Gifts for menopausal women

First off, let me introduce myself and don't even think about interrupting; I am a 54 year old woman who is starting into menopause. How the heck did I get so old and still be just starting into menopause, you might ask? Beats me but it's where I am (don't question me).

The idea for this article Gifts for menopausal women came to me because gifts are cheery and what does a woman going through menopause want (beside a good air conditioner)? Gifts! That's right. Remember that. There will be a test later.

I've searched high and low and have identified some really good gifts for menopausal women which you'll find below. Note to readers: you've gotten this far. Don't even consider skipping out now before reading the whole article. I know where you live....

Note: That's me in the picture. I don't look real mean, do I? The proper answer is "No, miss..." Note: never ever say "No ma'am" - that's like calling us "old."

Speaking of old, here's another article I wrote about Good gifts for senior citizens. Reading that article is technically a follow up to Gifts for menopausal women...

menopause / change of life / women health / peri menopause / perimenopause / aging

Update: On 12Dec12, I was way amused to find that someone had bought a set of pots and pens off of this article. All I could think of was 'he's going to be in trouble...'

Update: On 15Dec12, i was even more amused (and a bit chagrined) to find that someone purchased a 10" carving knife from this article. I knew he was going to be in trouble...

Although I dearly love sleeping on my thermupedic mattress (and have for the last 7 years), the thing might as well be an oven at night - my hot flashes and night sweats were out of control. Until....

I found and purchased the Cooling Mattress Pad Topper you see there to the right. The thing is a miracle! It wicks the heat right from my body and puts it....where, I don't care where it puts it but I remain cool at night and that's what matters the most to me.

I love it SO much that I started an entire website about it and other products that are great gifts for menopausal women. Come see that cooling mattress pad and a bunch of others at HotFlashMattressPad.com. You won't be sorry.

..A portable fan AND air conditioner!

Ok, this is my absolute favorite gift for a woman going through menopause. This portable fan and air conditioner chills the air to 30F and works on electric or batteries so your warm hearted (and heat flashed) loved one can be more comfortable. Hold it in your hand or place on any flat surface for an instant cooling effect. I would keep it by my bed to stave off hot flashes at night.

Small Fan & Mini-Air Conditioner: The Original Handy Cooler in BlueCHECK PRICE

When I worked in an office, I had to have some airflow. These little desk fans work perfectly to soothe those tears or to dry out our armpits.

I was introduced to the concept of chilling bandanas when I went to Thailand on business. To those who have never been to Thailand, it's HOT - I mean, really really really hot! I took 2 of these ice bandanas with me and wore them even when I was teaching in front of a class. I got some funny looks but at least I was cool. These are a great gift for a woman going through the change of life.

Let's face it - menopause is no joke but that doesn't mean that we still can't have some fun with the change of life situation. These two gifts would certainly lighten my load.

Deluxe Menopause Gift Basket for WomenCHECK PRICE

Menopause - the Musical (really???!)CHECK PRICE

Ok, it's fairly obvious that this book was probably written by a (stupid) man. I know this because only a(n) (idiotic) man would call menopausal women dummies....

Now, why the heck didn't I think of this?! "Wicking" nightwear wicks sweat away from the skin, much like athletic wear does for athletes. I love these nightshirts and am guessing that any woman suffering hot flashes will love them too.

Menopause doesn't have to interrupt sleep.

Place the Chillow on top of our underneath your pillowcase and you'll sleep like a baby. It holds its cool all night - actually, reviewers noted that the area where you're sleeping looses its cool after a bit but they just move over a few inches and the rest of the pillow is still cool. Regardless, this sounds like the perfect gift for a menopausal woman - pregnant women loved it too to relive hot flashes.

Prevent hot flashes with the Chillow pillow deviceCHECK PRICE

Let's face it - these moisture wicking sheets are expensive but, darnit, I'm worth it! I love the idea that these sheets, coupled with my moisture wicking nightshirt will keep me more comfortable at night. Night sweats are no fun and I'll try anything to sleep more comfortably. In fact, I'm picking up two sets so that, when I have to strip the bed at 2 am, I'll have a fresh set to put on....

