For Women Only (especially us older ladies)

[thf]

I wanted to share some info with you. I was trying to figure out why my bb got really bad (which for me means I get nasal breath and can't leave the house for a couple of days) at the end of the month, at first it would happen every 3 months but lately it's been happening every month the last week of the month like clock work when my cycle would normally start.

I started thinking this all started for me 6 1/2 years ago after i had a "female" surgery, I don't have a period but i still ovulate. I'm close to menopause but not quite there, or am i. I searched the web and found this:

Menopause Body Odor

Information About The Causes Of Body Odors And Your Treatment Options
What's That Smell? Oh, Just My Armpits, Again {sigh} Yes, we've reached that famous joke that's not so funny when you are going through menopause

We can blame menopause body odor on those tiny, little bacteria, specifically, anaerobic bacteria.

Anaerobic bacteria flourishes and abounds in the bodies of menopausal ladies. It's growing because your body isn't getting enough oxygen, your metabolism is working on overdrive and your body is ridding itself of waste products caused by hormonal imbalances.


This can wreck all kinds of odorous havoc on you causing menopause body odor that can include foot odor, sweaty and smelly hands,
bad breath and the dreaded armpit wafting.

Yes, waste products are oozing out of your body; toxins are escaping and no amount of deodorant will cover it up.

Before you open all the windows in the dead of winter or banish your body permanently to the shower, here's some information on menopause body odor that will both educate and give you alternatives to leaving your body at home when you go into a crowd.

First, your liver and intestines may be clogged which can cause all kinds of emanations through your skin and out of your mouth. You are going to want to try a detoxification program - yes, I know you are not taking drugs . . . - but you are actually detoxing from dietary imbalances which have resulted in constipation, magnesium or since deficiency and it's all ended up in your smell-i-ness.

Body chemistry plays a big role in body odor, and individuals who eat large amounts of meat or are vegetarians have a discernible body odor which can be offensive to some.

Many menopausal women don't metabolize eggs or fish as well as they could and end up smelling like their dinner. Another biggie for a lot of people, not just women in menopause, are folks who don't digest onions, garlic, spicy foods and stuff containing curry. Fried foods can convert into the person who ate it smelling kind of funky.

Underarm and pelvic area secretions that can cause major body odor. Because of excess protein, carbs and lipids, people may wind up smelling like their sex hormones are surging.

This usually will happen during high stress moments which is probably the worst time to be thinking about how you smell. Another strange occurrence - drinking soda from plastic bottles can lead to estrogen overload.

Menopause Body Odor ~ Causes
There are many causes of excessive sweating:
- low blood sugar
- parasites
- metabolism problems
- emotional stress
- diabetes
- liver disease

- an overabundance of refined sugar (this feeds bacteria and fungus on skin)

Now that you know what causes your problems, here are some tips that will help alleviate them.

Menopause Body Odor Treatments ~ You Too Can Be Underarm Odor Free

Try this. Use a mild mixture of hydrogen peroxide (3%) and water. Wash the underarm. If 3% doesn't work increase the amount of peroxide, but don't go overboard.

Explore the steam baths or saunas. Since you are trying to detox, you will need to sweat a bit to get the overdose of waste products out of your system.

Daily bathing or showering: Yes, it sounds stupid, but don't overlook the obvious. Bathing removes bacteria from your skin; concentrate on your armpits and pelvic area where there is probably a ton of bacteria. Scrub your armpits, using a soapy washcloth. It will work for armpits, groin and hands.

Take some time in your bath or shower. This is not one of those, "I have to get to work, let me run through the water" showers. You want to take time.

Wash with deodorant soap. Another simple thing which can be overlooked. Forget those foo-foo bath gels. Go for the true deodorant soap, soak for at least 15 minutes if you can.

This is going to sound silly, but it kind of makes sense. For extreme body odor, add three cups of tomato juice. I told you it was going to sound ridiculous. But, remember, it works on you and your cats and dogs who have been hit with "Ye Olde Skunk Smell." Guess what, your body odor isn't nearly that bad.

