[00:00:02] Speaker A: Welcome to the Sensational Sex Podcast, where we help women in long term relationships thrive after the honeymoon stage is over. Are you a woman who wants a deep, intimate and satisfying connection with her partner? Of course you do. Amy Rowan and Dr. Trina Reed have the answers and all you have to do is join us each week and take a small step. Soon enough you'll be that woman who effortlessly has a satisfying sex life. Follow us on social media at Sensational Sex Podcast. Share this episode, return next week, leave a review and thank you so much for subscribing. Now, let's start the show.
Hello beautiful people. I'm Dr. Trina Reid and thank you for listening to the Sensational Sex Podcast. We're so happy you're joining us.
[00:00:59] Speaker B: I'm Amy Rowan, the suburban sexologist, and even though your sex life will never be perfect, you can create a sex life that's perfect for you and we are here to help you with that.
[00:01:10] Speaker A: In today's podcast, we're talking about the top 10 things we wished we known about perimenopause.
[00:01:17] Speaker B: Actually, it is 11 things if we include the sex IQ.
[00:01:20] Speaker A: That's true. Now this is not your typical perimenopausal list. Like having hot flashes. Like I was expecting the hot flashes. These are the things that caught me by surprise. And more importantly, they rarely get discussed. So you're going to find out. One nasty thing that I was not expecting at the very end of this podcast.
[00:01:47] Speaker B: Something we talk about a lot in this podcast is having a positive sexual mindset. Knowledge is power. And when you know these things will probably happen to you, it won't make it better, but at least you won't feel like you're crazy.
[00:02:02] Speaker A: And there were many things that did make me feel like I was crazy. Like I wasn't expecting my body to feel different every single day. So one day I would be fine and the next day I would not be fine. And I did not know from day to day how I would react to stimulation, to medication, to different lubricants, or to my partner's sexual touch.
[00:02:27] Speaker B: We are doing this podcast because when you recognize that these things are happening to you in real time, it'll be much easier to eliminate your stressors.
[00:02:36] Speaker A: And just to let you know, when you have too much exposure to cortisol and other stress hormones, it can disrupt your entire body's processes. And this puts you at a higher risk for many more health problems.
[00:02:52] Speaker B: So first, let's talk about the difference between perimenopause and menopause.
[00:02:58] Speaker A: Fingers crossed, Amy I've reached menopause, but, you know, it's anybody's guess. I think I am.
[00:03:04] Speaker B: I know, I know. You've been. You've been. You've been counting this down for a while, for a couple years. And, yeah, I. And I am just going into perimenopause. I've just started noticing some of the early sign symptoms, some. So I'm just starting this process.
[00:03:20] Speaker A: So in case you don't know, perimenopause is the hormonal transition that occurs before menopause when your ovaries gradually stop working, and it usually starts in your 40s.
[00:03:34] Speaker B: Menopause is actually a single second. It's when your menstrual periods permanently stop after 12 months without a menstrual period, vaginal bleeding, or spotting. And this is typically going to happen between the ages of about 45 to 55.
[00:03:49] Speaker A: So Amy and I, we're not medical doctors. So if you're not sure if you're in perimenopause or menopause, the best thing for you to do is to go speak to your doctor.
[00:04:00] Speaker B: Unfortunately, there are a few studies that show how women are ashamed to speak to her doctor about sex or worse.
[00:04:07] Speaker A: Yet, she does go to her doctor, and her doctor dismisses her concerns.
[00:04:13] Speaker B: Please advocate for. For your rights. Now more than ever, you need to tell, not ask your doctor to help you make your life easier. And if your doctor isn't listening to you, find another one.
[00:04:25] Speaker A: Yeah. So a study published in the Journal of Women's Health in 2019 found symptoms of perimenopause were found to impact women's quality of life, similar to arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, or irritable bowel syndrome. So this is significant and we should be paying attention to it.
[00:04:48] Speaker B: Here's the other thing. It is not all in your head. Please do not downplay what you're going through. So let's get into our top 10 list about what we wish we had known sooner about perimenopause.
[00:05:03] Speaker A: I bet you nobody's Gonna Guess number one.
[00:05:06] Speaker B: Yeah, this was a surprise to me.