Also, I looked at the reviews. I'm still going to try them but here's a quick synopsis:

10 reviews gave these sheets a 4 or 5 out of 5 star rating. The best thing from the reviews was that these sheets do, indeed, seem to keep people cooler and they also are very very soft.

6 reviewers gave them a 1 or 2 out of 5 star rating - the main complain was pilling of the sheet fabric after washing.

Some of the below are simply my experiences (so take those as you wish) and others are actually researched and seem to happen to most women sometime along the way.

My Mom had me when she was 42; she never went through menopause. She claimed that I shook her straight....

1. Memory loss is a real symptom of menopause. My short term memory was really going downhill when I turned 50. I was thinking "uh oh, I've got a real problem here." And, since I was taking care of my elderly Mom, I needed to be on top of my game. I saw the doctor - yep, he confirmed it. A lot of women suffer short term memory loss during menopause. Now, I've been doing some thinking on this; perhaps it's God's way of allowing us to forget all the hurtful things said about us by those not going through menopause....See #3 below.
2. Hot flashes are the trademark of menopause. I'll be in bed (night sweats are documented later) and will throw the cover off with what John's says is "real abandon." The next minute, I'll be grabbing all of the covers and piling them on top of me. These maneuvers really throw my littlest dog, Gizmo for a loop - literally. She's only 9 lbs and she tends to sleep on top of the covers. As I grab said blankets, she might very well go rolling off.
3. Hatred; pure unadulterated hatred. Of everything. Of everyone. Mood swings are probably the roughest part of menopause for me. I'll be laughing and having a jolly old time and then forget what I was laughing at (see #1 above) and think everyone is laughing at me! Then I get mad. I don't like being laughed at...
4. Night sweats. Oh joy. You might wake up in a pool of water - don't worry, you didn't pee yourself - yet. Give that a few years.
5. Loss of libido. This one if just God being mean if you ask me. After all, look at all the irony - I spent all my life making sure I didn't breed and now, when I can't, I don't even want to try. Sucks.
6. Unexplained weight gain. Yep, everything settles - everything. This means that, if it can droop, it will, including your belly. The fact that you might be overcompensating your menopause misery with a chocolate fudge ice cream a few times a week has nothing to do with it.

   Gentlemen, when she asks if these pants make her butt look big, your only response is "are you losing weight?!"

I'm so nice right now that I've even hit the little button that lets you tell me what you think in a comment. Now, don't get all up in that - I have the ability to delete your comment...

I've been a Data Manager for Clinical Trials for the past 25 years so I know all about "natural" herbs and supplements - what I know about them the most is that they don't have to pass through FDA testing so there is no proof that the things work. But, if you're looking for something to take besides hormones (like I am - I'm against hormone replacement therapy - HRT), Black Cohosh might be your new best friend.

Black Cohosh was one of only two natural herbs that was judged to help meopause symptoms when run through some informal tests through the Good Housekeeping Institute.

Now, I just started to take this stuff this week so the jury is out as to whether or not it really works. I will say this - I seem to have fewer hot flashes at night. I don't seem to notice a change in my sleep pattern though.

AND the Black Cohosh on Amazon.com was a whole lot cheaper than buying it at my local health food store.

When I started into menopause (called, "perimenopause", btw), I started exploring the natural herbs and remedies to fight menopause symptoms - I just didn't like the idea of taking hormones. What I found was that there's quite a group of crappy menopause "cures" in the health food store. Why waste money? Anyway, during my quest for information about how my body was revolting against itself, I found these helpful links.

BECAUSE WE NEED THEM, THAT'S WHY!

It's a little secret among women but chin hairs are not for men any more. A dark haired beauty could, perhaps, be battling chin hairs from the early 20s but, with the bye-bye of estrogen in menopausal women, chin hairs sprout. A good set of tweezers is out best friend. And, while you're at it, get us a magnifying mirror as our eyesight is starting to go just as we need it the most.

Tweezerman Stainless Steel Slant Tweezer, Midnight Sky

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