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[J butler]

I’m 60 post menopause haven’t been on hrt I eat less than I’ve ever done this belly is getting me down I’ve ordered happy hormone tablets said to balance hormones maybe a waste of money we will see has anybody else tried these tablets if so what did you think .

[CLKD]

R U able to explain more about your 'belly'?   My apron dropped several years ago so when I look downwards I look fat, laying down I'm slim 

My belly can be problematic as I suffer with slow transit 

[J butler]

It’s like I look pregnant the rest of my body is slim I’ve never been fat so hard to shift it when the cravings for anything sweet which I used to hate anything like that

[CLKD]

Yep, that's me now after a day of being relatively slim. 

If U are craving sugars mayB U need to note what you eat 24/7 for 3-5 days.  Adding more fruits and veg to the diet can stave off fancying sugars.  I've altered my diet and cut out most ultra processed foods in the last 2 years and feel a lot better; apart from in recent weeks.  I haven't yet sussed what is causing my big belly 

Have U had a full blood count and urine test in the last 6 months, it might be wise as a first step.  Especially thyroid function tests because as our hormones alter the thyroid can alter.

[J butler]

Thankyou I’m going to try and eat better like you it’s like the belly grows over night but I will go and see my gp for tests you never know may help.

[CLKD]

Whereas my behaves overnight and grows during the day  - like now, I feel bloated but can't work out why 

And yes, I'm fed up too.

[joziel]

J Butler, there are several things to check out here.

Sudden bloating or increase in the abdomen can be a symptom of ovarian cancer so really should be checked out and mean a visit to the GP.

If it is gradual weight gain which has happened over years, then it's likely due to your loss of estrogen. It is well known that low estrogen slows metabolism down and causes fat to be deposited on the stomach and not on the bum/hips (or less there). That is the shape of a menopausal woman not on HRT - a big meno belly, often still with slim legs and bum.

Before you get told it's too late for you to start, you really should consider beginning HRT.

Lastly, you should also ask your GP to check your thyroid because hypothyroidism is very common in women as they get older and also causes weight gain. Your GP will just test your TSH though, and you need T3, T4 and thyroid antibodies tested - so you really need to test your thyroid yourself via Medichecks . com if you can. The Advanced Thyroid Panel with them can be done at home with a finger prick test and posted back.

[VioletAquarius]

Hi J Butler

I too have a big pot belly, I look about 7/8 months pregnant, and slim everywhere else.

Mine has been like it for a good few years, though has got worse these last few years. I'm 2 years post meno.

I have an underactive thyroid, but get tested every year and it's been fine for years now with no change in dosage thyroxine prescription.

I just don't know what's causing it, but I hate it and nothing I wear can disguise it.

Fibroids can also make your stomach big apparently, but I don't have any.  Not sure if you've been checked for them.

[CLKD]

Interesting.  Fibroids would remain the same shape?

This morning I am completely flat, I can see my pubes when in the bath laying down.  Last night ......... I've really nothing to talk to the GP about  as my symptoms are convoluted    but the discomfort when my belly is big is horried.

It's now beginning to grow  .  2.5 hours after eating a light lunch.

[joziel]

Violet if you know you have thyroid issues, you really should get a full thyroid panel run privately. You can get a finger prick test done with Medichecks at home. Otherwise your GP will only test TSH which is completely useless for telling anything. You can have totally normal TSH and be very low thyroid. Here are my last tests before I went back on meds:

TSH        2.38
free T3    2.6L (3.1-6.8 )
free T4    12.3 (12-22)
Total T4    64L (66-181)
rT3            17    (10-24)
Reverse T3 ratio 0.15

As you can see, my TSH is totally normal. My T3 - the most important and active thyroid hormone - is way below range. My T4 is barely in range and total T4 is below range. My rT3 is too high for how low everything else is. This is an awful thyroid panel which would have gone completely unrecognised by an NHS GP who only tests TSH. It's really important to get a full thyroid panel run.

It might also mean that you are not on enough estrogen. Many women are put on micro starvation doses of estrogen because that's really what HRT is about - symptom control - not returning women to the optimal doses of estrogen they used to have in youth. Moreover, women are not even tested if they are on the licensed dose - so many women think they are "on" HRT when really they're not absorbing it well at all. If you are post-meno, you can test your E and make sure it is healthily high...