Menopause is a phase in a woman's life that comes with the "benefit" of no longer experiencing a period but, unfortunately, most often times it comes with many unpleasant symptoms as well.
In this blog post we'll discuss what is menopause, the different stages, what changes occur in the body, and the infamous menopause "pouch."
WHAT IS MENOPAUSE?
It is the end of a woman's menstrual cycle, aka her period. In order for it to officially be labeled as menopause, a woman has to lack a period for more than 12 months consistently. This transition can be a multi-year process with a continuum of events.
THE DIFFERENT STAGES
There are four stages in a woman's life:
premenopause
perimenopause
menopause
postmenopause
Premenopause
This is the time between the very first period and the beginning of menopause. A woman menstruates regularly (or irregularly) during this time in her life.
Perimenopause
This is the transition period from premenopause to menopause. This process can take as long as 8-10 years.
Symptoms include:
worse PMS
breast tenderness
irregular periods
changing menstrual flow
sleep disturbances
memory issues
hot flashes
headaches
weight gain
hair thinning
Menopause
Once a woman no longer menstruates for 12 months consistently, she has entered menopause. Symptoms experienced during menopause can continue into the postmenopausal phase.
Symptoms include:
night sweats
insomnia
dry skin
frequent urination
vaginal dryness
increasing cholesterol
hot flashes
depression
anxiety or irritability
fatigue
Postmenopause
This phase is the continuation of menopause. A woman has officially stopped menstruating which will last the rest of her life. Menopausal symptoms can still be experienced.
WHAT CHANGES OCCUR IN THE BODY?
There are an abundance of substantial physical and hormonal changes in the body along with increased risks that occur during the transition into menopause and beyond.
A woman is born with all the eggs she will ever have. No new ones are made in her life. As a woman ages, that egg count drops. This drop in egg count along with a decrease in the estrogen and progesterone hormones trigger the onset of menopause.
There is also a surge in two hormones: follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH).
FSH helps manage menstruation and stimulates the ovaries to produce eggs.
LH also helps manage menstruation and triggers ovulation.
Both hormones rise and fall throughout each month during premenopause but levels remain higher than normal during menopause. This can be one way to check if a woman has entered menopause.
Menopausal and postmenopausal women also experience:
increased cardiovascular risks (due to decreased estrogen)
increased risk for osteoporosis (estrogen is important for bone density)
increased muscle protein breakdown (estrogen supports anabolic events aka growing phases)
redistribution from a female to male fat pattern (elaboration in next section)
a larger stress response
worse sleep
worse thermoregulation (one's ability to regulate one's body temperature)
increased risk for mental health issues
altered water retention (note: this results in altered weight gain, not fat gain)
THE INFAMOUS BELLY "POUCH"
Many women complain about this new "pouch" they have in their midsection once they reach menopause. They don't know where it came from and why it's there and usually attribute it to an increase in fat gain.
As mentioned above, once women enter menopause there is a redistribution of fat. During premenopause, women commonly gain most of their fat in their arms and legs. Of course I'm not saying this is the only area you'll see fat gain in but they are the primary, most common areas compared to men. Men commonly gain fat in their midsection, aka the "beer belly." During menopause, the drop in estrogen affects certain receptors in the body, and now instead of seeing more weight gain in the arms and legs, one may see it in the midsection.
Keep in mind that the redistribution of fat does not equal weight gain. It may just be a redistribution (same number on the scale, different location). You can use different tools and methods to asses if you're actually gaining fat.
IN SUMMARY
After reading this article you might be saying to yourself, "menopause does not sound like fun." There are definitely many unpleasant symptoms and side effects from this new phase in life but it is just that, a new phase in life that we have to embrace and learn to work with.
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