Women's Moods: What Every Woman Must Know about Hormones, the Brain, and Emotional Health

""Have you taken care of your brain today?"" The question arises frequently in this look at how women's hormones affect not only their moods but their lives. According to Sichel (a Harvard Medical School professor specializing in psychiatry and neurology) and Driscoll (a clinical nurse specialist known for her work in women's psychology and hormonal issues), the way a woman's hormones function in relation to her brain (and thus her entire body) dictates how her life will unfold. Drawing on women's personal stories as well as on clinical studies, Sichel and Driscoll explain why a woman's transit through her menstrual cycle affects her moods; why the devastating, complex effects of postpartum depression ""are the biggest complication of birth today""; and how female hormonal imbalance undoubtedly causes depression. Readers are invited to utilize NURSE (nourishment, understanding, relaxation, spirituality and exercise)--the secrets to keeping brain function optimal. Whether a woman is menstrual, pregnant, postnatal, periomenopausal or menopausal, this book offers a wealth of detailed information on how to maintain proper hormonal balance and thus a happy and productive life. 10-city author tour. (Dec.)