Your Body Didn't Expire at 50!

At 65, I discovered something that should have been common knowledge but wasn't—that there's an entire realm of healthcare specifically designed for women's intimate health after 50. But here's the real kicker: most of us never even know this healthcare exists because we've been conditioned to believe that women's health care ends when our reproductive years do.

We're essentially clueless about our own bodies after 50 because everything we've ever learned about feminine healthcare focused on our reproductive years. Once those years end, we assume we're done needing specialized healthcare for our intimate health and all the parts of us that continue evolving long after menopause.

For me, awareness started with fear. A small knot had appeared, and my mind immediately went to the worst-case scenario: cancer. But I didn't have an OBGYN because I didn't think I needed one after my partial hysterectomy in my late 30s. I wrongly assumed I no longer needed "women's healthcare" and regular maintenance with a general practitioner would be sufficient because I had no cervix and was told I no longer needed pap smears. So, no need for those appointments anymore, right?

I was spectacularly wrong.

Unknowingly, I was just getting my annual lab work and sitting in my GP's office while he read the results and tried to put me on statins and other drugs to combat numbers on a piece of paper, while I complained about symptoms that he dismissed as normal. He said, "That's just old age". While I didn't like his response, I felt unheard and invisible, just another patient to stick on drugs without hearing my concerns.

At my age, who am I to question the natural laws of getting older in my body? But I felt really rebellious about it because I don't feel old. However, I wasn't aware of any other sources for older women's healthcare or the symptoms we experience, and so I just had to accept what the doctor said because, why not—he's the doctor.

The Healthcare That's Been There All Along

When my dermatologist of all doctors, not my GP, referred me to Dr. Prema Kothandaraman in Arcadia, California, I thought I was going for one simple issue. The knot that terrified me, which I later learned was a harmless sebaceous nodule that disappeared with hot compresses. But that appointment opened the door to much more, specialized healthcare for older women that I never knew existed.

What I discovered was an entire medical specialty focused on women's intimate health for women like me. Not just pregnancy prevention or fertility treatments, but comprehensive care for how our bodies function and thrive after menopause—including advanced bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT, a natural hormone) that most doctors aren't even familiar with or haven't researched enough to share with their patients. Or worse, they simply don't care enough to educate patients on available healthcare treatment options beyond the traditional high blood pressure and high cholesterol maintenance regimens covered by traditional health insurance.

And there's the deeper issue: because these specialized services aren't covered by insurance, many doctors don't discuss them. Healthcare in America is a very profitable business that thrives on us not being healthy in order to continue being profitable. We've become a society accustomed to being sick over being healthy, and we don't expect anything more than these maintenance healthcare regimens because we don't know how to advocate for our health. 

Worse, if it's not covered by health insurance, we assume we don't need to worry about it. That’s what I thought too.

The truth is that most of our dental and vision coverage isn't covered by healthcare insurance, but we pay out of pocket when we need it. Why aren't we willing to pay for our health as a premium also? 

The medical industry doesn't see the need to educate, keep up with, or provide these services because the public isn't demanding them—yet they literally improve the quality of our lives.

The Gradual Decline Nobody Warned You About

Here's what nobody prepared me for: the symptoms of hormonal decline are so gradual that you don't realize how bad you feel until you start feeling better. I was experiencing night sweats, crushing fatigue during the day because I couldn't sleep at night, weight gain despite watching my diet, and complete loss of excitement about working out.

I thought it was just because I was busy working on new ventures. I attributed the constant tiredness to being "really busy." I accepted feeling unlike myself as part of getting older.

But low hormone levels were actually causing:

• dry skin

• tender breasts

• trouble concentrating

• moodiness and irritability

• vaginal dryness and atrophy (which I had no idea was a real thing)

• hot flashes and night sweats

• weight gain especially around the belly

• headaches

• decreased sex drive

• painful intercourse

• feeling fatigued

• trouble sleeping

Sound familiar? Most of us are walking around with these symptoms thinking it's just "aging" and we can’t do anything about it when it's actually treatable hormonal decline.

The Healthcare System That Fails Us

The problem isn't that this specialized healthcare doesn't exist—it's that we're not aware we need it because our symptoms develop gradually, and most doctors aren't equipped to address the root causes.

Many doctors, regardless of gender, focus primarily on patients in childbearing years and aren't familiar with advanced BHRT or comprehensive women's health for mature women. They treat symptoms we show up with by prescribing medications and supplements that mask the real problem instead of addressing hormonal decline at its source.

However, I've found that mature female doctors who specialize in women's health after 50 often have a deeper understanding of what we're experiencing because they either have lived through similar changes themselves or are currently navigating menopause alongside their patients. These specialists have chosen to focus their practice specifically on women's health issues as we age, bringing both professional expertise and personal insight to our care.

