The Upgrade

Welcome to the better half of your life. The New York Times bestselling author of The Female Brain explains how a woman’s brain gets upgraded in midlife, inspiring and guiding women to unlock their full potential.

(previously published as The Upgrade)

“This is an important book. I want all women to read it. I wish I had read it years ago!”—Jane Fonda

Dr. Louann Brizendine was among the first to explain why women think, communicate, and feel differently than men. Now, inspired by her own experiences and those of the thousands of women at her clinic, she has a message that is nothing short of revolutionary: in the time of life typically known as menopause, women’s brains are reshaped, for the better, in a way that creates new power, a bracing clarity, and a laser-like sense of purpose if you know how to seize it.

With guidance for navigating the perimenopausal and menopausal storm while it lasts, and actionable, science-backed steps for preserving brain health for the rest of your life, Your Brain on Menopause is a roadmap, told through intimate stories, to a new brain state and its incredible possibilities. Dr. Brizendine explains the best science-backed strategies for:

• Hormones: If timed and handled properly, hormone management can save your life. Brizendine cuts through the controversy to give you the latest guidance for HRT.
• Exercise: Leg strength correlates directly with healthy brain function at age 80. Here are the strategies for maintaining your strength.
• Sleep: It’s critical for maximizing the menopausal transition, and Brizendine shares how to achieve healthy rest.
• Mindset: Brizendine shows how to seize the opportunities of your midlife brain changes.
• Brain Health: The menopausal brain requires special care when it comes to sugar, alcohol, inflammatory foods, and the microbiome. Here’s advice for fueling and maintaining cognitive function for decades.

Your Brain on Menopause amounts to a celebration of how women step into their power and an entirely new—and radically positive—understanding of aging.