Death, taxes & menopause

Alex, I’ll take “Things that are Inevitable” for $500…

The most common comment (Thanks for all the likes on Facebook!) I’ve heard this week is ”Great idea–I’m not there yet.”

Good news? Bad news? You get to be the judge. The fact is, there is no roundabout, U-turn or get-out-of-jail-free card for this. So let’s embrace, shall we?

First–a reality check:

Did you know: menopause is a fairly new phenomenon? The average female life span in 1900 was 48.3 (making menopause a near non-event!). Now we have the propensity to live to 100 or 120. That means up to 60% of our life could be post-menopausal years. I recently attended a workshop at the Westcoast Women’s Clinic in Vancouver where Dr. Bal Pawa brought a few realities to light for me. Our seniors’ homes and nursing homes are now full of women living longer–yet, we are faced with a growing epidemic of 1) osteoporosis or 2) dementia-related conditions.

I’m living to 100 or beyond. How about you? I have a clear vision of what that could look like. Vitality. Vitality. Vitality. Yet, some of my habits and lifestyle NOW–and up til now– could be interfering with this vision. So my thinking is: What can I (we) do NOW, to eliminate the risks and ensure smooth sailing into my twilight years?

The same thinking applies to menopause. There are definite factors that affect menopause–what age and how smooth or bumpy the ride is for you–some of those factors are genetic, some circumstantial, some lifestyle.

Let’s start with age. Natural menopause typically occurs between age 40 and 58 (pretty wide span, isn’t it?)

What determines this magical number?

[According to The Menopause Book]:

• the number of follicles (egg sacs) you were born with
• smoking: heavy smokers, longtime smokers and current smokers reach menopause approximately 1.5 years earlier than average
• depression, epilepsy, childhood cancer, pelvic radiation, certain drugs and some viruses can result in earlier than average
• never having been pregnant may result in earlier menopause
• Factors affecting a little later than average menopause include: heavier body type, women with higher childhood cognitive test scores, oral contraceptives (estrogen) in the last five years, and if you’ve been pregnant more than once

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