Unfortunately, many of the older, more experienced doctors, both male and female, who might understand our life stage are retiring, leaving us with younger practitioners who, while well-trained, simply haven't lived through the physical realities of what we're describing. This creates a gap where our most complex health phase coincides with doctors who may not fully grasp the nuanced experiences we're trying to articulate.

Even worse, in today's political environment where women's reproductive healthcare is under attack, it's vital that we educate each other about our rights to comprehensive healthcare. The current political climate creates alarming levels of fear among doctors to even research or offer advancing technologies designed to address these issues for women.

The BHRT Revolution I Never Knew Existed

Dr. Kothandaraman educated me about BIOTE—bioidentical hormone replacement therapy using natural hormone pellets surgically placed in subcutaneous tissue that last 4-6 months. I had no idea this technology existed or that it could address so many of the issues I was experiencing.

But here's what's fascinating: it wasn't until I started feeling better that I realized how much my health had been declining. The mental fog I'd accepted as inevitable began clearing. My energy returned. I started sleeping through the night and waking up excited about living.

The transformation wasn't just physical—it was a complete recalibration of what I thought was possible for my body at this stage of life.

The results were so life-changing that I've since referred several women to her, including my own mother, who are all now enjoying the same transformative benefits she shared medically with me.

What Nobody Tells You About Finding the Right Doctor

Here's the reality that changed everything for me: women doctors care so much more about our healthcare and actually advocate for us instead of just giving us the regular "you're getting older" dismissal.

I'd heard that from multiple male doctors over the years. Well, I already know I'm getting older—so how do I address my concerns? And they'd go silent. Crickets.

But a specialist who genuinely cares about women's health? She explains exactly what's happening in your body, why you're experiencing these symptoms, and what advanced treatments are available to help you feel like yourself again.

The Political Reality We Can't Ignore

In an environment where women's reproductive healthcare rights are under siege, it becomes even more critical that we educate ourselves and each other about the full magnitude of women's healthcare needs. We cannot rely on a healthcare system or political environment that seeks to restrict our access to comprehensive care.

This isn't just about individual health—it's about our collective right to information, treatment, and bodily autonomy throughout our entire lives, not just our reproductive years.

What's Possible When You Know

Once you understand that specialized healthcare exists for women over 50, everything changes. You stop accepting symptoms as inevitable. You start demanding comprehensive care instead of band-aid solutions.

You realize that feeling amazing in your body at 50, 60, 70, and beyond isn't just possible—it's achievable with the right information and healthcare team.

At 65, with major business launches ahead of me, I need my body to support my ambitions, not limit them. Discovering advanced women's healthcare wasn't just about addressing symptoms—it was about optimizing every aspect of my physical and mental experience.

Your Healthcare Revolution Starts Now

Your body didn't expire at 50, and neither did your right to comprehensive healthcare that addresses your actual needs. The specialists exist. The treatments work. The technology is available.

But you have to know it exists, and you have to advocate for yourself to get it.

The healthcare revolution for women over 50 starts with each of us refusing to accept "you're getting older" as medical advice. It starts with demanding doctors who are educated about advanced women's healthcare. It starts with sharing information with each other about what's actually possible.

This is how we energize the Age with Power Movement—by sharing life-changing information that transforms how women like us navigate our health and our bodies.

When we refuse to suffer in silence and instead educate each other about the specialized care we deserve, we create a ripple effect that changes everything.

Share this article with every woman over 50 in your life. Your sister, your best friend, your colleagues, your neighbors—they all deserve to know that their bodies didn't expire at menopause and that there are solutions for what they might be experiencing in silence. Together, we're rewriting the narrative about what's possible for our health, our bodies, and our lives after 50. Share Link

Your body is still yours.

Your health is still your priority.

Your right to feel amazing is still valid.

Stop letting healthcare act like you expired at 50.

Next in this series: We'll dive deep into exactly what's happening to your vaginal health, pelvic floor, and intimate anatomy after 50—the specific changes no one prepared you for and the targeted solutions that can restore comfort and confidence.

Meanwhile feel free to read this article below from Healthline on Busting the Myths Behind Vaginal Tightness.

About the Author

Dr. Diva Verdun, the Fierce Factor Expert and Architect of Ageless Power™, is the founder of FENOM University and the Age with Power™ movement, where she empowers ambitious women to crush it after 50 and rewrite the rules of aging. Through her signature Core 4 Principles of F.I.R.E.™ — Purpose, Passion, Prosperity, and Power — she guides women to ignite their inner brilliance, embody their authentic power, and expand into a life of bold, liberated expression. On the campus of FENOM University, Dr. Diva leads transformational experiences, legacy brand training, and deep mindset shifts designed to help women rise into their next chapter with unstoppable fire.

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