Menopause - what a topic!  I first connected with the subject in Morawa WA in 1992.  There was Women's Forum I presented at, where country women had gathered to gain insight and information about topics ranging from HIV and AIDS, (which I was presenting), to Breast Cancer, Menopause and Diet ( to name a few).

I have never forgotten the Menopause section because the presenter was advocating the magic of HRT to these women.  I remember attending her workshop, as I wanted to learn about Hormone Replacement Therapy.  I remember being less than impressed as she insisted HRT was the only option regardless of the fears, doubts and questions that were asked.  There appeared to be no connection made with any of us that attended the workshop and our fears were not put to rest.  In fact if anything, it made me decide there and then, that HRT patches ( or tablets) was one avenue I would not be taking.

I did understand, and learn however,  that HRT patches and tablets were available for women going through menopause, to boost the production of the female sex hormones (oestrogen and progesterone) which become dramatically reduced and result in low levels of the hormones in the body. This of course means that many women experience unpleasant symptoms as a result of the decreased levels of these hormones, particularly oestrogen.  With a patch or tablets,  and I now understand there are sprays and gels available as well, symptoms that include, hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings, insomnia, itching, breast change, vaginal dryness (to name a few) help balance these problems.
The thing is, the option of HRT is not without risks of osteoporosis, stroke, cancer and heart problems which have all been documented in various research and this was brushed aside at that Conference.. 

I know my mother is 84 years old and she still has to change her nightgown most nights due to  massive night sweats.  She does not take any form of HRT though.  I opted many years ago to go for the bio-identical hormone option and after blood tests were taken,  a compounding pharmacy made up Trouches for me to take orally.  The only side effect of that after some years was the fact I developed sensitive teeth.  The sweetener used is Stevia and of course to make the dissolving more pleasant,  one is given the option of a variety of flavours.

A friend I was speaking with had also opted for the Trouches and after choosing the butterscotch flavour was told by her Doctor to ensure she used different sides of her mouth to dissolve the Trouche and that she could even use them vaginally if she wished.  I put my tuppence worth in when she said that, as I do not for one minute believe that there would be benefits from placing a Trouche within the vagina that had sweetener in it as well as flavouring!!!  You have to be kidding!

Gosh, I have gone on and on over the years, about being fully informed about fragrances (as opposed to legitimate essential oils) and sweeteners (such as what may be found in flavoured personal lubricants) and the effects that sugars (or sweeteners) can have on the body.

I remember the relief when my Doctor suggested to me that I take the Trouches vaginally instead of orally.  He immediately had all flavourings and sweeteners withdrawn from the mix. I had been experiencing sensitive teeth, which I believed was due to the Trouches being dissolved in my mouth each day.

We are all different and what works for one in getting the night sweats and hot flushes under control may not work for another.  Bio-identical hormone replacement was my choice but the thing to remember is we all have choice. 

When hormone supplementation is warranted, there are four major points to consider. These stem from the belief that if we are going to relieve or reverse the ageing process, it should be done in such a way as to mimic the body's system as it was created. In that endeavour, only hormones that are the exact molecules made by the human endocrine system should be used. The human race would not have survived this long if these hormones were dangerous and subjected us to fatal diseases.

Secondly, those hormones used should be introduced into the bloodstream in a way that emulates the glands as closely as possible, that is, avoiding the digestive tract and liver and minimising first-pass effects.

Thirdly a broader spectrum of hormones, at lower doses, offers a more complete, physiological balance

Finally the dose must be individualised to the patient's needs and goals which in the end will result in fewer side effects if any, along with reducing or eliminating other medical problems.
Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy products are compounded by a compounding pharmacist, which offers you and your physician a choice for individualized hormone replacement.

"Natural" refers to the structure of the hormone (i.e. they are bio-identical in structure and function to the hormones naturally produced in our bodies). The hormones start from wild yam and soybeans which are rich in precursor molecules. These are easily converted by biochemists into other molecules that are identical in all aspects to our own naturally occurring hormones.

So become informed, do your research and make a fully informed decision, after all it is your body, your life,  no one else's.

 

This is awesome - some people are so creative. Such a clever line up of the most cute (and edible) vulvas I have ever seen.  By the way, if you are into all things Vulvalicious, then check out these amazing Vulva cushions.  These days you can find some really exceptional products with a Vulva theme.  There are cards, puppets, t shirts, purses - will someone please come up with a pair of shoes - jewellery and much more.  Check out this vulva shop.

