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![Aci-Jel](https://new-cdn.mamamia.com.au/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/cms_images/variations/600x600-752801635426.jpg)
As I wander down the personal care aisle of my local supermarket, I browse my handwritten shopping list. Amongst the usual culprits like roll-on deodorant, baby wipes, and moisturiser, I spot the familiar little addition that my husband jots down in barely legible scribble: Lube.
He has written this on the shopping list as an in-joke every week for as long as I can remember and still to this day, it delivers the smile and giggle I need to get me through the chaos that is grocery shopping. What’s funny however, is that this once silly just-for-a-laugh scrawl now carries an entirely new meaning.
You see, I recently turned 41, and I’ve entered the stage of what I am pretty sure is perimenopause. I’m no medical expert and I don’t have any experience with being a medical professional of any kind, but I do know my body. And my vagina. And outside of the fact that I know that perimenopause commonly occurs during the ages of 40 to 44 (even as early as 30!) they’re both telling me that the following changes all point to this next phase of my life, whether I’m ready for it or not…
Vaginal dryness
My vagina has had a great life. She’s had magical experiences, experiences she’s learnt from, and she’s birthed two beautiful girls into the world. But what she is right now, is dry. Like a desert. If you close your eyes and picture orange, arid land with dirt flicking you in the eyes and tumbleweeds floating by, that’s my vagina.
Rest assured, this is completely normal at this stage of perimenopause as less oestrogen is produced and the tissue within the vagina becomes thinner and dryer — ultimately leading to changes in the natural lubrication process. If you experience this, you can add moisture and relief back into your bits with an option like Aci-Jel Restore.
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