by SXHH Marketing | Jun 4, 2021 | Hormone Replacement Therapy, Menopause, Wellness
Does menopause have you feeling hungry all the time? Hormone imbalance treatment may help curb your appetite! Many women gain weight during menopause, particularly around their midsection. Unfortunately, this weight gain may lead to being overweight or obese, which can cause some serious health consequences. However, our health providers can help you design a personalized strategy to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle and weight.
Hormone imbalance treatment may help regulate your appetite after menopause by increasing estrogen levels in your body.
Appetite Out of Control? Hormone Imbalance Treatment May Help
A lot of changes happen during menopause, including appetite changes for some women. Many notice that they feel hungrier or even experience more cravings as they transition into menopause. This could be due to many different things, such as increased stress levels or emotional changes. What many people don’t realize is that hormone changes can also contribute to appetite changes during menopause.
Fortunately, if hormone imbalances are to blame, hormone imbalance treatment may be able to help regulate your appetite. For instance, low estrogen is a common issue for women during perimenopause that can cause a whole host of symptoms, from sleep issues, mood changes, and hot flashes. Estrogen also plays an important role in appetite and metabolism. So, low estrogen may increase your appetite and slow down your metabolism.
How Estrogen Affects Appetite
Declining estrogen levels are often to blame for many of the changes we experience during menopause. Therefore, many women choose to start an estrogen replacement therapy regimen during menopause.
You’ve probably heard of some common symptoms low estrogen levels during menopause can cause, like hot flashes and mood changes. Evidence now suggests that estrogen can play a role in increased appetite during menopause.
While many women have said for years that they felt hungrier after menopause, researchers weren’t sure why. Now there have been several studies about how estrogen helps regulate appetite, both during the menstrual cycle in premenopausal women as well as during and after menopause. It’s important to understand how estrogen affects appetite to understand why you might feel hungrier and how you might be able to help control your appetite and cravings.
Estrogen Curbs Appetite in the Brain
Scientists are still researching how estrogen affects appetite. However, some studies, including one from the Yale School of Medicine, have found that estrogen may act similarly to the hunger suppressing hormone leptin.
Researchers in the Yale study found that estrogen regulates your metabolism, likely through the estrogen receptors in the brain. Estrogen may even use the same pathways in the brain as the hormone leptin to help reduce appetite. The study’s author theorized that low estrogen might be responsible for changes in metabolism during menopause, such as burning fewer calories and increased appetite. They also mentioned that estradiol may play a key role in helping reduce the risk of weight gain by helping regulate the appetite, especially for those who are leptin resistant.
Estrogen can mimic a lot of the same effects of leptin, but what does that mean? First, let’s go over what leptin actually is. Leptin is a hormone made of fat cells. The more fat you have in your body, the more leptin you should have. Since fat is your body’s version of energy stores, the leptin hormone helps signal that you don’t need to continue storing as much fat. Basically, it tells your brain to cool it on appetite and ramp up your metabolism to help burn some of those energy stores. Estrogen can also help reduce appetite and increase metabolism similar to how leptin does.
Essentially, for most women when estrogen is higher, they feel full and satisfied sooner and many have fewer cravings because of the amount of estrogen reaching the receptors in the brain. However, during menopause, your body produces less estrogen, which can make your appetite higher and your metabolism slower, as well as causing other menopause symptoms. Therefore, hormone imbalance treatment to help keep estrogen balanced may help reduce these symptoms.
Estrogen May Affect Hunger Hormones
Estrogen levels can also affect your hunger hormones. For instance, chronic low estrogen levels, such as after menopause, can cause leptin resistance. Estrogen may also affect other hunger hormones like ghrelin and cholecystokinin (CCK). Ghrelin is a hormone that helps tell you when you’re hungry and need to eat. Estrogen may help suppress ghrelin, which can help reduce how hungry you feel. CCK is a hormone that helps tell you when you’re full. Estrogen can also increase the potency of CCK in your body to help you feel full and satisfied longer. Low estrogen levels can throw these hormones off as well, which can also increase your appetite during menopause.
Other Ways Menopause May Affect Hunger and Appetite
Of course, there may be other reasons why many women have increased appetite during menopause. For instance, sleep deprivation can not only make you feel hungrier, but also have you reaching for fast energy, but low nutrient foods like sodas and sweets. Sleep issues are also common during menopause, especially for women who suffer from night sweats, or hot flashes at night.
In addition, other menopause symptoms can also cause lifestyle changes that might increase your appetite. Things like reaching for comfort foods due to mood changes, or feeling like you don’t have much energy can hold you back from getting exercise can also make it difficult to maintain a healthy weight and control your appetite and cravings.
