Changes to Expect in Your 50s

The 50s

Reproductive Systems: Changes to Expect in Your 50s
Did you know that we all need testosterone to enjoy great sex? Read on for more...
Several significant transitions in reproductive system functioning and health occur during the 50s. These include alterations in sexual functioning in both women and men, which can cause emotional distress in addition to physical changes.
MenopauseThe average American woman reaches menopause by age 51. In addition to signaling an end to reproductive capacities, the hormonally turbulent period leading up to menopause triggers a cascade of physical and emotional changes that may include: decreased energy, food cravings, increased appetite, mood swings and depression, low libido, thinning of the vaginal walls, hot flashes, interrupted sleep, excessive worry and anxiety, and other symptoms. What's more, many post-menopausal women in their 50s may continue to experience hot flashes, mood instability, and lack of interest in sex; for these women, hormone replacement therapy can be extremely helpful.
Breast HealthAnnual mammograms are essential, along with annual manual breast exams. Women have a one-in-eight chance of getting breast cancer in the course of their lifetimes; age is the single most significant risk factor for breast cancer. The probability of breast cancer increases with age. And note: more than 90 percent of breast cancers are "sporadic," meaning that they occur in women with no evidence of inherited susceptibility! All the more reason to do your monthly breast self-exams and have annual mammograms and annual manual exams.
Prostate HealthIn men, the prostate gland can enlarge with age. (A man who lives to age 60 has a 50 percent chance of suffering from an enlarged prostate, also called benign prostatic hyperplasia.) It's a mystery why the prostate grows. Sometimes an enlarged prostate begins to cause symptoms that affect a man's life or it simply grows large enough to cause potentially negative medical complications.
After skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting men in almost every developed country; following lung cancer, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of deaths from cancer in men in the Western world.
The prostate is located directly below the bladder and surrounds the urethra, the tube through which urine and semen exit the body. The three most common prostate conditions are: benign prostatic growth, also called hyperplasia; infection or inflammation, which is called prostatitis; and prostate cancer. Prostate health in the 50s can be managed by screening exams and blood tests.
Erectile FunctioningAlong with prostate growth, changes in sexual functioning often become evident in the 50s. To begin with, erections may take longer to develop, they may be less firm than they once were, and they may not last as long as they used to. When faced with any changes in erectile functioning, it's vital to remember that these are universal occurrences that occur in almost every man at a certain age. Furthermore, these changes are simply due to alterations in the blood vessels that are responsible for creating and maintaining an erection.
Also, in the 50s some men find that their orgasms are shorter, while others may periodically experience impotence. Between hormone replacement, human sexuality psychotherapy and Viagra, today's anti-impotence drug, most changes in erectile and sexual functioning can be efficiently resolved in a timely manner. Next Page >
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