Menopause Risks and Why You Should Get Tested

Lifestyle factors like smoking and race and ethnicity cause the duration of menopause. As women transition to menopause, their oestrogen and progesterone levels also vary. They experience changes in their heart and bone health. They gain weight quickly, and their body's shape and composition change, too.

Menopause Risks Women May Experience

As women's oestrogen level declines, new health risks emerge. Those who haven't experienced health problems before menopause may find themselves at risk of certain conditions. Aside from the decreasing oestrogen level, the American Heart Association (AHA) also claimed increased triglycerides, blood pressure, and LDL or bad cholesterol during menopause. 

However, due to genetics and other factors, women may experience different risks. Here are the most common health conditions that they're most at risk of during menopause: 

1. Heart-Related Diseases

Though many women believe they're most at risk of having breast cancer, they're more likely to have heart disease after menopause. The AHA said heart attack rates increase ten years after menopause, with a third of women most likely to develop cardiovascular diseases.

It's because of the decreasing oestrogen level. This hormone enables blood vessels to contract and expands quickly to facilitate blood flow. Once oestrogen starts to decline, the blood vessels become less flexible. Also, blood pressure rises and thickens artery walls, making the heart more vulnerable.

Another study discovered that women who experience hot flushes during the early stage of menopause are more at risk of heart disease. The results align with another study on how future cardiovascular diseases are linked to frequent and persistent hot flushes. For this reason, women with more hot flushes and a family history of heart disease must undergo a menopause test and visit their healthcare provider for additional screenings. 

Although you have no control over your family health history, you can minimise your risk by having a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. A good example is eating more fruits and vegetables, less red meat, and sugar-loaded food for a more nutritious diet. You should also exercise regularly and quit smoking. 

Another thing women can do is monitor their body mass index (BMI), cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. Doing so can help them protect themselves from heart disease through prevention or early diagnosis.

2. Osteoporosis

A study by the Journal of Clinical Medicine Research in 2017 proved that women are four times more likely to develop osteoporosis than men. This disease causes bones to become thinner and weaker, making them prone to fracture. It's because women's bones are protected by oestrogen before they reach menopause. Unfortunately, rapid bone loss occurs a year before menstruation stops and continues for around three years.

Unfortunately, osteoporosis symptoms can be invisible, which makes it hard to detect. Many women are unaware that their bones weaken unless they experience a bone fracture. 

The good news is you can boost your bone health midlife by including regular exercise in your lifestyle. Brisk walking or jogging can strengthen your bones. Another effective strategy is to avoid smoking, which is linked to osteoporosis.

Most importantly, eat a healthy diet. Include vitamin D-rich foods in your diet, such as cereals and milk. You can also enjoy 15 minutes of sunshine in the morning several days a week. Eating food rich in calcium is beneficial, too. Think dark green leafy vegetables and canned fish like sardines. 

Meanwhile, women are also advised to take the necessary bone test, such as Vitall's Bone Health (Osteoporosis) Home Test Kit, designed to assess the essential vitamins, minerals, and proteins needed for healthy bones. This osteoporosis test kit can be done through an easy and accurate finger-prick blood home test kit. You can also get a blood sample by visiting a clinic or asking a nurse to get the sample for you at your convenience.

Many people believe that bones are permanent structures when they're living tissues that constantly break down and rebuild. However, this natural process can be disrupted by hormonal and dietary changes that decrease minerals, which are essential in bone density and strength. This causes osteoporosis and an increased risk of bone fracture as women age.

3. Weight Gain

Another common menopause risk is weight gain. Did you know that two years before a woman's last menstruation, her body begins to gain fat and lose lean tissue mass? You can check if you're starting menopause with a perimenopause symptom checker and switch to a menopause test a year after your last period.

Weight gain can go on up to two years after the postmenopausal period. This is why many develop menopausal belly fat.

Extra weight around the abdomen is hazardous to one's health as it can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. Also, those who develop abdominal fat during menopause have a higher risk of heart disease. 

Moreover, menopause is known to cause metabolic syndrome, including high blood sugar, high bad cholesterol level, and high blood pressure. They can make women more at risk of heart-related diseases like stroke and type 2 diabetes. 

But why is it women develop abdominal fat? Once again, the loss of oestrogen is the culprit behind it. The fat becomes shifted from the hips to a woman's midsection. Many women find it challenging to stick to a healthy diet and exercise once they start to experience menopause symptoms like mood swings, insomnia, and night sweats. 

Don't worry because this can be prevented. All you must do is cut back on calories to avoid weight gain. Engage in more vigorous exercises, eat a big meal at noon, avoid too much snacking, and stay away from stressors by doing yoga or meditation. 

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4. Urinary Tract Infection

Women during menopause are also at risk of urinary tract infection due to the decreasing oestrogen level. The vaginal tissue becomes drier and thinner, which causes bacteria to develop faster. The infection can occur in any part of the urinary system, such as the bladder, ureters, kidneys, and urethra. 

