Moments from Menopause

Off the flannel sheet wars today for a few sobering statistics. I found this link recently when I was doing research concerning Menopause, and there were a few surprising entries. You can click on it for yourself to see it in it's entirety - I've copied it to the bottom of this talk - but here's what stood out to me: 1. There are about 37.5 million women reaching or currently in menopause. Whoa!  That's some target market!  For all you business people out there, this is a market you should be catering to. Especially since almost every woman on the planet will go through menopause. Put those thinking caps on. 2. The average life expectancy for US women today is 84 years which means that many women spend about 50% of their adult lives post-menopause.   Whoa-squared!   We live longer then men do, and now we have to live that length of time alone with our post-menopausal symptoms. Who thought this stuff up? 3. About 75% of menopausal women will have hot flashes ...

So, it looks like Round 1 of the Flannel Wars goes to....the Flannel sheets. I spent the majority of he night ON TOP of the covers, sweating like  I was walking in the desert at high noon. Really, I can't believe how much water the human body can make and then lose without needing replacement. At one point I was thinking I should go to the ER to get IV replenishment! The fan only did so much ( the air conditioner would have been so much more effective!). But the Hubman slept like a baby, all warm and cozy and cocooned in his flannels. One of us will be in a good mood today. You know, the guest bedroom sheets have a cotton/poly mix.....

So back to the discussion of the sleeping problems. Here's the cliff notes: I'm always HOT at night; Hubman's always COLD at night. He wants flannel sheets on the bed when the temperature starts to dip. I want Armour Wear sheets to wick the sweat away from my flashing body. So I told him, if he wants the flannel sheets on the bed, I want the air conditioning on all night. What's the bottom line? COMPROMISE. I put the flannel sheets on the bed this morning with the promise from Hubman that I could have the fan on at night. Every night. ALL night. And pointing only at me. We'll see how long this lasts. One of is is either going to be sweating like crazy or freezing like mad. Oh, sweet menopause; how horrible you are on a marriage.

Any idea what today's talk is about? You get 10 points if you figured out it is.... Incontinence. Bladder leakage, or in med-speak, Urinary Incontinence,  is a little discussed side effect of menopause, but a common one many women experience. When estrogen levels decrease,  your pelvic floor muscles begin to weaken and atrophy. Remember what happens to a muscle when it atrophies: it basically dies, or stops functioning in a normal way. These pelvic floor  muscles control the act of conscious urination, conscious defecation and help support the musculature around your female sex organs. Notice I described these acts as conscious. That means that you are aware you have to go to the bathroom from the signals your body is sending to your brain allowing you to realize it's time to...well... go. None of use really remembers our toilet training days, but this is how we evolved out of the diaper stage. We recognized the signals our body was sending us when we had to go,  ...

SO if you've been doing strength training to keep those bones and joints healthy and strong, good for you. Your spine, hips, feet and legs will thank you for the rest of your life. But you're not done. Strength is one thing. Endurance and strength are another matter. Your heart is a muscle. You know that. And, like any muscle, if you don't keep it in condition, it will atrophy and begin to whither and die. Remember that cliched expression "If you don't use it, you loose it?" True for your little heart, too. In order to keep heart disease at bay, and keep on with a productive, heart healthy lifestyle post-menopause, you need to keep that muscle conditioned, toned, and in optimal working order. AEROBIC exercise was the king of the hill in the 1980's. Every one who was anyone had an exercise  program devoted to a good, sweaty cardio workout. From Jane Fonda, to Richard Simmon's Sweating to the Oldies. Why were these so popular ( and lucrative)? Becau...