 

 

There is even the knitted Vulva.  Thanks to yours truly.. I have been dabbling, playing, and vulvalising my evenings with a few playful and colourful blends. 

The Vulva certainly has many women celebrating the wonderment of this part of the female anatomy. There are many places on our planet that shows the feminine side with vulva-like similarities. 

At Glastonbury, years ago, I was taken with a rock formation in a garden that was ultra feminine in its design.  

Here is the photo I took all those years ago, when at Chalice Well.  The Seven Bowls flow into the Vesica Pool.  It is really beautiful.

Also when approaching Glastonbury from the southeast and the direction of Baltonsborough and Butleigh, many people have noticed that the side-view of the Isle of Avalon presents the profile of a giant Goddess lying down lengthways before them across the moors.

There is much to be said about the feminine form and yet only today, I received an email seeking my support in speaking out about Uzbekistan's President  who is forcing doctors to cut out women's uteruses without their knowledge or consent to promote "birth control" across the country.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has already publicly condemned Karimov for human rights abuses and this most recent assault on women's rights - a topic she champions - only ups the stakes.

Unbelievable that this dictator would destroy in women he does not even know, the very feminine organs that gave him life!!!  Unbelievable!!

There is a website with 3D animation of the feminine organs including various dimensions of the vulva.... take a look, it is rather intriguing.  Suffice to say it would be a bonus for sex education in schools to include the unique perspective of these images for explaining anatomy to the pupils.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are many types of orgasm that women experience and it is not simply the vaginal, clitoral, G-spot type.  Being in touch with emotions can stimulate all type of feel good feelings within the body. Responding to the sensation of a hug, breath in the ear, the smell of the person you are with, the sound of their voice and yes their touch,  all conjure up delight and orgasmic pleasure especially in the brain!  The biggest sex organ of all.

It is sad to read that so many women feel they are missing out on orgasm, because of what friends allude to, what Cosmopolitan and Cleo say, as well as expecting some huge explosion to take place that carries them away into the land of orgasmic pleasure, that lasts for hours.  Believe me, it is not like that.  Orgasm is different for every woman. Orgasm varies in depth because of the variables, mood, partner, where sex takes place, the time of the month (in relation to your menstrual cycle), and much more.

Some of us have experienced the raw, hot lust and rush as we have sex in the elevator, or on the bosses desk, or in the car park, or the back seat of the car. Yet, like I said, orgasm is different every time.

This (portion), reprint of an article written by Emma Gray, Associate Editor, Huffpost says it all. It was written from the perspective of vaginal orgasm as opposed to clitoral orgasm.

Even if vaginal orgasm is more available to women than previously thought, it doesn't work for everyone, or even most women. ABC News reported that up to 75 percent of women have trouble having orgasms from vaginal penetration alone, and that 10 to 15 percent have trouble having an orgasm at all, and yet many women still feel they're doing something wrong if they can't "achieve" the ecstasy that seems to come so easily to porn stars and models in perfume ads during intercourse. A simple Google search turns up hundreds of postings on Yahoo message boards from women who feel inadequate because they can't achieve a specific type of orgasm -- or any orgasm. These posts have titles like "I can't have a vaginal orgasm...and it's affecting my relationship?" "I have never had an orgasm through penetrative sex, am I normal?" and "Is it normal that I have never had an orgasm?!?"

Where do these strong beliefs come from and when do they start?  Why is it a young women feels she has to have 5 star experiences from the outset when having a sexual experience?  Who or what sets this benchmark? You know it is a given, from surveys done by Sassy Vibes in the past, that having sex/ or making love is different every time.  You can't set out with expectations.  It really is about the journey at hand, the destination means it is all over! Lights, bells and whistles for some, deep inner warmth and exquisite body rush for others, borderline sensation and being held close for others.  The latter does not mean anything is wrong, it is merely different (this time).

Good God whatever happened to the fun and play and pleasure of the sexual act.  Why is it a rush to the finish line with so much expectation?

Suffice to say, there is no doubt that the accessibility to unrealistic information, You Tube views, tabloid reading, various chat groups on the internet and the like, all contribute to illusory impressions of what orgasm is supposed to be like and feel like.  I wouldn't mind betting that there are those 'out there' who  believe they have never achieved orgasm and in fact have.  It is simply that they have never given themselves permission to allow, go into, unfold, into the experience as they are too busy trying to work out if this "is it" or not and miss the entire joy of the moment.

Give it up!  Go with the flow and enjoy!!

