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Let’s Not Let Dryness Get In The Way

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I am – ahem – over 60. We’ll leave it at that. That means a lot of things, one of which is menopause. Now, at this point in my life, I’m on the outside edge of menopause, but I still suffer from some of the symptoms. In fact, one of the things I learned last year from last year’s Google Hangout – Embracing the Change with Dr. Mary Jane Minkin (remember our video?) is that those symptoms can hang on a lot longer than you think. (That explained my occasional encounters with the dreaded hot flash!) During that Hangout, we talked about being of a certain age, menopause, perimenopause, as well as Replens™ Long-Lasting Vaginal Moisturizer and Replens™ Silky Smooth Personal Lubricant because, let’s face it, one of the side effects of menopause can be vaginal dryness. I suffered from it and I bet most of you who are of that age group have suffered from it, too. It wasn’t fun; in fact, it was often painful. Replens-Boxes
Did you know that Replens™ is the #1 doctor-recommended brand of vaginal moisturizer? And here’s something I didn’t know: vaginal dryness not only happens to those of us who are menopausal. It can happen to new mothers, cancer/chemotherapy patients, and women with dryness due to medication, stress, or tampon use. That’s where Replens™ comes in. It’s estrogen-free and fragrance-free. It helps replenish vaginal moisture, supplements the body’s natural lubrication and lasts for up to three days. It’s long lasting. I love that. It’s estrogen-free, and I really love that as the veteran of a Hormone Replacement Therapy-free menopause (though I know that isn’t possible for everyone.) I certainly didn’t want moments of intimacy to be less than wonderful because of a side effect of menopause. And for the many women who suffer from vaginal dryness for reasons other than menopause, Replens™ products just might be for you.

From the makers of Replens™: 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 are 100% my own.

Yes, menopause is a change, a rather big one, in the life of a woman. How are you navigating this time in your life? Comment below for your chance to win a $100 Visa gift card.

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Comments

  1. Well. That’s a departure. Okay. I just wanted to thank all of your kind readers and commenters for yesterday’s sweet compliments on my portrait of Scout. Claudia, you do seem to attract the nicest people! Thanks, again. Oh, yeah…and menopause sucks and continues to suck for decades!

  3. Ugh!! Vaginal dryness is no joke and menopause is one of the hardest things my poor body has gone through. This is a good product and something we can use with confidence. We women of a certain age know exactly what you mean!
    hugs,
    Linda

  4. I too suffer from vaginal atrophy resulting in painful dryness. Getting older is not do sissies!

  5. My life has changed dramatically with the onset of menopause. So many changes to adjust to and trying to maintain my positive outlook and exercise since osteoporosis is evident as well.

  6. Brave post, Claudia! If it was 1850 and we were all sitting around a quilting table, we might be talking about it just like this, sharing our collective uniquely-female misery, woman to woman. Menopause is particularly more difficult when, along with it, you’re also fighting other illness. For me, I have significant total-body dryness (itchy!) with both menopause and everything else wrong with me…but the oncologist just told me last week that it can’t all be attributed to hormone shift and other diseases; instead, a lot of it is simply the general aging process. I also have rosacea (red face), so the hot flashes do make it so much more uncomfortable; I get overheated very easily which is part of why I’ve learned to dread summer. Anyway, moisturizing-lubricating for any of this is very important not just for comfort but to avoid skin ‘breakdown’ – and any safe product that can help us in these latter years is a good thing!

  7. Thanks for this post. I haven’t tried any of these products yet, but after reading your post plan to try them. I’m currently going through the menopause process with a menstrual cycle that has been none other than unpredictable for the past year and a half. Thank you.

    • No more periods was the first thing I experienced, “Oh this is going to be easy peasy” Well that was short lived, lol. I went right in to menopause (aka Mentalpause” to my daughter. WHO by the way started puberty, That was 7 years ago. We made it.

  8. The great thing about menopause is no more periods, but the rest of it is not so great! I was lucky enough to get through it without hormone replacement therapy, but have suffered with hot flashes and dryness. I have used Replens and it really does help!

  9. Apparently, I’ve been really lucky. The only menopausal symptom I experienced was the proverbial hot flash, and the few I felt were very minor, I think. Just a sudden isn’t-it-warm-in-here feeling which passed in a minute or so. Warm face only, not an all-over feeling. My mom always told me that her menopause had been very mild too. She said it sounded like all her friends had a much rougher time & experienced far more disagreeable symptoms – like today’s topic problem. So it seems in this regard, we were very lucky. This hasn’t been anything I’ve shared with my friends – I’d feel bad about it since many of them have had a disagreeable time with menopause themselves.

    • My mother breezed through menopause. She always said it was because she was too busy to think about it or notice it, raising teens later in her life and working full-time with my dad in their home-based business. I’d hoped it would be the same for me…but, no; although, truly, I have friends who have had and are having a much worse time than me. One friend has suffered with hot flashes for probably a dozen years and her night sweats literally soak the bed. She’s a cancer survivor so, like me, cannot take any hormone replacement therapy at all. The good thing is that I understand, over time, symptoms will subside. We just have to get through it, and it seems different with each woman. I have another friend who opted not to do hormone therapy because she’d done a lot of research and felt it would just delay the whole ‘process’ – but another gal I knew who was zippy, vibrant, ‘alive’ like no 70-year-olds I’d ever known, still working full-time for a big-wig in a big Fortune 100 corporate HQ, had been on hormone therapy for years and said she couldn’t live without it. Again, personal choices, sometimes no choice; none of us are identical on how we traverse this stage of our life.