To many women, the thought of putting time aside during the day to exercise , in addition to everything else they need to do in twenty-four hours, is just not something they want to devote precious time to. Unfortunately, with the onset of menopause, exercise may play a key role in a woman’s mental and physical health and happiness. And it just may help her get through this transition time with a lot less stress and aggravation. There is an overabundance of research for reasons why women should exercise in general, much less when they are going through menopause. This time of a woman’s life, though, highlights areas of concerns that aren’t seen much in the earlier years. OSTEOPORSIS is med-speak for the thinning of bones in your body. Bones naturally weaken as we age, but women tend to lose more bone mass and density then men because of menopausal changes in the body’s chemistry, and therefore the strength of their bones is at risk. This can lead to easy fractures.   Calci...

So, you know that the hot flashes seem to come faster and last longer during the night. Why this happens, I really don't know, but it does happen to me. My husband and I have frequent " discussions" about how to compromise on my "we need the air conditioner in the winter turned on" and his "where are the flannel sheets?" talks. So, one of my girls, Jenny R., came up with what I think is an ingenious and MARKAT-ABLE plan. She suggests talking a flannel bottom sheet and a regular cotton, or polyester sheet, cutting them in half lengthwise and sewing them together. Do the same with the top sheet. This way, HIS side has the warm sheets and YOURS has the "Cool" sheets. Instant harmony in the bedroom! If you steal this idea...GOOD FOR YOU! Hope it helps.

You probably thought I was going to say "right before my eyes." Wrong.   What I meant to say was "my life is flashing CONTINUALLY!" Here's a little except from a conversation I had with my hubby the other night as we turned the lights off and headed to dreamland: Hub: When are you going to put the flannel sheets on the bed? It's getting colder at night. ME : I'm not going to. These sheets are fine. Hub : But I'm cold and the comforter doesn't cut it. ME: I'm hot. I'm flashing all night long and flannel sheets will send me into dehydration mode from excessive sweating. I'll need an IV to replenish the loss. Hub: Can't we compromise? ME: Sure. I'll put the flannel sheets on the bed if you agree to keep the air conditioner on all winter long. Hub: "Sigh." Good night. I thought that was a good compromise. The Hub, not so much.

Vaginal Dryness during peri- and post menopause affects a great majority of women. It can make sex uncomfortable, leading to abstinence, make sitting for long periods painful, and can cause burning and discomfort with urination that lead to excoriation and soreness of the vagina. Vaginal dryness is a symptom of the unbalanced hormones of estrogen, progesterone, and yes, even testosterone, which all go flooey during menopause. Low estrogen and high progesterone cause thinning and dryness of the vaginal walls and a concomitant decrease in natural internal moisture production. This dryness leads to a myriad of complaints from painful intercourse, to red, sore vuvla, and an increase in the potential for yeast and urinary infections. But it doesn't have to be this way. If hormone replacement therapy isn't for you, there are other ways to combat this problem. Why do you think KYJelly was invented? KY is a water soluble lubricant, as is Astroglide. When used during sexual inter...

                         I just had to put this up.                        Last week I was lucky enough to see MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL                        in my town. It was the best 50 bucks I've spent in  years! The theater was                      packed to the rafters with laughing, crying and dancing women of all ages.                     I saw mothers with their grown daughters, grandmothers, aunts, and friends.                    And I saw a surprising number of men of attendance. I went with one of my                best-ies and she and I roared! The music was fabulous - all Motown...

No disrespect to the Beatles, but today we're going to chat about SEX DRIVE during and after Menopause. ( Get the title now?) SEX DRIVE is the biological part of the Desire equation. It varies from person to person even when you're not at this time of your life. We've all known women - and men- about whom we can say, "He/She has an enormous sex drive, or sexual appetite." Usually when we say this it's followed by cattiness or gossip, but all that aside, you've gotta have the drive to do the act. Typically, if you didn't have a strong desire to have sex before menopause, you can bet it won't increase with the onset. But what if you had a happy, fulfilling sex drive and then all of a sudden it's like you're trying to drive your car with the big "E" lighting up? (There's that car pun again.) If you're just not interested in sex, but your partner is, that's an emotional bomb waiting to explode in a relationship. Part o...