I’m sure it is no big secret, especially amongst women, that once we start to trend towards the menopause age, nature will play a bit of a cruel trick on us. Not only do we suddenly find ourselves coping with feeling as though we are going to lose our heads between the daytime hot flashes along with the night night sweats, but we are also often faced with watching our once shapely bodies morph into something which resembles more like a beer mug!
Changes
We often find ourselves feeling increasingly frustrated as we see our body contour start to change on the outside, yet a lot people have no idea of the changes which had already begun many years prior on the interior! As our childbearing years start to draw closer to an end, our female hormones also start to change.
During peri-menopause estrogen levels typically start to fluctuate and because of this monthly menses also start to become more sporadic. Eventually they simply disappear and never return, taking us into full blown menopause.
Hormonal Factor
Estrogen is stored in fat. The body tries to maintain equilibrium. I would like you to keep both of these points in mind while you keep reading, because I’m going to explain the link between your hormones and weight gain; and more especially menopause and weight gain. If estrogen is stored in fat, along with your normal estrogen production is gradually dropping, what do you suppose your body will try to do so as to keep its source of much needed estrogen? Remember, the body consistently strives for equilibrium.
If you guessed that it stores more fat, then you would be absolutely perfect! Yes, in order for the body to keep on generating and keeping necessary estrogen, it will naturally start to store more fat. Remember, estrogen is stored in fat.
Let’s understand It
MORE fat cells as well as THOSE fat cells will expand and grow nearly FIVE times bigger in order to produce and keep MORE estrogen! The bigger the fat cell, the more estrogen it is ready to make and store. If you figured that the abdominal area, you’d be completely right again! Yes, it is also called menopause belly fat. I’ve just clarified the very basics of the menopause and weight gain link. Now mind you, there is a good deal more to this I have not even mentioned; such as how your metabolism is influenced by each these slow hormonal changes. Neither have I said the role that other critical hormones play like progesterone, androgen and testosterone.