Hormone Imbalance Treatment Can Help Reduce Appetite During Menopause
If you’re struggling with symptoms of menopause, our medical team may recommend hormone replacement treatment to help. Taking estrogen may help bring your hormones back into balance to help alleviate symptoms like hot flashes and sleep disturbances that interfere with your life and overall well being. Since estrogen may play such an important role in appetite, estrogen replacement therapy may also help your body regulate appetite and boost metabolism as well.
Other Lifestyle Changes to Consider
In addition to hormone therapy, our providers may also recommend healthy lifestyle changes to help you improve wellness during menopause. If you’re dealing with increased appetite during menopause, there are some things you can do to help reduce the risk of overeating.
For instance, eating more slowly can help you better pick up on signals that your body is full. Also, eating a healthy diet with plenty of low calorie and high fiber foods may also help you control how many calories you’re taking in. Starting an exercise program can also help you burn more calories to help you manage your weight during menopause.
Our team takes a holistic approach to healthcare, which means we help design treatment and wellness plans that suit your lifestyle and take underlying causes of your symptoms into account. We may recommend multifaceted approaches as part of your treatment plan to help you tackle your unwanted symptoms head-on.
Hormone Replacement Treatment at HerKare
When you need quality women’s health care, choose our team at HerKare. We specialize in providing treatment solutions to women at every stage of life, including during menopause. We also offer bioidentical hormone therapy to help keep your hormones in balance before, during, and after menopause. Make an appointment today and let’s talk about how you’re feeling and what we can do to help.
by SXHH Marketing | May 20, 2021 | Wellness
May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, so we’re here to talk about skin cancer in women. Skin cancer is a serious condition, so it’s important to talk to your women’s health care provider about your risk factors, prevention strategies, and other specifics for your situation. Here’s some general information to help you learn more about skin cancer.
What is Skin Cancer?
First off, what is skin cancer? Skin cancer is essentially where damaged DNA causes a mutation that triggers an abnormal and out-of-control growth of your skin cells. Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers world-wide, and about 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer before they turn 70.
The problem with skin cancer is that it can spread to other parts of the body, like nearby lymph nodes or even other organs. Most skin cancers are easily treatable in the early stages, yet more than two people every hour die of skin cancer according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
There are three main types of skin cancers: basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and melanoma. Most people know melanoma as the most deadly type of skin cancer, but it’s important to know that all three types are serious and should be addressed by a medical professional.
Talk to your Women’s Health Care Provider About Your Risks
Anyone can get skin cancer, but there are some factors that may increase your risk, including:
- Fair skin
- Red or blonde hair
- History of sun exposure and sunburns
- A large number of moles on your body
- Family history of skin cancer
- Indoor tanning
Talk to your women’s health care provider about how you can protect your skin from harmful UV radiation.
Most skin cancers are associated with UV radiation, like from sun tanning, a lot of sun exposure throughout your life, and using indoor tanning devices. Remember, five or more sunburns in your life doubles your risk for melanoma.
It’s a common misconception that tanning is a sign of being healthy. However, many people don’t realize what a tan really is. When you tan, UV radiation starts to damage the DNA in your cells. In response, your body sends pigmented cells to the upper layers of your skin to help protect your DNA from even further damage. So, tanning is a serious issue that may increase your risk for skin cancer.
What’s more, indoor tanning may be even worse than lying out in the sun. Indoor tanning devices can put out 10 to 15 times higher UV radiation than the sun. Therefore, it’s important to keep this in mind as you think about your skin cancer risks.
Women of Color Can Get Skin Cancer, too!
Now, fair skin is one of the things that can increase your risk for developing skin cancer. However, that doesn’t mean women of color aren’t at risk! While fewer women of color develop skin cancer, it’s often more deadly for people of color, as it’s often diagnosed in late stages.
Skin cancer in women of color may appear in areas that don’t get very much sun exposure. For instance, the sole of the foot is one of the most common areas for skin cancer in people of color, happening in about 30-40% of cases. Also more cases of melanoma, one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer, develop in the palms, soles of feet, and nailbeds in people of color.
Therefore, it’s important for everyone to take steps to prevent skin cancer and help with early detection.
Women’s Health Care Tips for Skin Cancer Prevention
There are some things you can do to help reduce your risk for skin cancer. Talk to your women’s health care provider about the specifics of your situation. However, sun protection is a great place to start to help reduce UV rays that may cause skin cancer.
First, wear sunscreen every day, preferably SPF 30 or higher. This can help reduce the amount of UV radiation that your skin absorbs. So, make sure you apply it every day, even if it’s cloudy. Also, don’t forget to apply it to commonly forgotten areas like the lips, ears, and scalp and to reapply every two hours.
If you need another reason to wear sunscreen, daily use of SPF 15 or higher is associated with 24% less skin aging, so it may help you look younger in the long-run, too.
