By Iris Farrou
05 Oct, 2022
Diet & Exercise, Lifestyle Tips, Menopause, Nutrition, Peri-Menopause, Peri-Menopause, Prevention, Queer Health, Women's Health, Young adults & teens
Bone Density, Bone Health, Calcium Deficiency, Importance of a Healthy Diet for Young Women, Nutrient Absorption, Nutrition for women, Osteoperosis, Peri-Menopause Health, Preventing Osteoporosis, Womens Nutrition
You may have heard the occasional old person complain about their bones hurting when the
weather turns, or struggle to eliminate chronic back and joint pain. Though there can be many
reasons for this, one of the most common is the silent disease of osteoporosis: it causes bones to
weaken and turn brittle and fragile. As such, the risk of broken bones or fractures is significantly
increased.
Unfortunately, if you’re not regularly tested for osteoporosis you may not even be able
to tell you have this disease until a seemingly minor accident leaves you with a broken bone…
How to Diagnose
The later stages of osteoporosis come with several symptoms, such as back pain, stooped
posture, minor fractures, and loss of height. You can, however, be proactive about osteoporosis
before you suffer those symptoms or a broken bone (seemingly out of nowhere!). The easiest
way to keep tabs on osteoporosis is a bone density test. Imagine osteoporosis turning your strong
bones into sponge-like structures. Bone density tests help compare your bone density to the
average bone density of a healthy, young, US-based woman. They are officially called Bone
Mineral Density (BMD) tests, and resemble an X-ray but with less radiation exposure. The BMD
results, along with other health factors taken into consideration, estimate your risk of having a
bone fracture in the next decade.
Getting Tested
As osteoporosis may creep up on you, it is recommended to get tested if you are a woman of
menopausal age with osteoporosis risk factors, or a woman over the age of 65. If you are under
65 but have a family history of osteoporosis and are postmenopausal, you should also get tested.
Breaking a bone after age 50 is also a good indicator you should get tested for osteoporosis.
If you have already been diagnosed with osteoporosis, and are even taking medications for it,
you may want to repeat BMD tests every couple of years. If you are switching osteoporosis
medications, it is likely that your medical professional will recommend you get tested.
Preventing Osteoporosis
There are several risk factors for osteoporosis, including age, sex, race and family history.
Women are at a greater risk for osteoporosis, as are all people as they get older. If you are white
or of Asian descent, you may also be at a higher risk. Some factors that can be controlled are low
sex hormones, excessive thyroid hormone, and other overactive parathyroid or adrenal glands.
Low calcium intake puts you at a greater risk of developing osteoporosis, as it contributes to
decreased bone density. Eating disorders or being severely underweight do the same, as they can
weaken bones in both men and women. Gastrointestinal surgery can also have a negative impact
on your bone density, as this type of surgery limits the available surface area of your body to
absorb nutrients, including calcium.
https://www.everydayhealth.com/osteoporosis/guide/symptoms/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/osteoporosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351968
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By Iris Farrou
07 Sep, 2022
Lifestyle Tips, Menopause, Peri-Menopause, Prevention, Queer Health, Reproductive health, Sexual health, Women's Health
Aging and Painful Sex, Body Changes In Menopause, Easing the Symptoms of Menopause, Lubricants, Lubrication, Painful Intercourse, Peri-Menopause Health, Preparing for Menopause, Sex-Positivity After Menopause, Sooth Vaginal Pain During Intercourse, treatments for vaginal dryness, Vaginal dryness
One of the most often talked about symptoms of menopause is vaginal dryness. It would be ideal if it only showed up when menopause started, but unfortunately it can start happening even a few
years before menopause. Just as a bonus, women can also experience vaginal dryness after childbirth, while breast feeding, or even if they are taking certain allergy medicine or certain antidepressants.
Back to the hormonal factors, however, vaginal dryness begin hand in hand with vaginal atrophy. A truly scary word, though it simply means your body is not producing as much estrogen as before. Estrogen is responsible for the natural lubrication, elasticity, and thickness of the cervix: once estrogen production goes down, the natural lubrication of the vagina is no longer happening, and the vaginal walls can experience thinning, drying, and possible inflammations.
Lubrication
Basically, it all comes back to lubrication: since your body’s natural lubrication system retires at the age of menopause, you need to supplement vaginal lubrication via external (internal) means. Most often, especially because vaginal dryness can lead to pain during intercourse, women will turn towards vaginal lubricants. Though a great solution, it is but temporary. For something more long lasting, you may want to look into vaginal moisturizers. You can apply them every few days to moisturize and keep vaginal tissue healthy.
There is also the option to reinvigorate vaginal tissues. Science really does wonders… this can be
a low dose vaginal estrogen cream, tablet, or ring. Note that this can be prescribed in additional
to other hormonal supplements you may be taking. It is meant to specifically tackle vaginal
dryness, especially if it persists while you are on hormonal treatment post-menopause. You will
need to discuss this option with your doctors and take into consideration any other health issues
you may have faced, particularly breast cancer.
There is also the option of an oral medication, Ospemifene or Osphena, which is more geared
towards addressing vaginal pain during intercourse. It is a selective estrogen receptor modulator,
SERM, medication but women who have a high risk of breast cancer, or have faced breast
cancer, best not consider it as an option. For more details on what this medication can do for you,
consult with your doctor or medical professional.
Another technique to help you ease painful intercourse if you are post-menopausal is a nightly
vaginal suppository containing dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA).
It’s also important to note that vaginal stimulation or even regular sexual activity, solo or with a
partner, can absolutely help post-menopausal women keep their vaginal tissues healthy. Above
all, remember this is a very natural response of your body to hormonal changes, there is nothing
to be ashamed about, and it is well within your rights to seek healthy treatments that work for
you and your body. You owe it to yourself, and though we can’t turn back the clock, we can
make sure we are living pain-free and comfortable lives within the new parameters our bodies
present to us.
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