My doctor called me this morning to let me know I am NOT menopausal. And I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry!
At 53, I’ve been expecting “the change” for a while. I am so ready to be done with abnormally heavy monthly cycles that leave my bathroom looking like a crime scene from CSI – but nary a hot flash. My friends are all skipping through fields singing Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, while my Aunt Flo is not only visiting regularly; she’s one of those annoying guests who just won’t leave. Sometimes she moves in for a month!
“I can’t live like this anymore,” I recently said to my gynecologist. “It feels like I’m miscarrying a baby. This has to be God’s cruel joke. All those years of infertility, and I’m going to be menstruating ’til I’m 90. I’ll be the only one at the senior center lining my adult diaper with a maxi pad.”
But while a part of me can’t wait to part with the Red Sea, I’m sure not looking forward to the laundry list of symptoms that can be part of menopause – ranging from hot flashes, mood swings, weight gain and insomnia to memory lapses, loss of libido and increased urinary tract infections.
Last year, as part of a Google hangout on menopause, I got to interview Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, a Clinical Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale University School of Medicine. Minkin, a world-renowned reproductive health and menopause expert, was addressing a really common menopause symptom that had somehow slipped my radar: vaginal dryness.
Oh. My. God.
My hair has thinned, my metabolism has slowed, I’m perpetually pooped, and I can’t remember names five minutes after meeting someone. Now my future might also hold a leaky bladder, night sweats and a lady garden as dry as melba toast? I’ve spent five decades with wide feet and a weight problem. Now there’s a chance it might soon look like Death Valley down there?
Suddenly, the future looked bleak. So here’s what I learned: Vaginal dryness – which can be a serious problem for women of menopausal age, as well as new mothers, cancer/chemotherapy patients and women who are extremely stressed or on certain medication – is treatable! That’s right … If you’re going through this, it’s not like that cactus I killed last year … you can bounce back! 
There’s a product called Replens™ – the #1 doctor-recommended vaginal moisturizer. Replens™ Long-Lasting Vaginal Moisturizer is estrogen-free and fragrance-free, helps replenish vaginal moisture, supplements the body’s natural lubrication, and lasts up to 3 days. And it’s easy to find, available at most food and drug retailers across the United States. So that’s one less problem to worry about. Now if I can just find my glasses …
Replens™ is the clinically tested, doctor recommended brand of long-lasting vaginal moisturizer. As with dry skin that you experience on your face and hands, regular moisturizing treatment with Replens™ Long-Lasting vaginal moisturizer may be necessary to prevent dryness from recurring. Replens™ Long-Lasting vaginal moisturizer is different from most other lotions or lubricants because it contains a patented bio-adhesive ingredient that allows it to attach to dry vaginal cells and deliver continuous moisture for days. Click here to learn more.
This is a sponsored post by Replens™. I received compensation for this review but the opinions (and humor) are 100% my own.
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