The battle of the bulge is one most women face at midlife as weight gain is one of the common effects of menopause. While women on average go through menopause at age 51, according to the Mayo Clinic, some women begin menopause prematurely. When that scenario plays out, symptoms often are more severe and can include rapid weight gain.
Causes
Several reasons may explain why a woman has begun menopause early, including premature ovarian failure, or POF; surgery; or cancer treatment.
Premature Ovarian Failure
Menopause that occurs naturally before age 35 is due to POF, says Dr. W. Scott Walker of OB-GYN Associates, based in Rhode Island. He says gynecological literature tends to distinguish between women who naturally go through menopause prematurely and those who go through it early due to surgery.
"Women are born with all the eggs they are going to have," Walker says. "Each menstrual period, quite a few of the eggs begin to mature, and typically, one will reach maturation."
Sometimes, the natural process just goes more quickly for some woman. "Given that the average (menopause) age is 51, that leaves a long spread when they can go through (menopause) early," says Walker, who is also a clinical assistant professor at Brown University School of Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The International Premature Ovarian Failure Association, or IPOFA, defines the condition on its website: "It could be (due to) a loss of eggs, a dysfunction of the eggs or the removal of the ovaries at a young age." Premature ovarian failure is also called primary ovarian insufficiency, premature menopause and hypergonadotropic amenorrhea, according to the association.
Other Causes
Surgery to remove ovaries or a hysterectomy, which is removal of the uterus, results in a woman's body no longer producing ovarian hormones and thus forcing early menopause.
Chemotherapy and radiation can cause a woman's ovaries to stop working and cause premature menopause, according to the website Epigee.
"There also is some evidence that suggests that women can go through premature menopause due to immunization issues, so there may be something going on that the immunological destruction of the eggs takes place," Walker says. "But that is still all kind of hypothetical."
Considerations
When women gain weight due to menopause, the extra pounds tend to settle around the abdomen. With premature menopause, that can happen very quickly. Weight distribution changes after menopause, Walker notes. The weight tends to settle in a woman's waist, rather than her hips or breasts. The common comparison is an apple shape vs. a pear shape.
Significance
Whatever the cause of menopause, the lack of certain hormones during this period in a woman's life can cause weight gain. "Your body's hormones have a direct impact on your appetite, metabolism and fat storage. This is why it is so difficult to control your weight during menopause because no matter what you do, fluctuating estrogen, testosterone and androgen levels will fight you all the way," Epigee notes.
Daily Exercise
Even with metabolic changes due to estrogen loss, women should do their part to fight unwanted weight gain. "The best way to combat this gain is to lower the calorie count of your daily diet and increase your exercise. Daily walking is a must for most women," says Dr. Gloria Bachmann, interim chairwoman of the Ob/Gyn department at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Menopause Symptoms
- Epigee: Causes of Early Menopause
- Dr. W. Scott Walker; Providence, R.I.
- International Premature Ovarian Failure Association: POF Fact Sheet
- Epigee: Menopause and Weight Gain
