For many women, the transition from actively engaged 50-year-old to septuagenarian retiree is daunting. Not only are there the unpleasant physical changes of menopause, but there is the emotional challenge of watching children move away and begin their own families, while being left with the uneasy task of facing mortality.
Girls as young as 14 who are exposed to chemotherapy for treating breast cancer, Hodgkin\’s disease, and other non-malignant diseases such as lupus, put their reproductive system at risk. The chemotherapy can trigger premature menopause and leave women infertile.
The connection between menopause and osteoporosis is well-documented. At the onset of menopause, following the decrease of estrogen in the body, the bone undergoes a yearly decline of bone mass density (BMD) of 2 percent to 3 percent a year in the first seven years following menopause. This leads to the development of osteoporosis, which affects 50 percent of postmenopausal women today.
No matter where you are in the menopause transition, it\’s never too late (or early) to get your health act together to ensure the next 40 or so years are as terrific as or better than the first were. Here are 10 things you can do right now.
After years of being talked about in hushed tones as \”the change of life\” — or not being talked about at all — menopause is now in the spotlight. Two recent plays, \”Is it Hot in Here … Or Is it Me?\” and \”Menopause the Musical\” literally put menopause center stage.
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