Clean and Febreze your clothing. And don't wear that tight, high stress clothing look. Go for something a bit loose to allow your body the opportunity to breathe. You ever wear that scratchy, turtleneck sweater that looked "Oh, so marvelous" on the mannequin.

Well, during menopause, even if you are skinny as a toothpick, leave it on the mannequin. While you are at it, avoid synthetic fabrics which don't allow you to breathe. Think cotton and not polyester.

Make some changes in your diet. Cut back and sometimes cut out these foods on a regular basis: exotic spices, garlic, coffee and definitely alcohol. See if it makes any difference in your heat and smell level.
Oh, and if you smoke, now is the time to quit. It just adds to the overall menopause body odor thing, not to mention, it is deadly.

You can also add supplements which are known to reduce body odor to your daily regimen including magnesium, chlorophyll tablets, Vitamins A, B and Zinc.

On the whole, there are a number of ways to cut body odor, and there's surely one thing out there that will work for you. One sure thing you need to do is stress about it less. Stress makes you sweat, and heat make bacteria grow and spread.

Hope this is helpful

[wnaysha]

thf,

thank you so much for mentioning it here, I really really really wanted to talk about hormones and increase of bb in menstruation, but I didn't want to talk about it here.-- the rest of the comment was too personal, lol.

[thf]

Wnaysha,

The more i think about this i believe there has to be a connection, it's really strange. But realizing that my bb is at it's worst towards the end of the month, it just makes sense that this could be a hormone issue.

So I'm trying to figure out how to research this, should I see a ob/gyn or try an alternative med doctor. Every medical dr i've seen has been such a disapointment to me I'm very relucant to see them.

Anyway I'll keep you posted. And I'm sure the guys are reading this but oh well!!

Forever hopeful!!

[Speak_no_evil]

This is true.

I have PCOS, and many of the symptoms mimic menopause. One of the main things with PCOS is the rise in testerone. My levels are really high and my doctor just prescribed hormone pills to level them out.

So I have always had a terrible problem with excess sweating. Since I've been using Certain Dri, I have no more pit stains.

I also use Secret spray deodorant in other 'intimate' areas. It works to keep me dry and odor free.

I'm still not 100% percent sure if the hormones affect my breath, but i have given it some thought.

Wnaysha,

You should tell your doctor the symptoms you are having. PCOS causes male pattern hair loss (I was losing hair so bad at one point) missed periods, painful cramps, etc. If you do have it, birth control works to regulate your period and keep certain symptoms to a minimum.

[wnaysha]

tnx speak,


I hope i don't have pcos. wow, didn't know there were so many health problems on earth, n i wanted to become a doctor, lol.

Its not a bad idea to take birth control pills, i'm just worried about the side effects.

[why me?]

Interesting observation. I've had bb for about 9 yrs. and I thought it was due to the smoking/drinking and lack of taking care of my teeth/gums. A few months ago, I tried using a water pik and colgate w/ triclosan and it seemed to clear up my bb, for at least 2 months. I couldn't believe it!! I asked family members and friends and my coworkers were no longer "backing away" from me when speaking to me. Well, the bb started back up again and I figured if the water pik didn't work, it has to attribute to a problem other than my teeth/gums. I've spent mucho $$$$ on my teeth/gums over the past few years and during my last perio cleaning, she said I had no plaque/tarter build up and I spent 30 minutes in the dental chair as opposed to an hour. Soooooo....I thought it may be due to the stomach/intestine area? I purchased the book, "Eat right for you blood type" and it mentioned using bladder wack. This contains fucose and it helps to protect the intestinal lining of Type O's, especially from H.pylori. This is only one of its few purposes. This diet also excludes me from consuming diary products which I noticed reduced my bb. I have to use men's deoderant because I tend to sweat more often and when I work out I noticed my sweat smelled weird. Well, I've been following this diet for a couple of weeks and I haven't lost much weight, but I've notice my bb and sweat aren't as bad as before. I ate cheese during the 2nd week and the next day my bb was bad. I'm soon to be 38 and my body odor is changing. I stopped drinking coffee and drink alcohol every once in a while. Alcohol also makes my breath smell.