Does perimenopause/menopause make you feel bloated?!

[ThespianTendencies]

it may be unrelated of course but I am concerned and unconfortable with the way I look and feel. My weight has gone up by around 3 or 4 lbs recently and I cannot budge it at all! I mean I absolutely cannot get it to shift. I feel bloated and look it too. I feel uncomfortable around my lower abdomen. I don't mean I am in pain, I am not but I feel like I am fatter there. I work out, I walk for an hour per day minimum with the dogs, I eat a great healthy diet with fruit, fibre, veg and a good balance. Nothing has changed in that regard. But I feel really flat and bloated and I cannot think why. It is like my tummy feels tight sort of thing and sometimes I get the feeling you get when you are pg and your baby is kicking one one side. Shit! just realised I sound pregnant! No, I am definitely not...I'm 52 and recently had a light period so that is out of the question. Could it be someting else? Should I get it checked out at the docs? I'd feel a bit of a twit going and say I had gained a 3lbs and felt bloated! Anyone else experienced this?

It is PROBABLY weight gain caused by peri meno when it's hard to shift fat especially when it's on the tummy (this is how it goes in meno and post meno.) Even with a healthy diet, even 200 or more calories a day extra can mean weight gain. Walking for an hour a day is good but it will still only use up about 200 calories.
Have a look at this for ovarian cancer ( don't mean to scare you) and if you tick boxes, see your GP. If not, maybe try something like the 5:2 diet ( 800 cals for 2 days a week) and see if that shifts it.www.ovacome.org.uk/campaigning-volunteering/beat/

Absolutely get appt to see your GP to rule out uterine or ovarian problem but it is what happens in peri menopausal state.
I am lighter now than I have been for 7yrs yet have rolls round my abdomen that were never there before and won't shift.
I need 1000 calories or less a day now and I am very active, run 4x week etc.
It's bloody awful and unfair

Ugh! I have always been proud of my body and now I hate it! I will check tbe symptoms too - thank you. Here's to elasticated waistbands from here on in or 1000 cals per day...

You could watch when you eat your carbs - especially the pasta/rice/bread ones! My PT suggested that I would be wiser to eat the wholegrain versions only and only when I had earned them so either just before or just after an intense workout. The theory is that in 'women of a certain age' (hes only about 30 and put that so delicately ) excess carbs tend to settle round the middle and convert to fat if not burned off.

Being lighter but not smaller is a body composition thing. You lose muscle with aging and unless you do some resistance training, you will need less calories and have less tone.

Peak muscle is late teens naturally without training, that's why even if get back to your weight from then, you won't be the same size, as muscle is denser.

Pippylou while what yiy say is right, I was five stone overweight and did no exercise as a child and teenager, I lost weight around 43yrs of age, then took up running and trained with weights etc, last yr became peri menopausal and gained weight, so tighter diet to lose it again.
I am lighter than I was at 16 or 21 or 30 now... And I do same running and training.
Your body just changes...

They estimate you lose half a pound of muscle from 40 onwards each year and one pound every year after 60 iF you do no resistance training. Quite scary because that's 5lbs of muscle lost in your 40s and prob replaced with fat. I've lost it from my inner thighs so my legs look thin, even though I walk a lot and do lunges etc.

Thankyou all. I work out 3-4 x a week. I do weights, HIIT, cardio, circuits etc. Not the same every day so I should be in good shape. It’s not so much fat as bloat. If you saw me you probably wouldn’t notice but I do! I’ll get a doc’s appt.

Yeah, had that.

I've had to go pretty low carb to drop any weight, tbh.

I’ll drop the carbs for a while and see if that makes a difference. So annoying isn’t it!!?

For today though, I’m eating crisps.

I'm told dry white wine has 'not too many' carbs ...

Perfect!! Cheers 🎉

WEnt to docs today, having bloods and scans in next two weeks. Worried sick now.

I think you're being very sensible. Think of it as getting the ball rolling.

I’m terrified.

For me it’s harder to maintain my muscle mass and tone during peri and I need more and harder training.
My friends with the same same and not on meno, I am 42 and on hrt, say that they notice body changes as well.
Actually I lost weight when my peri started and I was terrified that I had a sort of terminal disease.
Every woman is different and we have to listen our body for answers.

With the same age...

Try to be a bit rational. The odds are it's not cancer. Worrying won't make it better or worse. It's more likely IBS or some sort of gut thing going on. In any case you've got the ball rolling so try to distract yourself with other things.

QueenoftheNights I literally am so stressed and frightened about it. I've looked at the symptoms a hundred times and the bloating (which is not enormous but I can feel it is bloated) and the weeing are the top two symptoms. I do not have IBS - never suffered with it. I cannot get the fear form my head. I feel dreadful.

it is one of the top two things that comes up on any search. I feel so worried.

Not sure what anyone can say to help.
The stats are it's unlikely- it's actually a rare disease.
Bloating can happen for all kinds of reasons. Weeing a lot could be anything- and being anxious excites the kidneys- you produce more adrenaline- so it could be your own worry.

You will have a scan in 2 weeks. Worrying will not change ANYTHING. Try to distract yourself- read, walk, yoga, phone a friend, watch a film, do housework. :) Remind yourself it is unlikely. And stop googling.

Thanks queen. The internet is dreadful for this. I’ll try to stress less. I appreciate your calming words.