Why Does Your Waist Thicken at Menopause?

When a woman is in the throes of perimenopause and then lands squarely in menopause. her metabolism has slowed, and she may have inadvertently become less physically active, which leads to weight gain. The weight gain, at this time of your life, will go to your belly, rather than to your hips and thighs as it may have done earlier in your life.

Body Changes

• Hormonal changes alter the way your body breaks down and then stores fat, which results in fat accumulating in your tummy and around your waist.

Waistline Increases Despite No Weight Gain

• You may notice that your waistline has increased even though you haven't gained any weight, and that’s because your hip and limb fat is decreasing as your waistline fat is increasing, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Estrogen

• When a woman’s estrogen levels drop as they do during perimenopause, fat distribution and body shape also change, according to annecollins.com. Fat is distributed in the stomach area much as happens with men of a certain age.

Active Cells

• The fat cells in your abdominal area are quite active and produce hormones and other substances that can be detrimental to your health and may lead to insulin resistance. Estrogen can also be produced by the tummy fat cells, which can up your odds of developing breast cancer.

Testosterone

• A decrease in the male hormone testosterone, which women also possess, can increase a woman’s body fat and reduce her muscle mass at the same time.
  Skin elasticity declines during menopause and sagging, loose skin occurs.