The change of .... nose?!

[Guspuppy]

This is weird, and I don't know whether to attribute it to menopause or possibly having had Covid two or three years ago. (Can't remember which Christmas that was.) As I mentioned in a different post I haven't made soap in two years and I'm coming to the end of my stash. Recently, as in the last five or six months, I have noticed that scents that I once found delightful are now WAY too strong. I keep trying to put soaps in my shower and it'll be OK the first time I use it but then the entire bathroom reeks of the scent of that soap and I can't stand it and I have to put it back in the box in storage. This seems crazy to me because aren't scents supposed to fade over time? It's been two years! So I don't know if my nose has become more sensitive recently or what! But it's making me crazy and I just wondered if anybody else has had a similar experience. Has your nose become more sensitive since either entering menopause (I've been 'official' for three years now!) or having covid? A month or so ago I crazily could smell where other dogs had peed at the park while walking my own dog, even before he got to the spots and sniffed them out! That only happened the one day but !

 

[AliOop]

Unfortunately, I can't offer anything other than commiseration. I've had sniffer issues since getting the big C back in December of 2020. Sometimes things smell very strong; other times I can't smell them at all. Then there are the times I smell things that aren't there - and it's never anything pleasant, either.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I wonder if your sensitivity can be explained by not being exposed to scents much over recent years. Everyone who comes to visit me comments on how good our house smells, but my nose has apparently adjusted because I can’t smell it. I’ve always had a pretty sensitive nose, so I think the scent melange at home turns into olfactory white noise. On the other hand, when I carry soap in the car, it can get totally overwhelming.

 

[MomInWA]

I'm 2+ years meno also, and have had Covid twice. Covid definitely messed up my nose for a while, but it came back. I think we all experience change throughout our lifetimes, so I can't speak to your experience because it can be any or all of those things. I remember when I was in peri, though, and could not abide some fragrances I used to love, like Bulgarian Rose EO. Never used to like freesia, jasmine. Now I can tolerate a very small amount, mixed with something else. Shrugs...these human bodies sure are inconvenient and unpredictable!

 

[MichaelP]

My sniffer has always been subpar and I am having a friend who has a more refined smeller help me with choosing scents for my soaps because I can't really tell that well what's great and what isn't and is it too strong or not strong enough. Interestingly, though I have always had a poor sense of smell, there are certain scents that I can pick up on for one reason or another. Cigarette smoke is one of those scents and it drives me bonkers! I've had Covid twice now but haven't noticed any difference, but then again, my sniffer is so bad I probably won't know if there was a negative change!

 

[dibbles]

There are so many things that can change with menopause. I was really surprised that more information about this wasn't just routinely given to women. But not everyone experiences all, or the same, side effects so I guess I understand why. I was surprised by insomnia among other things. Hot flashes I was expecting, so most women must experience that to some greater or lesser degree.

I have never heard of anyone having a more sensitive sniffer after Covid - only the loss of smell.

 

[Mommawolfe]

I have a "super sniffer", the big C did not affect that except now I can "smell myself", it is that smell (not offensive) that your (at least my) grandparents had. Nonenial it is called, comes on with menopause. I do not want to have that odor, so now make persimmon soap...HOWEVER! Persimmon smells like banana to me, so I am not sure which is worse! Banana, or the menopause smell!

 

[Shelley D]

I can't relate to covid issues as I haven't had it (to my knowledge), but perimenopause and menopause drove me bonkers at first because it was just like being pregnant with all the hormonal changes. The 2 that were the worst were my sense of smell was in overdrive, like I smelled things that weren't even there! I swear I could smell my neighbors making a cold sandwich And their house was about 100 feet away from ours out in the country!
The other thing was the hormonal brown patches/darkening of the skin all over my face and neck. That part was a struggle because people noticed and pointed it out and since I was already struggling with cosmetics and not wearing any, I couldn't cover it up
So, whatever your source issue is, I feel you. When your sense of smell goes haywire, it throws off everything ~ even a shopping trip can be a struggle. I usually go into Walmart on the dry goods side and finish on the grocery side but when my sniffer was in overdrive I could smell the produce from the far side of the store, and it was overwhelming and nauseating
If it's menopause related, it should fade eventually ~ I'm about 5 years into menopause and it's finally fading, but sometimes I get a strong whiff of something or a random ghost scent (something my husband can't smell), but those moments are now few and far between

 

[Shelley D]

I have a "super sniffer", the big C did not affect that except now I can "smell myself", it is that smell (not offensive) that your (at least my) grandparents had. Nonenial it is called, comes on with menopause. I do not want to have that odor, so now make persimmon soap...HOWEVER! Persimmon smells like banana to me, so I am not sure which is worse! Banana, or the menopause smell!

