May 15, 2023 • 21 mins
We’re kicking off National Women’s Health Week with a very important conversation with Dr. Erica Montes. Dr. Montes educates us on important medical milestones women should be aware of in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Chiquis and Dr. Montes also discuss the state of health care in the Latinx community.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
What would you say is important for women to be
mindful of around that time in.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Our twenties, that's sometimes one of the first times that
we could be seen by Obi Juan More women are
thinking about babies in their thirties, going in for like
a preconceptual counseling visit, pre natal vitamins. That's really really key.
Forties is when you want to go get your hormones check,
(00:28):
keep paying attention to what your cycles are doing. You
want to make sure that you're doing your mammograms every year.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Happy Monday, everyone, Welcome to my podcast. I'm Cheeky's your host,
and I cannot wait to get into today's episode. It's
going to be a really great and informative one, so
I hope you guys walk away learning a lot about
a topic. Our culture doesn't really talk too much about
women's health. We have a really great guest joining us,
so stay tuned. This is Cheeky's and Chill. So today
(01:04):
we're going to talk about women's health and what we
should be looking for in our twenties, thirties, and forties.
I'm personally curious to learn about screenings and tests that
we should be taking, and about any diseases or conditions
Latinas are more prone to. And here to tell us
all about it is doctor Erica Montees. She's a board
certified OBGYN based in Arizona. She's also the creator of
(01:25):
the bilingual health blog The Modern Mohaed. Welcome to the podcast,
doctor Montees. How are you?
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Thank you so much? Cheekye's I'm excited to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
This is gonna be fun. Okay, So let's just jump
into real quick.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Our twenties, Yeah, for sure. So I think in our
twenties that's kind of sometimes one of the first times
that we could be seen by obijuan. And so it's
important to know that pap smears do start at age
twenty one, so regardless of sexual activity prior to age
twenty one, they start at twenty one. And remember, pap
(01:58):
smear screen for cervical cancer doesn't test for ovarian cancer,
doesn't test for endometriosis, it doesn't test for ovariances. It's
just cervical cancer or abnormal cells of the cervix. This
is kind of around the age where even maybe a
little younger, but kind of also around twenty is when
you know women are going off to college or thinking
(02:20):
about birth control things like that, or how can they
prevent pregnancy. So there's so many options. It's important to
really review the options and the risk versus benefits and
ask those questions about misinformation so that way you can
make sure you're making the best decision for yourself. And
then I think just in general, like kind of getting
(02:41):
into the habit and the routine of like, this is
what it is, this is what we need to do
to protect our health and to make sure that we're healthy.
And so I think those are kind of three things
to look at in your twenties.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
And I was going to say something here because I
didn't know that it was at twenty one. I thought
once you were sexually activing, if you're like twenty seven,
then that's when PAPS starts. But you're saying regardless whether
you're sexually active or not, pastmes started twenty one.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yeah, And the reason the reason why is because we
know that in as teens and in the early twenties
there there is a higher incidence of acquiring HPV or
the human human papalomavirus, which which so you're like, well,
then you should do the path but I understand that,
but The thing is is if you're at a higher
(03:28):
risk of acquiring it during that time. We also know
that that age group actually can can decrease the time
that they have it or it becomes it's more of
a transient infection during that time. So if we start
doing paps on everyone, we're gonna we are going to
see the higher incidents of HPV, but then we're going
(03:49):
to be more prone to having them come back for
testing and procedures and taking you know, doing biopsies on
their cervix and things which can lead to other problems
down the road. So that's kind of why the society said,
let's just do twenty one, and that seems to be
a reasonable age timeframe.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
That is great to know anyone that's listening. I mean,
because I told my friend, you know, she was already
twenty seven, she had just lost her virginity and she
had never gotten to papsmear So I thought, okay, well
now you have to because you're having sex. But this
is this is why we have doctor monthis on right now.
So she's gonna tell us all these things. Okay, is
there like a birth control doctor month? Is that you
like or you prefer or is it just every birth
control is different, you know for the woman.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yeah, you know, I like I really like larks Or
And what that means is long acting reversible contraceptive methods,
which are the implants in the arm and the introuter
and devices or the iud's. And the reason why I
like them is because their user friendly, you know, error friendly.
