When it comes to women's health, two topics seem to share the limelight: fertility and fitness. But Dr. Beth Donaldson, a women's health specialist and medical director at the North Shore and Vancouver sites of Copeman Healthcare clinics, says there are specific things women need to consider at all stages of life.
Women 40 and over tend to start thinking about specific issues such as cancer, weight maintenance and bone protection, but there are things to look at earlier that can contribute to an overall well-woman approach to health.
Donaldson suggests women in their 30s start checking into their blood pressure, cholesterol, waist circumference, family history, risk factors, diet and exercise in terms of prevention for osteoporosis and cancer, alcohol intake, and more.
"Because we can do so much for prevention and diagnosis of early disease now, it's really the age that you need to start that relationship with your physician," notes Donaldson.
She says she often finds she needs to discuss lifestyle and stress reduction even with women in their 20s, and reminds them they need to try putting themselves first.
"Because women have so many different responsibilities as they go through the ages that if they don't put themselves and their health first early on in life then it just gets away from them, and change is so much harder when you're in your 50s, 60s, 70s."
Thanks to an abundance of access to online information these days, most women who visit her clinic are generally informed about health issues, notes Donaldson.
"They're well informed but they need a little bit more education. So they come with the right questions."
Among the most common topics of conversation with her female patients is perimenopause and menopause, says Donaldson.
"Menopause isn't a disease, it's a regular occurrence in life," she explains. "We've only really made it an issue in say the last 20, 30 years."
Some women are very symptomatic and some will go through menopause without any issues, says Donaldson.
"There's definitely a lot of safe, effective treatments for the right candidates, and we can get women through menopause relatively easily as long as they're open with their doctor and review their lifestyle and risk factors for heart disease and breast cancer mainly when (they're) thinking about hormone replacement therapy."
When asked what her main piece of health advice is for women, Donaldson answers quickly: "Start moving"
She recommends women get active and stay active.
"The earlier you can start doing it the better it will be for you for prevention, for mental health, for relationships, for sleep, for stress reduction and more," she explains. "And it's true that a fat and fit person is way better off than a skinny couch potato."
