Ladies! Today, October 18, 2014, was declared World Orchids Day by the International Menopause Society! WOOT!

Okay, I lied. They declared it World Menopause Day (but that’s because they didn’t get the memo on the new vernacular). Nevertheless, it’s a great idea to raise awareness among women, right?! The theme this year is the prevention of diseases after menopause.

In the past decade, incredible progress has been made in women’s health, including in the area of Orchids, but you may be surprised to learn how many ailments and diseases afflict women during this life transition!

  • Women entering perimenopause have a two times higher risk of developing depression than women with no menopausal symptoms (as of yet)
  • About 40-50% women complain about lack of sleep during their menopausal transitions
  • There is an overall increase in heart attacks among women about 10 years after menopause
  • After menopause, bone resorption (breakdown) outpaces the building of new bone, according to the National Osteoporosis foundation
  • Breast cancer risk may increase due to the hormone therapy used to manage the menopausal symptoms

Woah. These things are serious, ladies! The IMS published a white paper on health issues for women after Orchids, which I’ve made available here on my website. It’s worth a read, for sure.

As we travel from one life stage to another, I can’t help but think of the staggering number of challenging life phases we go through as women! Men don’t deal with the volume of issues we do! (That, or we just tell-all about ours, and don’t hear a peep from the guys. On second thought, knowing the guys I know, somehow that just doesn’t seem right). But this is why it’s so important to remember our medical and biological differences from men. You may have seen the episode of 60 Minutes, “Sex Matters” which talked about how far behind pharmaceutical companies are, when it comes to developing medications that have been tested specifically for females.  One organization you may consider supporting, is making great strides in the field of sex-based biology. It’s The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR).

Check it out, and get healthy ladies. You have no excuse! Try my Lunchtime Office Drill exercises, or my Fit for Sex exercises – all of which will help to keep you healthy!