Going Menopostal: What You (and Your Doctor) Need to Know About the Real Science of Menopause and Perimenopause

by Amy Alkon, Robert Lufkin MD (Foreword by)

Overview

Half of the population—the female half—is getting healthcare based on medical myth rather than evidence. Going Menopostal is Amy Alkon’s mission to change that.

This book started with a flash—Alkon’s first hot flash. Drenching night sweats, insomnia, and brain fog soon followed—along with shame at feeling bewilderingly enraged at everyone and everything. Alkon, an award-winning science columnist and author, wanted to turn to her doctor. But there was a problem: More than half of the medical care we get in the US may not be “based on, or supported by, adequate evidence,” according to the US National Academy of Medicine.

Knowing this, Alkon began a deep dive into the research on menopause and perimenopause––the 3 to 10 years leading up to menopause when women’s symptoms are widely ignored, dismissed, and misdiagnosed (despite doctors having every intention of helping their patients). She was shocked by what she found:

• Most gynecology departments lack even one doctor with training and expertise in menopausal and perimenopausal medicine, and they expect their maternity and general reproductive health specialists to treat these conditions outside their scope of practice without informing patients––a violation of medical ethics.

• Perimenopause is wrongly viewed and treated as “menopause lite”––a time of lowered estrogen levels––when estrogen levels actually soar, making many women miserably symptomatic.

• Few doctors know that symptomatic perimenopausal women actually tend to lack progesterone, and that replacing it with safe, FDA-approved progesterone would alleviate their insomnia, hot flashes, and other suffering and counteract cell overgrowth that can lead to breast and endometrial cancer.

• Many doctors deny estrogen to their menopausal patients, unaware of current research showing that estrogen not only alleviates symptoms but protects against cardiovascular disease (soon to kill 1 in 3 women), bone fractures, metabolic syndrome, and more.

• Findings from studies done largely on middle-class white women are wrongly applied to black women and other women of color, ignoring crucial differences, such as generally lower triglyceride levels in black women that can make heart disease harder to detect.

This meticulously researched book is written in clear, everyday language that you don’t need the slightest science background to understand (along with Alkon’s signature dark humor). Alkon equips you with the exact words to confidently ask critical questions and motivate your doctor to partner with you and treat you appropriately––instead of giving you the “treatment” her favorite bus driver got: told by her doctor to “just wait out” her raging insomnia, night sweats, and hot flashes. Alkon’s ultimate goal: Empowering all women with the science and strategies they need to get the evidence-based care they expect and deserve.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781637742464
Publisher:	BenBella Books
Publication date:	05/20/2025
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	448
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Amy Alkon is an independent investigative science writer specializing in “applied science”—using scientific evidence to solve real-world problems. Alkon critically evaluates and synthesizes research across disciplines and then translates it into everyday language, empowering regular people to make scientifically informed decisions for the best of their health and well-being. 

For 25 years, Alkon wrote an award-winning, science-based nationally syndicated advice column, distributed by Creators. With Going Menopostal, Alkon has authored five books—most recently, her “science-help” book Unfuckology: How to Live with Guts and Confidence (St. Martin’s Press, 2018). She is the past President of the Applied Evolutionary Psychology Society, which brings evolutionary science to public policy, education, and medicine. Alkon has given invited talks to academics on applied science at scientific conferences and to large groups at universities. She has given two TED talks, and the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office hires Alkon, a State of California-certified mediator, to do behavioral science-based dispute resolution talks and training videos.  

Alkon has been profiled in The New York Times, TIME, The Washington Post, The Independent/UK, and Macleans. Alkon has appeared on numerous national TV and radio shows, including Good Morning America, Today, NPR, CNN, Nightline, Anderson Cooper, Coast to Coast, and Canada’s The Agenda with Steve Paikin, along with podcasts by Adam Carolla, Joe Rogan, Michael Shermer, Robert Wright, and Scott Barry Kaufman. 

Alkon lives in Venice, California. Follow Amy on Twitter: @amyalkon. Her website: amyalkon.net

Robert Lufkin, MD, has served as a full professor at both the UCLA and USC Schools of Medicine. In addition to being a practicing physician, he is the author of more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 14 books that are available in six languages. Among his many inventions, including several patents in artificial intelligence, he developed an MR-compatible biopsy needle which is used worldwide today as the “Lufkin Needle.” He is active on social media with more than 250,000 followers.

