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There are a lot of cool things about getting older. Our life experiences have provided us with wisdom, and we don’t sweat the small stuff as much. Well, technically, we’re not sweating the small stuff because we’re likely too busy dealing with hot flashes and night sweats as part of perimenopause.
Perimenopause is one of the not-so-cool things about getting older: As the run-up to menopause (the time when menstrual periods stop for good), perimenopause is when the ovaries begin slowing down the production of estrogen. This generally starts when people are in their 40s, around 8-10 years before menopause. But, for some, perimenopause can begin in their 30s, so it’s worth talking about sooner rather than later.
One of the more pesky side effects of perimenopause is it somehow feels like our body odor has exploded from a slight annoyance into a pungent nuisance. After years of dedicated personal hygiene, it’s as if we’ve become a stinky mess overnight! What gives, perimenopause?
Perimenopause and body odor: What's the connection?
There are several reasons why our body odor has reached condition critical during perimenopause. As it turns out, some of it is all in our head (but not in a bad way!): Perimenopause can cause changes in our sense of smell, making us think we’re more gamy than we actually are.
At the same time, perimenopause is the source of major physical changes in our bodies, which can result in a smellier odor. “As you approach menopause, your body’s estrogen levels start to see a decline,” explains Dr. Shannon Klingman, an OB/GYN and the inventor of Lume Whole Body Deodorant. “And as your estrogen declines, your androgen (aka testosterone) levels may become more dominant. All of these hormonal fluctuations have the potential side effect of changing body odor.”
Add to that the common-in-perimenopause hot flashes and night sweats: “When sweat mixes with the bacteria on your skin,” says Dr. Klingman, “that’s the secret sauce to body odor.”
As the founder of Lume, Dr. Klingman created a specialized deodorant that blocks bacteria from digesting fluids like sweat, semen, blood, and urine on your skin, which in turn stops body odor from happening in the first place. So if anyone is qualified to answer our burning B.O. questions, it’s her.
Read on for Dr. Klingman’s insights on perimenopause body odor, and how we can best stop the stink.
Dealing with perimenopause body odor
While body odor isn’t a “health threat,” Dr. Klingman acknowledges that it’s a problem that her patients “wanted to solve,” which is what led her to founding Lume. “The problem is, you can’t really ‘treat’ body odor,” she says. But, you can block and control body odor, and that’s where Lume products can help.
“What I discovered was that if you lower the pH of the skin, the bacteria responsible for body odor become paralyzed,” Dr. Klingman explains. “Meaning, it stops the odor reaction that happens when bacteria are exposed to different bodily fluids, like sweat, semen, and blood.”
Enter Lume Whole Body Deodorant, a product that comprehensively addresses your body odor. Translation: Your underarms are just one piece of the puzzle. “It doesn’t matter if the odors you’re experiencing are coming from intercourse, menopause, perimenopause, being on your period, pregnancy, or any other situation, [Lume] can tackle all of those,” says Dr. Klingman. “We’ve done so much clinical testing on our deodorants for efficacy and safety, that there’s really no odor we can’t take care of anywhere on the human body.”
How are Lume products different from other deodorants?
While you can definitely use Lume’s Whole Body Deodorant on your armpits, there’s no reason to stop there. Thanks to rigorous clinical testing, you can dab this deodorant anywhere that’s smelling a little funky: on your feet, underboobs, belly buttons, butt cracks, and other private areas like your vulva. “It’s super-important for us to test on privates and feet because how would we possibly know our products are safe for whole body use if we didn’t test there?” assures Dr. Klingman.
For those concerned with perimenopause body odor, there’s Lume’s Acidified Body Wash and Whole Body Deodorant. Both products are clinically proven to block odor all day long while continuing to control odor for 24 hours.
“As an OBGYN, I got into this [business] to solve a personal pain point many of my patients were having on an everyday basis,” says Dr. Klingman. “And that was odor below the belt. It just turned out that by solving that I made an outrageously effective aluminum-free underarm deodorant in the process.”
Facing perimenopause head-on
Perimenopause can be fraught with challenges, with body odor being just one of them, but there are ways to get a handle on your symptoms. One option you can discuss with your healthcare provider is hormone replacement therapy (HRT), a treatment Dr. Klingman highly recommends to anyone entering menopause: “As you near menopause, your estrogen levels begin dropping. When you hit menopause, women see a catastrophic drop in estrogen levels. HRT can really help manage and alleviate the many symptoms that come with the decrease in estrogen levels.”
Otherwise, when it comes to body odor, whether from perimenopause or pregnancy, the bottom line is, “It’s just a part of being human,” says Dr. Klingman. We know B.O. is no fun, but at least, thanks to Lume, we now have two options: We can either live with body odor or, try one of Lume’s acidifying deodorants or shower products.
“The reason behind everything we do is to help people feel better about themselves by making products that will make you rethink what it means to be odor-free,” says Dr. Klingman.
Learn more about Lume’s body-odor-blocking products by heading to lumedeodorant.com, and using code RESCRIPTED for 15% off!
Sarene Leeds holds an M.S. in Professional Writing from NYU, and is a seasoned journalist, having written and reported on subjects ranging from TV and pop culture to health, wellness, and parenting over the course of her career. Her work has appeared in Rolling Stone, The Wall Street Journal, Vulture, SheKnows, and numerous other outlets. A staunch mental health advocate, Sarene also hosts the podcast “Emotional Abuse Is Real.” Visit her website here, or follow her on Instagram or Twitter.