Maintaining Good Health in the Menopause Years
You depend upon your senses to remain in communication with the world around you, and good eyesight and hearing are essential to that dialogue. Though few women need to worry about experiencing a rapid decline in the quality of their vision or hearing as they near the age of menopause, those functions can begin to diminish around the age of forty or fifty. Some of the physical changes of menopause can have an impact on the health of your teeth, as well. Though age-related changes are inevitable, you can minimize their impact by taking special care of your teeth, eyes, and ears; by watching for signs and symptoms of potential problems; and by incorporating regular checkups into your regular health care routine.
Protecting Your Hearing
After age fifty, many women experience some hearing loss and by age sixty-five, nearly one-third of all women have some decline in hearing. You might not be aware that your hearing is fading until someone you live or work with brings it to your attention. Most age-related hearing loss is gradual and can develop slowly over a period of years.
Some types of hearing loss can be the result of a physical injury, an infection, medication, or the development of growths or tumors. These hearing losses are called sensorineural (caused by damage to the nerves that transmit sound from the ear to the brain), because the sensors in the inner ear lose their ability to send sound signals to the brain. Long-term exposure to loud noise causes this type of hearing loss, so if you spent the 1960s with your ears glued to the loud speakers at rock concerts, you could experience this type of hearing loss.
Caring for Your Skin and Hair
If you have had no other signs of the passing years, you’re likely to see some changes reflected in your hair and skin. As skin ages it loses elasticity and becomes thinner, drier, and more prone to itching and sagging. Your hair becomes thinner, too; it breaks more easily and grows in more slowly. Some of these changes are due to the body’s diminishing levels of estrogen. Estrogen helps keep healthy tissues well nourished and moisturized; without it, both skin and hair lose strength and elasticity and grow thinner.
Monitoring Changes in Vision
Around the age of forty, many women begin to experience ocular problems, otherwise known as changes in vision. The shape of your eyeball can change as you age, and the subsequent reduction of your visual acuity can be subtle at first.
You may develop problems reading small print or seeing objects clearly that are close to your eyes. This condition is known as presbyopia, and usually is easy to correct with reading glasses, or even over-the-counter magnifying glasses from the drugstore.
Keeping Teeth Healthy
You know about the importance of regular dental checkups, brushing, and flossing. And you also know that maintaining a healthy diet that includes a wide variety of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and necessary vitamin and mineral supplements is an essential part of maintaining full physical health, including healthy teeth and gums. But did you know that menopause can present some special challenges to your dental health? As your body’s natural estrogen supply diminishes in menopause, your gum tissues can become thinner and less elastic, and bone loss can contribute to the development of gingivitis and periodontitis—gum diseases in which the soft tissue of the jaw deteriorates around the roots of the teeth.