Here are some other important sun protection tips:
- Wear clothing that covers your skin to protect it from UV radiation
- Stay in the shade
- Wear a wide-brimmed hat
- Use sunglasses
When possible, try to avoid being outside during peak sun hours, which are between 10 A.M. and 2 P.M. This is when UV radiation is typically at its strongest.
How to do a Self-Exam for Skin Cancer
In addition to getting regular checkups at your women’s health clinic, it’s also important to do a self-exam to check for signs of skin cancer. Self-exams can help you detect potential signs of skin cancer and address them with a doctor. This may help with early detection.
You’ll need a full-length mirror and either a partner or a hand mirror for the self-exam. You’ll need to remove your clothes so you can look at all of your skin.
Start by looking at your body in the full-length mirror. Be sure to check every area of skin that you can in the mirror, such as your underarms, palms, arms, legs, etc. Also, look in areas that don’t get a lot of sun, such as between your fingers and toes, your nail beds, the soles of your feet, and even your groin area. You want to check head-to-toe for any signs of skin cancer because it can develop anywhere on your skin.
You’ll also need to look at your back, neck, buttocks, and scalp. Here is where you’ll either need someone else to help you or to use a hand mirror for these hard-to-see areas.
If you notice anything abnormal, talk to your women’s health care provider. Also, keep in mind that skin cancer self-exams are supposed to help supplement your regular health exams, not replace them, so make sure you’re getting your recommended checkups.
Signs of Potential Skin Cancer
Skin cancer typically appears as an abnormal skin lesion or mole. During your self-exams, keep A,B,C,D,E in mind:
- Asymmetry: Asymmetrical moles
- Border: Moles that have an irregular or jagged border
- Colors: Moles that have more than one color
- Diameter: Moles that are bigger than a pencil eraser
- Evolution: Moles or skin patches that change, grow, hurt, or bleed
Some other things to look out for are sores that won’t heal, sores that heal and return, dry or rough patches of skin, and dark lines under finger and toe nails. Essentially, you’re looking for anything on your skin that looks abnormal.
Age Spots vs. Skin Cancer
A common question women have is what the difference between an age spot and skin cancer is. Age spots, also known as sun spots and liver spots, are areas of skin damage from years of sun exposure. Age spots are typically a cosmetic issue and don’t need any treatment. There are a few different types, but the most common one are darker areas on your skin. As such, they can look a lot like some types of skin cancer, like melanoma. Generally speaking, if anything new appears on your skin, it’s better to be safe than sorry and get it looked at by a doctor, especially if it fits the ABCDE rule. It’s usually best not to assume anything is an age spot and delay treatment if it could be skin cancer.
Quality Women’s Health Care at HerKare
Looking for a women’s health clinic that offers individualized, quality care? Our team at HerKare is here to help. We’re a women’s clinic operated by women for women. We take time to listen, understand your concerns, and then help provide personalized treatment solutions. Whether you’re having symptoms of a health condition or need a well woman exam, we’re here for you. Book your appointment online today!
by SXHH Marketing | Apr 20, 2021 | Menopause, Wellness
Did you know doing Kegel exercises after menopause offers many benefits? Many women’s health care professionals recommend women do these pelvic floor exercises daily to help prevent many common issues during menopause. Talk to our provider about whether Kegel exercises are right for you and how to include them in your lifestyle.
Talk to our women’s health care professionals about Kegel exercises. They may help prevent uncomfortable symptoms and conditions during menopause.
What Are Kegel Exercises? Why Might a Women’s Health Care Provider Recommend Them?
Never heard of Kegel exercises before? These are essentially exercises to help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. The pelvic floor helps support the organs in your pelvis, such as the uterus, bladder, rectum, and vagina.
With age, these muscles can start to become weaker. What’s more, lower estrogen levels during menopause can also contribute to a weak pelvic floor. This puts you at risk for many different issues, such as pain during sex, difficulty controlling your bladder or bowels, or even uterine prolapse.
Some other things that might contribute to weak pelvic muscles include:
- Being overweight
- Chronic cough
- Chronic constipation
Fortunately, Kegel exercises can help make your pelvic floor stronger and are fairly easy to incorporate into your every day routine.
Kegel exercises were developed in the 1950s by a gynecologist named Arnold Kegel. He studied the use of pelvic floor exercises for women with urinary incontinence. Today, many women’s health care professionals recommend Kegel exercises for women of all ages because of their many benefits. This is especially true for women during and after menopause who are more likely to experience pelvic floor weakening and related conditions.
Benefits of Regular Kegel Exercises after Menopause
So, why might you start doing Kegel exercises after menopause? Since your pelvic floor supports a lot of important organs, it’s important to keep these muscles strong. This can also help with the function of your pelvic organs.
Your Women’s Health Care Provider May Recommend Kegels to Help with Urinary Incontinence
Millions of women experience urinary incontinence (UI), which can take the form of anything from small leaks when you sneeze or even having accidents because you’re unable to reach the restroom in time. Your risk for this condition increases with age and after menopause due to lower estrogen levels.