  12. I, too, am over 60 and have experienced the discomforts of menopause. The hot flashes and sleepless nights are the worst! In addition, I live in Florida, where heat and humidity are the norm. Wearing cotton/natural fibers has been extremely helpful, as is sleeping under a ceiling fan throughout the year. It is also important to practice good nutrition, exercise, and taking care of yourself – enjoying each day and participating in activities and hobbies that bring you joy.

  13. Menopause has not been difficult for me, but only because the autoimmune difficulties I have to deal with make every “normal” aging issue pale in comparison. I am grateful that you shared this post. You never know when the need may arise for such products.

  15. Claudia, I skimmed this post yesterday and moved on, but came back to check out the comments after reading today’s (Thursday’s) post. I’m not throwing my hat in the ring; however, I am amused to realize that Will (above) must have read your entire post and comments before putting this competition on his extremely lengthy contest blog. I wonder if he learned anything new……. And, yes, he may, in fact, have to think about this in a few decades, if he’s in a relationship. Heh.
    I’d like to add that, for me, anything is better than years of endometriosis and anemia.

  16. I found this to be a quite interesting post Claudia and I know it would be very helpful to a lot of us women. Thanks for posting this.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

  17. I’m 40 and I just had a baby but this is good info to think about for the future.

  19. I am trying to stay optimistic and I will keep an open mind towards using products that will help me for when this time comes.

  21. Claudia…I missed this post yesterday and have come to comment after reading today’s post…I feel you do a service to women our age by posting this type of information occasionally…I certainly could have used this product years ago and I feel it could be a great help to other women suffering from this problem..There may always be women out there who are offended or embarrassed by these types of subjects being discussed online..but in the end if you have helped one woman to get relief from a very common problem with menopause…then it was well worth doing it..

  23. I feel so sorry for the ladies that have to go through this…. #sympathy

    groogruxking40 @ gmail dot com

  27. Thanks for the post! This is a good product and I have spread the word to my friends so why not discuss it with on line friends <3

  30. I still have some time to prepare when the time comes, it is always good to know there are products to help.
    tcarolinep at gmail dot com

  32. I am 46 and have found that Soy and Black Cohosh help with hot flashes. I wish I could find something to help with the weight gain. I am walking every day and maintaining a relationship with my Internist and my Gynecologist so that I will have somewhere to turn when problems and questions arrive.

  34. I think menopause is a very tiring condition that seems to sap the strength from me and makes me feel more irritable, but exercising and staying away from caffeine has really helped me. Being social and getting out really helps to.

  36. Thank you Claudia for this post. As a 33 year old woman I’m happy that I still have some time before I will have to think about all of this. The thing is, my mother, my aunt, my grandma, all suffered during their menopause and still do, especially my aunt with her hot flashes for over 10 years now, which makes me fear that the same discomfort is awaiting me. But for now I feel lucky having to think about other things such as “The clock is ticking, ask your husband to hurry if you’re thinking about having children” as per my dad, who is a gynocologist. Can’t argue with him! It is still nice to know that there are solutions out there in case I will need help in the future. Hugs, Susi

  37. Claudia, I have been out of town and initially skipped this post, but then circled back after reading the follow up. I was lucky with menopause but I think this product will be helpful because of the longer-lasting effect. I can’t imagine why anyone would object to this. It’s still a conversation with the girls, although it looks like the contest has attracted a couple of guys! Funny.

  38. I try to eat healthy and try to walk daily…it’s a great stress reliever and makes everything that happening seem easier. Thanks so much.

  41. I’m not quite at that point in life. I’m happy to know that there are options available when that time comes.

  46. Claudia – sometimes we all need a little help as we grow older (even if it’s something we are hesitant to discuss) – thank you for bringing this product to our attention.

  47. I certainly can relate! I have had my own personal Summers all year round (also known as hot flashes) for seven years now. I had not tried Replens until your post and was pleasantly surprised. Thanks for writing about. We women of a certain age must stick together!

  48. As a result of surgery when I was 36 I entered menopause prematurely. For some reason I was unable to tolerate HRT but never had any problems till I turned 59. That’s when the dryness began and it was awful. Thank you for bringing this product to my attention. I am looking forward to trying it.

  49. I’m 49 and pre-menopausal but am already experiencing this at times. Thanks for the informative post.

  50. I am trying to increase my intake of whole soy foods. The isoflavones in soy foods help balance hormone levels and have some estrogenic activity.

  51. I am pre-menopausal and navigating it well so far. Slowly making adjustment in diet and lifestyle to counter symptoms.

  57. I’m with Vicki, menopause just came and went for me! No big deal. But the dryness has continued on……forever!!

  60. Well, I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately so the way I deal is to google it or ask my doctor. Recently I’ve discovered that taking magnesium before bed seems to help quite a bit!

  67. I try to be optimistic in my outlook on life. Age is just a number and being alive is worth the trouble.

  71. I’m actually pretty lost! So posts like this are helping me find my way :) Glad to know there are products out there that can give us relief :)

  74. I make sure to take time to take care of myself and pamper myself so that I can be a better person for my kids

    tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com

  82. What an informative post! The only post menopause thing I suffer from is dryness and my OB/GYN said use Crisco, which I shuddered at the thought. Thank you for sharing, I never heard of this product.

  84. I am one of the fortunate ones who didn’t experience a multitude of menopausal symptoms. I’m many years past menopause but I still experience some of the minor symptoms such as dryness so I’m going to check out Replens to see how it helps.

  86. Well I haven’t had to deal with it yet, but I think using some laugh therapy with friends will be one key to making it through.

  92. I’m thrilled to see that there are many women out there like me. Those of you who have tried this and shared your successful experience has sparked my interest. I hope it will work this well for me so that I can get back out in the
    dating world. May be at 59, 10 years after menopause, I feel more confidant.
    Thank you yet again Claudia!

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