4th edition, by The North American Menopause Society (NAMS)
Published by NAMS (www.menopause.org)

More than 6000 women in North America reach menopause each day. As the Baby Boomers age, more and more women turn to primary care and women’s health practices to sort out the many—sometimes conflicting—strategies suggested for managing their menopausal symptoms and minimizing their risk for breast cancer, an arterial event, or cognitive decline. That’s why it’s important to own a current and succinct menopause text that is well researched, well referenced, and entirely evidence-based.

This new fourth edition of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) professional textbook, Menopause Practice: A Clinician’s Guide, is just such a reference. This textbook has become a most valuable resource for clinicians who work with midlife women. Its fourth edition, available for the first time in digital as well as print formats, is well suited to keeping nurse practitioners current as menopause research rapidly evolves.

The 300-page book is geared toward helping practitioners advise midlife women patients about what’s in their best health interests. It’s rich in practical information covering menopause and aging, premature menopause, and the host of clinical issues and disease risks relevant to women at midlife and beyond. The chapter on clinical evaluation includes timely additions on counseling issues in lesbian health and multicultural aspects of care. The chapters on complementary medicine and nonprescription therapies are especially pertinent, because many patients look to their NP for guidance on these strategies. The book’s 42 contributors represent the full professional spectrum, including NPs as well as physicians, nutritionists, epidemiologists, pharmacologists, and behavioral scientists.

As the information age marches on, it’s a rare day that I don’t need to refer to a current reference to answer a menopause-related question from a patient or student. This text is the source I turn to first. It’s well worth recommending as a valuable resource to NPs in training, which the new digital format makes more convenient than ever. Either format of the book can be obtained by logging on to http://www.menopause.org/edumaterials/cliniciansguide.aspx

—Reviewed by Susan E.D. Doughty, APRN, CNP, Women's Health, South Portland, ME