If you’ve started going through menopause you have probably noticed a couple of extra pounds around your mid-section location. Don’t worry, you’re not alone, one of the principal symptoms of menopause appears to be the gaining of weight, in addition to, a general change in your body’s contour.
What is happening?
And, while you might not be happy about this unfortunate event, you only need to bear in mind that women in menopause gain weight, and it’s a very common occurrence. Studies have shown that approximately 90 percent of women will start gaining weight between age 35 and 55. Never fear, you might not be accountable for this weight gain, studies have shown that many women in menopause gain weight due to a change in hormone levels, not due to overeating.
The average woman was seen to gain around 10 to 15 pounds during those menopausal women. However, the weight will almost certainly be gained slowly during your pre-menopausal years; you can expect to pack on about an additional pound annually. The weight gain that occurs with menopause will almost certainly be around your abdominal region, rather than the more common areas like your hips, thighs, and buttocks. During menopause it’s harder and harder for the body to redistribute your weight evenly.
Factors for weight gain
What Factors Cause Women in Menopause to Gain Weight? The reason behind menopausal weight gain is the change in your body’s weight care hormone levels.
- Estrogen: Estrogen is a female hormone that causes a woman to ovulate monthly. However, during menopause, this hormone dramatically declines to cause your body to stop ovulating. This decline in estrogen appears to be a big element in menopausal weight gain. Because your ovaries are producing less estrogen, your body starts to search for other places to receive its preferred estrogen from. The issue here is that, fat cells are known to make estrogen, which means that your body will start turning your calories into fat to be able to raise estrogen levels. This is obviously one of the primary reasons women in menopause gain weight.
- Progesterone: This is the hormone that regulates the water weight that we carry around in our bodies. During menopause, this hormone was seen to rapidly decline, just as estrogen does, which causes women to keep more water as they get older, thus, adding a few more pounds on to the menopause weight gain heap.
- Testosterone: Testosterone is the hormone that facilitates the introduction of lean muscle mass in the calories we consume. And, it’s an established fact that muscles burn far more calories than fat does, by increasing our metabolism. During menopause, testosterone hormone levels will fall, thus inducing muscle loss, which, unfortunately causes a decrease metabolism and more weight gain.
- Androgen: This is the hormone that’s responsible for sending that newly formed fat directly to your mid-section. Actually, the term for your weight gain during menopause is usually known as”middle age spread” because of the rapid weight gain in the abdominal region.
Conclusion
Actually, among the number one signs of menopause is the increased production of the hormone which causes the rise of belly fat. While I know that it can be tricky to accept that women in menopause gain weight, it’s important that you be aware of the good thing about the seemingly unfortunate event. You need to understand that this weight gain is natural and can actually be a great thing. This small quantity of extra weight that you put on may actually lesson the symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes and anxiety. Also, weight gain during menopause is controlled by your own body, and will help prevent osteoporosis and other common ailments related to getting older.