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.