Shedding Light on Menopause and Weight: How Obesity May Intensify Hormonal Changes

For a hormonal change that approximately 50% of the world’s population is likely to undergo, we’re still continuing to build viable and clarified bodies of research when it comes to menopause. Despite menopause’s ubiquity and commonality, no two of those experiences are the same. The way each individual experiences menopause is defined by many unique and personal factors, including existing health conditions, hormone levels, lifestyle factors, and more. 

One of these significant factors includes our weight, with clear correlations between weight levels and hormonal fluctuations. Research has identified that obese women may be more likely to suffer severe menopause symptoms, with symptoms getting progressively worse as body mass index (BMI) increases. 

But why is this the case, and what can we do about it to prepare for—or improve—our menopause experience?

The impact of obesity on hormonal fluctuations

You’re likely familiar with the headlines around obesity: associated with a wide range of health complications, obesity can pose significant challenges to maintaining our health and wellbeing. Often resulting from a combination of genetic, environmental, or behavioural factors, there’s no one set pathway into obesity – nor one set pathway into a healthier weight range. That’s why it’s important that in any conversation regarding weight management, it’s particularly crucial for women to work with their healthcare providers to find advice and support that’s suitable for their needs. Less Dr. Google and more real-world medical practitioners!

Obesity’s impact also extends to hormonal fluctuations. Our hormones are crucial in regulating a wide range of bodily functions, including our metabolism, our appetite, balancing our energy, and our reproductive health and functions. Obesity can bring disruption into these hormonal balances, creating a chicken-and-egg effect on our health that may be increasingly difficult to manage.

Our sex hormones – oestrogen and testosterone – are two hormones that obesity can impact, with excess body fat leading to an increased production of oestrogen. These elevated levels can lead to fluctuating disruptions within the menstrual cycle, such as irregular periods, or even the absence of periods altogether. 

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What does this mean for menopause?

Menopause brings with it a complex range of hormonal changes. For obese women, these can become even more intensified, with ongoing consequences for individual menopause symptoms.

As excess body fat can lead to higher oestrogen levels, the hormonal fluctuations that are part and parcel of menopause can become even more varied. Hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings, and more may all be intensified, creating more complications throughout the menopause experience.

The impact of obesity on insulin resistance, too, can also pose a challenge for menopausal women. With high insulin levels leading to dysregulated appetites and fluctuating energy levels, entering into menopause with excess weight can continue to accelerate ongoing weight gain and metabolic dysfunction.

Holistic support for obese women entering into menopause

If you’re carrying excess weight and are entering into your menopausal years, now’s the perfect time to build tools and strategies that can help you to navigate through the unknown with clarity and calm. Menopause is a time of significant change for all women – you’re not alone in these changes, or in the challenges it brings.

Coping strategies that can play a supporting role throughout menopause for all women, including obese women, include:

• Making necessary lifestyle modifications. A healthy diet that’s made up of largely whole foods, regular physical activity, high quality sleep, and the reduction of stress wherever possible are all lifestyle factors that can help to manage weight and maintain health throughout every phase of menopause.
• Consider appropriate medical support pathways. For many women, their healthcare team throughout menopause consists of multiple specialists working in partnership towards holistic outcomes. This is no different for individuals navigating obesity. If you’re struggling with the impact of excess weight on your menopausal symptoms, working with a trusted team can help you discover the medical treatment options that are most suitable to your needs.
• Building your mindfulness. It may be surprising to see a behavioural strategy on this list, but this is an area that’s deceptive in its simplicity. We’re quick to look at external markers when it comes to our health, but during menopause, mindfulness plays a key role in the management of our emotional, psychological, and physical needs. Meditation, stress reduction techniques, and behavioural therapy can offer significant benefits throughout these fluctuating hormonal changes.
• Incorporate targeted nutritional supplements and herbal remedies. Just as with every other life stage, looking to nature’s support structures can give us a powerful range of tools for our everyday health and wellbeing. Nutritional supplements and herbal remedies can be a complementary resource throughout menopause, often working alongside treatment plans from healthcare practitioners to reduce the impact of menopausal symptoms on a daily basis. Look to foods high in phytoestrogens, such as soy, flaxseeds, and sesame seeds for a natural way to mimic the effects of oestrogen in the body, or to Omega-3 fatty acids to find natural improvements for mood swings and cardiovascular health. 

The first step in any menopausal journey, no matter your weight, is to recognise that support for your wellbeing can come from a wide range of sources. By equipping yourself with knowledge, resources, and a holistic healthcare team who are dedicated to your wellbeing, the impact of obesity on menopausal experiences can be strategically managed in both the short-term and the long-term.

Conclusion

While menopause can present many challenges, it’s also a powerful moment in time to pause and evaluate our health, wellbeing, and long-term health goals. For women who may struggle with the impact of obesity, each menopausal transition represents another key milestone where their health can be prioritised. If you’re looking for targeted, welcoming, kind and considered care throughout your menopause journey, reach out to the team at the Australian Menopause Centre. We’re here to support you through every change that’s on its way!