5 Questions To Ask Your Physician For Women Over 40
(continued)
Treatment: Are there any changes I need to make in any of my current medications?
This is a good opportunity to discuss ALL of the medications you are currently
taking, including prescriptions from other physicians, over-the-counter medications,
vitamins, supplements and herbs. While each of these has their benefits, they
each have individual side effects. In addition, in combination many of these
medications can have interactions that are conflicting, harmful, or counterproductive.
If you are taking birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy, these
medications can interact with many others as well. Of course, any illegal or
dependent drug abuse-including your alcohol consumption--should also be discussed.
For smokers, NOW is a good time to quit smoking- women over 40 who smoke are
in a particularly high-risk group. Ask your doctor if you need help with a
plan to stop smoking.
This also presents a good opportunity to discuss any medications, vitamins
or supplements that you could or should be taking. For example, the average
44-year-old American woman has a daily calcium intake of only 440 mg, which
is approximately one third of the recommended daily allowance! And many women
who take a daily multiple vitamin are surprised to learn that these have a
woefully inadequate calcium content. To be adequately absorbed and utilized
by the body, calcium needs Vitamin D. Most American women get this from the
sun; women who do not get 20 minutes of exposure to sunshine per day (i.e.
shut-ins or those living in the Pacific Northwest, for example) may require
additional Vitamin D supplements.
Iron deficiency is also relatively common in women who are still menstruating,
especially those who eat little or no red meat; supplementation may be recommended.
Folic acid is highly recommended for any woman trying to conceive to reduce
the risk of brain and spinal cord defects.
While most studies of aspirin as a preventive measure for heart disease have
been conducted on men, some cardiologists recommend that women with heart
disease (regardless of age) or those at high risk for heart disease over age
40 take one baby aspirin per day. Ask your doctor if you should be doing
this.
Follow-up: What signs and symptoms or other medical issues to I need to
think about as I approach menopause?
"Menopause questions in your 40's?! you might exclaim. Yes, the average
age of menopause for American women is 51, but the perimenopausal period (literally
"near menopause can last up to 10 years. We are learning more and more about
this transitional time in a woman's life with on-going medical research. One
of the important things we've learned is that many menopausal symptoms actually
begin during this time. Things like sleeplessness, moodiness, irritability,
etc. which may have once been dismissed with "Oh-it's all in your head! have
now been shown to be related to the hormonal changes of perimenopause.
There are many ways to approach menopause and several options for managing
its many symptoms and the conditions for which it puts women at increased
risk (e.g. heart disease and osteoporosis). The most important point about
menopause is that it doesn't begin in one day. Similarly, decisions about
its management shouldn't be made in one day. My best recommendation is to
read, read, read. But get your information from credible, medical sources.
On the Internet, you can go to the resources listed below.
Your friends and family members are also good sources for menopause information.
While there's no guarantee that your experience will mimic your mother's,
there is a genetic component. If you can, speak with your mother about her
experience with menopause as a starting off point. This is also a good time
to open up the dialogue about other medical family history issues. Friends
are the best support network. While choices that worked for them may not
be the best for you, it is always refreshing to hear from other women that
they may be dealing with some of the same issues you are. As always, however,
your physician is the best source of individualized medical information about
menopause for you. Asking questions now will help you to form a good treatment
plan to put into action when the time is right.
All medical conditions, including wellness, can be discussed in terms of five
primary areas: prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. 