You don't have to think about it, like they're there,
(04:51):
they're in, they're you know. They they work very well,
they're very effective to prevent pregnancy. And because the implant
in the arm and some of the iud's actually contain progesterone,
they can be used for other treatments for other female
health conditions such as endometriosis. One of them is approved
for heavy menstrual bleeding, and so like it's one of
(05:15):
those things where like taking into consideration, like everything that's
going on with that particular patient, then that's kind of
how I tailor what I would recommend for them.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Okay, perfect, Because now that you mentioned the IUD, I
was on the IUD for quite some time, but it
was the copper one, the tenure one, and I didn't
know that the other one, which is the only other
one I know is I think the.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Maderra, the Marina, Yeah, the Marina. There you go, right,
it's actually approved for eight years now.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Oh wow, so it can actually help with endometriosis as well,
that one.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Yeah, so, I mean remember these IUDs, there's actually four
progesterone containing IUDs. Those are those not saying like the
patient may not need resection surgery, which means where we
go in and we cut out the endometriotic implants or anything,
not saying that it may not be that that like,
(06:09):
we don't have to do that, because there is a
potential that we have to. But I mean possibly as
like a maintenance therapy or treatment. Maybe those progesterone containing
IUDs can be a treatment for that. We know it
also helps your heavy menstrum bleeding, so that's also a
treatment if a patient doesn't want to do like surgery
or something like that.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Okay, this is all great stuff. Okay already, and we're
just in our twenties. Okay, so now let's transition to
our thirties. What is important to like start thinking about
when you know, we're in our thirties.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Yeah, so, I mean in our thirties. I feel like
this is kind of the decade where because we are
focusing more on like careers and kind of like what
we want to do as a human being, I find
that more women are kind of getting pregnant or thinking
about babies, like in their thirties, right, So that's like,
(07:08):
that's really really key. I think going in for like
a preconceptual counseling visit where we like look at your history,
we see what's what's been going on with you, what's happening,
we start prenatal vitamins. Folic acid is so important to
decrease the risk of neural tube defects, which is a
(07:29):
birth defect. And unfortunately that that condition is very high
in Latinas because they don't know this or they don't
take us either folical or they don't take the recommended amount.
There was a push where they actually tried to they
actually have put some folic acid in thrtias because of
the diet that we have in Latin in our Latino
(07:49):
community is more mayise and thirtias and things like that
versus like bond bread, which has can have more folic
acid or cereals. You know, we really didn't necessarily eat
like cheerios or cereals growing up it was more like
thirdias and eggs and things like that. So they have
tried to mitigate for that difference for our community, but
(08:11):
it's still not ending up being enough. So that's so important.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Oh wow, actually just reminded me. I haven't been taking
my folic acid like at all. I have to because
see I'm thirty seven. So now we've I've tried the
whole like maybe we should do the IVF and and
you know, I'm having issues I have in demetriosis, so
I've always had like I've had ovariansis and the whole thing,
and all this started in my thirties. So that's why
I'm like, it's so important that we have these conversations guys,
(08:36):
and that we take this very serious. And you come,
I completely forgot about the folic acid until like this
very moment, So thank you. I'm going to get myself some.
And what age do you think is because I've heard
different like in your twenties you should start like maybe
freezing your eggs if that's something you're thinking about, want
to wait till having children, But you can still do
it in your early thirties, right, so you're still fine?
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Yeah, I would agree I mean, under thirty five, we
know that your egg quality for the most part, is
still going to be pretty good. So I think if
you consider that, and if you are kind of keeping
your time for starting your family and everything later in
life because you have you know, you're getting your career going,
you have all these other things happening. That's the beauty
(09:18):
of technology, right that we actually can take We can
take the power in our hands and decide what we
want to do and how we want to do it.
I'm not saying that it always works, but at least
we have that technology to be able to do that.
So I think that, yes, egg freezing is very important.
I'm pretty sure in every major city there's a few
fertility specialists that do it. So it's just a matter
(09:40):
of going out and kind of seeking that treatment out.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Yes, I definitely have to told myself, I'm giving myself
into the end of this year to figure that out. Okay,
so what about breast exams and pelvic exams. Is this
something that we should start definitely doing in our thirties.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Yeah, for sure, And like you mentioned, you know that's
when you kind of started getting diagnosed with these different conditions.
