S17E4: Menopause weight gain: why simply eating less isn't the answer

So as I just mentioned, your survey found weight gain is the most reported symptom in perimenopause and menopause.

More than all those other things, hot flushes, all those things that we usually associate with it.

Were you surprised by that ranking? And why do you think weight gain doesn't get talked about as much as those other symptoms?

Yeah, I think it was interesting to see how common weight gain was.

I think eight in 10 women that we surveyed had experienced weight gain during this stage of life.

And as you said, we tend to associate those more recognizable symptoms of menopause, like hot flushes and poor sleep and irritability.

But we know that weight gain is really common.

Changes in body composition as well can be a real concern for women.

I guess why don't they get talked about? You know, hot flushes are probably a bit more unique to menopause.

So they do get talked about.

But, you know, I've read some research.

There's over 60 different symptoms that women report to experience during this perimenopause, menopausal transition.

Um, we don't all experience them.

We don't, we don't experience all of them.

Um, we don't experience them at the same time or with the same intensity.

So I think that, yeah, that makes it really hard because we're not just talking about one thing.

Um, but you're right.

Yeah.

Hot flushes, um, get talked about a lot, but you know, poor sleep, fatigue, irritability, they're all things that impact how we feel about ourselves and our health and wellbeing and how we go about every day.

Yeah, I mean, almost 90% of women said that menopause symptoms affect their wellbeing.

It's pretty huge.

And one in five said significantly so.

What does that impact actually look like day to day for the women in your data?

That intensity, I think, is really important.

What I think is important is that women have someone to talk to about these symptoms or these changes.