Author: Jenene Delahoy
It’s a condition every woman needs to know about, so why don’t we?
85% of women currently have the condition, and as we go through menopause, eventually all women.
It’s debilitating, destroys our wellbeing, our relationships and our overall quality of life.
The 50+ demographic has the highest rate of divorce.
We don’t talk about it. It’s not on our doctor’s radar. So we suffer in silence.
The very mention of the condition silences a room every single time.
I was recently at one of my Girls Night Out’s not at a restaurant or bar but at one of our girlfriend’s home. It was a Bridget Jones movie night. We paid for a Tarot Card reader to come along and read our cards and we all turned up in our PJ’s Bridget Jones style.
The majority of us are all in the menopause time zone so it didn’t take very long before the subject took over the conversation and peals of laughter could be heard halfway down the neighbourhood as we shared our menopause stories. Then it happened.
“Well I’m dry from top to bottom” piped up one of the group as she motioned with her hands from her head to her toes ending in the hand STOP position declaring “and don’t touch me is what I tell my husband!”
And, there it was. The reaction is always the same. Silence. Pin dropping, uncomfortable Silence!
“I wrote a book about that” declares me
And, for the first time the silence was broken, and everyone wanted to know more.
“I’ll call my husband and get him to bring over 6 copies and I’ll give you all one. Olive Oil will solve the problem and give you relief and I’ll ask him to bring a bottle each for you as well”
Thank goodness we didn’t live very far away. 6 copies were delivered, together with 6 bottles of my Olive Oil and as they flicked through the pages and began to read, the jokes and laughter returned as well as the questions, what to do, how to apply, and what’s so special about it?
All olive oils are not created equal. You have olive oil for cooking and olive oil for cosmetic purposes. Olive oil for cooking is chosen for its flavour and nutrition. Olive oil for the beauty industry is chosen for its skin ingredients and you can’t cook with it.
Olive oil is a humectant, which means that it draws moisture from the air and when you apply it to the skin it locks that moisture into the skin which is crucial. When compared to other moisturisers, olive oil really is King. When you read the label you will most likely see that the main ingredient is water. Water attracts water so when you apply that to your skin it’s actually withdrawing the moisture from your skin and in this instance we definitely don’t want that.
Olive oil is anti-inflammatory, antifungal and is packed full of vitamin E and K and that’s important because as an anti-inflammatory it will reduce the swelling, the redness and the pain. As an antifungal you are less likely to get an infection. Packed full of vitamin E promotes collagen and will strengthen skin tissue and vitamin K aids in wound healing.
Then came my turn to have my cards read.
As I walked into the adjoining room, sat down, politely saying hello and introducing myself, this beautiful, kind-hearted medium, proceeded to introduce and tell me a little bit about herself. She then gave me the cards and asked me to shuffle them and pick 3. They revealed that I was creative and had a great relationship with women. When having your cards read the general rule is you don’t say anything however on this occasion I broke my own rule. I asked her if she would like to see my creative work. “Yes” she replied. So I walked back into the lounge room full of hilarity, retrieved one of my books and one of the oil and gave it to this gentle, lovely lady. From that moment on my reading stopped. She was over-the-moon ecstatic, beyond excited and so extremely grateful to receive a book on a topic that she had been searching for information on and could not find. She then shared her story and her frustration as a woman to find information, help and solutions on a condition that wreaks havoc with your life.
As I listened, I realised I had achieved my mission. Her reaction was priceless and one of the most gratifying and heart-warming moments in my life. The information in my book to me was a God send. Now my book is a God send to others.
Weeks later I learnt that she had written the following review on her facebook page:
“Last night I was blessed with the beautiful opportunity to facilitate Tarot as part of a very special Girls Night In. The Host messaged me to say she was holding a Bridget Jone’s Diary evening for herself and many of friends and family.
A stunning group of absolutely empowered & empowering women and I can not tell you how warm and welcomed I felt right from the beginning. The Mystic Tarot was shared for almost 6 hours of divine guidance and Fortune Telling, and even though my voice was almost gone at the end, I came away so truly bliss filled and enlightened. I met 9 absolutely brilliant women who all shared their innermost thoughts and dreams and emotions with me, and I just feel so, so honoured to be part of such a beautiful night.
I also, very aptly, met the Author of a most beautiful and resounding book. Who so very generously gifted me a copy, and I cannot wait to dive in for her most respected, experienced and raw guide to Women and Menopause. I went to thank her from the bottom of my heart. But it went deeper than that, so I ‘thanked her from the bottom of my ovaries’ instead. (Turns out not just a Tarot reader but a comedian!) We laughed, we cried and I have awoken today feeling entirely refreshed……..”
www.facebook.com/MysticPixie
Breaking the Silence from Vaginal Atrophy – Let’s talk about it, is a self-help book that truly is a shortcut to changing your life. Written by myself a sufferer of Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM) in collaboration with a medical practitioner it explains the condition and why it happens and then gives you both the conventional solutions and hormone free alternatives.
As a result, armed with all the information you need, you can go to your own medical practitioner and explore what options are best for you.
The brilliant part being you can read in the privacy of your own space without the need to speak to anyone and discover solutions that will offer you immediate relief from pain and discomfort.
My mother-in-law is 95 years young. For months and months she has been convinced she has a UTI. She has been to the Doctor so many times about it she has lost count and has been given numerous prescriptions for various creams all to no avail and she has also applied yogurt in an effort to obtain relief from the irritation and pain.
Speaking to her last week she said she had the results back from a swab test the Doctor had taken and it showed that she did not have any UTI whatsoever. “Jenene” she said “I have a dry vagina”!!!!!!
“Mum I will bring you some of my olive oil!”
Breaking the Silence from Vaginal Atrophy – Let’s talk about it is my legacy to all women in an effort to revolutionalise the way we do menopause.
May the information change your life as it did mine. Please don’t be my mother-in-law.