It kind of tends to be our thirties where we
kind of diagnose more like PCOS or polycystical variant syndrome, indometriosis,
and you know, these different conditions that affect us. Not
(10:17):
saying that we're not going to find it in our twenties,
because of course we will, especially if you have a
doctor who's very diligent in a student and they listen
to what you say and they're trying to figure out
what's going on. But I would say most of these
conditions are also going to pop up in your thirties,
So you want to make sure you're going every year
for your annual gynecological exam. You want to make sure
(10:40):
that you even can maybe even like towards the end
of your thirties established care with a primary care doctor
just so you have like a general doctor as well.
But yeah, I think that's that's an important key there.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Yeah, and doing your like self checkups right, like touching
your breast and under your armpits and things like that, right. Yeah,
there are very you guys on YouTube and stuff that
can teach you guys how to do it if you
don't know how to do it, like just to check
for lumps and you know, I'm always I have to
because my breast cancer runs in my family. So I'm
always like all about the little lumps and bumps and
(11:13):
all that stuff. And it just sucks because I feel
so young, but my body's like my internal stuff is
telling me something different, so I get it. I am like,
it's a little frustrating for me. I'm like, I feel young,
I feel fine, but my ovaries are like, girl, you
need to put a baby in here or something. I
don't know. My doctor told me, You're like you have
a very instance because your body is saying you need
to get pregnant. I'm like, oh my god, oh my god.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Okay, yeah, I'm sorry. So as far as pelvic exams
and breast exams, yes, I mean, like I said, annually,
learn how to do it, like like we were saying,
I mean, it's so important to just be in tune
with your body and kind of that way you can
tell like if something's going on.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
Yes, don't ignore things, you guys.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Okay, So now forties, what do we do in our forties?
Speaker 2 (12:02):
So forties is kind of like, well is me because
I'm like getting there right, But when I see I'm
forty now, so I think forty, thank you, Henny. Forty
is when when you can start having some menopause symptoms
or perimenopausal. So perimenopausal means she hasn't gone the whole
(12:22):
year without a period. She's kind of in that little
time frame where it's like right before she's getting to
those period changes, but she's already starting to fill symptoms
like you know, potentially hot flashes, nights with change in sleep,
difficulty concentrating, decrease quality of live, vaginal dryness, painful intercourse,
(12:45):
like all these things potentially could start happening in your
in your forties, possibly more upper forties, but still some
patients have it in their early forties. And so that's
when you want to go get your hormones checked. You
want to be paying attention to what your cycles are doing.
You want to make sure that you're doing your mammograms
(13:05):
every year starting at age forty. And now the new
recommendation at age forty five is we want patients to
get screening for colon cancer because the incidence of colon
cancer in our country has increased so much that we
moved it from fifty to forty five.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
Wow, you guys, Oh my god, That's that's amazing to
know because that's something that we just, I mean, we
don't even think about as women, you know, right, So wow, Okay,
And as far as like in our forties, like, is
that when our fertility window closes? Is there like a
certain age where you're just like, ugh, I wouldn't because
I've heard of I have a friend that got pregnant
at forty two and by herself, no ideaf.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Oh great, Yeah. I mean, look, I wouldn't say that
it closes because again, like I mentioned, I mean more
women are getting pregnant later in life. You know, forty
is almost like the new thirty in a way, to
depend on you know, how you look at it. So
I mean I think that you should be aware though
that after age thirty five the increased incidents. Even now
(14:07):
the studies are showing more after forty the increased incidence
of gestational diabetes, severe preaclamsia, which is a blood pressure
condition during pregnancy, and also an increased risk of down
syndrome or chromosome anomalies with pregnancies can increase. So I
think it's that's why it's important to start prenatal care early.
(14:28):
Take your folic acid. We do recommend to give patients
who are of advanced maternal age, especially over forty a
baby aspirin every day during their pregnancy because that decreases
inflammation around the placenta. That potentially can decrease your risk
of preoclamsia or high blood pressure during pregnancy. So there's
(14:49):
a lot of preventative measures. Because our populations age is
changing and advancing. So I would still say, if you're
over all very healthy, you are considering pregnancy, that's still
it's still gonna be okay, but make sure you're seeing
a doctor that is well known to be able to
take care of those types of pregnancies.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Yeah, that those are stuff basically, yeah for that type
of Yeah, well, what is it called the jerry?