Editorial Reviews

Amy Alkon’s GOING MENOPOSTAL is a masterpiece of scientific inquiry and clarity, cutting through decades of misinformation and fear around menopause. With her keen scientific mind and her ability to examine clinical and epidemiological evidence honestly, critically, and objectively, she has created a work of great importance for women struggling with menopause and perimenopause. Alkon empowers women to understand the research and advocate effectively for evidence-based care, addressing the medical neglect women have endured for far too long.”
—Dr. Kevin B. Knopf, MPH, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine

“In GOING MENOPOSTAL, Amy Alkon exposes the truth about the medical neglect and mistreatment of women in perimenopause and menopause. But more than that, she gives you the language and strategies to advocate for yourself with your doctors without antagonizing them, making them partners in your healthcare so you get the evidence-based care you deserve.”
—Catherine Salmon, PhD, Professor of Psychology at the University of Redlands, coauthor of The Secret Power of Middle Children

“Amy Alkon’s GOING MENOPOSTAL is a groundbreaking book that exposes the inequities in medical research and care, particularly for women from underrepresented communities. As a family doctor on Chicago’s South Side, I see how these gaps in care amplify challenges for African American women. Alkon courageously addresses how the existing research is centered on white, middle-class women, leaving the unique needs of women from diverse backgrounds inadequately explored and understood. This book empowers readers with knowledge, challenges systemic inequities, and gives voice to women who have long been overlooked, fostering a more inclusive approach to women's health."
—Dr. Tony Hampton, Family and Obesity Medicine Specialist at Advocate Health, author of Fix Your Diet, Fix Your Diabetes, host of the Protecting Your NEST podcast

“GOING MENOPOSTAL is essential reading for women navigating perimenopause and menopause. Veteran science writer Amy Alkon brings an outsider’s objectivity and cuts through outdated advice with a rigorous, evidence-based approach. Infused with warmth, wit, and compassion, she tackles everything from hot flashes and weight gain to mood changes and insomnia, offering clear, science-backed solutions."
—Nina Teicholz, PhD, internationally bestselling author of The Big Fat Surprise and science journalist

“In GOING MENOPOSTAL, Amy Alkon exposes the inadequacies of traditional menopause care in the United States and critiques the overreliance on clinical practice guidelines, which leave little room for individualized care. A compelling call to action, this work challenges clinicians to move beyond the status quo and empowers women with solutions grounded in both evidence and empathy.”
—Dr. Andréa Salcedo, ob-gyn, Assistant Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, host of the Conscious Gynecology podcast

Praise for Amy Alkon's previous title, Unf*ckology:

“Advice on how to change behavior should be grounded in the science of behavior, but it rarely is. Don’t let the name fool you: Unf*ckology may speak with a potty mouth, but it cites journals and textbooks to bring a nuanced take on cognitive neuroscience and human evolution to the problems of everyday life.”
—Christopher Chabris, Assoc. Professor of Psychology, Union College; coauthor of Invisible Gorilla

"Alkon invented the science-help genre, and this book finds her at the height of her powers."
—Kaja Perina, Editor in Chief of Psychology Today

"Unf*ckology should be assigned to all students as the textbook for the new science—'growing a spine'—and taking personal responsibility for your life.”
—Michael Shermer, Presidential Fellow Chapman University, author of Heavens on Earth

"Very few of today's thinkers give us big ideas. By showing us how to use research on fields like embodiment to change our lives, Amy Alkon has given us two things: new big ideas; and balls-to-the wall hilarity. Let's put that in different words. Unf*ckology is one of the most delightful books you will read in this lifetime. And Amy Alkon has established herself with this book as THE top practitioner of applied science.”
—Howard Bloom, author of The Lucifer Principle and The Global Brain

“Amy Alkon is a virtuoso at making science accessible and fun. In this fast-paced, deeply authentic 'science-help' book, Alkon weaves her own dramatic transformation with the latest science to show you how to live the life you truly want to live. It’s time to stop pitying yourself, devaluing yourself, hiding yourself, and all the other things we do to ourselves to avoid being our full selves. You can be comfortable in your own skin RIGHT NOW. This book will show you how.”
—Scott Barry Kaufman, Professor of Positive Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, author of Ungifted

From the Publisher