Women’s Body Changes: What You Can Expect after Age 35

Whether we like it or not, after the age of 35, women’s bodies experience some changes. Understanding and recognizing that these changes are a normal part of aging can help in the transition and make such changes seem less sudden and strange. So familiarize yourself with how your body is going to be changing as you learn about women’s body changes and what you can expect after age 35.

1. Fertility

Having regular menstrual periods does not always mean you’re fertile. After the age of 35, your egg cells become less viable and they secrete less estrogen and progesterone than they used to upon ovulation. “Older” eggs are more subject to damage and genetic misinformation as well. As a consequence, fertility decreases significantly after 35 (according to sources, fertility can actually decrease earlier, near the age of 30).

2. Weight Gain and Weight Loss Difficulty

After 35, your metabolism begins to slow down. This is why you may find yourself gaining weight even though you aren’t eating more (frustratingly enough!). According to experts, your basal metabolism slows down about 5 percent and continues to decrease each decade. This translates to about 100 calories per day that you either need to burn or cut out of your diet to stay the same weight. This also accounts for why some women over the age of 35 cut back on their calories yet don’t lose weight; they just stop gaining.

3. Bone Density

Your bone density generally begins to decrease, because estrogen production also decreases after the age of 35. Estrogen protects bone mass. This decrease in density does not necessarily go into osteoporosis, especially if you adopt a healthful lifestyle and refrain from smoking, increase your calcium intake, and get plenty of exercise.

4. Gray or Thinning Hair

Hair may begin to go gray after age 35, although it can happen earlier or later. Hair also tends to get thinner.

5. Changes in the Skin

Besides just wrinkles, which may not show in your late 30s, your skin begins to lose elasticity. You may notice some droops and sags where you didn’t see them before, such as your eyelids and cheeks.

6. Pelvic Organs

The uterus and bladder may “sag” after 35, causing symptoms of uterine and/or bladder prolapse. Loss of bladder control may also occur. The muscles of the pelvic floor, like all muscles after age 35, begin to weaken, making women more prone to some of these pelvic organ difficulties.