[00:05:09] Speaker A: So number one is UTIs are very common. So a urinary tract infection, or UTI, is when bacteria enters the urinary tract through the urethra and spreads to the bladder.
[00:05:24] Speaker B: As your vulva and vagina age, chances are that your vaginal canal may start to atrophy, vaginal tissue starts to thin, and this is going to make it more prone to micro tears each time you have penetration. And this can create an infection so.
[00:05:40] Speaker A: Our urinary tract system is designed to keep bacteria out. However, your estrogen and progesterone levels are going to decrease, which can lead to thinner bladder lining, making the bladder more susceptible to harmful bacteria.
[00:05:57] Speaker B: And you might find that you're having trouble fully emptying your bladder. And this can also increase the chances of an infection, which is why it's very important to pee right after you've had intercourse or toy play. And before as well.
[00:06:10] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm like, that's like my.
[00:06:12] Speaker B: That's my before and after. Before and after. Always, every time.
[00:06:18] Speaker A: And unfortunately, if you do not address the UTI and go get yourself some antibiotics, it can create painful intercourse, reducing your will, want, and desire for sex.
[00:06:30] Speaker B: I don't know how anyone would want to be able to have sex while you have a uti.
Yeah, that's like a hard no for me. You also want to avoid a UTI reoccurrence every time that you have intercourse or use a sex toy, because once you have a recurring uti, it's very difficult to reverse.
[00:06:48] Speaker A: Yeah, I have a few girlfriends who have recurring UTIs, and it's. It's an awful situation, and it's just. It can be cleared up with antiproton antibiotics. So just go to your doctor and get some antibiotics. And also to prevent the UTIs from happening in the first place, you can do Kegel exercise, which is a pelvic floor exercise, which is going to strengthen the muscles that support your bladder and urinary tract.
[00:07:13] Speaker B: And if you're using sex toys regularly, make sure you are cleaning them with a toy cleaner, because that can be a way that a lot of people end up with UTIs if they're using toys that aren't cleaned properly. So if this is you, please check out our sponsor, nuve, and they will offer you a safe, researched way to help bring your vulva health back.
[00:07:35] Speaker A: So nuve is really great. And you can also try a topical estrogen, and that's going to help restore the natural balance of your vaginal flora and urogenic tissue.
[00:07:47] Speaker B: So the second thing that you might not know about perimenopause is, is how stressed and overwhelmed that you're going to feel all the time. The hormone changes that affect your periods during perimenopause, such as pms, this can affect your emotions and like a chicken and an egg question. Stress can cause or worsen perimenopause symptoms.
[00:08:10] Speaker A: Yeah, for me, it was like PMS on steroids. I just felt like. Like, honestly, I felt crazy. So in perimenopause the adrenal glands take over the production of estrogen.
[00:08:25] Speaker B: And if the adrenal glands are making the stress hormone cortisol, they might not be able to make enough estrogen and progesterone.
[00:08:34] Speaker A: An imbalance of cortisol can create mood swings, anxiety, leg cramps, and digestive issues.
[00:08:42] Speaker B: And stress can also make it harder to lead a healthy lifestyle and thus can contribute to more stress. For example, you might crave unhealthy foods or not feel like exercising.
[00:08:54] Speaker A: And this one is really sneaky because the feeling of overwhelm builds up slowly over time.
[00:09:02] Speaker B: And wouldn't you know that in your 40s and 50s, this is a time when life's pressures can be the greatest. So make sure to give yourself grace and a lot of self care.
[00:09:14] Speaker A: Yes, grace and self care. That should be the perimenopausal mantra, 100%.
[00:09:20] Speaker B: And I can, I can certainly say this is one that I think I'm probably experiencing right now.
[00:09:26] Speaker A: Yeah, I've developed a full stress rash on my body, and my darling husband said to me, well, what do you have to be stressed about?
[00:09:39] Speaker B: I mean, I'm so proud of you for not punching him in the face. Great job. Great job, Trina.
[00:09:44] Speaker A: I might have.
Okay, on to our number three, which is you experience a complete drop in energy and you feel tired all the time. Many women, including me, experienced increased fatigue and lack of energy during perimenopause.
