From The Blog: Menopause Medicine

Perimenopause is the transitional phase before menopause, marked by fluctuating hormones that gradually decline, though not always in a consistently straight line. This stage can cause symptoms including hot flashes, sleep disturbances, and changes in cognitive function, sexual function, and mood. Although it is a “natural” transition, this shift can bring about major discomfort, interruptions in your day-to-day function, and cause you to question your sanity.

In part one of this series about menopausal weight gain, we discussed the reasons why women tend to put on weight during perimenopause and menopause. Now let’s discuss what to do about it. Many of the variables that impact weight gain during this phase of life can be modified by focusing on what you eat, how you move your body and determining if medications and/or hormone therapy might be right for you.

According to Menopause.org, “...there is no scientific evidence that menopause or hormone therapy is responsible for midlife weight gain….Age and lifestyle are the main culprits.” WTF? If you ask any woman in America aged 48-52 - they might just disagree. In fact the majority of my patients are experiencing an unexplainable 10–25 pound weight gain around the age of perimenopause (40-51 on average) and menopause (52+ on average) - despite an increasingly strict focus on diet and exercise.

I can’t tell you how many women come to me with stories of being discounted by their OB-GYNs or primary care practitioners. Many women’s primary providers (OB-GYNs and family medicine) are failing women suffering through menopause - telling them “This is normal and it will pass” or offering them inadequate treatments like antidepressants. And so many women feel like they are losing control over their bodies and wellbeing.

If you have struggled to find the help you need to address menopausal symptoms, you are not alone. Despite the discomfort women experience during menopause, and treatment options that can improve one’s quality of life and perhaps prevent several chronic diseases, very few women are successfully treated. Today, American women can spend a third or more of their lives struggling with menopausal symptoms and related conditions, many without a clear understanding of what to expect, how to respond, and what treatment is possible.

According to an article in AARP, nearly 6,000 women reach menopause every day in America. The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) reports that approximately 75 percent of women experience some kind of menopausal distress. And sadly, for close to 20 percent of these women, night sweats and hot flashes are severe enough to interfere with nearly every significant aspect of their lives: work, relationships and sleep.