Menopause Weight Gain

Menopause refers to a disorder when a woman's ability to produce estrogen declines. Women are known to suffer from pre menopause when the estrogen producing capability keeps on declining. A woman is said to suffer from menopause when the woman's body stops to produce an estrogen at all. The most common symptoms of menopause are irregular menstrual cycle where the period between two menstrual cycles shortens or lengthens beyond the normal cycle. Also women suffering from menopause may experience hot flashes at night, due to which they are not able to sleep well. Weight gain and obesity is also a common symptom of menopause. Women with menopause experience weight gain around the abdomen area. Researchers have still not been able to find out the exact reason for excess weight gain but hormonal changes in the body seem to be the prime suspect for menopause weight gain. When women begin to age the metabolism of the body slows down, as a result of which the body's ability to burn fat slows down. Muscles also decrease in bulk. Oestrogen is a hormone in women that is responsible for ovulation. Studies have shown that lack of oestrogen due to menopause leads to excessive weight gain. Many people believe that hormone therapy for menopause leads to weight gain, but this not true. Women tend to gain weight in her mid thirties irrespective of whether she is taking hormone replacement therapy or not taking it. There are some women who may experience bloating and breast fullness which they consider as weight gain. As women get older the possibility of cardiovascular diseases increases due to excess weight gained after menopause. Body fat which is stored along the abdominal walls and around the intestinal organs poses quite a big risk for development of cardiovascular disease. Apart from the oestrogen levels in the body there maybe other reasons after menopause that may lead to weight gain like loss of muscle tissue with ageing, low metabolism rate of the body, reduced physical exercise and other physical activities and other unhealthy habits like overeating and eating junk food. Hence to keep your weight under check after menopause you should have a low fat diet, do some kind of exercise, indulge in physical activities that burn your fat, build up and maintain your muscle mass with the help of strength and weight training. Before doing any weight regime program and exercise program you should consult your doctor and take his advice.