Aging & Menopause

Volunteering is not only good for community health—it is also great for your overall health and wellness. While contributing to a cause that you care about, you can enhance your physical, mental and emotional health. The Clinic Sofia team volunteers as a group each year for Haven Housing in addition to a variety of individual volunteer commitments to local community organizations.

Metabolism slows as we age because of hormone imbalances (too much stress, too little sleep and elevated insulin can all contribute to less-than-optimal metabolism) as well as something called sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass and increased percentage of fat stored in the body.

While not everyone is familiar with this condition or big name, it is something we see almost every day at Clinic Sofia. Diastasis is typically defined as a separation of the rectus abdominus muscle of 2 centimeters or more. Some women are born with a congenital condition, which can lead to abdominal wall weakness, although this is less common, while others acquire it due to pregnancy, obesity or age-related tissue defects.

It’s been approximately one year since Clinic Sofia began to offer the MonaLisa Touch, a minimally invasive laser procedure that helps women improve their vaginal health.  The non-surgical treatment, completed at our Edina office, help women who struggle with issues like urine leakage or vaginal dryness. We have had a tremendous response from patients who have completed the treatments and report positive results, from helping with incontinence to increased sexual pleasure.

If you are a woman in your mid-40s to 50s, you have likely experienced various symptoms of menopause. One of the most common, hot flashes, occur with up to 80 percent of all menopausal women in the United States and can be a particular nuisance—ranging from “warm flushes” to random sweating throughout the day to waking up nightly drenched in sweat. The good news is that you no longer need to suffer as your OB/GYN has more options than ever to help keep your cool.

On the whole, we are living longer, with average life expectancy hovering just below 80 years for people born in the United States in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control. By the year 2050, there were be more than 2 billion people in the world who are age 60 or older, according to an economic and social affairs report from the United Nations. However, living longer does not always mean living better.