How to prevent weight gain during menopause? We asked Roberto Liguori, a gynecologist from Santagostino.
Every woman, at some point in her life, has to "deal" with menopause, a change that is not always experienced with serenity and that can lead to the appearance of a series of symptoms. Not only the famous hot flashes but also the tendency to gain weight. What are the causes and how to deal with it? We asked Roberto Liguori, a gynecologist from Santagostino.
Menopause is a very delicate moment in every woman's life and everyone experiences it in a different way, even if it is quite common to get caught up in anxieties and worries, which concern in particular the possible appearance of annoying symptoms.
The large hormonal fluctuations typical of this phase are at the basis of the changes that women experience and it is these upheavals that can lead to developing hot flashes, excessive sweating, irritability and more.
Fortunately, there are several women who experience menopause to their full potential, perhaps helped by a positive psychological attitude with which they face it, accusing fewer problems.
In most cases, however, women have a certain difficulty in adapting to the new conditions they live in and the help of an expert can undoubtedly be useful to better cope with the changes that the body is experiencing, including the tendency to gain weight. .
We then asked the gynecologist Roberto Liguori for some advice.
But let's start from the beginning, what is meant by menopause and when can it arise?
Menopause is the physiological event that coincides with the end of the woman's fertile age. Specifically, menopause is defined retrospectively: it corresponds to the period in which menstrual cycles have been missing for 12 months. It usually occurs between 45 and 55 years of age.
What are the most frequent symptoms?
The pre-eminent and initial symptomatology is vasomotor (hot flashes) but the symptomatic process includes widespread arthralgia, easy fatigue, decreased mood and libido, difficulty concentrating, vaginal dryness, pain during intercourse, urinary disorders, weight gain. The loss of the biological privilege linked to the production of estrogen exposes more to the onset of cardiovascular diseases and osteoporosis, which is why hormone replacement therapy should be encouraged, unfortunately still not prescribed today due to unjustified fears related to its intake.
What are the reasons why weight gain occurs?
It is believed that hormonal alterations cause weight gain but it has been shown that even more than estrogen deficiency the real and predominant cause is aging with a reduction in metabolism and less energy expenditure.
How to prevent the problem or keep it at bay?
From a dietary point of view it is preferable to eat low carbohydrate diets and moderate the intake of fats and proteins. An adequate lifestyle is essential, which requires constant physical activity and the abolition of smoking and alcohol.
What advice would you give to women about to go through menopause?
Menopause is "the challenge of a season" and a woman must be taught not to face it as if she were an enemy but to "go towards it" also because it is unavoidable!
