Life Begins at Forty

Your family is growing up. You have teenagers in the house or maybe heading off to college. You find yourself involved in activities for the kids’ schools or for community organizations. Your career has become a source of pride, and you’re in a more responsible position and a valuable and trusted employee and co-worker. Where do you find the time to even think about yourself?

However, you know that maintaining good diet and exercise habits will give you the strength, energy, and overall good health you value.

If you have not done so yet, you may want to consider permanent birth control at some time during this period of your life. Not having to worry about unplanned pregnancy is a great relief to a couple, and your Women’s Health Care physician will advise you about Essure, a one-time, in-office procedure that will eliminate your concerns about unplanned pregnancies without out-patient surgery or relying on hormone treatments and without a long post-surgical recovery period.

Of course, you will continue your annual breast and pelvic exams with a Pap test every 1-3 years as your physician advises. At about age 40, your physician may also include a bone density test to determine your risk for osteoporosis, a potentially crippling bone disease. In addition, you should have a mammogram that will be valuable in detecting any possible breast cancers. Both of these procedures are conveniently available at the Women’s Health Care facilities.

During your forties you may start to experience missed periods, hot flashes, night sweats, fatigue and general irritability – pre-menopausal symptoms. If these symptoms interfere with your normal lifestyle, your physician can advise you about treatments and practices that will alleviate the severity of your symptoms. He or she can also evaluate your health for any conditions that might be making the symptoms more severe.

Another condition that may trouble you is problem menstruation. If you experience irregular periods with exceptionally heavy menstrual flow that interferes with your lifestyle and you have completed childbearing, ask your physician about endometrial ablation. It’s a one-time procedure that can be administered right here in our offices and will help you get your life back!