Many women with urinary incontinence deal with a reduced quality of life. A lot of those with UI change a lot about their lives due to the condition, like avoiding going places due to fear of leakage. Many also feel embarrassed and isolated socially because of the condition.
If you have UI, it’s important to talk to our women’s health care provider about causes and treatments. One common recommendation for urinary incontinence is doing Kegel exercises. Stronger pelvic muscles may help you hold your urine in more effectively until you can make it to the bathroom.
One study from 2018 even found that regular pelvic floor exercises helped improve quality of life for those with urinary incontinence. So, Kegel exercises may be used both as a preventative measure and a treatment for urinary incontinence.
Reducing Your Risk for and Treating Uterine Prolapse
Uterine prolapse is a somewhat common condition, and your risk for it goes up after menopause. This is where your uterus starts to sag lower than normal, sometimes entering the vagina (a partial prolapse) or even protruding outside of the vagina (complete prolapse).
Some symptoms of uterine prolapse include:
- Heaviness or pressure in the pelvis
- Pelvic pain
- Abdominal pain
- Back pain
- Painful sex
- Frequent bladder infections
- Unusual or excessive discharge
- Constipation
- Urinary leaks, frequency, and urgency
These symptoms may also get worse when you’re standing or walking, as gravity can pull on the prolapsed uterus.
If you have uterine prolapse, Kegel exercises may be the recommended treatment for mild cases. In other cases, you may need surgery to remove the uterus or put it back in place.
However, Kegel exercises may also help reduce your risk for experiencing uterine prolapse. Generally, the reason the uterus slips down from its normal position is due to a weakened pelvic floor. Therefore, keeping these muscles strong may help provide the support needed to prevent uterine prolapse.
Improving Intimacy with Kegels
Another issue Kegel exercises can help with is intimacy after menopause. As your estrogen levels start to fall, you might notice vaginal dryness or pain, especially during sex. Kegel exercises help in a few different ways.
First, a common reason you might experience pain during sex is due to tight vaginal muscles. Kegel exercises can help you relax these muscles so they’re not as tight and painful during sex.
Also, pelvic floor exercises can help increase circulation to the pelvic floor and vagina. Better blood flow to the area can help improve arousal and lubrication. In some cases, doing Kegel exercises regularly may even help improve orgasms.
All this can come together to help improve intimacy after menopause. So, Kegels may even help your sex life!
How to Do Kegel Exercises
Did you know about one-third of women who do Kegel exercises are actually doing them wrong? That means they may not get any of the benefits of doing Kegel exercises. Your women’s health clinic can help you determine whether you’re doing Kegel exercises right and offer some tips to help you with Kegels during your next checkup or appointment. However, here are some general tips that may help you learn how to do Kegel exercises.
Find the Right Muscles
Remember how we mentioned about a third of women aren’t doing their Kegels right? In many cases, this is because they’re actually flexing other muscles, like the buttocks, abdomen, or legs. Finding the right muscles for Kegel exercises can be a little difficult, but we do have a few tips.
First, it might help if you lie down while you try to find the right muscles and get used to doing pelvic floor exercises. While you can do them in practically any position, like sitting at a red light, it’s much easier to contract the muscles when you’re lying down.
A lot of guides say that the easiest way to find the right muscles is to stop the stream of urine when you’re going to the bathroom. While this can help you find the right muscles, doing this can make it difficult to fully empty the bladder, which can cause other issues like urinary tract infections. Instead, we recommend pretending you’re trying to avoid passing gas, or to tighten your vagina around a tampon. This can help you find the right muscle group.
If you’re still having trouble finding the right muscles, lie down and insert a clean finger into your vagina and try to do a Kegel. You should feel the muscles tighten around your finger.
Also, try placing a hand on your abdomen when doing your Kegel exercises. This can help you feel any unintended muscle contractions in your abdomen. If you’re contracting your abdominal muscles, there’s a good chance you’re doing your Kegel exercises wrong.
How Often to Do Kegels?
Once you have the hang of which muscles to contract, you can start doing them regularly to help reap the benefits of a strong pelvic floor.
If you’re just starting out, then you may need to work your way up to longer contractions and multiple reps. Generally, one rep is contracting the pelvic floor for three to five seconds and relaxing for three to five seconds. For most women, aim to do about ten reps two or three times a day. Once that becomes easier, you can even try mixing them up by holding for longer, like ten seconds, or even shorter, like two or three second bursts.
Just keep in mind that doing Kegel exercises too much can make your pelvic floor muscles too tight. This can cause issues like:
- Constipation
- Incomplete bowel movements
- Pelvic pain
- Lower back pain
- Painful sex
If you notice these signs of a tight pelvic floor, then try giving your muscles a break from Kegels for a little while. If your symptoms don’t improve, visit our women’s health care team for help finding underlying causes, like overworking the pelvic floor muscles or even other health conditions.
