Weight gain during menopause is primarily due to hormonal imbalance. Usually there is an imbalance between the hormones estrogen and progesterone as well as insulin. In this article I will review which hormones are involved and what solutions exists.

The following 3 hormones are usually involved in menopause symptoms and menopause weight gain.

1. Estrogen is produced in the ovaries and the fat cells that keep the uterus, urinary tract, breasts, and blood vessels toned and flexible.

2. Progesterone is produced by the ovaries and the adrenal glands and regulates the menstrual cycle, is responsible for sustaining a pregnancy when a woman is pregnant, it stimulates bone building cells and increases the rate of new bone formation. It also promotes energy production in the brain and protects against nerve cell damage and brain aging.

3. Insulin is produced by the pancreas and determines whether fat will be burned or stored, it is also involved in overall growth.

The first indication of menopause is the loss of some of our hormones.

The symptoms of declining hormones are hot flashes, sleeping disturbances, loss of libido, mood swings, irritability, anxiety and depression.

Hormone replacement therapy is used to restore your hormones at optimum levels. Particularly bioidentical hormone therapy which uses plant based hormones as opposed to synthetic hormones which have distressful side effects such as an increased risk of breast cancer.

In order to use bioidentical hormones, you have to see a doctor who is knowledgeable about them and can work with a pharmacist who will work on the special formulation of hormones that are unique to you.

But you can start doing things on your own to start restoring your hormones at their optimal levels.

The first thing is to do everything in our power to control stress. Stress is a major cause of hormonal imbalance as it is known to black estrogen receptors and impair the production of estrogen.

The other important thing is to change your diet. Refined foods that are high in simple carbohydrates such as anything made with white flour should be eliminated from your diet. You should focus instead on adding complex carbohydrates such as fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grain.

Finally you should engage in the right type of exercises. Cardiovascular exercises are good but you should also include strength training. This is very important as our metabolism slows down and muscle mass goes down when we are into menopause.

So weight gain is one of the most common and distressing problems we face when we enter menopause. Since “Food is medicine, and medicine is food”, nutrition is the first area that we should try to have under control to fight menopause weight gain.