Some Unexpected Health Risks You May Encounter After Menopause

Menopause is that phase of life when a woman stops menstruating and is regarded as no longer fertile. It is very much a normal phase of life and is certainly not regarded as any kind of an ailment. However, irrespective of the fact that menopause is actually a natural process; it could bring about dramatic changes in your body and trigger serious symptoms. You are quite aware of the fact that aging is not in your hands and loss of menstruation is not under your control, however, you could be keeping tabs on your health for effectively reducing your risk of some of the most common post-menopausal health issues.

Osteoporosis

Menopause could be triggering the risk of fracture and osteoporosis. You must know that estrogen plays a pivotal role in effectively maintaining bone density. About 20% to almost 30% of bone loss in older women would be occurring in the initial five years post-menopause. Osteoporosis is not a very common issue before menopause but after menopause, it is quite common to come across cases of fractured hips, and all issues associated with loss of bone density.

The worst part is most menopausal women do not even understand the potential risk. They do not take effective measures for safeguarding those bones. Women must consume a calcium-rich diet, limit excessive use of sodium or beverages like coffee, alcohol, or soda. You must start taking strength training and performing weight-bearing workouts.

Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is more common in post-menopausal women as compared to the younger women. The biggest factor that triggers breast cancer after menopause is weight gain which could be effectively reversed by you. Experts believe that you could be minimizing the cancer risk by performing at least, 150 minutes of the moderate-intensity workouts every week. Regular exercise is the good habit that could lower your risk of breast cancer post menopause. Your doctor may explain to you how ELISA test works in the detection of cancer and may recommend one.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep Apnea is quite common in post-menopausal women. However, 90 percent of sleep apnea cases go undiagnosed. There exist some silent signs that demonstrate that you could be having sleep apnea. Women may not show the typical signs and symptoms of sleep apnea such as excessive daytime sleepiness, snoring, pauses of breath etc. Instead, a post-menopausal woman may experience atypical symptoms such as a morning headache, insomnia, tiredness, fatigue, anxiety, and depression.

Autoimmune Disorders

Women actually account for over 75 percent of the total 50 million Americans who are living with some sort of autoimmune disorders. If the woman is postmenopausal then she is particularly more vulnerable. Though the actual reasons seem to be unclear, it has been substantiated by research that your risk of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, scleroderma, thyroiditis, and even Grave’s disease would be going up after menopause. In this context, you may know that evidence actually suggests that plunging estrogen levels would be an important factor.

Conclusion

A menopause diagnosis is confirmed once the woman has stopped menstruation for over a year. However, the actual symptoms associated with menopause would be appearing by the end of that one-year span. Most women actually do not opt for any medical consultation or advice and most women do not need any treatment. However, a woman must necessarily visit a gynecologist if the menopausal symptoms are having an adverse impact on the overall quality of life.