[00:10:08] Speaker B: And this fatigue can be the result of hormonal changes, underlying medical conditions, and, and sleep disturbances.
[00:10:15] Speaker A: So get this, Amy. Over 95% of perimenopausal and menopausal women will experience fatigue.
[00:10:21] Speaker B: That's pretty much everybody, basically everyone, if you're in that lucky 5%, like, high five to you, but, you know, you constantly feel drained. You have very little energy, very little motivation, and a lot of difficulty with concentration.
Yeah.
[00:10:38] Speaker A: And this really affected me. You know, I've always been a very high energy person, and suddenly I was struggling just to get the basics done every day. And I had to create a very strict sleep regime, which my family teases me about constantly. But it wasn't about the sleep. It was about protecting my mental health and my energy.
[00:11:02] Speaker B: You know, God bless James. He knows that I need my sleep and he knows that the entire family suffers if I'm tired. So he.
We both get up with the kids, but he gets up earlier so that I can get that extra 45 minutes. And it is so critical to our family running smoothly because when I'm tired.
[00:11:20] Speaker A: The whole family Suffers if I'm up past 10. My. My kids are like, what? What's going on? Why are you up? What's the matter? Is it something wrong? You're up and it's in your hug.
Yeah. Yeah.
[00:11:35] Speaker B: Oh, goodness. So number four, brain fog and forgetfulness. Estrogen and testosterone are very important for memory and cognition. So testosterone helps with mental clarity, and it strengthens the brain's nerves.
[00:11:52] Speaker A: So in case you don't know, brain fog is a difficulty. Difficulty focusing. It's forgetfulness. It's difficulty remembering people's names. It's difficulty finding the right words and difficulty making decisions.
[00:12:04] Speaker B: And brain fog can affect up to two thirds of women. It's usually temporary, and it does improve after menopause.
[00:12:13] Speaker A: Replacement therapy can help. And I remember when I went on estrogen, the first thing to lift was this brain fog, and I had no idea how bad it was and how I was compensating for it until it went away.
[00:12:30] Speaker B: It sounds like it's one of those things, like, when you get a new prescription and you're like, there's leaves on the trees. You had no idea how bad your vision was until it was fixed. And then you're like, oh, my gosh, there's this whole other world that I just didn't even realize existed.
[00:12:43] Speaker A: Well, I think that's the thing about perimenopause. These things develop gradually over time. And. And you're. You know, you're making up for it. You're. You're. Make. You're working around it like you're doing all these things, and you don't realize just how hard you're working just to keep to neutral until you have things helping you.
[00:13:03] Speaker B: I have a lot of friends who have talked about brain fog and forgetfulness, and part of me thinks I'm not experiencing that yet, because, honestly, I'm naturally very forgetful. I blame my adhd. You know, I've learned to compensate for it in lots of different ways. I write things down and so on and so forth. But, you know, I don't know. It may be coming. I've definitely been a little more tired recently, things like that. But I think that as it starts to accelerate or maybe sneak up on me more, at least I will have an idea of what's going on when it really starts.
[00:13:35] Speaker A: Well, I don't know if you can appreciate this, Amy, but I'm a writer, and for me, losing words is, like, unbelievably frustrating. So I'm in the middle of a sentence, and I see the word in my head and then it just floats away. And I'm watching it float away saying like, come back, come back, come back. And I have, you know, I, I really pride myself on my.
See, I'm losing my words.
[00:14:07] Speaker B: Perfect example right there.
[00:14:10] Speaker A: I really pride myself on my diction and my word use and you know, like, just like now, like I'm, I, I know the word. I see it in my head and it just floated away.
Thanks perimenopause for thanks Perimenopause for showing us that example.
[00:14:26] Speaker B: No, I'm just kidding. I'm kidding.
So number five is that you will probably experience insulin resistance during perimenopause. Estrogen levels will fluctuate and this can make your cells less sensitive to insulin.
[00:14:42] Speaker A: And this is also a sneaky one because this can morph into so many body challenges. And other hormone changes like increased cortisol, which we just talked about, can also contribute to insulin resistance.
[00:14:57] Speaker B: So some, some symptoms of insulin resistance can include weight gain around the middle.
[00:15:03] Speaker A: Or upper body fatigue and sugar cravings.