Speaker 2 (15:18):
Oh they call it. Yeah, they call it like a
geriatric pregnancy. But I never call that's a code on
in like the ICD ten, like the medical code building
and coding, like that's the name of it. But we
call it advanced maternal age.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Oh, advanced, Okay, I call it sexy. We're gonna call
it sexy pregnancy.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Let's call it sexy maternal age.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Yes, I love that. C Yes, that's what we're gonna
call it hysterectomies? Are those very common in our forties?
Speaker 2 (15:45):
You know? I would say yes. I mean towards the end,
like we were saying, like you kind of get diagnosed
with things or potential juice gynecological conditions in your thirties,
and then you kind of get to the point where
like we've tried conservative options like medications, auds, different things,
and they don't work. So then yeah, kind of then
(16:06):
you get into your forties and it's like, Okay, well,
possibly the only treatment at this point could be a hysterectomy.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Remember though, a lot of what I teach my community
how to be an advocate for themselves, how to not
accept that a hysterectomy is the only option, because there
are the technologies improving, there's a lot of different options
out there for different conditions, and ultimately, I think it
is very common to need a hysterectomy in your forties
(16:34):
for different conditions, but in your particular case, that may
not be the only option. So just keep that in mind.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Yes, before I let you go I healthcare. I know
there are like barriers for black and brown women due
to variety of reasons. Do you see this changing at all.
I mean, what are the biggest barriers? Do you see
any resources for women that you recommend.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
I think the barriers ultimately end up being kind of
like our upbringing and kind of like what our community
has believed to be, like what's normal and what's not normal.
I think another barrier is a lack of Latinos and
African American physicians being like in that space where people
(17:19):
who are patients can see us and feel comfortable and
feel like they can actually we can understand where they're
coming from, and we can understand those kind of different
community beliefs. I think things are improving. I think we
are becoming more of a society of being proactive and
(17:41):
preventative and things along those lines. But it's great, you
know podcasts like this it help just kind of get
that information out there. I mean, the morbidity immortality of
conditions like breast cancer and cervical cancer, even still which
is like totally preventable, is still a lot higher. We
know in Latinas and and African American women. Some of
(18:04):
it may just be our food, our diet, or our stress,
our genetics, you know, things like that. But I think
the more we can be proactive and preventative. I think
all that's going to help, and I think eventually it
will improve over time.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
I agree. And informing yourself all right, guys, well, I mean,
is there anything else you'd like to add doctor month?
Is that we maybe didn't talk about that you want
our listeners to know.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
You know? I think I just think it's important to
make sure that anything that you see on the Internet
or social media, unfortunately a lot of it can be
misinformation or can be information that may not be all accurate.
So just make sure you take what you read with
a grant of salt, ask your doctors about it, ask
(18:50):
your female healthcare providers about it, and make sure you
do your due diligence before you consider anything.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
And you know, and talking about that, you do have
your blog right which is Modern Ruer And where can
listeners find you online? Just so that we can put
that out there please?
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Oh? Yeah, thank you. So my main website is the
modern mohead dot com and then I'm mainly just on
Instagram at the dot modern dot Mohead.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Thank you perfect, No, of course, and thank you so much.
I love that you're Latina. I love that you're just
so intelligent, and you're so open and you're so pleasant.
Thank you so much for taking your time to speak
to us and inform our community, because I think it
is something so important. I always say knowledge is power,
you guys, so we just have to inform ourselves and
ask questions. So that's what I'm here for. And before
(19:34):
I let you go, I do end every episode with
a quote, and the quote for today's episode will be
Caring for your body, mind, and spirit is your greatest
and grandest responsibility. It is about listening to the needs
of our soul and then honoring them. There I think
(19:56):
it was perfect for this episode. Thank you, doctor Montes.
It was amazing. And you guys, I hope that you
learn a few things all of us. I definitely did,
so catch you on the next one. Okay, Cheeky's and
Chill right here all the time. We love you. Do
you need advice on love, relationships, health emails? I'm so
(20:19):
excited to share with you that my Cheeky's and Chill
podcast will have an extra episode drop each week. I'll
be answering all your questions. Just leave me a voice message.
Better on midday, all you have to do is go
to speak pipe dot com, slash Cheekys and Chill podcast
and record your questions. I can't wait to hear from you.
