ABU DHABI // For many women over the age of 40, a busy family life can mean their own health takes a back seat as they put the needs of their loved ones first.
But Dr Fayeza Saif, a consultant in family medicine at Ambulatory Health Services, is urging women to make their health a priority and have regular check-ups, even if they do not feel there is anything wrong.
“Usually women are healthy and then those diseases start to appear with age – so after 40 you start seeing it,” said Dr Saif.
She will make a presentation on Healthcare for Women above 40 at the Family Medicine Conference as part of this year’s Abu Dhabi Medical Congress and Exhibition.
There is a significant increase in diseases and disorders among women after they pass 40, with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, coronary heart disease and some cancers among them.
Regular check-ups also provide the opportunity to discuss risk factors with their doctor, she said.
“Many women just go when they have symptoms,” Dr Saif said. “Screening is effective to pick up things that women do not know they have at an early stage.”
This allows “conservative management”, rather than a more invasive or advanced management.
Screening for breast, cervical and colon cancer should be done on a regular basis, she stressed, and diet and exercise are also important.
“In the mid-30s the metabolism goes down, so they start to put on fat and they start losing their muscle mass, so that can lead to obesity if they are not careful about their diet and exercise,” Dr Saif said.
“We are among the highest nations in terms of obesity percentages, and this by itself predisposes women to so many health problems, including diabetes, heart disease and many others.”
She said another condition that women should be aware of is osteoporosis.
“The National Osteoporosis Foundation says that women are four times more likely to develop osteoporosis than men,” Dr Saif said.
“If they don’t pay attention to their bones in general, with adequate calcium in their diets and exercise and quitting smoking, then it will catch up with them after menopause.”
Vitamin D deficiency is also very common in the region.
“Vitamin D plays a role in absorption of calcium,” she said. “If you don’t have enough Vitamin D, you end up with an inadequate amount of calcium in your body.”
Dr Saif said women should manage their time to take as much care of themselves as they do of their families.
“Maybe as a way to save time, they avoid going to the doctors unless really necessary,” she said. “It’s always their families that is the priority for them, rather than themselves.”
Dr Mona Hegazi, a family medicine specialist at Mediclinic City Hospital in Dubai, said: “It’s a worldwide thing. Women in general tend to put their families and kids first.
“Around the age of 40 you have got a young family and kids going to school or high school, so women tend to have other priorities. They should take care of themselves, definitely.”
Women should have regular pap smears and mammograms, as well as tests for diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol – and they should also have their body-mass index checked, said Dr Hegazi, an Australian.
Dr Saif said women should have their first pap smear by the age of 25, and then every three to five years afterwards.
Dr Fady Hachem, a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology at the capital’s Burjeel Hospital, said women over the age of 40 face an increased risk of breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer.
Ovarian cancer can be detected through a blood test and pelvic ultrasound.
“That’s why people must have a check-up every year over the age of 40 – especially people who have familial history of this disease,” Dr Hachem said.
Abu Dhabi Medical Congress and Exhibition will be held from October 27 to 29 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
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