[00:15:07] Speaker B: High triglycerides and skin tags, and needing.
[00:15:12] Speaker A: To snack often and feeling hungry after.
[00:15:15] Speaker B: Eating and poor sleep. The good news is insulin resistance can be reversed with diet, exercise, lifestyle changes and nutrition supplements.
[00:15:28] Speaker A: Resistance training, like lifting weights is particularly beneficial because it increases your muscles capacity to store glycogen. And it's also helpful because women lose a lot of muscle mass during perimenopause and menopause.
[00:15:44] Speaker B: I've definitely noticed that I have been having a lot more sugar cravings the past year. I've never really been a big like sweets person and I do, I try to be mindful. I try to eat lots of protein and veggie based meals. But I will be honest, when my youngest son wants ice cream for dessert every night, I do usually join him.
[00:16:01] Speaker A: My family thinks I'm vain because I work out and I am vain.
I just am something.
But the reason I work out is because of these symptoms. So the harder I work out, the healthier I eat, the better I feel. And I don't realize how much difference it makes until I go on vacation for a week and then my body just starts it. Honestly, it feels like it's breaking down. So the reason I work out and the reason I eat so healthy is because it keeps me at an optimum level of production. But Amy, we've got a lot more things to talk about. But, but let's just take a moment to talk about our sponsors. We're going to take a one minute. Make happy sex memories with a nuve promote love moment.
[00:16:47] Speaker B: Getting the quality of life back with a healthy vulva and happy vagina is only one click away.
[00:16:53] Speaker A: Are you a woman over 40 who finds sex uncomfortable?
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[00:17:01] Speaker A: When Dr. Renji Chang turned 55, many of her friends, co workers, and neighbors had the same crazy thing happen to their marriages.
[00:17:13] Speaker B: And no one talked about it, but everyone talked about it.
[00:17:19] Speaker A: After 25 years of happy marriage, the husband goes on a business trip to Asia and never comes home.
[00:17:27] Speaker B: Their husbands all ran away with new girlfriends.
So much pain and heartbreak. Marriages and families were broken.
[00:17:36] Speaker A: And why did this happen?
[00:17:38] Speaker B: The easy answer is that men are.
[00:17:44] Speaker A: But Dr. Renji Chang, as a scientist and a gynecologist, did not think that was the whole answer. So she dug in deeper.
[00:17:53] Speaker B: She discovered that after menopause, 30% of women experience issues that made sex so painful that it became impossible. And she found that no more sex was the first domino and and divorce was the last domino.
[00:18:09] Speaker A: Dr. Chang wanted to help save these marriages, so she invented nu. Nuve is a natural remedy that works using nutrients taken both orally, topically and vaginally to nourish your tissues, promoting collagen and elasticity, and restoring your body's normal sexual functions.
[00:18:32] Speaker B: Nuve has custom formulations for dryness, painful sex, bacterial vaginosis, chronic UTIs, bladder prolapse, cytolytic vaginosis, vaginismus, aerobic vaginitis, and much more.
[00:18:49] Speaker A: If painful sex or other intimate health issues are affecting your relationship, nuve offers a natural, effective solution.
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[00:19:18] Speaker B: When you take care of your vulva, she will take good care of you.
[00:19:23] Speaker A: We're back with our Sex IQ and this podcast. Sex IQ is. Does drinking alcohol regularly become difficult during menopause? Is it A, yes, B, no? Or is it C?
[00:19:38] Speaker B: Maybe the answer is unequivocally, a, yes. Alcohol can increase health risks for women during perimenopause, the risk of heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, and certain cancers.
[00:19:53] Speaker A: Alcohol can make it harder for the body to absorb calcium and magnesium, which are two very crucial minerals for her body.
[00:20:03] Speaker B: And alcohol is a depressant. And perimenopausal women are already more vulnerable to depression.
[00:20:11] Speaker A: And alcohol can disrupt your sleep cycle, making it harder to fall asleep and to stay asleep.
[00:20:17] Speaker B: And it can also make it Difficult to sleep, stay a healthy weight.
[00:20:22] Speaker A: The liver is also responsible for breaking down hormones such as estrogen, which naturally begin to fluctuate during perimenopause. So alcohol can impede this process, leading to an increased hormone related imbalance.