(20:43):
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What would you say is important for women to be
mindful of around that time in.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Our twenties, that's sometimes one of the first times that
we could be seen by Obi Juan More women are
thinking about babies in their thirties, going in for like
a preconceptual counseling visit, pre natal vitamins. That's really really key.
Forties is when you want to go get your hormones check,
(00:28):
keep paying attention to what your cycles are doing. You
want to make sure that you're doing your mammograms every year.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Happy Monday, everyone, Welcome to my podcast. I'm Cheeky's your host,
and I cannot wait to get into today's episode. It's
going to be a really great and informative one, so
I hope you guys walk away learning a lot about
a topic. Our culture doesn't really talk too much about
women's health. We have a really great guest joining us,
so stay tuned. This is Cheeky's and Chill. So today
(01:04):
we're going to talk about women's health and what we
should be looking for in our twenties, thirties, and forties.
I'm personally curious to learn about screenings and tests that
we should be taking, and about any diseases or conditions
Latinas are more prone to. And here to tell us
all about it is doctor Erica Montees. She's a board
certified OBGYN based in Arizona. She's also the creator of
(01:25):
the bilingual health blog The Modern Mohaed. Welcome to the podcast,
doctor Montees. How are you?
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Thank you so much? Cheekye's I'm excited to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
This is gonna be fun. Okay, So let's just jump
into real quick.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Our twenties, Yeah, for sure. So I think in our
twenties that's kind of sometimes one of the first times
that we could be seen by obijuan. And so it's
important to know that pap smears do start at age
twenty one, so regardless of sexual activity prior to age
twenty one, they start at twenty one. And remember, pap
(01:58):
smear screen for cervical cancer doesn't test for ovarian cancer,
doesn't test for endometriosis, it doesn't test for ovariances. It's
just cervical cancer or abnormal cells of the cervix. This
is kind of around the age where even maybe a
little younger, but kind of also around twenty is when
you know women are going off to college or thinking
(02:20):
about birth control things like that, or how can they
prevent pregnancy. So there's so many options. It's important to
really review the options and the risk versus benefits and
ask those questions about misinformation so that way you can
make sure you're making the best decision for yourself. And
then I think just in general, like kind of getting
(02:41):
into the habit and the routine of like, this is
what it is, this is what we need to do
to protect our health and to make sure that we're healthy.
And so I think those are kind of three things
to look at in your twenties.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
And I was going to say something here because I
didn't know that it was at twenty one. I thought
once you were sexually activing, if you're like twenty seven,
then that's when PAPS starts. But you're saying regardless whether
you're sexually active or not, pastmes started twenty one.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yeah, And the reason the reason why is because we
know that in as teens and in the early twenties
there there is a higher incidence of acquiring HPV or
the human human papalomavirus, which which so you're like, well,
then you should do the path but I understand that,
but The thing is is if you're at a higher
(03:28):
risk of acquiring it during that time. We also know
that that age group actually can can decrease the time
that they have it or it becomes it's more of
a transient infection during that time. So if we start
doing paps on everyone, we're gonna we are going to
see the higher incidents of HPV, but then we're going
(03:49):
to be more prone to having them come back for
testing and procedures and taking you know, doing biopsies on
their cervix and things which can lead to other problems
down the road. So that's kind of why the society said,
let's just do twenty one, and that seems to be
a reasonable age timeframe.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
That is great to know anyone that's listening. I mean,
because I told my friend, you know, she was already
twenty seven, she had just lost her virginity and she
had never gotten to papsmear So I thought, okay, well
now you have to because you're having sex. But this
is this is why we have doctor monthis on right now.
So she's gonna tell us all these things. Okay, is
there like a birth control doctor month? Is that you
like or you prefer or is it just every birth
control is different, you know for the woman.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yeah, you know, I like I really like larks Or
And what that means is long acting reversible contraceptive methods,
which are the implants in the arm and the introuter
and devices or the iud's. And the reason why I
like them is because their user friendly, you know, error friendly.
