Health Concerns for Women in Their 30s
Life would certainly be easier if we didn’t have illness to slow us down. However, life doesn’t have to slow down. Taking better care of your body, eating right and exercising can help put us on the road to recovery far more quickly than if we just sit back, give up and do nothing. Here are some health concerns that women in their 30s need to be aware of.
1. Heart Disease
Heart disease is the leading cause of death of both men and women. In women, the condition is responsible for approximately 29% of deaths. Even though more men die of heart disease than women, it is women who tend to be underdiagnosed, often to the point that it’s too late to help them once the condition is discovered.
The risk factors for heart disease are increasing age, smoking, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, obesity, diabetes, and heredity (this includes race). People with a family history of the disease have greater risk. So do African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, and some Asian-Americans. Adapting healthier behavior, to include a balanced diet and exercise, lowers overall risk of heart disease and stroke.
2. Breast cancer
Not only is breast cancer the most common cancer in women, it is second to lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer death in women. However, these days breast cancer doesn’t have to be a death sentence. Women should not fear getting a breast cancer screening. The earlier it is detected the sooner treatment can begin and then recovery.
3. Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a silent and serious disease. You probably don’t think about it, but bone is living tissue. Osteoporosis is not just a disease of little old ladies; it is also not a normal part of aging. It used to be defined as a disorder of postmenopausal women. It is now known that osteoporosis can develop at any age. Younger women often don’t realize that doing simple things like exercising and increasing calcium and vitamin D consumption can make a huge difference in keeping their bones strong.
4. Depression
An estimated 19 million Americans are diagnosed with clinical depression every year. And a full 12 million of them are women. Depression occurs most often in women between the ages of 25 and 44. Approximately one in eight women can expect to develop depression in her lifetime.
Clinical depression is different from the rough patches we encounter in our daily life. Situational depression eases with time but true depression is described as a persistent, profound, and inescapable sense of sadness, hopelessness, apathy, and fatigue. Casualties of clinical depression often lose interest in activities they once found pleasurable. In more severe cases the sufferer is unable to care for themselves or their families.
5. Autoimmune Diseases
Autoimmune disease refers to an assorted group of illnesses that can affect almost every organ of the body. It includes diseases of the nervous, gastrointestinal and endocrine systems, as well as skin and other connective tissues, eyes, blood and blood vessels.
This means that the body’s immune system becomes misdirected and attacks the very organs it was designed to protect. Unlike cancer (which encompasses a wide range of diseases such as leukemia, breast cancer, prostate cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, etc.), autoimmunity hasn’t been embraced by the medical community as a category of disease.
6. Fertility
Women are putting off childbearing longer. So, we face the concern of reduced fertility and its steady decline with each passing year. Talk with your doctor about fertility screening.
7. Pre-Diabetes
Women who are battling with their weight are at risk of developing pre-diabetes. Pre-diabetes means the blood glucose levels are above normal which causes them to teeter on the edge of developing the condition. So see your doctor regularly, eat a healthy balanced diet, lay off the sweets (have some fruit or a salad instead), and exercise.
Remember, you may not feel different, but that doesn’t mean your body hasn’t changed. Take a step back and see the bigger picture. Don’t neglect your body; it is the only one you have.