“What is menopause?? and what can u do to stop it?”, asks a seemingly frantic Amie on Yahoo! Answers. As usual, the simplest answer turns out to be best, in the words of user Which Witch Is Which: “It’s when you stop your periods, it tends to happen from ages 45-55, and you can’t stop it.”
Well that certainly answers the question, but since Amie seems anxious about it, we’d love to offer some thoughts and suggestions on the matter:
Menopause is indeed an inevitable change in a woman’s body, most popularly marked by the cessation of menstruation (as another contributor said, “…who would want to stop menopause? I mean your periods will become a thing of the past”). “The Great Change” typically comes in two stages, and characteristics of menopause can include irregular periods (before they stop completely), hot flashes, and sleep disturbances. Because your body will have stopped releasing eggs, production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone decreases, and one of the effects of that is vaginal dryness.
Like any other time in your life, keeping your body healthy will be so important! A healthy diet, exercise, and drinking plenty of water will help, as will being mindful of what’s in the other products you’re using. Keeping the vagina moist can be simply a comfort issue if you’re not sexually active at that time, but especially if you are, having a lubricant that actually heals and nourishes your most delicate skin and doesn’t add harmful chemicals to your body is a MUST.
Of course, we recommend something organic…perhaps with a light lavender scent? 
Feeling chapped, pinched, or itchy is no way to feel ready for any sexual activity, much less be comfortable in general, so for women experiencing vulvar pain, lubrication and healthy skin are critical concerns. 
No, we’re not talking about getting involved more deeply with the produce section at your local market (that’s what 
Corrin arrived at her new home in Texas to a great welcome gift: Aloe Cadabra!
Candles are lit. I am home from work. This is a before dinner “quickie.” Smooth some lube on, so that I can “skate” into the lovely lips of my vagina. My fingers move in a circle as I breathe and feel the feelings building, massaging those magical pink folds of my clitoris. The feelings are building. Nothing else matters. Breathing, my sexual juices are exploding into pleasure. My heart is beating. I smiled. Maybe one more before dinner! What a way to come home to me.
In the grocery store there were three women sorting through the cucumbers that were on special. They were laughing as they each sorted through the bin of large ones, middle sized ones, long ones and “just perfect ones.” Ah, yes, the wonderful self pleasuring toy. (Make sure it is washed first!) Which one feels good? It would feel great with some Aloe Cadabra smoothed onto that amazing cucumber toy! What is next in the produce department?
Los Angeles’ Splash Magazine recently released their 2010 guide to 