 

I recently addressed students at the Medical Faculty of Bond University on the Gold Coast.  It was a day where these students stood together to take a stand and speak up about International Zero Tolerance of Female Genital Mutilation.  The students had gone to a lot of trouble to bring awareness to this barbaric form of abuse towards the female gender in countries such as Africa, Indonesia and other Asian and Arabic countries.

Trouble is, where culture and tradition (posing on religious grounds) have become so deeply imbedded in the psyche of the elders, it will take time for change to become permanent.  I have read of young girls being excited about the fact that they are about to become initiated, however once the cut has been made and alcohol poured into the wound (if they are lucky), it becomes a different story.  The terror, pain and the unwillingness to scream at the time, must take all the energy they can muster.  Left bound for days on end whilst healing takes place, the tears flow and flow.  It is often the old women who perform the circumcision.

The procedure, which involves the partial or total removal of external genitalia, is designed to decrease women’s sexual desire and is seen in many cultures as essential for a women’s suitability for marriage.  Actually there are three levels of circumcision practiced across Africa.  Circumcision, or sunna, entails the removal of the hood of the clitoris and sometimes part of the clitoris itself; excision was the removal of the clitoris and all or part of the inner lips of the vagina  around the vagina; and infibulation means the removal of the clitoris, inner lips , and all or part of the outer lips.  Infibulation also entails sewing the area back up and leaving a hole the width of a matchstick.  Infibulation has existed in countries like Mali, Togo, Sudan and Somalia.  Most girls are often excised in dark huts with a razor blade, scissors, a knife or a broken piece of glass.  Very few of these tools are ever well cleaned.  Of course a lot of these girls having had this performed on them go into shock, bleed to death or live for a few days before succumbing to tetanus or blood poisoning.

Then there is the recurrent tearing of the scar tissue during sex, permanent incontinence, painful menstruation, bacterial infections and possibly infertility.  Also where a scarred vagina is particularly difficult for a man to enter, his repeated penetrations cause tears and damage to the perineum, urethra and anus.  This can lead to opening up of a new hole, a "false vagina", a hole that does not lead to bearing children. The thing is, it is widely believed that this is the path to womanhood.  Without it the daughters and granddaughters would be unsuitable marriage partners, and therefore unsuitable mothers, the one job a girl is born to do.

In Africa, communities are coming together to put an end to Female Genital Mutilation / Cutting, (FGM/C). There are women's movements in some African countries, like Senegal that are speaking out against the practice.  Through a joint program, UNFPA,  ( United Nations Family Planning Association) and UNICEF,  (United Nations Children's Fund)  are working to support their efforts. Governments, non-governmental organizations, religious leaders and community groups are making real progress.  In 2011, just three years into the program, more than 6,000 communities in Ethiopia, Egypt, Kenya, Senegal, Burkina Faso, the Gambia, Guinea and Somalia have already abandoned the practice.

 

 

 This significant progress in the fight against FGM/C is a direct result of the commitment of NGOs and various associations including Zonta International, the political authorities, and the involvement of traditional and religious leaders, with support from technical and financial partners.  A strategic communication plan was put in place, accompanied by intense lobbying, technical capacity building and institutional support. Happily, these strategies are proving quite successful.

As a result, in the country Burkina Faso: A law was passed on November 13, 1996 outlawing FGM/C;  May 18 is celebrated every year as the National Day to combat FGM/C. The visible support of opinion leaders, traditional chiefs and religious authorities has been extraordinarily influential in highlighting the problem and leading to its decrease; and for those of you who have read the papers lately you will have seen the photos of Masai tribesmen in their customary clothing playing cricket.  The Masai Warriors cricket team use their matches to help raise awareness of health issues including HIV and alcohol and substance abuse. They are aiming to be role models in their community where they campaign against female genital mutilation, as well as the marrying of young teenagers.

Social norms and cultural practices are changing, and communities are uniting to protect the rights of girls. The culture of FGM often pre-dates religion. It can occur when a girl is as young as 6 months, or between the ages of 4 and 10 years or on marriage. It is believed there are between 100 and 130 million women who have had FGM with a further 2 million undergo the procedure each year.