Talk to Your Women’s Health Care Providers About Staying Healthy
At HerKare, we’re a women’s health clinic dedicated to your wellness. Our team is here to help you feel your best at every stage of life. Whether you’re looking for advice on maintaining a healthier lifestyle or need to talk about symptoms you’ve noticed, we take time to listen, understand, and work with you to find personalized health solutions for you. Be proactive about your health. Schedule an appointment at one of our convenient locations today.
by SXHH Marketing | Apr 5, 2021 | Hormone Replacement Therapy, Menopause, Wellness
Whether you’ve been using hormone therapy for a while or are planning to start for your menopause symptoms, you might wonder how long you should take it. This is all personal to you, but there are a few things to keep in mind.
Hormone therapy is personalized to you, so treatment may be different for every woman.
Recommended Timelines for Menopausal Hormone Therapy
To start, let’s look at some general guidelines and recommendations. One of the most common recommendations is to use HRT at the lowest dose and for the least amount of time needed to help relieve menopause symptoms. This means it’s individualized to you, your symptoms, and treatment goals.
According to the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), benefits for hormone replacement therapy for menopause generally outweigh the risks for most women. If you’ve dealt with menopause symptoms, you might know what we’re talking about. Hot flashes, sleep disturbances, and more can take a toll on your health and quality of life.
In the past, recommendations were to use hormones for less than five years and stop completely before you turn 60. In fact, most women do successfully stop hormone replacement therapy within five years. However, NAMS and most healthcare professionals have updated their guidelines to be more personalized. Now, older women can stay on hormones after 60 if needed for symptom relief.
While most women notice their symptoms go away a few months or years after menopause, others have persistent symptoms that can interfere with their lives. For instance, hot flashes can last ten to twenty years after menopause. In these cases, stopping hormones could lead to dealing with symptoms that affect your wellbeing, so you might choose to use hormones for longer or find other treatments to help.
If you do choose to take hormones for longer than five years, then you and our provider will talk about benefits and risks to find a solution that suits you. For example, maybe it’s time for a lower dose, or even finding alternative treatments to help with your symptoms, or maybe it makes the most sense to continue with hormone treatments.
When to Stop Hormone Therapy: Talk to Your Doctor
As we’ve mentioned, hormone replacement should be individualized to each woman. That’s why it’s so important to talk to the doctor about your specific situation. Our providers can help you decide the best time to start or stop hormones for menopause symptoms. We tailor your treatment to you and your needs.
If you’re thinking about stopping HRT, our providers can help you determine the risks and benefits. We can also help you determine when and how to stop as well as help you along the way.
Symptoms May Come Back When Stopping Treatment
One of the risks of stopping hormone therapy is that your symptoms could return. For example, if you started hormones to help with hot flashes and sleep problems, they might come back after you stop using hormones.
When stopping HRT, some women don’t have their symptoms return, while some do. In some cases, they may return but be much more manageable than before. In other cases, they may be just as severe as the day you started hormone treatments for your symptoms.
Some symptoms you might experience when stopping hormones include:
- Hot flashes
- Sleep disturbances
- Mood changes
- Depressive symptoms
If these occur, our providers work with you to find a treatment solution for your needs. For instance, it might mean staying on therapy, gradually weaning off hormones, or even non-hormonal treatments. It’s important to understand that there are treatment options! Finding strategies and treatments to help manage your symptoms may help you successfully stop hormone therapy, or it may not be the right time for you to stop. Whatever the case, our team is here to help you feel your best and take care of your health.
Tapering off of HRT
When you decide to stop hormones, you can stop suddenly or you can taper off of treatment. Once again, there is no right answer for all women who want to stop taking hormones. However, most doctors recommend tapering.
Tapering off of HRT involves slowly reducing your dose to nothing over a period of time. You can do this by lowering the dose, taking fewer doses each week, or a combination of both. Our provider will work with you to figure out which option is best for you.
Most commonly, tapering involves reducing the number of hormones you take by about 10% each week. This may help your body adjust to the lack of estrogen and progesterone in your bloodstream.
Also, if your symptoms return after tapering down to a certain level, we may recommend staying on that dose until your symptoms subside before reducing the dose again. This may help you feel more comfortable and help reduce the risk of lowering your quality of life due to menopause symptoms.
Tapering off of hormones can take months or even a year or two, depending on your situation. For example, if your current dose is a little higher, it may take longer than someone who starts tapering at a lower dose. Also, if your symptoms return, we may recommend tapering hormone therapy more slowly than for someone who doesn’t have their symptoms return.
If you’re planning to stop hormone treatments, our doctors can help personalize your experience to help you continue to feel your best.
