Women’s Health and the Changes That Come With Age

When you’re thinking about women’s health there’s a lot you should consider. Knowing the conditions and diseases that carry the top health risks for women, like breast cancer and heart disease is important. Here’s why: heart disease accounts for the deaths of 1 in 5 women in the US. 

But for several women, effectively managing other concerns that have an impact on daily life such as menopause, premenstrual syndrome, fertility, birth control and more is also essential to having a vibrant life.

One topic that starts many conversations is breast health.

“What can it mean when doctors say I have dense breast tissue?”

“What do I do if I feel a lump in my breast?”

“Is breast pain a reason for me to worry?”

And as women get older, these concerns start to change. Can belly fat cause more serious health problems? Is it truly necessary for me to do Kegel exercises? What’s the best approach for me to deal with menopause?

No matter your age, your lifestyle choices can go a long way in reducing your health risks and enabling you to live the life you want to live. Fitness and exercise coupled with a good diet can make a huge difference in your health.

Sexual Dysfunction

This can be a major disruptive force in the lives of women. This can happen in four areas:

• Sexual pain
• Sexual desire
• Orgasm
• Arousal

And yes, these problems can overlap quite often. For example, if a person isn’t experiencing sexual desire, they can also find it difficult to feel aroused or to have an orgasm. To combat these problems, doctors may recommend local treatments such as a vaginal estrogen cream. It helps relieve dryness and discomfort that can affect sexual health. These problems can be difficult to deal with.

• Hormone changes: These are part of a multifaceted list of factors that impact sexual health during midlife or beyond. Social changes, such as different partners (dating, divorce), adults leaving home, children going away, or the need to care for ill or aging parents can also happen at the same time.
• Sexual desire: The body’s reduced ability to produce estrogen causes night sweats and hot flashes. Not having full sleep may reduce interest in having sex. When estrogen levels fall, a thinning vaginal lining and reduced dryness can make penetrative sex painful, which may further reduce interest in sex.
• Partner sexual problems: This can also affect desire. It may cause changes in self-esteem, a changed sense of self as well as concerns pertaining to aging. Interest in sex after menopause is also based on your past level of interest.
• Medical problems: These can also result in low desire. For example, medication used for the treatment of depression can interfere with sexual desire.

Knowing Your Family’s History

Your family’s health history is a record of the conditions and diseases that have impacted people in your family. This can also include diseases that are currently impacting family members. Diseases may happen because of habits, which is also why it’s natural to have common behaviors. Like what you eat, and your level of physical activity. You may also live in that same area and still be in contact with harmful contaminants in the environment. All of these makeup your family’s history. These factors have a direct impact on your health.

If your family has a history of chronic conditions like diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis or heart disease, there’s a high likelihood you’ll get that disease yourself. You won’t be able to change your genes but you can rid yourself of poor habits that can cause chronic conditions. Like:

• Excessive drinking
• Smoking
• Poor nutrition
• Physical inactivity
• Inconsistent sleep schedule

If your family has a history of serious disease, you’ll gain a lot from lifestyle changes and self-care practices. Familiarize yourself with words like screening tests, regular checkups, and vaccinations.

Have a conversation with your family. Write down names of people close to you from both sides of the family:

• Parents
• Grandparents
• Siblings
• Nephews
• Nieces
• Uncles
• Aunts

Include information of serious medical conditions, their age at the time of diagnosis, causes of death, and their ethnic background. When you’re aware of all of these factors you’re already in charge of your life. Doctor visits become a lot easier, too. When you show your doctor the information you’ve collected, they can take all the actions needed to save you from serious and chronic diseases. They can also catch them early which will make them easy to treat.

Staying Cautious

Your sexuality shouldn’t and won’t end with menopause. But even as you grow older, practicing safe sex is essential. After menopause when you’re not dealing with the risk of pregnancy you’ll probably let protected sex slide. But any person who is not in a monogamous, long-term relationship and practices unprotected sex frequently has a high chance of catching sexually transmitted infections (STIs).