More than 9 in 10 older adults have some type of chronic disease, and almost 8 in 10 have more than one. So chances are, you’ll have one sooner or later. But there are things you can do to live a healthier life.  So what might affect you in the future?

1. High Blood Pressure

This is certainly one of the most common occurrences to women at menopause and why about 2 in 3 adults over 60 have high blood pressure.

As you age, your blood vessels get less flexible, and that puts pressure on the system that carries blood through your body.

How to help yourself:

Watch your weight, exercise, stop smoking, find ways to deal with stress, and eat healthily are all essential. If you need help with weight loss often bioidentical progesterone can help with that as part of hormone balance.

2. Diabetes

Since 1980, the number of middle-aged and older adults with diabetes has almost doubled. Your risk of getting the disease goes up after you hit 45, and it can be serious.

Again this is often linked to weight gain and an unhealthier lifestyle and can lead to heart disease, kidney disease, blindness, and other problems.

How to help yourself:

Keep your weight in check and know the warning signs for diabetes. At menopause it is helpful to have a regular fasting blood test and have your blood sugar checked.

3. Heart Disease

Plaque buildup in your arteries is a major cause of heart disease. It starts in childhood and gets worse as you age. That’s why people age 40 to 59 are more than five times as likely to have heart disease as people 20 to 39.

 How to help yourself:

Our old favourites diet and exercise play a part, but heart disease and strokes are a particularly a high risk for women at menopause so try to balance any excess oestrogen to protect your heart.

4. Bladder Problems

Whether you can’t go when you need to or you have to go too often, problems with bladder control tend to happen as we get older.

They can be caused by nerve problems, muscle weakness, thickening tissue, and dropping hormone levels.

How to help yourself:

Many women find exercises such as Kegel ones or simple changes — drinking less caffeine or not lifting heavy things and not drinking too late in the evening often help. What won’t help is to restrict your fluid intake overall, that can actually make it worse.

5. Cancer

Age is the biggest risk factor for cancer. The disease affects young people, too, but your odds of having it more than double between 45 and 54. Some risks like skin and lung cancers can be reduced by not smoking and sensible sun exposure.

How to help yourself:

For women hormonal cancers are the biggest concern, with 80% of breast cancers occurring in women over the age of 50. So is vital to have good  hormone balance to oppose the excess oestrogen that is linked to hormonal cancers.

6. Osteoporosis

About half of women over 50, and up to 25% of men in that age group, break bones because they’ve lost too much bone mass, and their bodies haven’t replaced it. How to help yourself:

How to help yourself:

Apart from diet, a special osteoporosis supplement and regular weight bearing exercise the best thing you can is to maintain good progesterone levels. Two essential hormones are oestrogen and progesterone but it is only progesterone that can build bones.

7. Depression

Depression can strike at any age, but between the ages of 40 and 59 there is an increased rate  than any other age group. The concerns about health, and loss of contact with friends and family are definitely factors here.

How to help yourself:

Mood swings are something women are accustomed to, but depression is something else and does need proactive help usually. The good news is that after 59, the numbers fall to only 7% of women experiencing depression and again can often be helped by a combination of both oestrogen and progesterone to boost mood.

8. Dementia

Alzheimer’s, a form of dementia, usually doesn’t usually occur until 65 or so but 1 in 9 people that age or older have Alzheimer’s.

How to help yourself:

Some risk factors (like age and heredity) are uncontrollable, but some evidence suggests that a heart-healthy diet and watching your blood pressure and blood sugar might help.