The latest update on my routine, aging, and breast density notifications

September midlife roundup [2024]

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

Welcome to September. I love inching closer to fall.

I got a few updates for you, including how my midlife routine is going, the latest aging study, news on breast density and mammograms, and a couple of podcasts plus a book.

Let’s get to it!

Routine update

I created a post detailing how I developed my midlife health routine by incorporating activities such as slow breathing and PT exercises.

Honestly, at this point I usually give up because I don't think I'm good at organizing schedules. But I’m trying to figure out what works and doesn’t and refine it instead.

Here’s what’s working and not working:

WORKING: I’m taking my supplements after breakfast and filling my water pretty consistently. And I’m doing my walks too, which I was already doing.

I have been checking my calendar, but fall back into just starting whatever task I need to get done. So, this one is “kind of working”

I’m not doing my PT exercises as much and that’s partly because my hamstring is feeling great. I’m slowly getting away from these and just working the strengthening into my workouts.

Yay!

NOT WORKING: I've been doing my slow breathing and resistance breathing, but it hasn't been consistent. I've only tidied up one area and haven't been using the gum stimulator or taking time for myself.

Here’s what I’m going to change. I’m going to move “clean out an area” to once on the weekends. And work on consistently looking at the calendar/plan my day, getting up a little earlier to do it.

When it comes to breathing, I find that resistance breathing in my car works better than doing it while cooking dinner. And I’ve been breaking up slow breathing in the morning, noon and night, so I will continue that.

I’ll update you in a future roundup.

Aging dramatically at two time points

There was a lot of media splash around a Stanford Medicine study showing that aging peaks at two different time periods.

The researchers measured thousands of different molecules and microbes in people ranging from ages 25 to 75. The included data comprised proteomics, metabolomics, cytokines, laboratory tests and stool, skin and oral microbes.

They found that these molecules and microbes don’t shift gradually with aging, but in clusters where rapid change takes place. The average age of the two largest clusters was 44 and 60.

Shen, X., Wang, C., Zhou, X. et al. Nat Aging (2024).

Because the age range was around the menopause transition, they conducted a separate cluster analysis on male and female data sets to find that this occurred in all sexes. They concluded these results show a common phenomenon of aging for men and women, which is consistent in previous studies.

“This suggests that while menopause or perimenopause may contribute to the changes observed in women in their mid-40s, there are likely other, more significant factors influencing these changes in both men and women. Identifying and studying these factors should be a priority for future research,” said lead author, Xiaotao Shen, PhD, in a press release.

There’s a lot to unpack here. First are the non-linear changes. The researchers found only a small amount of linear molecule changes (6.6%) versus nonlinear (81%). In addition, they state “this nonlinear trend was observed across all types of omics data with remarkably high consistency.”

I wonder if it works like a tipping point where changes are brewing, but there is one time point where it dramatically shifts. Kind of like when you practice something for a long time and suddenly notice an improvement.

And second, is something I’ve been reading and writing about for a while now. Biological aging is a key factor in health at midlife and not just declining hormones. We are grossly underestimating this in midlife women.

It is crucial to note that these two shifts happen in both early and late midlife. So again, this makes midlife even more important to study, even though right now it’s the least studied developmental stage.

This small study, with just over 100 participants, is not the last word, as they intend to include larger populations. Hopefully, we’ll find out more in the future.

The new rule on breast density

A few years ago, I switched mammogram providers. At the new mammogram facility, when they sent the results, they also told me I had dense breasts.

I wondered if I had them before because the other place did not mention it.

Starting September 10^th–in the US–The FDA’s new rule requires all mammogram facilities to provide patients with breast density notifications.

This rule is part of the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) regulation, which was issued on March 10, 2023.

This matters because dense breasts increase the risk of breast cancer and make it harder to find breast cancer on a mammogram. About half of women have dense breasts.

As women transition through menopause, their breast density tends to decrease, and their breasts become more fatty. But some women continue to have dense breasts, especially those on hormone therapy.

Women will be told their breasts are “dense” or “not dense.” They will also be told which of the four categories they fall into.

Not dense:

1. The breasts are almost entirely fatty

2. There are scattered areas of fibroglandular density

Dense:

3. The breasts are heterogeneously dense, which may obscure small masses

4. The breasts are extremely dense, which lowers the sensitivity of mammography

They will include this on the mammogram report and patient lay summary.

No matter what you hear, the key is to talk to your healthcare provider about your breast density and if you need to do anything different.

I got a 3D mammogram and will talk to my doctor soon about it again. More about breast density in future posts!

P.S. The US is the first to have these regulations. Some other countries are warming up to this and others are doing informal notifications.

What’s coming (and interesting stuff)

Starting next week and throughout the rest of the year, I’m going to try out a video series. This first one will be on “Maryann’s Midlife Favorites,” and I’ll post a video about a product, book or practice which has helped me.

I’m committed to doing 8 for the rest of this year, which is 2 per month, on the 2^nd and 4^th week. This is for paid subscribers, so if you want to upgrade, you can do so here.

I continue to make all my posts free because I want to reach as many women as possible. But I am always looking for ways to show my gratitude to those who support this Substack.  

I recently connected the dots and realized that the two podcasts I found most valuable were interviews with researcher Susan Davis. In the Hot Flash Inc, she talks about the research on testosterone therapy in women. And on Hit play not Pause she discusses traditional hormone therapy (I highlighted that in the last roundup).

They are both excellent!

Speaking of podcasts, I just heard that Stacy Sims was on Mindy Peltz’s Resetter podcast and they debate the merits of fasting on health and exercise performance.

For those of you who don’t know them, Mindy Peltz is a chiropractor and author of Fast like a Girl. Stacy Simms, Phd, specializes in studying the physiological differences between men and women and has authored Next Level and Roar.

Right now, there’s a lot of debate on whether midlife women should fast, especially those who train hard. I haven’t listened to it yet but plan to.

I ran across this article “The messages GenX women need to hear about their bodies.” It details why GenX women may be the generation with the most negative body image. A thought-provoking read!

And a friend sent me this article from the Atlantic: “Millions of American women Have a Condition Doctors Rarely Test For.” It’s about iron deficiency without anemia but is behind a paywall, so I didn’t read it. But it shows the word is getting out!

For more about this problem, don’t miss this post.

Last is a new book from my friend and colleague, Jill Castle. If you’ve been with me since the beginning, you’ll remember how Jill and I wrote Fearless Feeding back in 2013, and then updated it in 2019.

Her new book, “Kids Thrive at Every Size” is a roadmap to help parents navigate the messy issue of size and health. It includes 8 pillars of wellness to help your child (or grandchild) grow up healthy and happy.

It also provides ideas/scripts on how to talk to children about size/health — an extremely challenging task in today’s crazy world.

Well that’s enough for now. Be sure to let me know what you think about any of this in the comments!