You don't have to think about it, like they're there,
(04:51):
they're in, they're you know. They they work very well,
they're very effective to prevent pregnancy. And because the implant
in the arm and some of the iud's actually contain progesterone,
they can be used for other treatments for other female
health conditions such as endometriosis. One of them is approved
for heavy menstrual bleeding, and so like it's one of
(05:15):
those things where like taking into consideration, like everything that's
going on with that particular patient, then that's kind of
how I tailor what I would recommend for them.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Okay, perfect, Because now that you mentioned the IUD, I
was on the IUD for quite some time, but it
was the copper one, the tenure one, and I didn't
know that the other one, which is the only other
one I know is I think the.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Maderra, the Marina, Yeah, the Marina. There you go, right,
it's actually approved for eight years now.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Oh wow, so it can actually help with endometriosis as well,
that one.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Yeah, so, I mean remember these IUDs, there's actually four
progesterone containing IUDs. Those are those not saying like the
patient may not need resection surgery, which means where we
go in and we cut out the endometriotic implants or anything,
not saying that it may not be that that like,
(06:09):
we don't have to do that, because there is a
potential that we have to. But I mean possibly as
like a maintenance therapy or treatment. Maybe those progesterone containing
IUDs can be a treatment for that. We know it
also helps your heavy menstrum bleeding, so that's also a
treatment if a patient doesn't want to do like surgery
or something like that.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Okay, this is all great stuff. Okay already, and we're
just in our twenties. Okay, so now let's transition to
our thirties. What is important to like start thinking about
when you know, we're in our thirties.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Yeah, so, I mean in our thirties. I feel like
this is kind of the decade where because we are
focusing more on like careers and kind of like what
we want to do as a human being, I find
that more women are kind of getting pregnant or thinking
about babies, like in their thirties, right, So that's like,
(07:08):
that's really really key. I think going in for like
a preconceptual counseling visit where we like look at your history,
we see what's what's been going on with you, what's happening,
we start prenatal vitamins. Folic acid is so important to
decrease the risk of neural tube defects, which is a
(07:29):
birth defect. And unfortunately that that condition is very high
in Latinas because they don't know this or they don't
take us either folical or they don't take the recommended amount.
There was a push where they actually tried to they
actually have put some folic acid in thrtias because of
the diet that we have in Latin in our Latino
(07:49):
community is more mayise and thirtias and things like that
versus like bond bread, which has can have more folic
acid or cereals. You know, we really didn't necessarily eat
like cheerios or cereals growing up it was more like
thirdias and eggs and things like that. So they have
tried to mitigate for that difference for our community, but
(08:11):
it's still not ending up being enough. So that's so important.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Oh wow, actually just reminded me. I haven't been taking
my folic acid like at all. I have to because
see I'm thirty seven. So now we've I've tried the
whole like maybe we should do the IVF and and
you know, I'm having issues I have in demetriosis, so
I've always had like I've had ovariansis and the whole thing,
and all this started in my thirties. So that's why
I'm like, it's so important that we have these conversations guys,
(08:36):
and that we take this very serious. And you come,
I completely forgot about the folic acid until like this
very moment, So thank you. I'm going to get myself some.
And what age do you think is because I've heard
different like in your twenties you should start like maybe
freezing your eggs if that's something you're thinking about, want
to wait till having children, But you can still do
it in your early thirties, right, so you're still fine?
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Yeah, I would agree I mean, under thirty five, we
know that your egg quality for the most part, is
still going to be pretty good. So I think if
you consider that, and if you are kind of keeping
your time for starting your family and everything later in
life because you have you know, you're getting your career going,
you have all these other things happening. That's the beauty
(09:18):
of technology, right that we actually can take We can
take the power in our hands and decide what we
want to do and how we want to do it.
I'm not saying that it always works, but at least
we have that technology to be able to do that.
So I think that, yes, egg freezing is very important.
I'm pretty sure in every major city there's a few
fertility specialists that do it. So it's just a matter
(09:40):
of going out and kind of seeking that treatment out.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Yes, I definitely have to told myself, I'm giving myself
into the end of this year to figure that out. Okay,
so what about breast exams and pelvic exams. Is this
something that we should start definitely doing in our thirties.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Yeah, for sure, And like you mentioned, you know that's
when you kind of started getting diagnosed with these different conditions.
