It’s not your mother’s menopause. Some women live through it and never miss a beat. Others suffer so many symptoms— severe hot flashes, sleeplessness, mood swings—that they have trouble functioning. But what all women have in common is a need to know what to expect and how to understand this phase for its inherent promise: as a grand beginning to the second half of life.

By poring over the latest research, interviewing doctors and scientists, attending conferences, and talking to other women, Pat Wingert and Barbara Kantrowitz offer the everything-you-need-to-know guide to menopause. IS IT HOT IN HERE? OR IS IT ME? is accessible, comprehensive, practical, reassuring, scientific, and written in the lively, smart voice of friends helping friends.

First comes the overview: the beginnings of menopause, including why knowing if you’re actually in menopause can be so tricky; the stages of menopause and their typical duration; the role of hormones and the viability of hormone therapy; when and why to seek treatment, the risks involved, and a primer on pills, creams, patches, shots, and bioidenticals.

Then, at the heart of the book, two essential sections: “What You’re Feeling Now,” which offers the relief of solid information on the symptoms of your menopausal life—hot flashes, insomnia, mood swings, bleeding, memory loss, and those inexplicable glitches in thinking that make you feel like a kid with ADD—plus the comfort of advice on what to do. And “Staying Healthy Forever,” a jam-packed guide to caring for your changing body: It begins by trusting your knowledge of yourself, then learning the things to do to ensure a long and healthy future, one in which you look your best and feel your best.

No matter what your path through menopause, the experience is one of great change: and now for this great change, great help.