Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Bungo]

Have been perimenopausal for a few years now. Weight is generally pretty steady as am ex anorexic so eat the same amount pretty much every day and  track every bite I eat. Two years ago,.I got massively bloated in stomach, sore boobs etc (my partner said I looked 7months pregnant). Gained a kg in space of a week and even when bloating etc passed after 5 or so wweks,, weight never reduced. Same happened a few months ago and gained yet another kg in space of a week along with a month of alot of hormonal activity ( spotting, sore breasts, bloating etc). Anyone else experience this? I was eating the same amount all along and exercising the same so makes no logical sense.
I'm even more active than I was years ago and do heavy weightlifting so have more muscle than a typical 20 year old so it's no related to loss of muscle mass or resultant slowing of metabolism.

[Shannonplussed]

I can relate. When I had perimenopause a couple of years ago, I was struggling a little more to keep my weight where I was happy with it. It was edging up, but still within my setpoint range. However, since last year when I went off the birth control pill and was thrown into hormonal turmoil (which was found to be early menopause at age 42), I gained 40 lbs very quickly over 5 months. It has not shifted at all, despite now being stable with HRT and increasing weight-bearing exercise. I used to gain muscle mass easily, but now it is covered by a much higher body fat % than I've ever had. I've had a full work up with an endocrinologist and the final verdict is that:  they don't know why, but my set point seems to have increased. My body appears to be quite content at this higher weight. And as I can relate to eating disorder recovery, I am reluctant to manipulate my diet to try to suppress my weight, because it's a very slippery slope.

[Bungo]

You've had a tough tide , that's very young to have to deal with menopause and all its crap. At least it seems to have stabilized since HRT . Had you actually passed menopause before you went on hrt  or still perimenopausal? If I have another episode where I gain some weight almost overnight , maybe I'll insist my GP puts me on hrt although she is of the school that says you need to be post menopausal before starting.

[Wilks]

Hello
I'm 51 now, and started with peri menopausal symptoms 4 years ago. I've done a lot of sports all my life, always been fit and never overweight, never needed to diet, and then - despite no changes in my diet or exercise - my waist thickened overnight and I've struggled with it ever since. It's frustrating and affected my self confidence. Along with the cycling that I do regularly, I started training with weights, and doing lunges, squats, press-ups, and core strength work which has helped my confidence, my physical strength, and hopefully my bone density too.

[Bungo]

I just don't get how can literally happen in space of a week though. If there was a gradual increase over a year, then I'd say yeah I need to cut back a little but it's scary how a big fluctuation in hormones can cause dramatic change in weight almost overnight. This means have literally no control over it which for someone with my history is terrible.  The only reason I'm tolerating it so far is because I'm powerlifting so can tell myself that most of the 2kg is muscle and  not fat.

[dangermouse]

After losing a lot in early peri as couldn't hold down food due to migraine nausea, I then became a stone heavier to my usual baseline. For 4 years  I tried every diet and way of eating, including basic calorie counting and it wouldn't shift. Since my periods stopped a few months ago, I tried the calorie counting and it's working again and gradually going back down. Such a relief.

So I agree with Birdy that it can be high oestrogen. Potentially linked to higher insulin.

[Bungo]

That would tally with the sore breasts and bloating coinciding with the sudden weight gain. So hrt won't really help for now as it wouldnt prevent these spikes in ostrogen? At least when post menopausal I may gain back some control. It sounds silly but this is my biggest fear since I was 15 when first developed anorexia and am afraid it will send me spiralling down that road again. Ive been prioritizing being healthy and accepted being 3 or 4 lbs over what I would like but if I get alot of weight gain then it would be a different story.

[Erika28]

You suspect it's high oestrogen but have you verified this by getting blood tests? Research indicates oestrogen prevents weight gain, especially in the waist area and around perimenopause, estrogen drops.

[Bungo]

Haven't a clue just know it coincides with periods of excess hormonal activity or imbalance( whatever causes sore breasts and bloating during perimenopause)

[Erika28]

I would verify just to validate. You may be surprised...Perimenopause is a period during which hormones drop, not a period of excess. Period of "excess" is pregnancy.

[Bungo]

Maybe it's more imbalance  then?  On the mini pill which I thought suppressed
natural progesterone so my progesterone levels should be stable . I'll wait for the next bout of 'off the scale' activity and try get appointment to see GP to get bloods. Because I'm a normal weight , she isn't inclined to take this seriously so I'll have to come up with another reason/side effect of menopause to convince her :-)

[Erika28]

The minipill contains a progestogen only. Why are you on that? It is anti-estrogenic.

[Bungo]

Am on it for contraception, been on it for 10 years. I guess I need to come off soon so I can test if am post menopausal. Am loath to mess around even more with hormones so thats why putting off coming off it. Don't want to be in a worse mess than am now. I may come off it a few months before am due to see GP next ( 4 months time for my 6 monthly checkup) so she can test bloods. Afraid of going from frying pan into fire if I quit it though.

[Bungo]

During peri, your progesterone tends to drop faster than your oestrogen, so you are technically high oestrogen in relation to progesterone, even if your oestrogen is in the low range. Having higher oestrogen than progrsterone causes bloating, weight gain , mood swings, misery, sadness and brain fog.
Low and high oestrogen have similar symptoms.

Wouldnt my being on mini pill mean my progesterone is consistently high though?

[Shannonplussed]

I can also relate to the weight flux literally overnight. In November, I suddenly lost 5lbs overnight. I don't know why, but clearly fluid related because it was so fast and significant. It stayed off for about two weeks. I was happy that something shifted! But then again, overnight, the 5lbs came back on and have stayed. I'm trying to hard to figure out what tipped the balance back then but I can't recreate it. Sometimes I think I need more progesterone--I will be looking into a Mirena once I get an appt; hopefully that helps with the overall fluid balance since it acts locally rather than systemically.