Hitting the menopause really does create a ‘spare tyre’ around your waist.
The ‘spare tyre syndrome’ is familiar with women worldwide and had been traditionally associated with the menopause.
It has now been confirmed that these suspicions were in fact true. Women lose their natural supply of the female hormone oestrogen after the menopause and this causes a shift of fat storage from the hips to the waist.
Women who once prided themselves on their hour-glass figures can notice themselves steadily becoming more apple-shaped.
Research leader Professor Susan Davis of Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, said: “It is a myth that the menopause causes a woman to gain weight.
“It’s really just a consequence of environmental factors and ageing which cause that.
“But there is no doubt that the new spare tyre many women complain of after menopause is real, and not a consequence of any changes they have made.
“Rather, this is the body’s response to the fall in oestrogen at menopause – a shift of fat storage from the hips to the waist.”
Even if women are watching their weight and there mightn’t be any change on the scales, they can still see themselves steadily changing shape.
The loss of the natural supply of oestrogen after the menopause can also lead to hot flushes, mood changes and night sweats.
The latest review, carried out to mark World Menopause Day tomorrow, is published in the medical journal, Climacteric.
The researchers also found that women tend to gain, on average, around 1lb a year throughout their midlife.
They are asking women to be more aware of the problems associated with excess weight and to take early steps to ensure they don’t gain too many pounds.
Professor Davis said: “What this translates to in real terms is that women going through the menopause should begin to try to control their weight before it becomes a problem, so if you have not been looking after yourself before the menopause, you should certainly start to do so when it arrives.
“This means for all women being thoughtful about what you eat and for many, being more active on a daily basis.”