Advanced Healthcare Before, During, and After Menopause
Even after stopping hormones for menopause, it’s still important to see our providers regularly for checkups. Getting your regular health screenings and talking about your overall health can also help you feel good and keep doing the things you love. We’re here to help with everything you need to take care of your health.
At HerKare, our clinic is run by women for women. We’re here to help you feel your best at every stage of life. Our team listens and understands to help you find personalized treatment options that suit you and your needs. We’ll even help you understand what’s covered and share financial information to help you make a plan that suits both your lifestyle and your budget. Make an appointment today to experience advanced and caring women’s healthcare solutions from HerKare!
by SXHH Marketing | Mar 19, 2021 | Menopause, Wellness
Life doesn’t stop after menopause, so make sure you’re getting the women’s health care you need! Staying healthy is important for your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. You’re in control and we’re here to help! Our providers are here to help you understand your health risks and help reduce them with healthy lifestyle changes and quality healthcare services.
Health Risks After Menopause
Most women reach menopause around age 51. Around this time, due to normal aging and low estrogen levels, your risks for some health conditions go up. This might mean making some changes and working with your women’s health clinic to reduce your risks. It can also mean getting regular screenings to help with early detection and treatment. Whatever the case, we’re here to help you take control of your health.
Around this time, your risks increase for conditions like:
- Osteoporosis
- Heart disease
- Obesity
- Urinary incontinence
- Dry skin
- High blood pressure
- Cholesterol
- Diabetes
This might seem pretty frightening, but the good news is there are many things you can do to help reduce your risks. For example, making healthy lifestyle changes may help lower your risk for most of the conditions on that list. You’re in the driver’s seat and our women’s health care professionals are here to help you design a personalized plan to stay healthy after menopause.
Maintaining (or Starting) a Healthy Lifestyle
Around middle age, it’s more important than ever to lead a healthy lifestyle. Like we mentioned, your health risks do go up with age, so the healthier you live, the better. Getting serious about making healthy choices not only helps reduce risks for preventable conditions, but it can also help you feel healthier, stronger, more energetic, and happier. So, it’s time to make a commitment to treat your body the best you can!
Now, even if you haven’t led the healthiest lifestyle until now, there’s still plenty you can do! It might take a little extra work and you might have to take smaller steps to get there, but you’ve got a women’s health care team on your side. Don’t forget to enlist some daily cheerleaders through friends and family to help you make healthier choices.
Diet After Menopause
Eating healthy is another way you can follow a healthy lifestyle after 50. What you eat has a pretty big impact on a lot of different things, from mood and energy levels to weight gain and cholesterol levels. Making healthy diet choices empowers you to get the fuel and nutrients you need for a healthy, active lifestyle.
What many women don’t realize is that you need fewer calories after menopause. Most women around this time lose some muscle mass as a part of normal aging. Muscles burn a lot of calories, so with less muscle tissue, you’ll likely need fewer calories.
How many calories you need depends on a lot of different factors, so talk to our women’s health care provider about your specific needs. However, here’s a general guide:
- 1,600 calories a day if you get a low amount of activity
- 1,800 if you get moderate amount of activity
- 2,000-2,200 if you get a high amount of activity
In addition, we recommend eating a balanced diet with foods from all five food groups each day. This can help you get a variety of foods in your diet and help you get the nutrition you need. Nutrition and vitamins after menopause are extremely important for helping reduce your health risks. For example, you need plenty of calcium and vitamin D to help keep your bones strong. This means eating a healthy diet and potentially working with our women’s health care provider to see which vitamin supplements you need.
Don’t forget keeping hydrated! Getting enough water each day can help with everything from dry skin to keeping your urinary tract healthy. If water isn’t appealing, you can even try infusing it with berries or other fruits to give it some flavor.
Exercise
Getting plenty of exercise has so many benefits, from reducing the risk for heart disease, improving your mood, keeping your weight in check, and helping bone health. Active adults are also less likely to suffer from depression and cognitive decline! So, getting some physical activity is especially important as we age.
Aerobic Exercise
Biking is a great way to get aerobic exercise in. Talk to our women’s health care providers about other exercises you can do!
Most women should shoot for 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a week. This is about 30 minutes five days a week or 21-22 minutes every day of the week. Some aerobic exercises include:
- Walking
- Jogging
- Dancing
- Swimming
- Biking
- Climbing stairs or hills
- Tennis
How do you know if you’re getting moderate intensity aerobic exercise? Talk to someone! If you’re breathing heavily, but can still have a conversation, then you’re getting moderate intensity aerobic exercise. However, if you’re struggling to talk, then you’re getting vigorous aerobic exercise. If you like vigorous exercises more, then do those about 75 minutes a week instead.
Strength Exercise
Strength exercises can help keep your bones healthy and help you build muscle tissue, which offers its own benefits like burning more calories. Most women need to do strength exercises twice a week, allowing for rest time in between.
