Hormone Replacement

Women: Are Your Hormones Stopping You from Losing Weight?

Many women find that as they approach menopause they start to gain weight – even though they’re not eating more and their activity level hasn’t decreased. In fact, many menopausal women increase their amount of exercise and go on calorie-restrictive diets only to find that they still can’t lose weight!

For other women, their weight may stay constant but fat starts to be distributed differently as they age – typically with more stubborn fat around the middle or “belly”.

If this is happening to you as you get older, it’s not your fault … your hormones are very likely to blame! As a woman’s reproductive years draw to a close during menopause her hormone levels change and decline. And while most people are familiar with the hot flashes and mood swings of menopause, they don’t realize that decreases in hormone levels are also the cause of stubborn weigh gain and belly fat.

The good news is that hormone level testing can identify if a decline in estrogen or other hormones is the cause of a woman’s’ weight gain. And, even better, 100% natural bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) can safely bring a woman’s hormone levels back into balance so she can lose those extra pounds, shed unwanted belly fat, and keep it off!

In this article Troy, MI area bioidentical hormone expert Dr. Ali explains how menopausal hormone imbalance can cause weight gain in women – and how BHRT can help you lose weight and get rid of unwanted belly fat.

How Women’s Hormones Cause Weight Gain

A woman’s production of estrogen, the primary female reproductive hormone, slows down as she approaches menopause. The body does this to stop the woman from ovulating and having menstrual cycles. Decreased estrogen causes a wide variety of symptoms and side effects – many of which will eventually subside, such as hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia and mood swings.

But, unfortunately some of the more serious side effects of menopause will continue for the rest of a woman’s life is she does not replace the hormones that her body is no longer making in sufficient quantities.

Increased risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes – as well as unwanted weight gain – are long term effects of menopause.

How the Female Hormone Estrogen Causes Weight Gain

There are a few reasons that female hormone decline causes weight gain and belly fat. In addition to being “sex hormones” estrogen and testosterone help determine the rate at which the body burns calories, as well where a woman’s body stores fat.

So, as estrogen levels decrease, “metabolism” (calorie burning) also slows down. And, even if the woman consumes the same amount of calories, and gets in the same amount of exercise, she simply won’t burn as many calories as she did when she had higher levels of estrogen. So, the body stores the unused calories as fat – most typically as belly fat.

Additionally, estrogen is also responsible for helping the body break down stored body fat. So, when estrogen levels decline the body can’t break down and eliminate fat as well and it accumulates around the middle.

Further, if a woman’s estrogen and testosterone levels get reversed, with more androgens (male hormones) than female hormones it can also increase the risk of obesity.

Other Hormone Imbalance Causing Women’s Weight Gain

Adding to the problem of menopausal female weight gain is the hormone leptin – which also declines in production after menopause. Leptin is the hormone that tells the brain to feel “full” when a person is eating. So, when leptin levels decline in menopausal women, it actually does take more food to make them feel full. And because they feel hungrier, they may eat more than they did when they were younger.

Cortisol levels also rise among many women during the later stages of menopause. Cortisol is the hormone that regulates blood sugar and interacts with insulin. When cortisol levels increase, blood glucose also goes up, and the insulin drives blood sugar into the cells which causes fat deposits.  Additionally, cortisol also increases appetite which can also lead to weight gain.

Thyroid hormones can also get out of balance during menopause.  The thyroid hormones also help govern metabolism – how a woman’s body burns and how it stores energy in the form of weight gain or loss. So, when thyroid hormone levels decline (“hypothyroidism”) the body has trouble burning energy (calories), and weight gain accumulates.

Hormone Replacement for Women’s Weight Loss

As you can see, hormone decline can cause women to start accumulating extra weight and fat around their middle – typically as early as age 40 when hormone decline starts.

And while weight gain can lower a woman’s self-confidence, weigh gain is much more than a cosmetic issue! Increased levels of body fat – especially around a woman’s mid-section middle – can dramatically increase a woman’s risk for almost every serious chronic disease, including: cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stroke, Type 2 Diabetes, and even cancer.

Of course, reducing calories and increasing exercise is a healthy component of any woman’s weight loss regimen. But if diet and working-out are not enough to lose weight, replacing missing hormones can often provide the key to dropping unwanted pounds and inches.

Dr. Ali is a biodentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) expert at AMAE in the Troy, MI area.  He will identify your unique, individual hormone deficiencies and imbalances through comprehensive, specialized blood tests. Then he will customize an individualized hormone replacement therapy plan that is compounded in the exact doses formulated to restore your body’s hormone levels to perfect balance.

At AMAE in the Troy, MI area Dr. Ali uses only 100% natural, bioidentical hormone replacement pellets that are both safer and more effective than synthetic hormones, and also have far fewer side effects or risks than lab-created hormones.

In addition to being custom compounded for each individual woman’s unique needs, BioTe hormone replacement is administered in the form of miniscule, time-released pellets that can last from 3 to 5 months. During a single 5-minute procedure he inserts the pellet under the skin in the hip or buttocks – and it goes to work helping weight loss and alleviating menopause symptoms – while you forget about it! This is the most convenient form of hormone replacement therapy, in that there are no messy creams or gels to apply, no pills to remember every day, no patches to replace weekly, and no painful shots!

Additionally, these invisible, time-released hormone pellets continually deliver bioidentical hormones consistently and evenly under the skin – 24/7 – only as the body needs them! So, there is never the surging roller coaster that there is with hormone pills or shots.

Hormone Replacement for Women’s Weight Loss | Troy, MI Area

If you are a women in the Troy, MI area who has been unable to lose weight or belly fat as you get older – no matter how much you diet or exercise  – your hormones may be the root of the problem. In many cases, bioidentical hormone replacement can help return your metabolism to what it was you were younger – enabling you to efficiently burn calories so you can finally lose weight and get rid of unwanted body fat.

As an added bonus, BHRT can also help stave of many serious diseases, while also improving bone density, increasing energy, and improving sexual enjoyment.

If you live in the greater Troy, MI area schedule a bioidentical hormone replacement therapy consultation at AMAE – and let Dr. Ali help you lose weight, feel better and live a healthier, happier life.

Hormone Replacement for Women’s Weight Loss| Troy, MI Area: 248.335.7200