Journey Through Menopause; Menopause

Technical drawbacks hamper the effectiveness of two new programs on menopause, one emphasizing the medical aspects, the other focusing on the spiritual. Journey Through Menopause, the more pragmatic of the pair, features gynecologist Dr. Christine Cook, and a host of candid interviewees talking about the various symptoms (hot flashes, irritability, forgetfulness, insomnia, etc.) associated with the onset of menopause, and the current medical and alternative treatments available. The program covers the pros and cons of hormone replacement therapy using estrogen and progesterone, and weighs the increased risks of certain types of cancer against the decreased risks of osteoporosis and heart disease. Almost totally talking head, this low-budget program is also poorly arranged (a graphic of the female reproductive system appears more than 50 minutes into the program), with a fair amount of repetition--especially in the interviews. Not a necessary purchase.Menopause, which features Dr. Jesse Hanley, shares similar problems. Combining straightforward medical information and advice from Hanley with quasi-spiritual comments from "wise elders" (interviewees aged 42 and up) about the "sacred passage" of menopause, the program covers much of the same ground as Journey Through Menopause, but spends more time on alternative treatments such as acupuncture. Unfortunately, the technical aspects range from fair to poor: many of the interviews contain traffic noise and audio buzz (one interview even has what sounds like a chainsaw in the background). Too, a whole gob of video special effects are used which not only don't mask the audio problems, but actually make the production worse, since they're used indiscriminately and with little aesthetic sense. Finally, like Journey Through Menopause, there is a distinct lack here of really useful graphics or visual segments--it's mostly just talking heads, and both programs make the mistake of including everyone's hot flash story, irritability story, etc., needlessly pushing both tapes past the one-hour mark. Not recommended. Two shorter, better produced, and comparatively priced videos are Menopause: A Guide for 43 Million Women ($29.95, VL-11/92) and What Every Woman Should Know About Menopause ($24.95, VL-1/94). (R. Pitman)