Exercise all your major muscle groups during these sessions with 10-15 repetitions of the exercise. Some strength exercises include:
- Lifting weights
- Body weight exercises (like squats and pushups)
Consider also doing exercises that prioritize flexibility and balance. These are also helpful for daily tasks (like picking dropped items off the floor for those of us clumsy folks).
If you’re just starting out exercising for the first time, don’t panic. Even if you can’t jump right into those recommendations, it’s okay! Make a goal to do just 10 minutes of activity each day and gradually ramp it up as you can.
Limit Alcohol, Caffeine, Quit Nicotine
As we age, our bodies handle certain things a little differently. That may mean it’s time to cut back on certain things or quit entirely. Things like alcohol and caffeine may affect you differently than they did before, and too much of either of these can have health impacts. Smoking can also cause serious health issues. So, we’re here to help you take control of your health and limit or quit these things entirely.
Drinking too much alcohol can increase your risk for things like osteoporosis, diabetes, high blood pressure, and more. In some cases, it may make the most sense for you to quit, depending on your risk factors. However, if you still want to enjoy the occasional glass of wine, keep in mind that most health experts recommend drinking less than one drink a day to reduce some of the risks.
Caffeine can also cause some negative effects for your health, so it may be time to limit your caffeine intake. It can make it hard to stay hydrated, because it’s a diuretic. It can also affect how much stress hormone your body releases, which can increase blood pressure, heart rate, and many other things. Caffeine can also interfere with your sleep schedule and make it hard to get enough sleep at night. So, if you’re having issues with these things, it may be time to cut back.
Smoking also has major health effects at any age, increasing your risk for heart disease, lung cancer, and so much more. If you’re a smoker, no time is better than the present for quitting. We can help you come up with strategies to help you quit!
Regular Women’s Health Care Visits
In addition to making healthy lifestyle changes, it’s also important to schedule regular appointments at our women’s health clinic. Routine appointments are important for helping with early detection of health conditions, screening for risks, and developing an overall plan to help you stay healthy!
Screenings You Need
Health screenings help us have a conversation about your risks and overall health. Health screenings after menopause might include:
- Blood Pressure: In most cases we do this every visit.
- Breast Cancer: Many women do monthly self-exams to find abnormal signs in their breasts. We also recommend a mammogram every one to two years for most women.
- Pap Test: Many women don’t realize they still need pap tests after menopause, but we generally recommend getting one every one to three years to help detect signs of cervical cancer.
- Cholesterol: For most women, we do a cholesterol test to screen for high cholesterol at least every five years. This may be more frequent if your cholesterol levels are high or you have other risks.
- Colon Cancer: Health experts recommend colon cancer screenings between ages 50 and 75. There are many different options, ranging from stool tests to colonoscopies. Each type has different benefits and drawbacks, so which you choose depends on your risk factors and preferences.
- Blood Sugar: For most women, you’ll need a blood sugar test every three years to test for diabetes. It may be more often if you have certain risks. This is a fasting blood test we perform at our women’s health clinic to look at how much sugar is in your blood.
- Bone Density Scans: Bone density scans look for issues with bone density that could lead to osteoporosis or fractures. If you’re over 50 with a history of adult fractures or you’re under 65 with certain risk factors, we may recommend a bone density test.
Also, it’s important to talk about vaccines and keep seeing other providers like dentists and eye doctors.
Quality, Empowering Women’s Health Care at HerKare
At HerKare, our team is here to help you address your health today! We take time to listen, to understand, and then to help you start feeling better. Whether you want to talk about personalized preventative health strategies or need help getting to the bottom of your symptoms, we’re here to help. Make an appointment today!
by SXHH Marketing | Feb 19, 2021 | Wellness
Have you noticed something off about your period? Wondering if COVID-19 may be to blame? It’s always a good idea to keep an eye out for changes in your menstrual cycle and talk to your women’s health clinic about anything out of the ordinary. Many women are noticing that their menstrual cycle has changed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are some explanations for this, but experts are still researching the effects.
The COVID-19 pandemic may be affecting your menstrual cycle in a few ways, but our women’s health clinic is here to help you find answers for period changes.
While changes to your menstrual cycle may be nothing to panic about, it can still help to talk to our women’s health care provider about changes. In some cases, this can signal bigger health issues that may need some extra attention.
Talk to Your Women’s Health Clinic if You’ve Noticed Changes with Your Period
Slight changes in your menstrual cycle can happen for many different reasons. These include things like hormone changes, weight changes, and reproductive conditions like PCOS. Pregnancy may also seem like period changes, as many women experience spotting in their first trimester that could be mistaken for a light period. Perimenopause can also cause changes to your period, like irregular cycles or skipped periods.
However, because period changes can also signal something more serious going on with your health, it’s usually better to be safe than sorry and talk to our doctor about differences you’ve noticed.