I've had that too, but it faded a few years into menopause, thank goodness!

 

[Guspuppy]

Thanks everyone for your replies!!

I wonder if your sensitivity can be explained by not being exposed to scents much over recent years. Everyone who comes to visit me comments on how good our house smells, but my nose has apparently adjusted because I can’t smell it. I’ve always had a pretty sensitive nose, so I think the scent melange at home turns into olfactory white noise. On the other hand, when I carry soap in the car, it can get totally overwhelming.

This is totally possible, I did make a lot of soap for awhile, and then stopped when I had WAY TOO MUCH . I keep the cured soap in plastic shoe boxes in the spare room so the scents don't have much chance to evaporate, I guess.

I have a "super sniffer", the big C did not affect that except now I can "smell myself", it is that smell (not offensive) that your (at least my) grandparents had. Nonenial it is called, comes on with menopause. I do not want to have that odor, so now make persimmon soap...HOWEVER! Persimmon smells like banana to me, so I am not sure which is worse! Banana, or the menopause smell!

I never heard of this! If I have it I can't smell myself. Why persimmon soap especially to combat??

I can't relate to covid issues as I haven't had it (to my knowledge), but perimenopause and menopause drove me bonkers at first because it was just like being pregnant with all the hormonal changes. The 2 that were the worst were my sense of smell was in overdrive, like I smelled things that weren't even there! I swear I could smell my neighbors making a cold sandwich And their house was about 100 feet away from ours out in the country!
The other thing was the hormonal brown patches/darkening of the skin all over my face and neck. That part was a struggle because people noticed and pointed it out and since I was already struggling with cosmetics and not wearing any, I couldn't cover it up
So, whatever your source issue is, I feel you. When your sense of smell goes haywire, it throws off everything ~ even a shopping trip can be a struggle. I usually go into Walmart on the dry goods side and finish on the grocery side but when my sniffer was in overdrive I could smell the produce from the far side of the store, and it was overwhelming and nauseating
If it's menopause related, it should fade eventually ~ I'm about 5 years into menopause and it's finally fading, but sometimes I get a strong whiff of something or a random ghost scent (something my husband can't smell), but those moments are now few and far between

Shelley this helped the most! I'm so glad to hear someone else had 'sniffer in overdrive' issues with menopause. It was making me crazy thinking I should just throw all the soap away (well, give it away more likely). It's good to know there is hope of the problem fading in time. If the darn hot flashes would stop I'd be a happy camper!

 

[Shelley D]

Thanks everyone for your replies!!



This is totally possible, I did make a lot of soap for awhile, and then stopped when I had WAY TOO MUCH . I keep the cured soap in plastic shoe boxes in the spare room so the scents don't have much chance to evaporate, I guess.



I never heard of this! If I have it I can't smell myself. Why persimmon soap especially to combat??



Shelley this helped the most! I'm so glad to hear someone else had 'sniffer in overdrive' issues with menopause. It was making me crazy thinking I should just throw all the soap away (well, give it away more likely). It's good to know there is hope of the problem fading in time. If the darn hot flashes would stop I'd be a happy camper!

I wouldn't throw away the soap ~ maybe transfer the soaps to smaller cardboard boxes with holes punched in the sides and put the boxes in closets, like the linen closet, maybe a clothes closet (not yours if it's still too strong).
But first, maybe set it outside overnight to air out, if you live in a place where it would be safe and unmolested
The plastic boxes didn't really allow the soap to breathe. I know under normal circumstances, scent retention is a big deal, but right now you need to be gentle with your nose

 

[Shelley D]

As for the smelling oneself ~ I could be wrong but I think it's actually smelling your own hormones. And sometimes, I could smell other people's hormones if they were in close proximity to me. But it's something totally different than a BO (body order) smell, it's just weird. For me I swear it actually reminded me of what I smelled like when I was breastfeeding ~ a musky, milky, sweet smell ~ not strong, just different. So to smell that again when I was going through menopause was really weird!