Approaching Menopause: 10 Conditions Women Over 40 Need To Know

Admittedly, it’s not cool to whine about living longer, healthier lives….still, sometimes it’s kinda hard not to complain. As women approach menopause, all sorts of changes in the body and mind begin to take place and some of them are downright annoying. These changes can have negative emotional, physical, spiritual and mental effects making things even harder.

Thankfully, through the gift of study and research, many of the conditions and illnesses posing a greater risk to women as they approach and enter menopause have been identified. Get to know the signs and symptoms surrounding menopause.

Changes in Breasts

As menopause begins, women will notice that their breasts are undergoing changes in both how they look and how they feel. As women age, breasts become fattier and less glandular which leads to a decline in fullness and firmness. In addition, many women experience changes in breast size, sometimes dropping down by as much as one cup size while also noticing their nipples becoming smaller and slightly concave. Most of this is due to changes in hormones: estrogen levels decrease in women as they reach menopause, causing dehydration and less elasticity in breast tissue.

The risk of breast cancer increases with age so while all women should be checking their breasts for lumps, it’s especially important for women aged 40 and over. Recent statistics show women aged 40 have a one in 69 chance of getting breast cancer; by age 50 that number radically increases to one in 43.