Could Hormone Imbalance be behind your weight gain?
Are you female in your mid to late 30's or 40's?
The problem: compared to 5 or 10 years ago, have you noticed a change in:
how often you wake at night?
your focus or concentration?
your energy?
your ability to put up with minor stressors at home?
the ease with which you gain weight?
When you hear the word peri-menopause do you associate it with some distant murky time in the future?
Menopause is actually something your body gradually prepares for over many years rather than one day flipping a switch to turn off your periods. When exactly this starts to happen is individual and affected by various factors, but perimenopause refers to this period on either side of the menopause during which hormones can become very erratic.
Signs that this is happening can begin YEARS before your period is even affected. And can be as early as 35.
They show up as subtle changes in the following:
mood changes (including being less easy going and more likely to fly off the handle with the people in your life)
sleep changes
weight changes
lower sex drive
Common hormone-secreting glands affected in the early peri-menopause are the ovaries, the thyroid and the adrenals. These can have an effect on weight.
What to do about it:
Thankfully, the old fashioned view taken by conventional medicine of these symptoms being a "natural" part of life, has been challenged by excellent science. Moreover ancient traditions such as chinese medicine and ayurveda recognise that lifestyle plays a pivotal role in our experience of any hormonal imbalance.
Find a sympathetic healthcare provider. As a first step it’s worth getting a blood test to check everything is as it should be. If your thyroid hormone is too low for example, (quite common in women of this age) it is important for a doctor to diagnose and correct it.
Address diet and lifestyle changes, which have a huge impact on your hormones, regardless of whether HRT (hormonal replacement therapy) later becomes a consideration. knowing how to support yourself can make the difference between symptoms, or no symptoms.
The World Health Organisation has named October World Menopause Month. And there are some fantastic doctors crusading to educate the medical community on the menopause. Despite this, it is important to be aware that a lot of the information you encounter could be out of date. New data supports the idea that you can feel great at any age. Although navigating changing hormones can be very challenging, it’s worth persevering until you find what works for you.
If you’d like to talk about this in relation to your weight or other symptoms you can book a free discovery call from my home page.
Nicola is a Registered Dietitian and a Health Coach.
She can be contacted clicking on the photo, left, and followed on instagram and facebook below.
