In a recent study on incontinence and obesity, researchers noticed that losing weight could help lessen the frequency and  intensity of hot flashes.  And of course the headlines followed with “lose weight” messages to all women.  No mention being made on how it might improve incontinence itself.

But they have no idea why weight has any effect on hot flashes  and this particular study provides no new clues. The women did not follow a set diet or exercise regime.  They were merely “educated” and left to record their efforts.  

Since significant numbers of thin women also suffer from hot flashes, it could well be that regular exercise rather than being actually ”losing a few pounds” that is the clue.

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Close. She is the lead author on a research paper which basically claims that as women age they get more and more desperate to have a baby until they hit menopause of course when they have to give up. 

Interpreting the survey questions, their desperation is evidenced by increasing sexual fantasies and willingness to engage in sex with virtual strangers they have no intention of committing to. Not to mention their sexual creativity in the bedroom with their chosen mate (or should we say mates) fueled by their interest in  “erotic” literature. 

Because, as any woman in an IVF program will tell you, this is really how you increase your chance to conceive.  Sleeping around putting on an act that would make a porn queen blush.

I am sorry but who is she? 

According to her GuardTiger25 Twitter page she is a “bio-grad” and “slave” who thinks

“it’s a good sign at the end of an interview when they say we’d love to have you back anytime, right? …!”

Uh, well that kinda depends on what you said …

And what did she say?

“The study “sort of does support the idea of the cougar.”

Judith Eastman.   By her own definition, soon to be come an increasingly desperate woman …

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You know the spiel.  They use “wicking”.  It is material that absorbs sweat so you can stay cool and dry.  Bit like a paper towel sucks up spills. All sounds about as appealing as a wet paper towel as well.

You might as well wear a sign saying “No sex please”.

So when the people from CoolSets asked me to review their product line I was less than enthused.  I mean really. Moi?  In a granny nightie?

But I went to the site and looked at their new product line. Yes there are pastels. And yes there are definitely some frills and lace. But there is also a sexy red nightie, some cool yoga style sets and a very pretty range in bold florals and polka dots patterns.

I opted for something not so “me” to take me out of my comfort zone to make it harder for them to put me back in it. Since I usually wear a nightie, I chose the Wicking Front Snap Pajama Top in Floral Dream ($44.00) with a matching  Wicking Lace Pajama Bloomers ($39.00). 

Now you know I don’t get hot flashes .. yet.  But I still tried them. Over and over.  During hot winter nights with too much heat and during a hot summer night with no air conditioning.  They worked.  They do absorb the sweat.  In fact the bloomers were a good idea as they helped more than a nightie would I think.   

But when you are going to pay $83 for nightwear you also want to know they last. So I washed them in front loading machine and line dried them. (I never put things like this in a dryer).  I even let my husband wash them.  They survived.  Stitching and trim intact.

Sizing? I purchased based on the size chart.  In reality a size smaller would have been better.

My ideal?  I would love to see the top made longer into a nightie with perhaps some legging type pants for a truly day wear look.

All up the verdict?  “No Sweat”!

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Women stop having babies so they can help look after their grandchildren.

How about we stop having babies so we can stop looking after other people and look after ourselves for a change?

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Most reaction has been skepticism on two fronts:

1. that it is actually that accurate (they accept it needs a large scale trial)
2. knowing the date is really that helpful.

Testing for menopause is really a fertility test in disguise.  Women want to know how much longer they have before menopause closes the door on the opportunity to reproduce.  But we know that the door closes long before that.

Some women would test in order to put it off a little longer, others to know when to stop hoping.

Ever saw the movie TiMER?  It is about a device you could insert into your wrist that would tell you how long you had to wait to meet your one true love.   It took all the fun out of life in many ways … yet I am pretty sure that I would have gotten one. I am just not sure howI would hav e behaved while life turned into a waiting game.

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“During menopause women are three times more likely than the general population to be diagnosed, and even more so if they have a history of depression.  Women during menopause are more likely to commit suicide than at any other time in their lives. “  

Other risk factors noted were that lower levels of education, Hispanic ethnicity, stressful life events, low social support, and a higher number of physical symptoms such as hot flashes were also associated with a higher risk of depression

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The women taking Prometrium had a 56% decrease in their score, and the women taking the placebo had a 28% decrease.

The women taking Prometrium had a 48% decline in the number of symptoms; women taking the placebo had a 22% decline.

As of yet no-one knows why progesterone helped. Interestingly the placebo helped too!

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“Women our age shouldn’t joke about vitamins,” Samantha says.

“Women who are not our age shouldn’t say ‘women our age,’” quips Carrie.

“Well, one day very soon you will thank me,” notes Samantha. “I am leading the way through the menopause maze with my vitamins, my melatonin sleep patches, my estrogen cream, progesterone cream, a touch of testosterone… I’ve tricked my body into thinking it’s younger.”

At 52, the character really could have been past menopause transition. Here was a chance for her to present a dignified ”been there and conquered that” face to her friends (and the audience) but instead she is cast in a rather pathetic role of clinging to her youth with a “don’t want to go there at any price” attitude.

Which leaves the underlying message of this movie, with regard to menopause, being that menopausal women are no longer sexually viable (a view oft-held by many men not that they would admit to it).  And Samantha clearly has bought into that message hence her rather desperate behavior.

I thought Samantha was supposed to be smarter than that. After all our greatest sexual organ is our brain.

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Certainly it is exceptional in as much as most women around her age would be trying to avoid becoming pregnant if they have not gone thru menopause but the real implication here is that should they not be,  they could not do so.

New studies tell us that we have 3% of our eggs left by 40.  Make that “only” 3%.   Forget that 3% is something like 60,000 eggs.  After all at a loss of supposed 1000 a month that is only  60 opportunities left. So you really only have 5 years left to conceive.  It’s all over, bar the hot flashes, by 45 … even though statistically we have another 6 years before menopause.  

So statistically, making it to 54 is not exceptional here … it is a  miracle. Except we all know it’s not a miracle, it is just life.  Real life.

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