[00:20:37] Speaker B: And some women may find that they can't drink as much as they used to during perimenopause and others may find that they get tipsy or they get drunk faster.
[00:20:47] Speaker A: Yeah, I, so I find I can't drink any. I can't drink red wine. Specifically, like wine just, I'm, it makes me feel horrible. And what I think is so interesting is I go to people's houses, I go to my mother's house, I go to people and they're like, oh, have a drink. And I'm like, you know what? I don't feel good after I drink. And they're like, oh, it's just one, it's just one drink. What's wrong with you? And the social pressure to drink. Even though I've explained to people that I don't feel good now, it's, it's real. And I, I don't appreciate it. And I don't know why people feel like if I don't drink, it makes them feel bad. Like, I'm sorry I'm making you feel insecure and bad because you want to drink and I'm not. But I, you know, don't make me feel bad about it. Sorry, just me going off on a rant.
[00:21:37] Speaker B: No, you're totally right. And there is so much societal pressure. And like, I had to give up red wine years and years ago, long before, because it would always, one sip would give me a headache. But definitely over the past two years, I've noticed that even one glass of white wine, you know, I'll, you know, I'm not even drunk, I'm not tipsy. I'm, you know, I'm gonna have a glass of wine and then I go to bed and then I will wake up from like 2 to 4am and I can't get back to sleep. And what I discovered is it's because that's when the body converts alcohol into sugar and you get a sugar spike in the middle of the night and it wakes you up. And you know what I will say though? And I've been seeing more and more of this certainly within my friend group. And a lot of people that I know is there is a lot more acceptance around people who are choosing not to drink not because they're an alcoholic. Though if that is a problem, then that's certainly something you should be exploring too. But just noticing that there's definitely increased risk of breast cancer.
Just not feeling well, making you really tired and sluggish the next day, and people just saying, you know what? I'd just rather not. I'm gonna have my mocktail. I'm gonna drink my liquid death water. And there seems to be more acceptance around that now. At least that's what I'm seeing, like, in my community, which I think is great.
[00:22:52] Speaker A: Yeah, I should come live where you're living because my, my people up here in Canada are. They're like, drink, drink, drink. I guess that's.
[00:23:00] Speaker B: I mean, I don't know. It's so cold up there. There's nothing else to do. Right. I don't know.
[00:23:04] Speaker A: Good Catholics, cold winters, you know. Anyways, so we're moving back into our top 10 list of perimenopausal symptoms that you probably weren't expecting. And number six on our list is you are going to experience a lot, lot of irregular periods. So for me, it wasn't the period or the bleeding, it was the PMS symptoms that would come completely out of nowhere. So you know how you have your 28 day cycle and you know, you know, like, you know that the PMS is going to happen. All of a sudden with perimenopause, you're like, like you're, you're just doing your day and it's just like, like, and, and I was like, where is this coming from?
We talked about things that make you feel crazy. This, this irregular period, not knowing when the PMS was going to hit. That made me feel crazy.
[00:24:01] Speaker B: Yeah. And as your ovaries gradually stop working, they may not release an egg every.
[00:24:07] Speaker A: Month, meaning your menstrual cycle may lengthen or it may shorten. So when you're in early perimenopause, your period cycles may go get shorter, so your periods are closer together.
[00:24:20] Speaker B: And as menopause gets closer, your periods may get further apart for months until they end. So what I've noticed is that mine, my cycles are getting closer together. I used to have very predictable 28 day cycles, but my last few have been 23 days, 25 days. And I haven't experienced, like, major PMS since I was a teenager. And these past three cycles, oh, my gosh, like, crying chocolate, you know, like the whole, like, shebang. And then the next day my period starts and I'm like, oh, but because it's shorter, I wasn't expecting it. So again, the whole feeling like you're crazy. Like I'm really not a very moody person. I'm just not a pretty calm tempered. And yeah, this, this is, this is all ramping up for me.
