Are Your Hormones Causing Weight Gain?
Weight gain is common in both men and women as we get older, for a wide variety of reasons, including the amount of exercise we do decreasing on average and a slowing metabolism, as well as changes to our diet and general levels of physical activity. However, weight gain is particularly common when it comes to menopausal women, even those with healthy lifestyles including a balanced diet and exercise. Weight gain is one of the most common and impactful symptoms of menopause and can have a significant effect on the confidence and well being of menopausal women.
To find out how your hormones can cause weight gain, or to see how you can help balance your hormones and safely lose weight, keep reading.
How Hormones Can Cause Weight Gain
During perimenopause – the period of time before menopause when women begin to see menopausal symptoms – the first hormone that we see a major decrease in is usually progesterone. This can lead to what is called oestrogen dominance.
Oestrogen dominance occurs when the levels of oestrogen in the body are higher than the levels of progesterone. A common symptom of oestrogen dominance is weight gain, causing you to store more fat around your stomach area.
Even as women enter menopause and oestrogen levels drop, oestrogen dominance can happen anytime that progesterone levels in the body are lower than oestrogen levels, leading to a variety of common menopausal symptoms, including weight gain.
How to Balance Hormones During Menopause
The changes in hormone levels during menopause can be balanced using bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). However, it is vital to work closely with your doctor to get a full picture of your hormonal health before starting any treatment for menopause symptoms.
At Elite Aesthetics, we carry out blood tests and comprehensive consultations before prescribing BHRT to fully understand your symptoms and how your hormone levels are affecting you in your daily life.
If BHRT is right for you, then we’ll prescribe you a bespoke course of hormones to ensure your treatment works perfectly for you and your symptoms. We may also suggest lifestyle changes to help enhance the treatment and give you optimum results.
Ensuring Safe Weight Loss
When losing weight at any point of your life, it is important to lose it safely and gradually. This is especially important during perimenopause and menopause, as extreme or ‘yoyo’ dieting (gaining and losing weight very quickly) can cause a loss in bone density, something menopausal women are already susceptible to.
At Elite Aesthetics, we can offer advice on how to lose weight safely for your stage in life, and how to prevent weight loss from causing any other health issues before, during and after menopause.
To find out more about hormonal weight gain, symptoms of menopause, BHRT or any of the other services we offer at Elite Aesthetics, get in touch with our team today.
