Maybe you “leak” a bit when you laugh. You and your partner no longer enjoy being intimate as you once did. Or do you find yourself forgetting things more and more? Should you tell the doctor or just brush it off as part of getting older?

Our bodies are smart. They’ll warn us about big health problems years in advance—with little concerns that, if caught early, can often be treated with your doctor’s help.

1. Urinary Incontinence

Symptoms:

Sneezing, laughing, lifting something heavy, or exercising can all cause you to "leak." Otherwise, you may have “accidents” because the urge to urinate becomes so overwhelming and so quickly that you simply can’t get to the bathroom in time.

Why it’s an enormous deal:

Urinary incontinence affects your quality of life. You may limit your social life, only go places with a nearby bathroom, or just stay at home. Sometimes incontinence is a sign of a health condition that needs treatment. It can also be a side effect of medications. Often, lifestyle changes and the right pelvic-floor exercises will help.

Communicating together with your health care provider:

Take a deep breath, then tell your doctor about incidences when you had trouble holding your urine or had to change your underwear. If you’re beginning to limit activities in order to be near a bathroom, mention it to the doctor.

2. Constipation

Symptoms:

You pass hard, dry stool—usually three times a week. You may strain or even occasionally notice blood in your stool.

Why it’s an enormous deal:

Constipation is often uncomfortable and even painful. It can cause hemorrhoids and other complications, a number of which can be very serious, like confusion in older adults. It's going to also be a sign that you have irritable bowel syndrome or a problem with intestinal functioning—or a warning sign that your diet needs more fiber and fluids, or that you simply rely too much on laxatives.

Communicating together with your health care provider:

Talk about how often you use the bathroom. Ask whether you ought to be doing or taking anything special to help your bowels move. Why don’t more people tell their health care providers about problems like constipation, like incontinence, constipation, and sexual concerns?

In the past, people accepted these and other health issues as a traditional part of aging. Today we all know they’re not. They’re treatable. Likewise, many of us feel embarrassed about discussing a private matter with our doctor.

However, once you think about how a health problem is affecting your daily life and relationships and even threatens your independence, getting over the embarrassment so as to overcome it becomes worthwhile.

3. Sexual Problems

Symptoms:

You may be experiencing painful intercourse, problems achieving or maintaining an erection, or low concupiscence .

Why it’s an enormous deal:

Sexual problems can impact your closest relationships and, therefore, the standard of your own life from day to day. One is never too old to have a fulfilling sexual life.

Sexual problems can also be a signal that you need to be treated for depression, diabetes, circulation problems, or low hormone levels, or that you simply are taking a medication that’s causing side effects.

Communicating together with your health care provider:

If you’re a very private person, tell your doctor that you simply have something to discuss as privately as possible. Describe specifically whether the matter is with low desire, pain, or erectile problems during sexual relations—or all of those .

4. Depression

Symptoms:

You may feel low energy, irritability, and a scarcity of interest in activities you normally enjoy, as well as appetite and sleep problems.

Why it’s an enormous deal:

Depression makes daily living difficult. It also makes taking care of your health—eating a healthy diet, exercising, getting adequate sleep and taking medications as directed—much tougher.

It's going to also be a warning sign that your stress level is too high, that a medicine you take is causing side effects, or that you’re grieving the loss of a relative or friend.

Communicating together with your health care provider:

Explain that you simply haven’t felt like yourself lately. Describe what you or your loved ones are noticing about your mood.

5. Memory Problems

Symptoms:

Having trouble remembering names, dates, and other facts? Do you have difficulty finding the words you would like when speaking or writing? Having trouble focusing or remembering what you need to do next?

Why it’s an enormous deal:

The majority of memory lapses experienced by aging individuals are considered normal. But lapses that affect your ability to take care of yourself could impact your ability to live independently or to drive a car. Memory changes can also be a warning sign for depression and sleep problems.

Communicating together with your health care provider:

Describe the sort of problems that you are having with your thinking and memory. Ask if your doctor can do an easy test of your mental abilities right in the clinic.