It’s rare, I think, to pick up a health book and feel equally empowered, as you feel challenged. The Truth About Sex Hormones: Learn How to Unlock the Secrets to Balancing Your Hormones for Vitality and Longevity by Janette Gray, M.D. is that health book. She brings decades of clinical experience and a strong conviction about hormone imbalance and it’s affects on our lives. Here’s a closer look into what works, what raises questions, and who might get the most out of this book. Being that I am 44 years old, I got a lot out of this book. My doctor better watch out in November when I have my appointment. I have a lot of questions for him!
*This post may contain affiliate links. I received this book for the purpose of this review. All opinions are 100% my own.
What the Book Promises: The Big Picture
The book starts out with a bold claim. Dr. Gray sees hormone deficiency and imbalance not as peripheral issues (like some doctors). Instead, she sees them as the center to our health, aging, and disease risk. She argues (and I wholeheartedly agree) that the conventional health system tends to wait until diseases appear and treat the symptoms, rather than truly be preventive and intervene earlier with hormonal optimization. This next part is something I found very interesting. She views our sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone) as systemic regulators that affect things like our metabolism, bone health, cognition, mood, weight, and longevity. To me, the average person, this makes complete sense. At 44, I am pretty sure I am dipping my toes into the perimenopausal waters, as I’ve noticed my metabolism slow down, weight has crept up, etc.
This book combines medical explanations, patient stories (names have been changed), myth-busting (especially around hormone replacement therapy), and practical guidance on lab testing, what to ask your doctor, and navigating that first year on bioidentical hormone therapy in an easy to understand way. This leaves the reader feeling empowered.
Things I liked Most About The Truth About Sex Hormones
First and foremost, the clarity and accessibility. One of the most compelling strengths is Dr. Gray’s ability to write this book in a way that all of us non-doctors can understand without having to completely water down the information. She walks us through in a way that it feels understandable and relatable. The next part that I really liked is the patient stories. I feel that this helps to really anchor down the information that she is providing. Throughout the chapters, she weaves in accounts of real people to show how hormonal shifts, imbalances, or interventions affected their health, moods, weight, and vitality. Having real human experiences helps to understand the science of it all. A third thing I really like (and agree with) is the strong call to be our own advocate and the encouragement to seek out early intervention, rather than be reactive to symptoms. This really told me that hormone optimization should be part of our “preventative” health, but it’s not.
Who Should Read This (and How to Use It)
If you are (or approaching) perimenopause, menopause, or you are dealing with things like fatigue, weight gain, cognitive fog, or sudden shifts in vitality, then this book can definitely be a powerful wake-up call and roadmap. It’s especially useful if you:
- Feel dismissed by conventional medicine regarding hormonal symptoms
- Want to deepen your knowledge before approaching an endocrinologist or women’s health specialist
- Are willing to be an invested participant in your health (like asking doctors to order labs, asking questions, and adjusting protocols)
However, I want to be very clear. This book is not a substitute for medical supervision and advice. This book should be used to help you formulate the questions you want to ask and the labs you want to ask for. And definitely, be sure to do your own research, especially if you are not sure of a particular protocol and when in doubt, get a second opinion. You can find this book on Amazon.
Final Thoughts and Takeaway
The passion that Dr. Gray possesses about sex hormones and early hormonal optimization comes through loud and clear in this book and I like that. That passion is inspiring. If I had to say that there is one consistent message throughout the entire book, it would be that we need to reframe our thoughts on hormones. They are not an optional add on lab when we get our yearly bloodwork. They are an integral part of our health history and should be treated as such.
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