[00:25:08] Speaker A: So this is a really good thing to look into. And if you go to the website Semcor ca, that's C E M C O R ca, you can see their research process to how your periods will occur. Like it's, it's like clockwork. This is how it's going to go. You're going to go through your perimenopause and into menopause and that's not going to make your periods any easier and it's not going to make the PMS go away but at least you'll know what to expect. So something I like to talk about is when you're close to being in menopause, you will have one very large bleed. It feels like you're bleeding to death and it will just keep on coming. Like you're like where is this blood coming from? Like it's just coming out, coming out, coming out and, and you're like oh my God, what is wrong with me? There's nothing wrong with you. It's just the way the menopause, I think it's just like the one final finale of, of menopause. You know, ta da and then you're done.
But if you don't know that's going to happen to you, it like I had this happen to me and I knew it was coming and still it was breathtaking. Like the amount of blood leaving my body so probably too much information but like go to Semcore, check out your the cycles there. It will help you see what you're going through and how you're going to go through it. And you know, it just makes it a lot more easier.
[00:26:34] Speaker B: Number seven is that you gain weight suddenly like overnight.
[00:26:40] Speaker A: True. It's true.
[00:26:42] Speaker B: Many women, they experience weight gain during menopause around the abdomen and the upper body. And even though a lot of women are expecting to gain this weight, it's still very surprising when it happens.
[00:26:54] Speaker A: Yeah, it's almost like your body is conspiring to gain weight no matter what you do.
[00:27:01] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:27:01] Speaker A: Since my early 20s I've been very disciplined in my eating habits and my exercise and I've managed to stay the same weight. And when I turned 52 I just started gaining weight and I was like what the heck is going on here? Like I was like I had no idea because I've always been able. Like that's something I've been able to maintain and manage and it's been like a constant in my life. And I put on, I don't know, in a month and a half I put on £10 and I was not doing anything different than what I was doing before. So like my body was just doing everything it could to gain weight, weight. And it was the first time in my adult life that I had to go on a diet. And you know what they say, you know, losing, you know, gaining 10 pounds is so easy, but taking those 10 pounds off, it was so hard. And I was just like, you know, I've been working all my life to be this weight and you know the injustice of it.
[00:27:58] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, it's, I can imagine how frustrating it is and I'm not looking forward to that happening to me one of these days. So it's, it's this decline, it's the decline in estrogen and progesterone. And what that does is it slows your metabolism and that starts to change how fat is distributed around your body as well.
[00:28:17] Speaker A: You're going to lose muscle mass, which means you burn fewer calories when you work out, which is why it's so important to start doing weight based exercises to maintain your muscle mass.
[00:28:30] Speaker B: So I haven't really noticed a lot of changes in my weight in this area yet. Again, I know that it's coming. I'm, I've actually, I'm happy. I've actually recently lost like a lot of my weight. I think I'm sort of getting into that like that forties where you're like, okay, like I can finally shed all the baby weight. I can start taking better care of myself. So I can see how that will be frustrating when all of a sudden it starts to sneak back on the.
[00:28:54] Speaker A: Thing you might not be expecting during perimenopause. Our number eight is you may experience hair loss and hair growth in all the wrong places. So I am here to say that menopause mustache is real and it's awful.
[00:29:13] Speaker B: Oh no. Yeah, I'm like, I don't think I have it yet, but you know, I'm sure it's coming.
What estrogen does is it helps to keep your hair in the growth phase. And so when your estrogen levels drop, the growing phase shortens and that means your hair sheds more.
[00:29:30] Speaker A: So I lost half my hair and patches of my curly hair became straight. So around, it's really interesting because around this my hair is straightened for no reason other than I was in perimenopause.
And I'm starting To see a lot of chin hairs and, and the menopause mustache. But the thing that, like, and I can get over that. Like, it's, you know, it's not great, but I can get over this. The thing I cannot get over is my eyebrow hairs are now an inch long. I taught old man eyebrow hairs, and it's like, what. What is that?
I'm like, I am trimming my eyebrows now because I've got these long freaking hairs.
[00:30:15] Speaker B: Oh, my goodness. Yeah, I. I mean, I have blonde. You know, I barely have, like, eyebrows that you can see. I don't know. It'll be interesting to see what, you know, these hair changes are, you know, that happen. So. And, you know, another reason that this happens is decreased collagen. And this can affect your skin elasticity. This can impact your scalp's ability to support healthy hair.
