do your Kegels
Make Kegel exercises part of your daily routine. You can do Kegel exercises discreetly just about any time, whether you're sitting at your desk or relaxing on the couch.
Do you feel you are not doing them right or it doesn’t feel right?
If you're having trouble doing Kegel exercises, don't be embarrassed to ask for help. Your doctor or other health care provider can give you important feedback so that you learn to isolate and exercise the correct muscles. As mentioned above, vaginal weighted cones or biofeedback might help.
When to expect results
If you do Kegel exercises regularly, you can expect results — such as less frequent urine leakage — within about a few weeks to a few months. Kegel exercises should be a permanent part of your daily routine. And there is another benefit to this: “strengthening your pelvic floor muscles results in better and more intense orgasms”! I hope you are smiling now and have started to do your Kegels whilst you are reading!
Bladder infections. Women in menopause can have more bladder infections than before. This is because the lack of oestrogen has resulted in atrophy of the urethral lining, so bacteria have a greater chance of traveling up to the bladder, resulting in an infection. Drinking plenty of water can help reduce the chances of getting a bladder infection. Cranberry juice and tablets have been found to be very helpful with managing this too.
Decreased sex drive. The lack of male and female hormones in the woman’s blood can result in a decreased interest in sex. There may be fewer orgasms or no orgasms at all. But don’t stress, I have dedicated a whole chapter for this. And it is possible that your sex life will become better than ever!
Vaginal dryness. The walls of the vagina become thinner because they no longer have oestrogen to build up the lining. This can cause pain on intercourse that can be managed with over the counter vaginal lubricants. Oestrogen in a vaginal ring can restore some of the vaginal dryness. Natural water-based lubricants or extra virgin coconut or sesame oil can be very helpful.
As mentioned, the decrease in oestrogen produced by the ovaries can lead to vaginal dryness. This can result in vaginal and vulvar itching, as well as pain during intercourse. Fortunately, there are things you can do to reduce the symptoms of vaginal dryness in menopause.
The first thing you should do is to discontinue using harsh soap on the inner lips of the vagina. Instead, just use plain water to clean these parts of your genitals. Use white toilet paper that has no scent in it and wash your underwear in soaps that contain no perfumes or dyes.
Don’t use any anti-cling sheets in your laundry and don’t use fabric softeners when you do laundry, as these can be irritating. Don’t use perfumed douches or lotions on the inner lips of the vulva.
There are many lubricants you can purchase over the counter in order to maintain vaginal lubrication. Make sure they are natural and avoid using petroleum-based lubricants such as petroleum jelly as they do not actually lubricate the vagina and can actually increase the irritation. They can also cause breakage of latex condoms.
I love
The YES products, a brand of certified organic products that also work for vaginal atrophy or how about
Coconut oil
Sesame oil
Any of these vaginal moisturisers can effectively reduce the vaginal dryness and can make intercourse more pleasurable.
Warming Lubricants
You can also use “warming” vaginal lubricants. These are available over the counter and are designed to increase sexual responsiveness by containing a small amount of capsaicin in the lubricant.
These types of lubricants can be very helpful in increasing sexual responsiveness, but some women say that the lubricants will increase irritation of the vaginal tissues. So, make sure they are organic.
Vaginal Moisturisers
Vaginal moisturisers can be used. They are applied on a regular basis to moisturise the vaginal tissue and have an effectiveness that lasts about 3-4 days, and they work by mimicking the vagina’s normal vaginal secretions.
They are usually applied using an applicator and are available over the counter or online (see above). You can use both vaginal moisturisers and vaginal lubricants together to reduce vaginal dryness.
Increased mood swings.
Mood swings and depressive symptoms can result from a lack of oestrogen. The fluctuations in female hormones affect the brain as well as the rest of the body, so there will be reductions in the neurotransmitters that are necessary to maintain a healthy mood. Supplements and a healthy lifestyle will help you get through. Often a mood swing just wants to tell you that there is a something you need to look at and we are going to dive deeper into this in the other chapters.
Skin and Hair Changes.
Menopause can increase the rate of hair loss, or causing the hair to be thinner than before menopause. There will be a loss of body fat and collagen and the skin will become more wrinkled, will have decreased elasticity and increased dryness. It’s important to also get your thyroid tested because often skin and hair changes can be a sign of thyroid trouble too. Supplements like Biotin and Silica can help.
Menopausal symptoms can last a few months or a few years. They can also last for a few weeks and then go away for many months before starting up again. Most women will have a
decrease in menopausal symptoms once they finally go through the menopausal stage.
Menopause and Joint pain and how to feel better naturally
I never even thought about Menopause and Joint pain until I had joint pain caused by arthritis, gluten in my food and …. You guessed it: “Menopause.” I would like to share with you what helped me and my clients and how to feel better naturally.
Waking up in the morning and having to move my hurting fingers around until they seemed to function more normally was not my idea of fun and made me wonder what my future was going to be like.
How many of you unfold yourself out of your car after a car trip? And how about standing up after sitting for a while on your desk? My knees and right hip have given me a lot of trouble over the last few years. I have been teaching Nia Movement classes for 9 years now, and this mind, body, spirited movement really helps, but it still didn’t solve the problem completely. Discovering that I was Gluten intolerant and cutting out the foods that caused more inflammation was another step in my healing journey.
Joint aches aren’t often associated with menopause. Most women just assume that they are “just getting old,” which is true to a certain extent but not everyone “ageing” have to deal with achy joints either. The lack of Oestrogen affects the ligaments around the joints, and the cartilage at the end of your bones will naturally start to get worn down. This could make your joints stiff, swollen, inflamed, and tender. Or you might even experience your joints creaking like an old castle door.
Oestrogen is very important in maintaining joint and bone health; it helps to minimise the swelling around the joints. Falling hormone levels in your body will also affect how your body is going to retain water efficiently.
Let’s look at some things you can do …