What Do Weight Gain and Menopause Have in Common?

Despite the fact that many doctors deny it, most women experience substantial weight gain just before and upon entering menopause. In fact, the average menopausal person puts on ten to fifteen pounds after their menstrual cycles begin to taper off. Although a small amount of extra weight is harmless, anyone who becomes overweight puts herself in danger of developing life-threatening illnesses. The causes of menopausal weight gain are numerous, having to do with the aging process, living habits, and hormonal changes. It is important for women to understand what brings about these fluctuations and how they can be managed, especially since menopausal women have an increase risk for cardiovascular illnesses that can be aggravated by excessive body fat. The following article will offer an explanation of contributing factors to menopausal weight gain as well as ways to prevent it.

Besides actually gaining weight, menopausal women often experience weight distribution. Bodies that were once a pear shape with fat deposits in the hips and thighs, undergo a shift that accumulates the majority of weight around the abdomen. The chances of menopausal women developing heart disease are already high, but this concentration of weight around the center of the body can make it even worse. Both heart disease and diabetes are likely ailments in people with this body type. Although there is little women can do to prevent bodily fat redistribution, they can make changes to make sure that no extra weight is gained to exacerbate the problem.

At the beginning of menopause, the body stops producing key reproductive hormones like estrogen, which plays an important role in regulating mood, health, and energy levels. This can result in hot flashes, night sweats, mild depression, and fatigue. One of the major beliefs surrounding menopausal weight gain is that the body intentionally stores more fat.

Then, it can use deposits to produce more estrogen from other chemicals. Another idea is that the thyroid stops working as efficiently, which results in a slowed metabolism. Finally, others say that weight gain comes from a natural decrease in muscle mass. The truth is that all of these are likely causes in individual cases, sometimes working in combination to produce excessive weight gain.

When a woman experiences an estrogen deficiency at menopause, she may also lack adequate supplies of the chemical laptin. Laptin is responsible for regulating the appetite, so lower quantities may make a person feel hungry even when she has eaten enough. Exceeding ones daily caloric requirements will lead to weight gain if the excess energy is not burned.

Another job of laptin is to help the body burn calories, a job that it cannot do properly when sufficient amounts are not present in the body. Thus, even with exercise, it can take more effort than it did pre-menopause for a woman to lose weight. A laptin shortage can be further aggravated by a slowing metabolism. Doctors debate the causes of this, but it is believed to be a combination of the natural aging process and dropping hormone levels after the reproductive years.

As women age, they tend to develop aches, fatigue, and a decline in physical ability that keeps them from being as active as they were in earlier years. At any age, putting out less than you are taking in (in the form of food calories) results in weight gain. However, this inactivity also leads to the degeneration of lean muscle tissue, which encourages weight loss because muscle burns more calories than fat.

Doctors encourage women going through menopause to incorporate a varied exercise routine into their daily lives. Aerobic exercise burns calories, increases the metabolism, and strengthens the cardiovascular system. Weight training builds lean muscle tissue, which improves overall strength and energy levels as well as replacing calorie-burning muscle fiber.

Unfortunately, the side effects of menopause often leave women with too little energy or motivation to work out. Sleep disturbances caused by night sweats can cause a menopausal person to feel constantly drained, so they do not feel capable of exerting themselves through an exercise routine. Even for women who sleep well, decreased hormone levels can result in a chronic lack of energy. Emotional problems also contribute to the lack of motivation to exercise. Depression is a common side effect of the lack of estrogen, and women who do not pursue hormone replacement therapy or alternative remedies may be overwhelmed by alternating feelings of apathy and self-loathing.

Sexual problems can further decrease a menopausal woman's feelings about herself. The lack of estrogen leads to vaginal dryness and increased sensitivity of the vaginal walls. Because these conditions make intercourse painful, women may feel frustrated or undesirable. A decrease in sex drive, also fueled by hormonal changes, complicates physical symptoms. Hair loss and lack of hair growth attack women's views of themselves further, making them feel that there is no point in trying to maintain their weight when they are losing other beautiful aspects of themselves.

Sadly, many women going through menopause do not realize the drastic improvements that could be made in all of these problems with hormone replacement therapy. There are numerous methods of introducing hormones back into the body, both from synthetic and natural sources that can virtually eliminate the unpleasant side effects of menopause.

When women feel better, both physically and emotionally, they can play an active role in improving their health by controlling weight gain. Although menopause is part of the aging process, weight gain does not have to be. By consulting their doctors, women can find a treatment plant that will help them enjoy their menopausal years rather than suffering through them.

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