UNFPA and UNICEF are working with partners to end this harmful practice in one generation and believe that reaching this goal is possible. Children are entitled to an environment that guarantees their protection from all forms of violence. UNICEF is committed to fostering the growth of this environment, which will enable children to thrive, while fully respecting their rights.
The World Health Organisation in 1981, stated that health professionals were not permitted to perform FGM and described it as a human rights issue reaffirming that

‘..because the girl child has no voice, government should take all measures to guarantee protection to the girl child …”

Activities to reduce it have focussed on training circumcisors in countries where the practice is common, to stop the practise and take new employment as educators.
In December 2011 legislation in the USA was introduced that would criminalize the transportation of young girls out of the United States to receive female genital mutilation (FGM) procedures. The Girls Protection Act would serve as a follow up to legislation passed in 1996 that outlawed the practice of FGM in the United States. The bill proposes fines and up to five years in prison for those who violate the law.  Senator Reid (who instigated this legislation) stated, “While it is difficult to know precisely how many girls in the United States are at risk of being subject to FGM, estimates from various sources suggest that approximately 200,000 women living in the United States have been, or are at risk, of being subject to FGM.”

Which brings me to ask the question—what can we do to reduce Female Genital Mutilation in Australia?

Female circumcision is illegal in Australia, but experts say there is evidence that it is being practised here. Most governments now view FGM/C as more than a traditional practice; it is seen as an issue about public health, violence and individual rights.

 

This centuries-old custom has been outlawed in Australia since the 1990s.  It is a fact, that when people migrate to Australia they usually bring their culture with them. If female genital mutilation (FGM) was practised in their home community then it is seen by some as being a necessary ‘rite of passage’ to women hood in their new country.

In Australia, there is no mandatory reporting of FGM and health professionals are not able to check children at risk. About 600-700 are seen at Melbourne's Royal Women's Hospital that have experienced FGM in some form.

Throughout Australia it takes a culturally sensitive approach to educate and empower communities to eradicate FGM, rather than alienating them. If we try and dictate and pontificate about this and not provide culturally appropriate care, we'll further disenfranchise these women.  Progress will take time, will feel slow, yet step by step change will occur.  With so many women and groups speaking out, advocating to cease the practice, and doing their best to empower women, there will come the day when this practise disappears for good.

What a great day that will be.

Editors Note:  If you are interested in this subject then I suggest watching Desert Flower the film of the life of Somalian Waris Dirie (who speaks in the video on this page).  Desert Flower is also a book.  Another book I have recently read is Monique and the Mango Rains written by Kris Holloway.

 

Finally Sassy Vibes has found a quality Master Glass blower.

Last weekend I attended the Sex & Consciousness Conference in Byron Bay.  I had a Sassy Vibe stand there and was thrilled to meet customers and newsletter readers, as well as make new connections. I met people from Switzerland, USA, NZ and a few others, one from Perth and one from Sydney that I knew before moving to the Northern Rivers region.

The weekend involved a varied program including aspects of tantric living, keys to true connection, healing and tantric adventures within marriage, conscious sensuality, understanding energetic orgasm, sacred sex, the effects of attraction to another, breath and energy orgasms and much, much more.  My connections with participants offered answers to their questions about intimate pleasure products,  why some men feel threatened by the vibrator, which are the best, explanation of materials they are made from, what different features on sex toys are for, plus much discussion on natural lubricants, sexual enhancers and buying from adult shops.

I also met a lovely young woman, Ella Rose, who had the most beautiful display of glass dildos. I have never had them available on the Sassy Vibe web site mainly because I could never vouch for the quality if purchasing through normal wholesale outlets.  I have always been of the belief and understanding that master glass blowers are more uncommon than common, and that individual handmade products, hardened in a kiln, and made with a synergy of sensual connection with the craft is a rather rare occurrence.

I now have on offer two beautiful dildos that come complete with a beautiful velvet and silk pouch that protects and cossets each masterpiece.

Glass pleasure objects heats very quickly to our body temperature. The hypoallergenic glass is nonporous and body safe, and when cared for properly, is designed to last a lifetime.  Even better, you can run the wand under warm water for a warm feeling or chill it under cold water for a cool sensation

 I have to say, I have never seen a glass selection before that has really caught my eye.  There was an amazing energy felt from each glass dildo on display, that seemed to weave artistic abandon, with intentional design, in the name of exquisite erotic pleasure.

These unique, individual, handcrafted glass dildos are simply sublime. Elegant, expertly made, and hand-crafted with amazing attention to detail, this luxurious glass dildo range will leave you breathless. Each hand-blown product is sleek, unique, and lovely.

They would also make a great pelvic floor strengthener as well.  The straighter version are heavy enough to provide a level of resistance which would speed up the tightening of your pelvic floor.  Check them out on the Glass Dildo page.