In my quest to bring you information regarding menopause and all things menopausal, I've researched many of the symptoms and changes that the body goes through. Several are quite disheartening but this one takes the cake. By now you've certainly heard of hot flashes and night sweats but did you know that because of the hormonal changes that cause these two wonders you're also going to have highly atrocious B.O.?
Of course you didn't know because no one ever talks about that part. It's a lie of omission! And here's how one website describes what bad B.O. or B.B.O. (for any Seinfeld fans) can do to your social life – “lead to embarrassment, anxiety and dejection”. God, didn't I already go through that in high school?
Apocrine glands and fluctuating estrogen levels are the little bastards that cause this problem. Another cause that I found is if you tend to wear a lot of synthetic fabrics like polyester, which immediately gave me a flashback to high school gym class and the ugly onesies we had to wear. Talk about heinous B.O.! You could wash those things in industrial cleaner and there was no getting the stink out of them. The odious smell rose off the uniforms in waves like heat off a desert highway.
When dealing with menopausal body odor, make sure you are eating right, exercising, finding ways to reduce stress and wearing breathable fabrics like cotton. Of course bathing and deodorant can cut down on the problem as well but not always. When I was home for the holidays I went to dinner with a friend and the next day even though I'd showered, brushed my teeth, gargled and put deodorant on the appropriate areas my mom asks me (while we're standing in the check-out line at a store, mind you)
“Did you eat garlic last night?”
“Uh, yeah, it was an Italian restaurant.”
“ I can smell it.”
I looked around nervously at everyone standing in line. Is there a spotlight on me? “Are you sure? Maybe it’s my jacket. It probably soaked up the restaurant smells. Here sniff it.”
Sniff, sniff. “It’s not the jacket, it's you.”
“Well damn, it must be coming out of my pores then.”
If you find you're still having issues with really bad body odor (say that three times fast) you should probably see your gyno for further instructions.
