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Menopause might seem to you to be a frightening and annoying event. I’m not going to lie to you – it can be a rough transition. In most circumstances, you’re dealing with major body changes in addition to holding down a job and administering to a changing family. The kids may be starting to fly the coop – something you’ve been waiting for and dreading since their birth. How do you cope with all the changes and mood shifts? How do you get a grip on the Handle of Menopause? Read the rest of this entry »

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With the wide variety of symptoms a woman might experience when she’s reaching that none elusive age of menopause, it’s not difficult to believe that interpersonal relationships may suffer.

If a relationship with a significant other isn’t as strong as it could be, perimenopause and menopause will surely exasperate it. Besides the obvious symptom of loss of libido, other symptoms such as irritability, increased feelings of undesirability, lack of sleep, and weight gain can all affect how we deal with others. Read the rest of this entry »

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Eight years ago it became necessary for me to undergo a TAH-BSO. (In layman’s terms, that means they took the crib and left the playpen.) Immediate menopause – ten or fifteen years before I would have experienced it in the normal course of things. My doctor recommended HRT (hormone replacement therapy) and I started the medication before I even left the hospital. Never suffered from any of the horror stories of menopause, such as night sweats, hot flashes, mood swings (other than the “normal” swings all people go through) or growing hair in strange places. Lucky me, right? Read the rest of this entry »

Anita Mahaffey has made things better for women suffering from night sweats. Whether it’s because of menopause, chemotherapy, obesity, certain medications, or thyroid dysfunction, Mahaffey’s product line is helping many women combat a common problem.

After the birth of her second child, Ms Mahaffey wanted to start her own business. She collaborated with a Turkish friend and began developing sleepwear programs for many large U.S. retailers and catalogs.

In 2005, on a routine trip to her factory in Turkey, she discovered a new micro-fiber fabric. As an avid hiker and runner, she herself had worn micro-fiber because of its ability to draw off perspiration.

“As soon as I felt this new fabric, I knew I had a winner. The hand-feel was incredible…very silky, soft and lightweight …nothing like the rough textured micro-fiber sports apparel I had at home. Part of my motivation was to develop a pajama to provide relief for my own menopausal related night sweats, a problem thousands of women could relate to, “ says Mahaffey.

She quickly decided to create a line of pajamas for night sweats. Testing in an independent laboratory confirmed the fabric’s ability to rapidly absorb and evaporate moisture and dry twice as quickly as cotton or a cotton/poly blend.

Cool-Jams was born.

“Customers can find other sleepwear lines for night sweats, but many of the products that we found were expensive,” explains Ms. Mahaffey. “We decided to create a collection of high quality, stylish products priced 25-40% lower than competitor’s products. We hope to make a difference in people’s lives by making night sweat pajamas more affordable.”

Visit Cool-Jams at http://www.cool-jams.com They offer a variety of moisture wicking sleepwear for women, ranging in small sizes to 3x.

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From the Health Information Center at the Cleveland Clinic, here are some basic guidelines to keep you healthy during menopause. Read the rest of this entry »

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Whether you’ve experienced menopause as a result of the march of years, or surgically as a result of physical problems, it’s an adjustment on many levels, not the least of which is the sexual level. This article assumes you had sex before menopause, and further assumes you liked it. Chances are if you did not like sex before menopause, you might think you won’t like it after, either, but then again,  you might change your mind. Read the rest of this entry »

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I have suffered from premature/chemically-induced menopause since about the age of 15. Having Crohn’s Disease, I spent twenty years taking the synthetic hormonal steroid Prednisone.

Prednisone is produced naturally in the body’s adrenal gland under the name of Cortisone. It is closely related to Cortisol (known synthetically as hydrocortisone,) also produced in the adrenal gland. Cortisone is mostly inactive in the body until it is converted to Cortisol, the “stress hormone” that is released within the body when we feel stressed (and subsequently, adds those stubborn fat deposits around the waist.) Read the rest of this entry »

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Black Cohosh as been around for centuries and was widely used by North American Native Americans. It was used for malaise, gynecological problems, kidney problems, sore throats and joint pain. In the 1800’s not only was it used as a diuretic, but also to bring on menstruation. Read the rest of this entry »

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Let’s face it, after the age of 40, besides “empty nest syndrome” and our laugh lines suddenly morphing into wrinkles, the one thing no woman can escape is the big M—Menopause. However, like with any strange or new phase in our lives, the two things that can help gets us through are camaraderie and knowledge. Safety in numbers and knowing what to expect and how to deal with it are power, baby! Read the rest of this entry »