In your 60s and beyond, you’ll want to keep up with preventive care and pay attention to your risk factors associated with heart disease and diabetes. Bone health screenings in your 60s will help assess your risk for fractures and falls as you age.
You’ll also want to continue annual vaccinations against influenza. Talk to your doctor about adding one for pneumonia, too, once you hit 65. Both of these vaccines will be essential to protect you from illness.
Bone Health (DEXA) Scan
At 65, whether you have had any symptoms or not, you will want to get a bone density scan. A DEXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) scan uses low-level X-rays to measure bone density (or mineral content) in some areas of the skeleton.
These scans assess your risk for osteoporosis, which is when you lose bone faster than your body can create new bone tissue. With osteoporosis, your bones become brittle, lose thickness and strength, and have an increased risk for fracture. There are often no symptoms of bone loss, but the impact of fractures as you get older can have a lasting and life-altering effect.
Ovarian Cancer / Uterine Cancer
The risk of ovarian/endometrial cancers rise with age. Unfortunately there are no good screening tests for these cancers. There are symptoms that are often mild that could be a sign of ovarian/endometrial cancer. Make sure to contact your provider if you have any of the following::
- Vaginal bleeding or unusual discharge (especially if you are past menopause)
- Pain or pressure in the pelvic area
- Abdominal or back pain
- Bloating
- Feeling full too quickly or difficulty eating
- A change in your bathroom habits, such as more frequent or urgent need to urinate or constipation
Urinary Incontinence
More than 40% of women 55 and older will deal with leaking urine. But urinary incontinence can happen to a woman at any age, and it’s often associated with pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause. These events may weaken the surrounding muscles that support the bladder, urethra, and uterus—causing the muscles in the urinary tract to work harder to hold urine. When the urinary tract muscles give in, you can leak pee.
Beyond, you know, simply existing as a woman, there are other causes of urinary incontinence. These include being overweight, chronic constipation, diabetes, infection, caffeine, and certain medications.
Beyond actually leaking urine, other symptoms may include:
- Inability to hold your urine
- Strong urge to urinate
- Increased frequency of urination (more than eight times a day or more than two times per night)
There’s help for urinary incontinence both in the moment and long-term. There are pads, liners, and underwear made to protect against urine leakage. And the good news is they’re sleeker, yet more absorbent, than the diaper-like products of the past.
As for urinary incontinence treatment, it may include behavioral therapy like bladder training, dietary changes, and pelvic floor therapy. Your doctor also may recommend medications to help calm an overactive bladder and lessen the feeling of urgency.
There are minor, safe surgical procedures that can significantly improve urinary incontinence. It may be embarrassing to talk about but make sure to mention to your doctor if you are experiencing any of these symptoms talk to your doc.
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