In addition to the thinning and drying of vaginal tissue, many women during menopause have difficulty emptying their bladder, making them more prone to a bladder infection. And with oestrogen levels declining, bacterial levels can change fast.

Occasional UTIs occur in some menopausal women, while others experience chronic UTIs monthly. It can affect their overall quality of life, including their sex life. 

Taking antibiotics is the most used treatment for clearing UTIs. However, the thought of regularly taking antibiotics doesn't sound healthy. The best thing to do is avoid it in the first place.

There are some simple yet effective ways of dealing with menopause-related UTIs. To start, try making some practical lifestyle changes. You'll be amazed at the effects of positive lifestyle changes on your overall health and wellness. For one, doing so can lower your risk of having a chronic UTI. These changes include drinking lots of water daily to flush toxins and harmful bacteria from your excretory system. It's highly recommended to drink six to eight glasses of water daily. 

Another is to immediately go to the bathroom once you feel the urge to urinate. Don't hold your urine in your bladder to prevent bacteria from infecting your urinary tract. Remember that the longer you hold your urine, the more bacteria will grow. Remember to wipe yourself down there from front to back. 

Also, there are women who swear by drinking cranberry juice to treat and protect themselves from UTI. Others take cranberry supplements, too.

Did you know that the kind of underwear you use can also prevent UTI? Switch to breathable cotton underwear and pair it with loose-fitting pants. Further, make it a habit to urinate before and after having sexual intercourse. 

5. Urinary Incontinence

During menopause, women's urethra and vagina start to lose their elasticity, leading to a condition known as urinary incontinence (UI), also known as "loss of bladder control." As a result, they feel sudden and frequent urges to pee, followed by urge incontinence or involuntary loss of urine. 

Some women also experience stress incontinence as they urinate with laughing, sneezing, coughing, lifting, and doing other physical activities. Others have overflow incontinence which happens when the bladder isn't emptied totally. They feel urinating at night and have a weak urinary stream. All these can lead to frequent UTIs.

So why is this happening? It's because the tissues of the urethra and bladder have oestrogen and progesterone receptors. These hormones also thicken them. However, when menopause kicks in, the tissues become thinner and weaker as these hormones' levels decline. As women age, the muscles around the pelvis also start to lose their tone, a condition called "pelvic relaxation."

There are simple ways to treat urinary incontinence, but treatments vary according to certain factors, such as the type of UI and what causes it. You can start by cutting back on alcohol and caffeine consumption. If you're overweight, losing extra pounds can help reduce the pressure on your bladder. Another practical tip is to retrain your bladder to hold more urine. You can do this by planning the times of the day to pee.

Also, try strengthening your pelvic muscles with Kegel or pelvic floor exercises. Kegel includes squeezing and relaxing pelvic muscles and those in the genital areas, which help strengthen them.

If lifestyle changes don’t work, you should visit your healthcare provider for other treatment options.

Vitall's Female Hormones (Menopause) Home Test Kit

With so many risks with menopause, women should take the necessary precautions to avoid them as much as possible. One of the most practical ways to do so is by taking Vitall's Female Hormones (Menopause) Home Test Kit. 

Known as a hormonal control test, the kit is designed to check female sex hormones. It's also used for assessing the status of one's menopause. 

Unlike other test kits, it comes with easy-to-follow instructions. Most importantly, the results are accurate. You can collect your blood sample through a finger-prick blood home test kit. However, if you don't like doing it, you can have a nurse visit you at home or drop by one of Vitall's clinics and have the sample taken from there. 

Also, you're assured of fast and accurate results within 24 hours. Thanks to Vitall's team of healthcare professionals and the most advanced laboratory equipment. 

Menopause naturally occurs in women after their oestrogen levels decrease between ages 45 and 55. But there are instances that they'll experience premature menopause years before they reach 45. Vitall recommends women take the Female Hormone's (Menopause) Home Test Kit when they reach 35. 

This kit won't only prepare women for menopause risks but also help them deal with common menopause symptoms like hot flushes, insomnia, memory loss, anxiety, depression, and lack of sex drive. 

One of the perks of Vitall's Female Hormone's (Menopause) Home Test Kit is that it also comes with Luteinising Hormone (LH) Testing. Luteinising hormone, produced in the pituitary gland, is found in the blood. It's responsible for regulating men's and women's reproductive systems. 

This hormone regulates the menstrual cycle and helps determine a woman's fertility, especially during planned pregnancy. Most importantly, it can effectively gauge the start of menopause.

Women entering menopause had increased Luteinising Hormone (LH) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) levels, especially when the ovaries stopped working. An increase in these hormones indicates primary ovarian failure. On the other hand, once LH and FSH levels are low, there's a high risk of secondary ovarian failure. 

There are numerous menopause risks women must face. However, there are also many ways to prevent and deal with them. Taking a menopause test is one of them. Getting tested earlier is imperative as it can help women identify the risks and get the necessary treatments to avoid the worst.