Navigating Women’s Health

Baby boomers, silver tsunami, successful agers; these are all terms for the growing group of consumers who we find especially rewarding to work with at AbelsonTaylor – especially when it comes to women.

What’s interesting about this generation of women who have entered menopause is that, while they are often the key healthcare decision makers for their spouses, children, and, many times, parents, once they hit this life milestone, many women ignore the important female health changes that can be happening.

While they desire to remain as healthy as possible, research has shown that after menopause, many women don’t see a need to visit a gynecologist regularly and believe visiting a primary care physician is sufficient. Unfortunately, addressing the changes from menopause may not be a priority for many PCPs, and women are left to just accept the changes to their body as well as the impact they can have on their relationships and day-to-day life. At the heart of this journey is a woman’s identity struggle as she moves from seeing herself as young and vibrant to feeling old, fragile, and not desirable.

The majority of women in this segment report feeling younger than their actual age and don’t want old age to slow them down. And in the next 10 years, it is estimated that US baby boomers will increase their annual spending on wellness-based services from approximately $200 million to $1 trillion.  Despite this focus on vitality and energy, the reality is that almost all adults 65+ will have at least one chronic health condition. And that is what they concentrate on with their healthcare professional.

But, when we start to look at postmenopausal women’s health, there can also be areas that are overlooked or ignored. With aging, there is also the clinical progression of silent diseases such as osteoporosis and the impact of menopausal changes in intimacy. These are the issues that can catch them off guard and drastically impact a woman’s quality of life. We have the opportunity to help women understand and navigate these challenges rather than accept them as part of getting older.

It is our mission to remove these information hurdles, help these women learn more about themselves, and understand that they do have the power to make decisions and speak up about how they want to live their lives.