When it comes to health, why 30s are the new 40s for women
Doctors advise being watchful from an early age as poor lifestyle and nutritional deficiencies increasingly take a toll on women’s health
At the age of 33, Delhi-based Sharan Kaur felt she was at the peak of her health and career. She had recently lost a whopping 10 kilos, been promoted to a new role at work and had finally put an end to a bout of adult acne. But the impact of the various diets and hectic lifestyle she led began to take a toll by the time Sharan hit 35.
Not only did Sharan feel too tired to exercise, she also had mood swings. Her work suffered, the acne returned and, worst of all, her periods became erratic. She was diagnosed with several nutritional deficiencies—Vitamin D, iron and thyroid were the most important, all of which had begun to contribute to signs of premature ovarian failure.
Experts say such cases are increasingly becoming common—women in their thirties are experiencing severe nutritional deficiencies, which are not only impacting their wellbeing but careers as well. And while ageing does contribute to slowdown of a woman’s metabolism, it is crucial to supplement this process with lifestyle and dietary changes. “Most women don’t realise they have nutritional deficiencies. They will then become tired, put on weight and start to follow fad diets, which only worsens the condition,” says Dr Leena N. Sreedhar, head of department and consultant-obstetrics and gynaecology, HCMCT Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka, Delhi.
According to one estimate, around 80 per cent of Indian women are Vitamin D deficient—a problem that might not show up in your twenties or early thirties but can get very dangerous at older age. Loss of bone calcium can result in brittle bones where even the smallest injury can cause a fracture, explains Dr Sreedhar. The reason to take care of this in your thirties is because your body is still young enough to correct the impact of nutritional deficiencies. Post-menopause, much of the impact translates into lifestyle diseases.
“Vitamin D, in particular, is very important to monitor because most of us lead sedentary lifestyles with hardly any exposure to the sun, which is essential for the body to develop this vitamin,” says Dr Sreedhar. Another common reason for low Vitamin D levels is fad internet diets that promote a no-dairy lifestyle. “There are so many misconceptions about dieting. It has become fashionable to cut out dairy, which is an essential source of calcium—you need a glass of milk a day or some paneer or cheese,” says Dr Sreedhar. Supplements, regular blood check-ups and exposure to sunlight at the right time of the day are recommended to maintain Vitamin D levels.
Hormonal health is another increasingly common challenge among women. There are many signs of early egg ageing, which Dr Sreedhar says could be due to lifestyle, stress, poor physical activity, agents in the air and nutritional deficiencies. Stress, in particular, has been known to slow down egg formation. “A woman may be 32, but her ovaries will be like that of a 39-year-old, and she will stop having periods by the time she hits 40. It has started to become common for young women to freeze their eggs as they don’t want to have children in their twenties and there have been so many cases of women in their thirties being unable to conceive,” she explains.
Nearly 4 per cent of Indian women experience signs of menopause between 29 and 34 years of age, says a 2021 survey conducted by the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru. The figure goes up to 8 per cent in the case of women between 35 and 39 years of age. The percentage has been slowly rising over the last decade.
Experts say women should start doing preventive health check-ups in their late twenties itself so as to both correct deficiencies as well as take steps to improve chances of conception and avoid health issues in their 40s, such as diabetes, heart problems and obesity. Most deficiencies can be fixed with medicine, diet and changes to the lifestyle, such as meditation, cardiovascular activities or yoga. The problem lies largely with ignorance. What is unknown cannot be remedied, till it is too late.
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