Midlife is when the body begins sending signals, but many of us don’t recognise them until someone names them clearly: bone density shifts, heart risk factors change, sleep patterns move, hormones fluctuate. The earlier you learn to recognise them, the more choice you have in how you respond and support your overall wellbeing into the future.
So, we asked five Australian women in their 50s and 60s the same question: what do you wish you’d known your late 30s to early 40s? Their answers span bone health, heart health, mental wellbeing, menopause and the moments they felt unheard. All of them are the kind of thing you only really understand in hindsight — which is exactly why we’re putting them in writing now, for the women who are in their 40s today in a bid to prompt anything from early screenings or perhaps just more in depth conversation with your doctor.
Practical, real-world insight from women who’ve been there, for the women getting there now. Consider it your head start.
On Perimenopause
“To be honest, I never had any conversations with my mother around perimenopause or menopause, so I didn’t know what to expect. I had never heard of perimenopause until I was already well into it. If I’d known about what to expect, especially the initial ‘drop’ in hormones I would have been more aware of the potential effects it had including heart palpitations, anxiety, and frozen shoulder. I think the information is very relevant to young women so that they don’t feel ‘blind-sided’ like I did.” Jacquie, 59.
On Treatment Advice
“One of the biggest pieces of health advice I wish I’d questioned sooner was being told that I had to wait until I was through menopause before I could consider Hormone Replacement Therapy (now known as Menopausal Hormone Therapy ). It was advice I trusted at the time, but it turned out to be outdated. As a result, I spent several unnecessary years struggling through perimenopause when treatment may have been able to ease many of my symptoms much earlier. It reinforced an important lesson for me, namely that health advice evolves, and it’s worth seeking up-to-date information or a second opinion if something doesn’t feel right. Doing so may have changed my experience of those years considerably.” Janine, 54
Did you know? HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) is now known as MHT (Menopausal Hormone Therapy) and is the most effective medicine for managing symptoms but might not be right for everyone – Jean Hailes For Women’s Health
On Heart Health
“In my late 40s, I suffered multiple SCAD (spontaneous coronary artery dissection) heart attacks. It generally happens to seemingly healthy people (90% women) who typically have no standard risk factors. I was one of those, active, with low blood pressure and no cholesterol warnings. I was, however, going through perimenopause and living with extremely high stress and anxiety. The day I had the first SCAD it was misread as a panic attack and I was told I was well enough to go home. I wish I’d followed my gut and insisted I go to hospital because the next day I had two more heart attacks, one that was life-threatening. I wished someone had helped me understand the effects of stress and perimenopause on the body.” Dani, 52
On Mental Health
“I wish I had more information about perimenopause and its symptoms because in my 40s I thought I was going crazy. Over a period of approximately 8 years, my mental health declined dramatically, and I experienced other symptoms such as joint pain, high blood pressure and fatigue which I didn’t know were connected. I eventually found an excellent doctor who addressed my hormones and helped me manage my weight, which in turn helped with my blood pressure and joint pain. I could have saved years of uncertainty if I have been better informed.” Rachel, 52
On Preventative Checks
“I wish I had a better understanding of menopause, and it’s symptoms and how it showed up for me. I thought heavy bleeding was the norm for the stage of that life, but something more sinister was there, endometrial cancer. I’ve since made a full recovery however I made it my mission to have all health checks available to me including bone, heart, mammogram, bowel and skin checks into my 60s and beyond, whilst leading a healthy lifestyle. I specifically can’t stress enough the importance of a bone density test after menopause.” Mary, 62
Find out about the health checks you need here.
What connects all five stories isn’t regret, it’s timing. However, each woman here found the information that helped her, just later than she needed it. Nobody hands you a manual for what happens to your body and mind through your 40s, 50s and 60s and so most of us end up piecing it together as we go. The goal isn’t to look back and worry about what’s already happened or what could eventuate— it’s about getting information into your hands sooner.
That’s the gap Jean Hailes for Women’s Health built its Future You Information Hub to close: free, evidence-based information on bone health, heart health, menopause, mental wellbeing and more, written specifically for this life stage — so the next woman doesn’t have to learn it in hindsight.
“Women spend so much time caring for others that their own health can fall to the bottom of the list. The good news is that small, manageable actions taken consistently can make a real difference to how women feel now, and into the future.” Dr Sarah White, CEO Jean Hailes for Women’s Health
Being prepared, not scared, is what makes the years ahead some of the most active and engaged of your life. Knowing what health checks matter now, and why, is what makes that possible. The Future You information Hub is built to meet you wherever you’re starting from — whether you’re managing a diagnosis, noticing changes in your body, or simply want to stay ahead of them.
Jean Hailes for Women’s Health is Australia’s trusted source for evidence-based women’s health information, helping women take simple, practical steps toward better health now and in the years ahead.
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