Last year I was tackling my menopause symptoms holistically but knocked it on the head as I couldn’t figure out what was what in the meno hokey-kokey (in/out/in).
My meno manifests as joint pain, fatigue, crap memory, dry skin & facial fuzz. Oh, and the fight/flight hot flashes when I get an anxiety attack before the heat spreads, which means I’m in a flush of fear night and day.
I’ve been lucky that despite menopause and having extensive scars and numbness to my abdomen and right breast, which is in want of a nipple, sex, intimacy and all that jiggy jazz hasn’t been affected. Quite the opposite.
In the absence of guidance about Doing It post-DIEP, I went with the advice given for other activities: if it hurts, don’t do it. Day 14 I cracked on with the Big O *nod nod* and went in for the Bigger O on day 23 *wink wink*.
However, once my ovaries are removed in the next surgery, my oestrogen will well and truly go for a Burton and my libido with it. And then there’s the chance of dry vagina …
The amount of abdominal tissue removed for my DIEP means that the lay of my labial landscape is lifted somewhat. This is little talked about, even in closed forums, but isn’t necessarily a Bad Thing and actually has some advantages on the sex front/behind/side (maybe this is why it isn’t broadcast, otherwise y’all be wanting one!).
But I’m worried that my Royal Highness could be open to chafing when I’m in surgical meno. And not just when Getting It On/Off, but when I’m doing everyday non-sexy business (some women have such extreme dryness their Lady V cracks and bleeds).
So I hit up the local Menopause Clinic for the low down. Turns out dryness isn’t the only threat to my Vajayjay. It could also lose elasticity and go rigid.
My look of WTAF-ness was evident even through my face-mask. But the Prof had a solution: “it’s a case of use it or lose it”, he said. “I can do that!”, said I.
So I’ve essentially been scripted sex. A tough ask, but I’m up for it I reckon. Gotta do what you’ve gotta do to respect the Notorious V.A.G.