Pampering Ourselves As We Cope With Perimenopause And Menopause #PoiseFab5

Have you had The 2nd Talk?

If you’re a female over the age of fourteen or so, chances are that someone has had “the talk” with you to explain just what the female body goes through.  Considering the changes can be drastic, confusing, and even sometimes scary or painful, that talk is an important one.  It helps to set expectations and let you know what is coming.

So while you’ve probably had the first talk, have you had – or even heard of – the 2nd Talk?  The 2nd Talk is all about menopause, and Poise would like to see 1 million women join the conversation before October 18th, which is World Menopause Day.

You may think it’s a little strange for me – a 30-something – to be discussing menopause.  Did you know, however, that perimenopause often starts in your 30s or 40s?  Sometimes even earlier!  That was a kind of shocking revelation to me, to be honest.  After all, I don’t consider myself to be old, and I’ve always thought of menopause as something that happens around the same time that you’d retire.  But as I read about the symptoms of perimenopause, I found myself saying, “wow, that’s me” more than once.  Some common symptoms include:

• Mood swings
• Hot flashes
• Difficulty sleeping
• Fatigue
• Worsening PMS

Let’s see, does crying at commercials count as mood swings?  I’m going to go ahead and say yes.  Oh, and difficulty sleeping?  Most definitely – and sometimes, it’s due to those pesky hot flashes.  Waking up hot and throwing off the covers, just to wake up 30 minutes later because you’re freezing is the very definition of annoying.

So what can be done?  Your doctor is the best person to make that decision with, of course.  But after you’ve spoken with your doctor and you’re looking for some over the counter relief of your symptoms, Poise has five new Feminine Wellness products for you.  You can see them all here, plus get a $1.00 off coupon.

I originally saw the products advertised in the September issue of All You magazine (they also have a $1 off coupon printed inside) so I visited Walmart to check the products out and learn more about them.  You can see our entire shopping trip here in my Google+ Album.  Apparently the products serve a major need, because of the three available products one was completely sold out, and the other two were so low that my few purchases cleared the shelf.  I did end up visiting a second Walmart later where all three products were fully stocked.  I now have a nice supply of the cooling wipes in my purse, bedroom, and Bubbles’ diaper bag.  You never know where they might come in handy!

A couple of weeks ago my MIL and FIL were visiting and my MIL mentioned how her hot flashes were really very frustrating.  I knew just how she felt and so I thought it would be nice if we could do something to rejuvenate our spirits and reduce our stress.  For me, when I think stress relief, I think spa day.  So I called my MIL to see if she’d like to have a day of pampering with me.  She agreed and a couple of days later I picked her up and we headed to the spa for manicures, pedicures, massages, and a facial.

While we were getting our pedicures done Tammy, the tech who was prettying up my toes, asked if we were there for a special occasion.  I explained that we were taking a day off from our perimenopause and menopause symptoms and enjoying a day of relaxation.  She immediately said that she could relate: she was in her mid-40s and had been diagnosed by her doctor as being perimenopausal.  Pretty soon the entire pedicure area was buzzing with the 2nd Talk and people were sharing stories and symptoms.

My MIL after our spa day. See how happy and relaxed she looks? And that pretty manicure peeking out from behind her gift bag of Poise goodies?

I had taken a gift bag filled with the new Poise products (plus a copy of All You magazine for the coupon) to give to my MIL, and so we opened it and passed the items around.  Our new friends were all very interested in trying some of them out.  I encouraged them to snag them off the shelf as soon as they saw them; they were selling out on a very regular basis.  I was pleased; September is Menopause Awareness Month, and I think we did a good job raising awareness!

If you’d like to get in on the 2nd Talk, you can follow Poise on Twitter and Facebook.  You can also follow hashtag #PoiseFab5 and follow the Poise Fab 5 Pinterest board to see lots of great 2nd Talk discussions and hear a few personal menopause stories.

How do you cope with perimenopause and menopause symptoms?  Do you know anyone that could benefit from the new Poise products designed for menopause?

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Poise #CBias #SocialFabric  All opinions, as always, are 100% that of myself and my family.