Malayalam actor Lenaa Kumar on her new book on menopause

While talking about her latest book Women-O-Pause - A mid-life guide for women and their men, actor-writer Lenaa Kumar says that one of the reasons she wrote was her desire to give something of value to the people who have showered her with love for close to 30 years of her career as an actor. “As an actor, I have entertained the audience, but that is my job. But this [the book] I am giving as a person for the love people give me. Wherever (in the world) I come across Malayalis, they invite me into their homes and offer me a meal. I cannot go to each person and talk to them, so, with this book I am sharing what has worked for me and I hope it helps others too.” Women-O-Pause, published by Penguin Random House, is a ‘guide’ to navigating menopause and perimenopause; DC Books has brought out the Malayalam translation. With this book, Lenaa recasts the conversation around menopause, giving it a positive spin by referring to it as a transition. She recollects how, at 43, when she realised she was dealing with symptoms of perimenopause, she felt her life as she knew it was over. “I thought that life, from then on, would be a disaster. But I studied and researched so much about it that now, at 45-and-a-half, I have understood that this is a transition. During this time, a woman will go through physical discomfort and emotional troubles; it is like shifting homes. The process is chaotic, but once you are settled in your new home, you forget the hassles. What helped deal with it was functional medicine,” says Lenaa. She started writing the book around that time, and it was released in June. Lenaa’s book, ‘Women-O-Pause’ and the Malayalam translation | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Lenaa credits her husband Air Commodore Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, who she affectionately refers to as an “intelligent and emotionally mature man”, for the book’s title. Commodore Nair was on the team of astronauts of Gaganyaan-4 and the back-up pilot on Axiom Mission 4 to the International Space Station (ISS). All in a name“He suggested that since women go through perimenopause and menopause, why not call it ‘womenopause’?” It was on her editor’s suggestion that the name took the current form, as an exhortation to take a pause. The book has been several years in the making. Dedicated to her mother Tina, Lenaa remembers being confused as a teenager when her mother was going through perimenopause and, later, was menopausal. “The sudden shifts in her mood... What was happening to her? The question haunted me for more than 25-30 years! I have wondered about it. I even sought answers, studied psychology to make sense of it.” When her mother, not much of a reader, complimented her on the book, telling her that it was easy to read, she was on cloud nine. Although it had been on her mind, listening to and watching various podcasts on the subject by Dr Marie Claire Haver, an expert in the subject and the author of The New Menopause besides other resources. “Perimenopause ... it is like ice cream — everyone tells you it is cold and sweet and then you eat ice cream and realise what it is like. Hormonal fluctuations, estrogen deficiency…I heard and understood it as a concept. Despite that, when it hit me, I had no clue that this was what was happening to me.” Brain fog, confusion, irritability, Lenaa confesses she felt as if her “whole life was over” and that from then on it was going to be a disaster. Not only did all that research come in handy when she wrote her book, it obviously helped dealing with her symptoms and functional medicine, which helped “majorly”. Functional medicine for perimenopause typically identifies the root causes of it, which varies from woman to woman, treating it with personalised nutrition, supplements, and lifestyle modification among other protocols. Lenaa with her husband, Air Commodore Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT This book is her way of sharing knowledge to help other women. “I didn’t want other women to go through the entire cycle of research that I did. Anyway I did the research, I had the answers and I thought I might as well use it to help others. Rather than use it one time, I thought I’d share the research. It is too beautiful to use just once.” Women-O-Pause includes chapters by experts on the subject, for those who want an expert’s voice.The English and Malayalam version of the book have been brought out at the same time. The second edition of the Malayalam translation is already out. Of releasing the book in the two languages at the same time, “The English reading audience will find the information online. But the Malayalam-only reader might need this information, they may not do the same thing.” On being vulnerableLike with her first book, The Autobiography of God, Lenaa puts her most personal and vulnerable self out there with Women-O-Pause. She has been trolled for it (The Autobiography…), and ridiculed, but she says, it does not affect her. “In fact, by exposing my vulnerability it would be worth it if it could make even one person’s life better!” she says. While Lenaa is savouring the moment as author, she admits that she likes both her jobs and cannot pick one or the other. “I cannot stop being an actor because it lets me do things that Lenaa cannot. And I cannot stop being Lenaa!” Among the films she is part of are Operation Traal, and Bhowma, besides a couple of others that she has committed to. So will there be a third book? It is already taking shape, Lenaa informs, smiling. Women-O-Pause, priced ₹399, is available online and in bookstores