Once a woman reaches menopause, there are some additional health risks that women face.
The most serious of these risk factors include heart disease and osteoporosis or the loss of bone density.
Other things that are considered less serious health risks, but still can dramatically impact daily living include vaginal dryness and a loss of sex drive.
The best way to prevent heart disease is with healthy lifestyle choices.
You should keep your blood pressure under control and be aware of your cholesterol levels.
Eating a low fat diet with a lot of fresh vegetables, fresh fruit and high fiber grains is the best way to limit your risk of heart disease.
Ideally you should already be eating well and managing your health, but it's never too late to start making better choices.
When it comes to limiting the risk of osteoporosis, a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D is the key.
These are the two essential nutrients needed to promote bone strength.
The biggest problem with osteoporosis is that it is a slow insidious disease, in most cases the bone density loss occurs so slowly that it is undetected until the condition is already advanced.
Another problem with this loss of bone density is that it puts women at risk from fractures later in late.
The two most common bone breaks related to osteoporosis are wrist fractures and broken hips.
Although a broken wrist is painful and inconvenient, it is usually not a big issue, but a broken hip in an elderly person may result in a hospital stay and a loss of mobility.
This is even more of a problem in older people who are also at a greater risk of falls due to a loss of balance that is also common in older people.
Combine this with the fact that bones simply don't heal as well or as fast in elderly people and this is definitely a major health concern.
In addition to calcium and vitamin D, another thing you can do to promote bone health is to regularly exercise.
Weight bearing exercises are especially important when it comes to osteoporosis.
A lot of people don't understand the term weight bearing, but it simply means the bones support the weight of the body.
Most exercises are weight bearing, the two most noticeable exceptions are swimming and biking.
Although swimming and biking are excellent exercises to increase overall fitness, they're not good for preventing the loss of bone density.
Vaginal dryness is quite common during and after menopause, but it is usually easily managed with lubricants.
A loss of sex drive is a lot more difficult to manage and assess.
There are many physical, mental and emotional factors that influence a woman's sexuality and sex drive, so this is a lot more difficult to treat.
Treatments may involve medical treatments such as hormone therapy, antidepressants or talk therapy.
For other women, lifestyle changes such as reducing stress, making time for themselves, emotionally reconnecting with a partner or a romantic vacation may be enough to restart the romance and the sex.
So, women should be aware that some health risks do exist after menopause.
With proper management and a doctor's help, these health risks can be controlled and minimized, but they are still something that all women need to be aware of.
The most serious of these risk factors include heart disease and osteoporosis or the loss of bone density.
Other things that are considered less serious health risks, but still can dramatically impact daily living include vaginal dryness and a loss of sex drive.
The best way to prevent heart disease is with healthy lifestyle choices.
You should keep your blood pressure under control and be aware of your cholesterol levels.
Eating a low fat diet with a lot of fresh vegetables, fresh fruit and high fiber grains is the best way to limit your risk of heart disease.
Ideally you should already be eating well and managing your health, but it's never too late to start making better choices.
When it comes to limiting the risk of osteoporosis, a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D is the key.
These are the two essential nutrients needed to promote bone strength.
The biggest problem with osteoporosis is that it is a slow insidious disease, in most cases the bone density loss occurs so slowly that it is undetected until the condition is already advanced.
Another problem with this loss of bone density is that it puts women at risk from fractures later in late.
The two most common bone breaks related to osteoporosis are wrist fractures and broken hips.
Although a broken wrist is painful and inconvenient, it is usually not a big issue, but a broken hip in an elderly person may result in a hospital stay and a loss of mobility.
This is even more of a problem in older people who are also at a greater risk of falls due to a loss of balance that is also common in older people.
Combine this with the fact that bones simply don't heal as well or as fast in elderly people and this is definitely a major health concern.
In addition to calcium and vitamin D, another thing you can do to promote bone health is to regularly exercise.
Weight bearing exercises are especially important when it comes to osteoporosis.
A lot of people don't understand the term weight bearing, but it simply means the bones support the weight of the body.
Most exercises are weight bearing, the two most noticeable exceptions are swimming and biking.
Although swimming and biking are excellent exercises to increase overall fitness, they're not good for preventing the loss of bone density.
Vaginal dryness is quite common during and after menopause, but it is usually easily managed with lubricants.
A loss of sex drive is a lot more difficult to manage and assess.
There are many physical, mental and emotional factors that influence a woman's sexuality and sex drive, so this is a lot more difficult to treat.
Treatments may involve medical treatments such as hormone therapy, antidepressants or talk therapy.
For other women, lifestyle changes such as reducing stress, making time for themselves, emotionally reconnecting with a partner or a romantic vacation may be enough to restart the romance and the sex.
So, women should be aware that some health risks do exist after menopause.
With proper management and a doctor's help, these health risks can be controlled and minimized, but they are still something that all women need to be aware of.
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