Thank you, IloveRed, to the link of Forbes article. Here's an excerpt from that Forbes link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2012/04/04/americas-gardasil-problem-how-politics-poisons-public-health/3/#4978b3012389 "They looked specifically at the ­terrible neurological disease called Guillain-Barré Syndrome, because it’s known that a swine flu shot given in the 1970s caused it. The rate of GBS reported for Gardasil was half what it was for other vaccines. In the U.S. the number of cases of cervical cancer is controlled by the fact that women get regular Pap smears. Among the most effective cancer screening tests ever invented, they catch precancerous growths before they turn into tumors. " THANK YOU, anele_gw, for the CBS news link, see excerpt https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gardasil-researcher-speaks-out/ "A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found while the overall risk of side effects appears to be comparable to other vaccines, Gardasil has a higher incidence of blood clots reported. Merck also says it's looking into cases of ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, reported after vaccination. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Merck is also monitoring the number of deaths reported after Gardasil: at least 32. The risks of serious adverse events including death reported after Gardasil use in (the JAMA article by CDC's Dr. Barbara Slade) were 3.4/100,000 doses distributed. The rate of serious adverse events on par with the death rate of cervical cancer. Gardasil has been associated with at least as many serious adverse events as there are deaths from cervical cancer developing each year. Dr. Harper says the side effects reported so far call for more complete disclosure to patients. She says they should be told that protection from the vaccination might not last long enough to provide a cancer protection benefit, and that its risks - "small but real" - could occur more often than the cervical cancer itself would. Parents and women must know that deaths occurred. Not all deaths that have been reported were represented in Dr. Slade's work, one-third of the death reports were unavailable to the CDC." https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gardasil-researcher-speaks-out/ From StrawChicago: I am a victim of horrible-suffering with the flu-shot in Dec. 2015. The pain was many times worse than childbirth, I had vertigo & bleeding nose & ears and could not drive for 2 months, in addition to pneumonia & paid near $800 from my own-pocket (after insurance paid thousands). My neighbor died of Lou Gehrig's Disease, I witnessed her going from a vibrant mid-30's woman to being paralyzed in a wheel-chair .. then a vegetative state in a nursing home for 6 months. She could not talk and answered questions by blinking her eyes. She died after 1 1/2 years of immense suffering and financial cost. Google Gardasil and you'll see the below: INFORMATION ABOUT GARDASIL 9GARDASIL®9 (Human Papillomavirus 9-valent Vaccine, Recombinant)helps protect girls and women ages 9 to 26 against cervical, vaginal, vulvar, and anal cancers and genital warts caused by 9 types of HPV. GARDASIL 9 helps protect boys and men ages 9 to 26 against anal cancer and genital warts caused by those same HPV types. GARDASIL 9 may not fully protect everyone, nor will it protect against diseases caused by OTHER HPV types or against diseases not caused by HPV. GARDASIL 9 does not prevent all types of cervical cancer, so it’s important for women to continue routine cervical cancer screenings. GARDASIL 9 is a shot that is usually given in the arm muscle. GARDASIL 9 may be given as 2 or 3 shots.

Been there done that. this is sort of embarrassing to talk about, but here goes. Every doc I saw told me it was atrophy and finally I went to a gyn my daughter recommended and she said it was not atrophy, but an incurable disease, not catching or deadly, just uncomfortable. When I would squat to pick up something from the floor I could feel tissue tearing in that area. The disease is Lichen Sclerosis and what physically happens is the tissue grows over the genital area. In my case it has grown over the urethra, so urine is expelled from the vaginal opening. After the disease is advanced the opening can be as small as a half inch and you can no longer have sex. the pain would be unbearable. I am assuming that we can no long have an orgasm because skin has grown over the sensitive area. The doc said there is no cure and everything has been tried including surgery to repair the area. She said she has 5 year old patients with the same disease. Poor things, I don't know how they will ever be able to have a happy marriage. Not many young men would put up with that condition. If this sounds like your condition, you don't need a doc to diagnos it, just use a mirror. I don't remember when I started having pain in my early 60's maybe, but my husband was really understanding and did not try to make love to me again. I was very lucky in that sense.

Oilpainter,I sincerely appreciate your response. I did a little bit of research this evening, and I found a list of symptoms that could be caused by menopause. Hopefully, this will help others, too. Some of them are not the "normal" symptoms that our doctors or others tell us about and can be obscure,so it makes me feel a little bit better. Some Typical Perimenopausal Symptoms *Changes in bleeding (heavy bleeding, irregular cycles, missed cycles, light bleeding, clotting) *Anxiety, fear, depression, irritability, rebellion, crying jags, panic attacks *Fatigue, loss of energy *Low self-esteem *Suicidal thinking * Inability to tolerate tension *Inappropriate emotional responses *Low noise tolerance *Sleep disturbances, insomnia, sleepiness *Inability to concentrate, short-term memory loss *Drying and thinning of the gastrointestinal tract (causing constipation, ulceration, stomach pain, colitis, diarrhea, gas) *Bladder infections, frequency and urgency of urination, burning, incontinence *Vaginal dryness *Low sex drive, painful intercourse, reduction of fantasy, lack of lubrication during sex, diminished orgasms, lessened skin and nipple response *Hot flashes, night sweats, chills *Dizziness *Low blood sugar, trembling *Numbness, tingling, crawling feelings on skin *Dry, wrinkling skin; loss of collagen, sagging breasts *Dry, thinning hair; growth of facial hair, male pattern of hair on body *Brittle, slow-growing, and grooved nails *Osteoarthritis, bone thinning and loss, loss of height, shifting joint pains, joint degeneration, backache, mid-bone pains, muscle cramps and spasm, muscle weakness, and loss of strength *Rapid heart rate, palpitations, heart pain, increased cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, shortness of breath *Headaches, migraines, nausea *Dark gloomy circles under eyes *Weight loss or gain

I have hot flashes but I guess they don't bother me that much. I am usually able to fall back asleep after I wake up with one. They last only a few minutes. I have a fan in the room and if I get a hot flash, I just throw off the covers, cool off and then roll over and fall back asleep. If it happens at work, I just go into the shade if I am outside, or into an air conditioned place if I can. I know I am lucky. Here's what minimizes them--exercise, no alcohol, good diet with not much refined sugar, very minimal caffeine. I take a general vitamin supplement, with an iron tab once a week or so, and calcium/magnesium/vit. C at night. Iron on an empty stomach for absorption. All this helps with sleep. Melatonin on a weekend to see me through a rough patch, but not when I have to get up for work, it makes me groggy. As for the rest, hopefully you and hubs can work on some ways to be intimate and close even when you're not feeling your best. My poor SO is a saint! I've had more problems with my "lady parts" than anyone would care to know around here! We treat each other with massages though, and at our age with all our aches and pains that's pretty spiffy! We snuggle whenever we can and we have found each other so late in life that we are just happy for the sane, steady good company! I try to figure out ways to shower him with affection that he likes but I can handle when I'm not feeling super good. I get migraines too, so I sometimes have to say, "Not tonight dear, I have a HUGE headache" but he is pretty patient about that, does not give me a hard time about it. Migraines are tough because you look fine on the outside and no one can figure out why you are in such a crabby, sickly mood! But we're not squeamish about life's little blips. I think me being a biologist helps.