So I. I haven't experienced. Experienced any hair changes yet. Again, like I said, I think I'm on the. The beginning side of this. I. I'm not one who lost. I know a lot of friends who, like, lost hair, like, after they had their babies, and I wasn't one who lost a lot of my. Like, my hair didn't necessarily get thicker or thinner or maybe I just didn't notice. I'm not sure. But, yeah, I haven't experienced those changes yet, but. Yet another lovely thing to look forward to.
[00:31:03] Speaker A: Yeah, I. I'm actually glad that I lost half my hair because. And then people hate when I say this, but I had such thick hair and having thick, curly hair, like, it just, like, it just, you know, and. And now it's manageable because it's like half the amount of hair. So I actually didn't mind losing half my hair.
[00:31:25] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, I have super, super thin hair, so if I lost, like, half my hair, I would basically be bald. So I hope that that isn't too extensive for me. But you have such beautiful, beautiful hair. My younger sister, she's got thick, curly hair, and I hear her laments all the time. So I'm so glad that the way that worked out for you was a positive for you.
[00:31:47] Speaker A: Yeah, me too.
[00:31:50] Speaker B: So number nine is seemingly overnight, your skin starts to sag.
And this might seem like simply vanity, but it really can affect a woman's sense of self and her self confidence.
[00:32:05] Speaker A: Yeah, it. It really does. It's just like, you don't see yourself as aging until you see all the skin sagging. So during perimenopause, a decline in estrogen levels can cause skin to become thinner. Drier and less elastic, which can lead to sagging skin.
[00:32:24] Speaker B: Estrogen, Again, it's that key hormone. It helps to produce the collagen and elastin. And these are the proteins that give your skin firmness.
[00:32:33] Speaker A: So when you go through perimenopause, you're losing your estrogen. And estrogen withdrawal can cause water to seep out of the skin cells, making it harder for new collagen to form.
[00:32:45] Speaker B: And then your skin will become even more vulnerable to environmental damage like you, UV radiation and pollution. And this can lead to increased sensitivity, redness, and uneven skin tone.
[00:32:57] Speaker A: Now, I do not have any scientific backing on this, but my observation over the last five years shows that this is true.
So women either are going to have a wrinkled forehead or an neck jowls.
So either, like. So if you have neck jowls, chances are you want won't have a wrinkly forehead. So I've got a wrinkly forehead, but I have virtually no neck jowls.
[00:33:27] Speaker B: So looking at the people in my family, I'm probably gonna end up with neck jowls. I mean, to the point.
[00:33:33] Speaker A: Forehead. So that's, you know, like.
[00:33:35] Speaker B: Yeah. At least we don't get both. I don't know. We'll take that as a positive. It's one or the other. Yeah. Yay. Fun. More things to look forward to.
[00:33:45] Speaker A: Don't worry, we're saving the best for last. Oh, yay. So speaking of thinning skin, you will.
[00:33:53] Speaker B: Probably experience vaginal and clitoral atrophy and. Or the loss of your sexual sensation.
Vaginal tissue, it becomes thinner, it becomes drier, and it becomes less elastic.
[00:34:10] Speaker A: So symptoms include vaginal itching, burning pain during sex, and tightening of the vaginal opening.
[00:34:18] Speaker B: And vaginal atrophy can make sex painful and less enjoyable. However, vaginal and clitoral atrophy are treatable. You do have options.
[00:34:29] Speaker A: Actually, we've done podcasts on this. So you can watch these podcasts because. Because we go through them quite extensively. And, you know, if this is you, please, please, please check out our sponsor, Nuve's amazing product line.
[00:34:45] Speaker B: Yeah, we've done some really great deep dive videos on vaginal and clitoral atrophy. So if all of a sudden sex that used to be pleasurable for you is painful or maybe you're just not feeling anything anymore, this is probably what's going on. So definitely check that out.
[00:35:01] Speaker A: Yeah, besides Nuve, like, that's a great product. You might need a little extra. You can also try topical estrogen cream.
[00:35:10] Speaker B: So when it comes to your vulva health. There are options. You don't just have to roll over and say, oh, I guess this is going to be painful. That's what I'm going to experience now. Or, I guess this is painful. We're done. Our sex life is over forever. Uncomfortable and painful intercourse is 100% treatable.
