Perimenopausal weight gain is a real thing.

This is a fact.

It's common for weight gain to start a few years before menopause, during the time known as perimenopause. Weight gain often continues at about the rate of 1.5 pounds each year as a woman goes through her 50s.

When I meet with women to discuss the potential risks and benefits of menopausal hormone therapy - fear of weight gain with estrogen therapy is common.

But is this fear valid?

As discussed in my previous blog, chronic elevation of the stress hormone cortisol is one of the most significant root causes of health issues in many of my clients. It can have long-term effects on many aspects of health and well-being, including metabolism, sleep, brain, and mood.

Have you ever thought about what’s actually creating stress in your body? It might not be what you think.

If you want to train your body to be more resilient to stress (so it doesn’t have so much control over your life), it helps to understand stress hormones. There are 2 stress hormones I want you to know about: Cortisol & Adrenaline (also called Epinephrine).

In my 20+ years of practicing medicine, I have often found stress levels in my patients to be higher in May - especially for those with school-aged children. The problem with letting all that stress get to you is that higher levels of stress hormones can really MESS with your other hormones! The Stress-Hormone connection is REAL - and it’s a vicious cycle. As I often discuss with my patients, hormones “dance” with one another. When one set of hormones becomes imbalanced - this is likely to wreak havoc on other hormones.

February in Northern Michigan is often synonymous with low vitamin D (often referred to as “the sunshine vitamin”). Vitamin D (technically really a hormone) is made in our skin when we’re exposed to sunshine. We need it to absorb calcium for our bones and to keep our immune systems strong.