Health Center - Perimenopause

Not sure why you're waking in a sweat? Never sure when or if your period will occur or why you bleed so much when it does? You may not think you're old enough for menopause, but perimenopause—the transitional time leading up to menopause—can last several years. Let us help you manage this stage of your life.

Menopause Won't Spur Weight Gain, But May Boost Belly Fat: Review

HealthDay News

Experts suggest women use menopause as motivation to take charge of their health

THURSDAY, Oct. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Menopause does not cause weight gain, but it does increase belly fat, according to a new study.

"It is a myth that the menopause causes a woman to gain weight. It's really just a consequence of environmental factors and aging that cause that," study leader Susan Davis, a professor at Monash University in Australia, said in an International Menopause Society news release.

"But there is no doubt that the new spare tire many women complain of after menopause is real, and not a consequence of any changes they have made," Davis said. "Rather, this is the body's response to the fall in estrogen at menopause -- a shift of fat storage from the hips to the waist."

Davis and her colleagues reviewed available scientific findings on the issue, and their findings appear in the October issue of the journal Climacteric. The review was conducted by the International Menopause Society to mark World Menopause Day on Oct. 18.