[00:35:26] Speaker A: It is. If you go onto their website, they. They have everything. They've got the research. Like, I love their. Their website because it's so full of data. So if you are in doubt, just go on to their website and see what they. Their research has to say and let the research speak for themselves.
[00:35:45] Speaker B: Yeah. And it does. It 100% does.
[00:35:49] Speaker A: So, Amy, I hope we didn't scare people.
I meant this as a, you know, what can we know before we get into it? I think knowledge is power, and understanding this stuff, when it's happening to us, it helps us maybe take control.
[00:36:08] Speaker B: I think it makes it less scary. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I mean, it is a little bit scary, but also it's what's going to happen. And I think it's better to go in it with that knowledge. So you don't think that you're crazy. So that, you know, you can go talk to the doctor or there's different treatments that you can do, or you can have that conversation with your partner about what's going on and that.
[00:36:29] Speaker A: Can I just stop you for a second? Like, I think that's what we didn't hit on is.
And you just. Thank you for bringing that up. Is you need to have this conversation with your partner. Because if you're. If you are having these things and it's making you feel bad and your partner's like, well, what's wrong with you? And you're not saying anything, you know, and maybe if it's really difficult for you to talk about, listen to this podcast together and then talk about it after. But this is. This is one of the reasons we're doing this podcast specifically, is so that you can be able to speak to your partner.
[00:37:07] Speaker B: Yeah. Talk to your partner about it. Don't just give up. Just say, this is what's going on. This is natural changes that are part of my body and I love you and I want to be with you for decades to come, and we want to continue to be able to have fun in different ways. So let's talk about it. Let's acknowledge what's happening. You know, what also happens at this time frame for a lot of the guys as they start to experience erectile dysfunction and things like that, and they may be experiencing embarrassment around that too. So both of you guys aren't talking and experiencing these body changes. That's where sex intimacy breaks down for a lot of couples. So talk about it, listen to this podcast, share that with them, and know that there are solutions out there to help you.
[00:37:48] Speaker A: Yes. So let's discuss what we Learned. The top 11 things that you need to know about perimenopause.
[00:37:58] Speaker B: So number one is that UTIs are common.
[00:38:02] Speaker A: Number two is why you feel so stressed and overwhelmed.
[00:38:08] Speaker B: Number three is why you're experiencing lower energy levels.
[00:38:12] Speaker A: Number four is why you experience brain fog and forgetfulness.
[00:38:18] Speaker B: Number five is why you will experience insulin resistance.
[00:38:22] Speaker A: During our sex iq, we discussed why alcohol can increase women's health risks.
[00:38:30] Speaker B: Number six was why you will experience irregular periods.
[00:38:34] Speaker A: Number seven, why you will overnight start suddenly gaining weight.
[00:38:41] Speaker B: Number eight is why you might start to experience hair loss and unexpected hair growth in all of the wrong places.
[00:38:49] Speaker A: Number nine is overnight, seemingly your skin will start to SAG.
[00:38:55] Speaker B: And number 10 is what you can do when you start to experience vaginal and clitoral atrophy and or the loss of sexual sensation.
[00:39:03] Speaker A: Well, that was a long list and I hope people got some great information from it. So that is it for us.
[00:39:11] Speaker B: Until next time. Stay sexy Are you struggling with lack of desire, mismatched sex drives, pain or peri or post menopausal shifts that affect your sex life? Are you craving more pleasure and passion in the bedroom but you don't know where to start? At Suburban Intimacy, I offer a holistic blend of one to one coaching, educational workshops, online events and curated biosexologist intimacy products. Book a complimentary discovery
[email protected] and while you're there, download your five free tips for sexy scheduled sex. Want to Spice things up? Save 15 off your first order at suburbanintimacy shop.com with the code podcast 15.
[00:40:01] Speaker A: Is Good Sex on your mind, but not in your bedroom? Go to trina reid.com and check out my award winning books the Sex Course and Sex Boot Camp. While you're there, grab your free copy of Sex Boot Camp Masterclass and sign up for my Success newsletter to get weekly freebies and easy ways to help you become the juiciest, sexiest version of.
