I don’t understand why I’ve put a stone on!

[Oldcrockpot]

Over the last 2-3 months I’ve gained a few pounds a week for no apparent reason and am a stone heavier! I can’t be pregnant as my periods have been heavy, very irregular and all over the place (this is not new, but they haven’t been as heavy as this since I had the coil about 18 months ago). No notable changes in routine or diet.

Any ideas? Has this happened to anyone and what was it? All my clothes are tight and I feel like a bloater!

(I am 39 and a healthy weight- but now getting to the top end of that! Have the coil and no new medication etc)

@Startinganew32 all people are saying is that it's something OP should consider as there's actually a ton of help out there if you ask for it.

Nobody's saying it turns you into a useless lump

How would she even check it - most of the time it’s self diagnosed. If you’re on hormonal contraception which a lot of women in this category would be then you can’t even have a blood test for any drop in hormone levels. I doubt a doctor will give HRT to her just because she’s gained some weight. And it literally is constant - any mention of anxiety, depression, aches and pains or other symptoms and someone pops up saying it’s the perimenopause.

While I understand that people don't like the idea of women being "dismissed " because of their hormones the reality is that a hormone imbalance or decline can cause a lot more issues than people realise.

That doesn't mean you become useless as soon as you reach 35 but it does mean that if someone is struggling they should feel comfortable asking their doctor for blood tests and support - they shouldn't be fobbed off or told it's just their age.

I think the main issue is that everyone is affected differently and at different ages, so whereas Jane may sail through menopause with no symptoms at all, Susan may well struggle from her mid-thirties. Unfortunately if you talk to a lot of "Janes" you can be left feeling dismissed and like you must be imagining things.

As you age your body burns less calories per day. That means that if you eat the same amount of calories, you will gain weight. You need to eat less calories or do more exercise to compensate for that.

@Startinganew32 well, speaking as someone who's just gone through a potential diagnosis at a young age, there is actually loads that can be done.

You can come off birth control to have blood tests and if you're below a certain age, you can get access to HRT if you have certain symptoms.

Unfortunately for me, my symptoms ended up being PCOS but the nurse I spoke to was excellent and made it very clear that she would prescribe HRT for me if my bloods and symptoms showed it would be beneficial.

Of course, not everything is perimenopause and not everything should be lumped under that umbrella, but it should absolutely be considered as medication etc. is available if you need it.

Women shouldn't be made to feel like they can't access help just because someone thinks it might make them look weak or useless 🥳

Really? Are we all cool with the internalised misogyny of “clucking hens brigade”?

Personally I'm just ignoring it - clearly they're bored and want a rise out of people.

Your metabolism doesn't actually slow down until you’re in your 60s and even then it’s marginal. People just tend to move less as they get older

Daily energy expenditure through the human life course

I didn't change my lifestyle and started putting the weight on gradually.

Then i did try to move more and eat less, and it didn't work. It's not that straightforward

Quite. The problem of women being thought of as too hormonal is a cultural and social one and should be addressed at that level, rather than deny reality. It doesn’t serve women to pretend that hormonal changes don’t exist or don’t affect anyone. It shouldn’t be beyond the wit of man to have a more nuanced conversation on this.

I didn’t personally use that phrase but I don’t think the constant emphasis on and public awareness campaigns about menopause or perimenopause are that great for women. If anything it strikes fear into people thinking they will gain weight, develop brain fog, become incredibly depressed and anxious, totally lose their libido and just generally have a shit time. For ten years. Who would look forward to that?

Same with PMS - most women cope totally fine with periods but you do get some who struggle.

Isn’t it a better use of resources to educate doctors about perimenopause so that if they think someone is experiencing symptoms they know what to do? I’ve already seen headlines in the paper and a pp mentioned this too that women’s cancer has been missed because it’s been written off as perimenopause. My workplace did some menopause awareness day and decided to lead with “did you know what over 10% of women have to quit their job due to menopause symptoms”. Right, well that’s cheery isn’t it. Whereas I didn’t even have a clue when my mum or aunt went through menopause because they didn’t make a monumental fuss of it and clearly didn’t suffer to the extent of having to quit work and feeling unable to function.

Was your coil copper or marina?

If you came of hormones then your body will naturally readjust to the change as it settle. Hormonal birth control can play havoc with people weight and periods.

Borrowed.....

