index.
Originally published: Penguin Books (NZ), 1991.