It kind of tends to be our thirties where we
kind of diagnose more like PCOS or polycystical variant syndrome, indometriosis,
and you know, these different conditions that affect us. Not
(10:17):
saying that we're not going to find it in our twenties,
because of course we will, especially if you have a
doctor who's very diligent in a student and they listen
to what you say and they're trying to figure out
what's going on. But I would say most of these
conditions are also going to pop up in your thirties,
So you want to make sure you're going every year
for your annual gynecological exam. You want to make sure
(10:40):
that you even can maybe even like towards the end
of your thirties established care with a primary care doctor
just so you have like a general doctor as well.
But yeah, I think that's that's an important key there.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Yeah, and doing your like self checkups right, like touching
your breast and under your armpits and things like that, right. Yeah,
there are very you guys on YouTube and stuff that
can teach you guys how to do it if you
don't know how to do it, like just to check
for lumps and you know, I'm always I have to
because my breast cancer runs in my family. So I'm
always like all about the little lumps and bumps and
(11:13):
all that stuff. And it just sucks because I feel
so young, but my body's like my internal stuff is
telling me something different, so I get it. I am like,
it's a little frustrating for me. I'm like, I feel young,
I feel fine, but my ovaries are like, girl, you
need to put a baby in here or something. I
don't know. My doctor told me, You're like you have
a very instance because your body is saying you need
to get pregnant. I'm like, oh my god, oh my god.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Okay, yeah, I'm sorry. So as far as pelvic exams
and breast exams, yes, I mean, like I said, annually,
learn how to do it, like like we were saying,
I mean, it's so important to just be in tune
with your body and kind of that way you can
tell like if something's going on.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
Yes, don't ignore things, you guys.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Okay, So now forties, what do we do in our forties?
Speaker 2 (12:02):
So forties is kind of like, well is me because
I'm like getting there right, But when I see I'm
forty now, so I think forty, thank you, Henny. Forty
is when when you can start having some menopause symptoms
or perimenopausal. So perimenopausal means she hasn't gone the whole
(12:22):
year without a period. She's kind of in that little
time frame where it's like right before she's getting to
those period changes, but she's already starting to fill symptoms
like you know, potentially hot flashes, nights with change in sleep,
difficulty concentrating, decrease quality of live, vaginal dryness, painful intercourse,
(12:45):
like all these things potentially could start happening in your
in your forties, possibly more upper forties, but still some
patients have it in their early forties. And so that's
when you want to go get your hormones checked. You
want to be paying attention to what your cycles are doing.
You want to make sure that you're doing your mammograms
(13:05):
every year starting at age forty. And now the new
recommendation at age forty five is we want patients to
get screening for colon cancer because the incidence of colon
cancer in our country has increased so much that we
moved it from fifty to forty five.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
Wow, you guys, Oh my god, That's that's amazing to
know because that's something that we just, I mean, we
don't even think about as women, you know, right, So wow, Okay,
And as far as like in our forties, like, is
that when our fertility window closes? Is there like a
certain age where you're just like, ugh, I wouldn't because
I've heard of I have a friend that got pregnant
at forty two and by herself, no ideaf.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Oh great, Yeah. I mean, look, I wouldn't say that
it closes because again, like I mentioned, I mean more
women are getting pregnant later in life. You know, forty
is almost like the new thirty in a way, to
depend on you know, how you look at it. So
I mean I think that you should be aware though
that after age thirty five the increased incidents. Even now
(14:07):
the studies are showing more after forty the increased incidence
of gestational diabetes, severe preaclamsia, which is a blood pressure
condition during pregnancy, and also an increased risk of down
syndrome or chromosome anomalies with pregnancies can increase. So I
think it's that's why it's important to start prenatal care early.
(14:28):
Take your folic acid. We do recommend to give patients
who are of advanced maternal age, especially over forty a
baby aspirin every day during their pregnancy because that decreases
inflammation around the placenta. That potentially can decrease your risk
of preoclamsia or high blood pressure during pregnancy. So there's
(14:49):
a lot of preventative measures. Because our populations age is
changing and advancing. So I would still say, if you're
over all very healthy, you are considering pregnancy, that's still
it's still gonna be okay, but make sure you're seeing
a doctor that is well known to be able to
take care of those types of pregnancies.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Yeah, that those are stuff basically, yeah for that type
of Yeah, well, what is it called the jerry?
