Aging is a completely natural and necessary part of life. However, for women there are some pretty impossible standards that can make aging very difficult, indeed. It can simply feel overwhelming to stare into the mirror when images of false perfection grace every magazine and screen in the room. Well, the truth is every single woman is going to age, and it's time to stop feeling so bad about it.
When a women reaches her thirties her body will begin to defy her in some pretty unpleasant ways but it's not all bad. Sometimes these changes encourage us to slow it down and take it easy because we certainly deserve it.
15 First Signs of Aging
[caption id="attachment_8506" align="alignnone" width="900"] via:bigstockphoto.com[/caption]
It's a natural and normal part of life but when it creeps up on you it can feel pretty unpleasant. In our twenties we have, hopefully, moved past acne and awkwardness and into clear skin and confidence but when the thirties hit we notice other problems with our skin. Crows feet start showing, skin seems to sag a tad and the dreaded neck lines are starting to appear and we feel like they are just getting started. Is it really going to start going downhill that fast? Nah, but it can feel that way when we spot our first wrinkle. Fear not, the aging process is a long one, thank goodness.
14 Fertility Drops
[caption id="attachment_8509" align="alignnone" width="900"] via:bigstockphoto.com[/caption]
While many women are waiting to have children in their thirties, it is actually not the most fertile time period of a woman's life. In fact, after thirty-five women can be considered of advanced maternal age and can be followed a little more closely by their doctors. It can be difficult to secure a great career before babies if women don't wait a little longer before starting their family, but they must be careful not to wait too long as fertility begins to decline in the thirties.
13 Hangovers are a LOT worse
[caption id="attachment_8507" align="alignnone" width="900"] via:bigstockphoto.com[/caption]
In your 20s you were able to drink and party all night and still be functional the next morning. For those who worked on the weekends, partying still had to happen and handling a work day hungover was kind of normal. In your 30s this changes, women feel the affects of a hangover much more, making it less appealing to party hard, knowing that we will certainly pay for it the next day. For those of you who still want to go out and enjoy your nights, just prepare properly. Eat well and make sure to drink lots of water.
12 You Can Enter Perimenopause
[caption id="attachment_8504" align="alignnone" width="900"] via:bigstockphoto.com[/caption]
Believe it or not, there is actually something before menopause, called perimenopause. As if menopause wasn't bad enough, now women have to worry about its earlier cousin. Perimenopause usually affects women in their forties but it can affect some as young as thirty. It is when the body starts to 'naturally transition towards infertility' and it comes with all of those things that make growing older difficult: Menstrual irregularity, mood changes, sleepless night and hot flashes to name a few.
11 Your Period Can Get Worse
[caption id="attachment_8511" align="alignnone" width="900"] via:bigstockphoto.com[/caption]
Teens can sometimes have brutal periods, but by age twenty the worst is usually over; until you turn thirty, that is. For some of us those excruciating cramps and heavy days can return with a vengeance. Missing work and spending the day in bed is not unheard of, anymore. It can be pretty disheartening to be bedridden by your period after you thought you had it under control. Thankfully, there is help and your doctor can lead you in the right direction to ease some of the discomfort and pain.
10 Your Metabolism Slows Down
[caption id="attachment_8505" align="alignnone" width="900"] via:bigstockphoto.com[/caption]
It's hardly fair. Up until age thirty your metabolism is about as fast as it's ever going to be. Late night snacking and junk food are no longer an option. Changing your bad habits before this becomes a problem is ideal but sometimes these things catch up with us. Eating healthy and exercising every day are the best ways to combat a slowing metabolism. If you're already doing that then you're going to need to step up your game. This happens to men as well, but for women it just seems a little harsher. Maybe it's because of those impossible standards we mentioned earlier.
