Reasons for menopause weight gain
We are helping women throughout Texas, including women with menopause weight gain in Frisco every day.
As a woman in her 30s, 40s or 50s, you may find yourself going along your routines… eating the same foods, exercising regularly, and overall nothing major has changed… then…BOOM!
One day your jeans just won’t button up. Sound familiar?
Midlife weight gain can creep up on you despite you changing nothing major on your end. Or so it seems… there are a few reasons why women experience weight gain in midlife and around menopause. Specifically, mid section weight gain is common.
According to a 2012 review in Climacteric, the menopause transition itself is not necessarily thought to contribute to significant weight gain, but the changes in hormones are associated with an increase in total body fat and an increase in abdominal fat.1
The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) is an ongoing study looking at women in perimenopause and menopause across the spectrum of ages to better understand symptoms and women’s health. They have found that during the menopausal transition, women tend to gain fat mass and lose lean mass (also called sarcopenia).
Loss of muscle leads to a lower resting metabolic rate so you burn fewer calories at rest, leading to weight gain.
There are more than just menopause hormone changes at play
In addition to hormone changes, weight gain can occur because of difficulty sleeping due to hot flashes and hormone fluctuations. Joint pain, busy schedules and fatigue can make exercise hard for women and lead to being more sedentary overall.
Hunger and satiety hormones are impacted by stress, lack of sleep and mood changes like anxiety or depression too. Changes in appetite regulating hormones like GLP-1, grehlin and leptin lead to more food intake or seeking higher calorie foods for comfort or due to cravings.
Changes in the gut microbiome due to hormone changes, sleep disruption and diet also likely contribute to weight gain and metabolic changes.
Aging itself leads to a slightly reduced need for calories, depending on physical activity levels and muscle mass.
As you can see, there are many pieces to the puzzle when it comes to menopause weight gain!
Menopause weight gain is not just surface deep, it impacts health
In addition to age-related mid-section weight gain, menopause creates challenges for women as serious metabolic changes occur affecting insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control as well as cholesterol levels. These changes in body composition, especially an increase in visceral fat, are major contributors to cardiovascular disease and illness through inflammation, cholesterol and blood pressure changes and insulin resistance.
Reduced estrogen levels directly affect insulin sensitivity, which increases risk for pre-diabetes and diabetes.
Women with higher body fat experience more hot flashes, which impacts quality of life. Women with more hot flashes are at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease. According to the SWAN study, up to 80% of women will have some hot flashes or night sweats as they go through menopause.2
After menopause, women who are overweight or obese have an increased risk of breast cancer. This is of course one of many complex factors that contribute to breast cancer. Women who are overweight or obese after menopause have a 20%-60% higher breast cancer risk than those who are lean.3 The American Cancer Society recommends everyone achieve and maintain a healthy weight throughout life. You can learn more about postmenopausal breast cancer risk and menopausal weight gain on Susan G Komen.
Health risks women face in midlife and during and after the menopause transition:
- Increased cardiovascular disease risk
- Higher risk of type 2 diabetes
- Worsening joint pain
- Increased inflammation
- Reduced self-esteem and quality of life
When it comes to whole body health for women in the menopause transition, we cannot ignore the interplay between changes in hormones like estrogen and progesterone, women not FEELING WELL who struggle to optimize sleep, dietary habits and physical activity AND the dangerous effects of menopause weight gain. We are helping women with menopause weight gain in Frisco & Dallas, TX everyday.
Our plan for menopause weight gain in Frisco helps weight AND to help you FEEL better
Hormone therapy with estrogen, progesterone and possibly testosterone (based on your symptoms and lab assessment) helps to manage hot flashes, joint pains, energy levels, sleep disturbances, perimenopause anxiety and depression, libido and get you back to feeling like yourself again.
A comprehensive approach that goes beyond just a hormone therapy prescription is essential to long term health for perimenopausal and menopausal women! Why?
Because we have an opportunity to help women live longer and better…
Given that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in both men AND postmenopausal women, it is important to me as a physician to fight menopause weight gain and metabolic dysfunction that increase this risk for women.
I aim to empower my midlife women patients to cultivate healthy habits while achieving health through cutting edge medicine so they can find balance, well-being, purpose and longevity as they age. See patient stories from women we have helped.
We go beyond the conventional approach to care
Our practice helps women achieve optimal body composition, metabolic health and well-being through a personalized and multi-pronged approach to address key pillars of lifestyle and medical evaluation and treatment:
If you are a woman in midlife experiencing menopause weight gain in Frisco and the Dallas area, we are here to help you with a caring, science-based and proven approach. Learn about our Menopause Hormone Care and our in-person and virtual weight management memberships.
- Nutrition strategies including guidance on prioritizing protein and fiber for optimal muscle support, body fat loss, nutrition and gut health
- Behavior change support through counseling and motivational interviewing around mindset, habits, and stress coping
- Support and resources for resistance training and cardio physical activity to gain and maintain muscle mass and cardiovascular health
- Sleep optimization, including sleep apnea screening and testing, counseling for sleep habits, supplement support when needed
- Stress management strategies
- Comprehensive lab testing, including hormonal, thyroid, metabolic and cardiovascular health assessments (For example: insulin resistance, blood sugar metabolism, inflammation markers, in-depth cardiovascular markers, coronary calcium score CT)
- Hormone therapy, including FDA approved bio-identical formulations
- Supplement support to optimize body functions
- Weight loss medication support including oral and injectable GLP-1 medications like semaglutide (Wegovy/Ozempic, Zepbound/Mounjaro), metformin, phentermine, Qsymia, Contrave. Learn more about how weight loss medications can support you.
- Management of anxiety and depression with antidepressant support, if appropriate and referral to mental health provider
References:
- Davis SR, Castelo-Branco C, Chedraui P, Lumsden MA, Nappi RE, Shah D, Villaseca P; Writing Group of the International Menopause Society for World Menopause Day 2012. Understanding weight gain at menopause. Climacteric. 2012 Oct;15(5):419-29. doi: 10.3109/13697137.2012.707385. PMID: 22978257.
- SWAN study: https://www.swanstudy.org
- https://www.komen.org/breast-cancer/risk-factor/weight/
