Part One: Five Medical Tests You Need (especially post-menopause)
To age better, make sure we monitor your health. Here are a few ways to get started.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about life transitions.
Adolescence - the first real turning point we’re aware of - was tough for me. I was nearing 15, and most of my friends (and it seemed the whole world of girls my age) were proudly showing off their bras under sheer-ish white t’s. As if my tallness, paleness and skinniness didn’t make me feel awkward enough, the fact that I a). was completely flat-chested and b). didn’t have my period yet made me painfully different and alone. So many of my friends sported deep cleavages, while I, desperate to fit in and keep pace, stuffed my soft, cupless bra with socks, wondering if anything would ever grow.
I remained silent as they talked, joked and complained endlessly about their periods - the pain, the bother, the flow, tampons vs. napkins and what works better…never sharing with anyone but myself that I felt left out, less-than and lonely.
Of course, when you’re young and troubled, it feels as if you’re stuck in an endless loop of hopelessness. The day I finally saw red eventually arrived, as did my breasts. I felt complete.
Who would think the time would speed by and decades later, I’d be happy to dispose of the tampons, the pads, the cramps, and the bother? Who would think that something like menstruation and boobs were enough to make anyone feel that’s all they needed to belong and believe?
We are prepared for adolescence. Much talk and attention is put on the march toward this phase, a developmental turning point. We are now prepared for menopause, thanks to a new openness about menopause-positivity and acceptability.
But who prepares us for the next 40 percent of our life, when we are (again) in a body that feels quite foreign and unfamiliar?
This might sound weird and dramatic to some of you (or not), but I can’t help but think about what it felt like when I was going through chemo. During chemo, you are cared for; constantly and consistently monitored. All eyes are on you. And then, the day you’ve been waiting for is finally here. You are done! What a relief.
But what no one told me, what I was not prepared for, is how and what I would feel after those first moments of freedom. I’ll tell you how I felt: untethered, and fearful of being let loose into a world where no one was watching. Of course, there were still visits to the oncologist, but as the years wore on and my health remained steady, those grew further and further apart (thankfully).
And yet, as the intervals between visits grew longer, my fear of what lay ahead didn’t fade with it.
Where, oh where, am I going with all of this banter?
Let’s now watch ourselves, because we can! Here’s how:
ONE: Check your blood pressure at least once a year.
Blood pressure tends to rise after menopause. This may be related to things like changing hormones and weight gain. High blood pressure can lead to serious health problems like heart attack or stroke.
Normal levels are an upper number (systolic) of less than 120, and a lower number (diastolic) of less than 80.
You might need it checked more often if you:
Have heart disease or kidney problems.
Are overweight.
Are Black.
Have had high blood pressure during a pregnancy.
Have a top number from 120 to 129 mm Hg, or a bottom number from 70 to 79 mm Hg.
You can test your blood pressure at home with a monitor like any of these.
TWO: Don’t skip your mammogram.
Breast cancer is most common in women over 50, and many cases occur post-menopause. It’s more likely to find breast cancer early, when it’s more easily treatable.
Experts recommend starting at age 40, and repeating every one to two years.
If you have a family history of breast cancer, talk to your healthcare provider to see if he/she recommends additional testing.
If you have dense breasts, you may need additional screening tests or more frequent mammograms. Good to know: A new federal mandate states a facility must inform a woman undergoing a mammogram if she has dense breasts. (Having dense breasts can make cancer more difficult to detect. Learn more here.)
THREE: Cervical cancer screening.
Early menopause can increase the risk of gynecological cancers. Cervical cancer screening can find cervical cancer early, when it’s more likely to be cured.
If you’re between 30 and 65 years old, have either a Pap test every three years or the HPV test every five years. You can also have both tests every five years (known as “cotesting”).
If you’ve been treated for precancer (cervical dysplasia), you should continue having Pap tests for 20 years following treatment or until you’re 65 (or whichever is longer).
FOUR: How’s your cholesterol?
The loss of estrogen that comes with menopause affects your cholesterol levels. It's important to know your numbers, as cholesterol levels help you assess your risk for heart disease and stroke.
If you have normal cholesterol levels, you should be tested every five years.
Heart-healthy cholesterol is considered to be a total cholesterol of under 200; an LDL of under 100, and an HDL of 60 or higher.
Cholesterol should be tested more often if:
There are changes to your lifestyle, like weight gain or diet.
You have diabetes, heart disease, kidney problems, stroke or blood flow problems in your legs or feet.
You’re already taking medication to control high cholesterol.
FIVE: I can’t wait to get my colonoscopy (said no one, ever)!
A later menopause (after age 55) has been found to increase the risk of colorectal cancer. A colonoscopy is the test we love to hate, but an extremely effective test to detect colorectal cancer early.
Experts recommend starting colonoscopies at age 45.
You may be advised to begin earlier if you have a strong family history of colon cancer or polyps, or risk factors like a history of inflammatory bowel disease or polyps.
A colonoscopy is usually done every 10 years, but may be more often based on findings and individual risk factors.
For a Pause… Things I like, things I covet.
This nightgown by Eileen West reminds me of the kind I wore in my younger years, when we had no air conditioning to cool us in the hot summers. (My parents insisted it wouldn’t kill us…and they were right!) Cottony and light, it’s just the right weight to make you feel like you’re hardly wearing anything at all.
I’m always on the lookout for some good beauty advice. From celebrity esthetician and Beauty Curious podcast co-host Ian Michael Crumm comes this: '“Don’t throw away the last bits of moisturizer left behind in a jar or tube. Instead, rub it into your hands and cuticles—they deserve just as much luxury and care as your face.” A “makeup spatula” helps scrape out the very last of a good thing. Waste not, want not.
I was recently gifted some products by Arbonne, and they’re so good, I want to try the whole line. If you’re Arbonne-curious, take a look here. They are packed with skin-loving and science-backed ingredients.
Last evening, I was sitting in my backyard with my twin 3-year old grandsons. Every time a bird came to eat from my bird feeder, they got so excited. “Gigi, what kind of bird is THAT?” I came up with nothing more than “A little one!” “A hungry one!” “A big one!” That is precisely why I need something like this, a bird feeder that actually identifies what you are admiring, and makes you sound like the most brilliant person in the room.
Breaking News: There’s more to come!
Make sure to tune into the next edition of ATP, and learn about the importance of more screenings, like dental and diabetes screening, plus other ways to safeguard your health and age better.
Until then, stay healthy, wellthy and happy.
Xo Sheryl
Agree or disagree?