9 You'll Need to Pee More
[caption id="attachment_8510" align="alignnone" width="900"] via:bigstockphoto.com[/caption]
A lot more, especially if you've given birth. It seems like nature's cruel joke to weaken the bladder of women who are chasing toddlers and going on very little sleep but that is the case. There will be no more sitting through an entire evening without having to excuse yourself to find the restroom. Long drives can be impossible and getting stuck in traffic is serious cause for alarm. The bladder can't hold what it used to, so many outings have to be designed around bathroom breaks.
8 You'll Find Your First Grey Hair
[caption id="attachment_8503" align="alignnone" width="900"] via:bigstockphoto.com[/caption]
While, it's nothing to panic about, some women will rush to the salon for an immediate cover-up. It's rare to see a woman embrace her grey hair, especially in her thirties, but it would be a nice change of pace. Until then, the salons are ready and willing to keep the grey at bay. Grey hair is simply grey hair and does not by its virtue age a woman, but for some reason it sure can feel that way.
7 Sunspots Overrun Beauty Marks
Freckles and beauty marks are common and welcome for the most part in your twenties, but after thirty, dark sun spots can emerge. They usually appear on women's faces as this is where the majority of sun damage can take place. These are usually harmless (see a doctor to be sure) and simply a reminder of the sun worshipping we shouldn't have done in our twenties.
6 Breasts Move South
[caption id="attachment_8524" align="alignnone" width="900"] via:bigstockphoto.com[/caption]
There is no force that can stop this (outside of surgery, as far as we know). Our breasts will begin to sag. Women who've nursed multiple children can attest to this. It's a fact of life and it has happened to all women before us. Bras become necessary and very important as we enter our thirties. It's a rare day that we might run to the grocery store without one. This is simply due to the skin and ligaments losing their elasticity, as if the explanation makes it feel any better.
5 Hair Sprouts in Unwanted Places
Sure, women in their twenties might have a little peach fuzz on their upper lip but women in their thirties can have long gnarly black hairs sprouting from their chin. In an age where hair free is the gold standard for women it can be depressing to be plucking hairs each day. Thankfully, there are laser treatments that have proven to be very effective in the fight against unwanted body hair. These treatments can be very expensive and somewhat uncomfortable so until they become affordable many resort to other cheaper forms of hair removal, like waxing.
4 Fingernails Stop Cooperating
Enjoying a manicure is a luxury that is usually a little more affordable for the established woman in her thirties. It's a good thing, too, because her nails have become a little brittle and not as strong as they used to be. This often occurs as a symptom of hormonal changes that happen when a women reaches her thirties. Fingernail strength can be a sign of health so keep a close eye out for changes in your nails. Check with the experts to see if this is going to be a problem or a sign of things to come.
3 You Don't Heal as Quickly
Long gone are the days when you could party all night and still get up for work in the morning. Those were the things women could do in their superhuman twenties. The thirties slow down a lot of things for women, like our ability to heal and recover from a night (or day) of drinking. Hangovers are brutal and illnesses seem to drag on and on. This could be nature's way of saying it's time to slow down but in a fast paced, dog-eat-dog world, who has time to slow things down?
2 Your Back Will Start to Hurt
Who knows why back pain makes its entrance at thirty, and sometimes earlier. Maybe it's because women in their thirties are usually working full time and raising kids so their backs become completely overworked and exhausted, much like them. Or it could be that we might be carrying a little more weight than we used to. Either way, it sure does make one feel old when they have to grunt and groan to get out of bed in the morning and forget about getting up off the floor after you've gotten down to play with kids.
1 Men Don't Care About Any of This and Neither Should You
[caption id="attachment_8508" align="alignnone" width="900"] via:bigstockphoto.com[/caption]
Women may feel down about aging and all the changes that happen to their bodies in their thirties but the truth is, men do not care one bit about a grey hair or brittle nails. They think women in their thirties are hotties, just like women in their twenties, or forties or fifties for that matter. In fact, men love women, a lot. We could take a lesson from them on how to love ourselves.
Sources: huffingtonpost.com, healthywomen.org, shape.com, mayoclinic.org
