The Wear and Tear of Living
Expert Quote
Meet our Medical Experts »“I took care of an 84-year-old woman who had just been diagnosed with early breast cancer. More important to her, however, her surgeon had just taken her off estrogen hormone treatment, which she had been taking for forty years. ‘Menopause at 84 stinks,’ she announced. ”
Marisa Weiss M.D., president and founder, breast radiation oncologist, Philadelphia, PA
People have a life span of about 75 years. Around age 30 to 35, our bodies begin a gradual decline in function and activity, and we respond more slowly and less effectively to stress and injury. Because we don't recover as well as we age, reducing stress and injury becomes more important.
It's never too late to give your body a break. In fact, now may be the time to make those changes you've been meaning to. You're more mature and more likely to follow your resolutions for better health, such as eating better and stopping smoking.
A healthy lifestyle is only part of the equation. The age of your heart and your bones is significant, too. If you are a 70-year-old woman, your body has weathered 70 years of wear and tear. If you are 35 and caught in a medical menopause, your ovaries may be in menopause but the rest of your body is still that of a 35-year-old woman.
If you're actually much younger than your menopausal symptoms suggest, and if your hormones are not what they used to be and you can't juice them up with hormone supplements because of your breast cancer history, you still have options for keeping toned up and healthy. Yet no matter what your age, there are choices you can make to help ease the transition into menopause.
An original video-on-demand educational initiative brought to you by Breastcancer.org and Comcast. Visit www.comcast.net/pinkribbon each week through the end of October for engaging, up-to-date videos and information about the fight to end breast cancer.