Studies have found that our body composition changes when we go through perimenopause.
This includes an increase in fat mass and waist circumference and a decrease in muscle mass. Fat is also more likely to accumulate around the abdomen.
These shifts likely stem from several factors, including changes in reproductive hormones.
In fact, experts know that estrogen plays a role in energy metabolism, and studieshave shown that the way the body metabolizes fat and other lipids changes during the menopause transition.
For example, shifts in energy metabolism caused by fluctuations in estrogen may lead to the accumulation of body fataround the abdomen and an increase in “bad” blood fats.
These changes, in turn, are linked to health conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Experts call ghrelin the “hunger hormone” because it helps regulate appetite. It’s produced in the stomach and increases the sensation of hunger, prompting us to eat.
In addition, aging itself is linked with natural changes in body composition. For example, we lose muscle mass as we age, which is called sarcopenia. This results in a decreased metabolic rate — the amount of energy your body uses.
Both of these factors can contribute to weight gain.
Genetics may also play a role. For example, if members of your close family tend to carry excess weight around their abdomens, you’re more likely to, as well.

Hi @Oldcrockpot Ive not read the full thread so apologies if someone’s already suggested this.

Have you had your thyroid checked. One of the first things I noticed when I developed thyroid disease was gaining weight, along with losing body hair and having no energy. I was gaining weight at a rate of knots and my diet was healthy and calorie countered.

Weight gain/loss is a complex issue as many different body systems/hormones/meds/body composition/stage of life interact with each other.

I hope you get some answers soon 👍

Yes, I have really had to change me diet since peri.

I eat virtually the same diet every week and I have had to cut back on treats otherwise I just put on weight.

With me? I’m not dragged down anywhere, thanks, and the phrase peri peri chickens isn’t as clever as you think it is.

It’s perfectly possible to make salient points about the complexity of women’s health issues and the tendency for genuine issues to be dismissed without using such misogynistic language.

No, of course it doesn't.
Not even menopause.
I'd suggest underactive thyroid. Or alcohol consumption.

The facts remain, statistically proven. And easily googleable. The vast majority of women go through peri in their mid forties on. The vast majority of women going through peri do not have debilitating symptoms like they can a stone in 8 weeks. Put both together for this 39 year old woman and the odds of this being peri are minuscule. It doesn’t mean it can’t be, but posters hysterically going it is peri are overwhelmingly likely to be wrong. On top of this scientifally proven women entering peri do not need 200 calories a day less. Their metabolism doesn’t suddenly drop like this. It is a ludicrous suggestion and the science is also available to google.

the point being made is people are going too far attributing every single thing a woman has over the age of 35 to be peri or meno. Even in meno it’s something like only 5 percent of women have severe symptoms. And gaining a stone in a few weeks would be severe.

It is not remotely helpful to the op to tell her it’s peri and likely out of her control. When it’s is possibly her thyroid or she is quite simply eating and drinking more and moving less.

It’s winter, it’s cold and wet we spend less time outside, winter weight gain is common as we move around a lot less. The nights are darker we stay indoors a lot more. The shops are selling us high calorie foods from 1st October using their very clever psychology

Hormones don’t help in this period of life but I don’t think they mean all is lost and there is no hope.

I don’t think the cortisol weight gain theory has been proven it’s still a theory and the links are tenuous. It’s been a good way of people shilling services to people using the word cortisol though. Stress can lead you to eat more, and being overweight and make you stressed out. It is chicken and egg, are you stressed therefore eating more and have more cortisol or did the cortisol come out of nowhere to make you gain weight when you were not overweight to start with? And one way to reduce cortisol/ stress is to go for a walk, get exercise and make lifestyle changes to reduce your stress levels.

If you're really not eating more, maybe you should take a pregnancy test? I thought some women still got bleeding in pregnancy or complications with pregnancy.

I put on a stone at around 39-40, didn't eat more or move less (in fact, I increased my cardio to try and lose it, didn't work!). Your metabolism slows down as you get older and raised cortisol can make you hold on to weight as well.
As others have said, speak to your GP but if they don't find anything wrong look into cortisol and perimenopause as well as reducing carbs.

It is not remotely helpful to the op to tell her it’s peri and likely out of her control.

Nobody's saying that though - they're saying that peri could well be a possibility at 39 (many women are in it for a decade before they reach menopause) and that there are medications that can help her if that happens to be the case.

There's actually increasing research which shows many women are in perimenopause well before they realise - it also doesn't take much of a shift in your hormones for you to struggle - combine that with the fact that many people get increasingly sedentary with busy jobs and young children and it's very easy to see how you can put on a stone in 8 weeks.