Some signs you should make an appointment at your women’s health clinic to talk about your period include:
- Frequently having periods fewer than 24 days apart
- Consistently bleeding for longer than 7 days
- Regularly going two or more months between periods
- Frequent spotting between periods
- Heavy bleeding (needing to change your pad or tampon every hour or more)
- Clots larger than the size of a quarter
- Excessive clots
Period Changes since the Pandemic Started? Visit your Women’s Health Clinic to Rule Out More Serious Conditions
Many women are reporting period changes since the COVID-19 outbreak. A lot of these differences vary between women, but a lot of people are connecting the dots between the changes they noticed and the timeframe of the pandemic.
Women around the country are asking women’s health care professionals whether COVID-19 has anything to do with their period changes. Researchers are still studying the virus and its effects after infection, but there’s a chance that it could.
Some of the symptoms women have reported include:
- Spotting
- Skipped periods
- Longer or shorter cycles
- Unusual clotting
- Worse PMS symptoms
- Heavier periods
This is concerning because many of these symptoms are also on the list of period signs that you want to have checked out at your women’s health clinic. Once again, it’s generally better to be safe than sorry and give us a call to see if our provider recommends an exam or testing for other health issues.
How can COVID-19 Affect My Period?
While there’s still much we don’t know about COVID-19, there are a lot of theories as to why your period might change. Even if you haven’t been infected with the coronavirus, there’s still a chance that your menstrual cycle may be affected.
Many experts believe that these changes can be due to stress, lifestyle changes during quarantine, or COVID-19 infection. As research continues, there are a few explanations why many doctors believe the pandemic may be affecting some people’s cycle.
Pandemic Stress can Wreak Havoc on Your Cycle
Most people would agree that the pandemic has been stressful. A lot of us are worrying about our health and our loved ones’ health. Some have gone through the pains of working from home. Also, we are all dealing with uncertainty of when things will return to normal.
Needless to say, many of us are dealing with way more stress on our plates than normal.
Stress can quickly take a toll on our bodies, leaving people feeling drained, irritable, and even leading to things like stomach problems and losing hair. This pandemic stress can also affect our menstrual cycle.
Even before COVID-19, stress has been a common cause in period changes. The problem with feeling stressed is that it initiates our fight or flight response. When we’re stressed, we release the hormone cortisol. Cortisol can delay or stop ovulation and reduce our progesterone levels. This can lead to menstrual changes.
Also, stress can affect your hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis. This is basically how your brain communicates with your ovaries using hormones as the messenger. Things like mental stress, physical stress, and even sleep disruptions can all bog down your HPO axis, which affects how much estrogen and progesterone your ovaries produce. This, in turn, can meddle with your cycle.
Everyone’s body may react a little differently to the stress of the pandemic and quarantine. Some women may notice shorter, lighter periods and others may notice longer, heavier periods, and others may notice different symptoms or nothing at all. It’s generally a good idea to get a checkup for your symptoms from your women’s health clinic, but if you’ve skipped a period because of stress, it’s generally not a major health concern. However, if you’re sexually active, even if you’re on birth control, a skipped period may warrant a pregnancy test.
Lifestyle Changes Make a Big Difference
Also, many people have had to change a lot of things about their daily life because of COVID-19. These lifestyle changes may also affect your menstrual cycle. For example, your eating, sleeping, and exercise habits may have changed. Weight changes can lead to hormone imbalances which can affect your period. Lack of sleep can also induce a stress response from your body that may affect your periods as well.
Another issue many of the providers at our women’s health clinic have noticed during the pandemic is increased alcohol consumption and tobacco use. Smoking and chronic heavy drinking can also take a toll on your menstrual cycle, as well as the rest of your body.
The Virus Itself May Change Your Period
Also, the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the one responsible for COVID-19) may also affect your period if you’ve been infected. Viral infections in general can put your body under stress and take up a lot of your body’s resources. This means that ovulation and menstruation may get put on the back burner as your immune system fights the virus. Many doctors note that period changes during COVID-19 are similar to those of many other illnesses, like the flu or the common cold. Fortunately, many women notice their periods go back to normal as they start to recover and their symptoms improve.
However, there is also a potential that the virus may also attack the ovaries similar to how it attacks other organs. This could also affect your menstrual cycle. While this potential has been proposed by some, it hasn’t been studied and is only speculation until we have further research.
Visit Our Women’s Health Clinic & Let’s Talk About Your Cycle
Our providers at HerKare are here to help you address your health. As a women’s health clinic, we’re dedicated to helping you find underlying causes of your symptoms and providing personalized care for your needs. If you’ve noticed changes in your menstrual cycle, or any other symptoms, make an appointment today to talk to our doctors. We help with a wide range of health conditions, from hormone imbalances to diabetes and sleep apnea. Our team is here to help you feel like yourself again.
