Planet Sweet Pea Testimonials
Menopause Illustrated: Blitzed by Menopause, A Guys Guide to Understanding Her Menopause [DVD]

Wow, this DVD may have just saved my marriage! Sounds a bit dramatic but I didn't understand at all what my wife was going through with this menopause stuff. It's not like I thought she was faking it, I just thought she had changed and it was like she was a different person. As a sportscaster, I used to love to go on the road just to get a break.

I got a lot of helpful information from this DVD and I was entertained and had a few laughs along the way. I learned from professionals that these menopause symptoms are very real and can be sometimes devastating for my wife and myself as well. I got some great tips on how to have empathy and compassion as she's going through this and this video has given us a lot of hope. I highly recommend this. Tom Hewitt, Broadcaster Portland State University; Golf Show commentator KUIK, Portland Or.

Fun, informative and important!

July 15, 2009

All of this dvd had something important to offer husbands, boyfriends and significant others. It made a difference for my husband and myself and he said he wished that it had been available for his father back when his mom was experiencing menopause. All through it I kept saying "see! see! that's me!!" and it gave him a great new perspective with no man bashing. The couple therapy section was terrific and all the skits were paced so as not to make it all too serious. The doctor, Tori Hudson, was SO informative. The whole thing gave us hope we might survive the next fun menopausal years and helped him so much. Which, obviously, helps me. And the handbook's great for reinforcing the info and having something handy to refer too.

Midwest Book Review

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief: July 15, 2009

Menopause Illustrated is a brief, lighthearted and witty DVD and accompanying booklet created especially to for men in need of advice to help their wives or significant others through the devastating change that is menopause. Created by Jan Brehm, a wife whose loving husband had the best of intentions but nearly drove her off the wall during the change of life, Menopause Illustrated lays out just how men everywhere can deal with this difficult time - and why a woman's issues with and feelings about menopause can't simply be "fixed" the way one might fix a leaky faucet. The wry humor permeating Menopause Illustrated is what distinguishes it as something that men will find not only enlightening but also thoroughly entertaining. Highly recommended.

Video Librarian - 2½ Stars

K. Fennessy: November / December 2009

Actor/director Jan Brehm was inspired to make this film--mixing humor and medical information about menopause--when she entered middle age and began to experience the "change of life." The telegenic Brehm hosts the first segment of footage - speaking to the camera and re-enacting a menopause related anecdote, in which she forgets things and snaps at her "husband" Ron (played by Brendan Quinlan). While watching news reports and commercials on fictional channels (like the Estrogen Sports Network), Ron develops a clearer medical and psychological picture about what his wife is going through and learns to be more understanding and less judgemental. The second two segments, hosted by Dr. Tori Hudson--a naturopath who founded a women's health clinic in Portland, OR, wrote the Women's Encyclopedia of Natural Health, and has taught at several colleges--provide in-depth information from medical experts about symptoms and an overview of hormone replacement therapy. Although billed as "a guy's guide to her menopause," Menopause Illustrated is likely to hold greater interest for women, especially the material on symptoms (which include weight gain, headache, fatigue, irritability, depression, and loss of libido). Despite the usefullness of much of the information, however, the program sits uneasily between documentary and infomercial, which is reinforced by a talk show portion in which Jerry Annand, M.A., a marriage counselor, speaks with guests who may be real-life couples or paid actors (it's unclear which). A more conventional factual approach would have been better. Still, given the dearth of other DVDs on the subject, this should stiill be considered a strong optional purchase.