Speaker 2 (15:18):
Oh they call it. Yeah, they call it like a
geriatric pregnancy. But I never call that's a code on
in like the ICD ten, like the medical code building
and coding, like that's the name of it. But we
call it advanced maternal age.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Oh, advanced, Okay, I call it sexy. We're gonna call
it sexy pregnancy.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Let's call it sexy maternal age.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Yes, I love that. C Yes, that's what we're gonna
call it hysterectomies? Are those very common in our forties?
Speaker 2 (15:45):
You know? I would say yes. I mean towards the end,
like we were saying, like you kind of get diagnosed
with things or potential juice gynecological conditions in your thirties,
and then you kind of get to the point where
like we've tried conservative options like medications, auds, different things,
and they don't work. So then yeah, kind of then
(16:06):
you get into your forties and it's like, Okay, well,
possibly the only treatment at this point could be a hysterectomy.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Remember though, a lot of what I teach my community
how to be an advocate for themselves, how to not
accept that a hysterectomy is the only option, because there
are the technologies improving, there's a lot of different options
out there for different conditions, and ultimately, I think it
is very common to need a hysterectomy in your forties
(16:34):
for different conditions, but in your particular case, that may
not be the only option. So just keep that in mind.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Yes, before I let you go I healthcare. I know
there are like barriers for black and brown women due
to variety of reasons. Do you see this changing at all.
I mean, what are the biggest barriers? Do you see
any resources for women that you recommend.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
I think the barriers ultimately end up being kind of
like our upbringing and kind of like what our community
has believed to be, like what's normal and what's not normal.
I think another barrier is a lack of Latinos and
African American physicians being like in that space where people
(17:19):
who are patients can see us and feel comfortable and
feel like they can actually we can understand where they're
coming from, and we can understand those kind of different
community beliefs. I think things are improving. I think we
are becoming more of a society of being proactive and
(17:41):
preventative and things along those lines. But it's great, you
know podcasts like this it help just kind of get
that information out there. I mean, the morbidity immortality of
conditions like breast cancer and cervical cancer, even still which
is like totally preventable, is still a lot higher. We
know in Latinas and and African American women. Some of
(18:04):
it may just be our food, our diet, or our stress,
our genetics, you know, things like that. But I think
the more we can be proactive and preventative. I think
all that's going to help, and I think eventually it
will improve over time.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
I agree. And informing yourself all right, guys, well, I mean,
is there anything else you'd like to add doctor month?
Is that we maybe didn't talk about that you want
our listeners to know.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
You know? I think I just think it's important to
make sure that anything that you see on the Internet
or social media, unfortunately a lot of it can be
misinformation or can be information that may not be all accurate.
So just make sure you take what you read with
a grant of salt, ask your doctors about it, ask
(18:50):
your female healthcare providers about it, and make sure you
do your due diligence before you consider anything.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
And you know, and talking about that, you do have
your blog right which is Modern Ruer And where can
listeners find you online? Just so that we can put
that out there please?
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Oh? Yeah, thank you. So my main website is the
modern mohead dot com and then I'm mainly just on
Instagram at the dot modern dot Mohead.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Thank you perfect, No, of course, and thank you so much.
I love that you're Latina. I love that you're just
so intelligent, and you're so open and you're so pleasant.
Thank you so much for taking your time to speak
to us and inform our community, because I think it
is something so important. I always say knowledge is power,
you guys, so we just have to inform ourselves and
ask questions. So that's what I'm here for. And before
(19:34):
I let you go, I do end every episode with
a quote, and the quote for today's episode will be
Caring for your body, mind, and spirit is your greatest
and grandest responsibility. It is about listening to the needs
of our soul and then honoring them. There I think
(19:56):
it was perfect for this episode. Thank you, doctor Montes.
It was amazing. And you guys, I hope that you
learn a few things all of us. I definitely did,
so catch you on the next one. Okay, Cheeky's and
Chill right here all the time. We love you. Do
you need advice on love, relationships, health emails? I'm so
(20:19):
excited to share with you that my Cheeky's and Chill
podcast will have an extra episode drop each week. I'll
be answering all your questions. Just leave me a voice message.
Better on midday, all you have to do is go
to speak pipe dot com, slash Cheekys and Chill podcast
and record your questions. I can't wait to hear from you.
(20:43):
This is a production of iHeartRadio and the Micuda podcast Network.
Follow us on Instagram at Michael Ura Podcasts and follow
me Cheeky's That's c h i q u i s.
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Host
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