I am 46 (47 this summer) and going thru the pause. I swear... weight loss isn't easy, but THIS?!?!?!? ...just makes it SUPER harder (seems, anyway.) I'm doing everything right... calories, food log, exercising, etc... but this weight is just being stubborn to the bone.

Can a woman really lose weight during menopause?

Isn't it fun!

I did both at the same time ( great planning on my part!), so it's possible. The year I lost weight is also the year that I officially went into menopause -- quite a year, eh?

If you're doing everything right, it WILL come off! I think that we have to exercise a bit more and eat a bit less due to our whacked out hormones, but weight loss definitely is possible. Hang in there!

My body is so confused right now. I'm 50 and starting about a year ago my body seemed to be turning back into a teenager. I was getting my period MORE often. Then I thought I'd confuse it by losing weight. Then met a guy and went on birth control pills at age 50 for the first time in 18 years. Last night I had a hot flash...

I used to be like clock work and now it is anyone's guess...since last October to present...one month my pal would arrive every other week, then I go a month with nothing. Maybe I am in denial. I think (?) I might be pausing, am I too young (again denial)...I am 42.

perimenopause here for years..and this morning i was about to search if my period could come early from it...Natalie - same thing...

almost 43 here - got my period a week early -- blah, but my sister was completely through menopause in her 40's. She turns 45 this year and has been finished for about 2 years.

Here's my question. How will I know if I am perimenopausal if I take birth control pills? I'm supposed to stay on them until I hit menopause (reduces the risk of ovarian cancer)... Will I feel symptoms before going off the pill? Does anyone else feel symptoms, even though they are on the pill?

I would say I have approx. 1 hot flash per year, and other than that, no known changes... I'll turn 45 in 2 months.

I hope someone answers this because I'm planning to ask my doctor that question in April. I've had 2 periods since going on BCP at age 50, the first was fairly normal and the second extremely light. Will I just not get a period on the off week if my body is "pausing"? Dang it's fun to be a girl.

I guess weight loss can be acheived during menopause it just takes a lot of work and consistency. I'm not there but I am looking forward for it. i am tired of having my monthly visitor.....

sigh...I'm over 50 and still getting my period like clockwork...except in November..it didn't come...so I think I'm getting closer ...after Nov I'd hoped I'd miss a few in a row, but no, it came right on time in December, Jan and now February.

But, I've been perimenopausal for a few years, if moods and adult acne are any indicator. And weight gain. Yeah. It's been soooo easy to put the weight on and nearly impossible to take it off. Very difficult for me to lose weight and keep it off in the past five years. But I have to confess, one thing I have not done is add a sensible exercise program to my dieting these past five years.

I haven't started exercising this time around either, although I do make small efforts like parking far from the stores when I shop during the week and using the pedal exerciser at my desk a few times a day.

My eating plan this time out is effective so far, but I think to have real success I am going to have to get off my butt and move, too.

I have no symptoms other than the abundance and then lack of periods, so that is perimenopausal, right? I will add that I am not on birth control. I am at a point in my life where periods are just a nuisance and I would prefer not to have to deal with them, but I know weight gain or stubborn loss is a side effect of the hormonal changes. Anyone...what does a hot flash feel like?

I have a Mirena IUD. They last for 5 years - my doctor said when the 5 years are up, they will do blood work to see if I'm in menopause (I'll be 51 when that happens) and if not, they'll just put in another Mirena for another 5 years. With any luck, I'll go through menopause somewhere along the way and not notice!! lol!

I don't know if I they have to have it out for a while before they can test, so similarly, if you'd have to be off BCP, but check with your doctor, I'm sure they've got a way to test.

Natlie, I can't speak for anyone - but for me...it's a sensation that starts inside...and you either gradually/or suddenly are way too hot...like overheating...from the inside-out...can include sweating, may not..

Have you ever been in a store during the winter - you're wearing a coat, and the heat is too warm in the store -- at first you're walking around - and you've walked in from outside so you don't notice it...but as you walk around, you're like..it's warm in here...then next thing you're taking your coat off...it's REALLY warm in here...then you're thinking - dear goodness, how hot did they make this store....you feel flushed and like you're overheating -- sort of like that...there's a sensation that goes with it for me...hard to explain, but it's like labor...YOU KNOW

Can last for few minutes or a long time...

the funny thing is I had the stomach flu last week, and RIGHT before I "ahem, got sick" i started to get this flush coming through my entire body, and i laughed (sarcastic) that it felt like a mini-hotflash...right before...blahhhhhhhhhhh

I've been getting hot flashes on/off for about 4 years or so - but not as much lately - I go through cycles, a lot of them for a few weeks, then none for awhile, then a couple weeks of them...then nothing...

hi Heidi...
I can tell you about my experience - and keep in mind, we're ALL very different!

I began perimenopause at 42. OB/GYN told me that women who never give birth often do go thru it earlier than moms do. I've had it all - Hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain, mood swings, adult acne, cramping, crazy bleeding (so fun) - way worse than my teen-menstrual years! I have been in it for nearly 5 years now. I am taking some herbal products and they do help, esp. with the hot flashes & night sweats.

My periods have been lighter & lighter, usually only light flow for 1 or 2 days... and some months, nothing at all. Then suddenly, this month, I bled like a stuck pig for nearly 5 days, and clotted pretty bad, too. Crampy, headachey, back achey.... good lord, it was like I was 13 again.

About 3 years ago, I was on Yaz b/c pill, to help with my many womanly maladies. It worked like a charm! - no cramps, no headaches, acne cleared up - only had a period every 4 months! - LOVED IT! - Until I couldn't breathe. Why? Pulmonary Embolism. I'm lucky to be alive. So now I'll never be able to take hormones (synthetic or real) ever again. And I've gained SO MUCH weight since then... about 50 pounds. (I've lost about 12 since October.)

It just seems that now I've been in perimenopause & hitting menopause quickly, it's really MUCH HARDER to lose the weight. I have been really watching the calories & exercising, and yet my body just seems to be flipping me off at every turn. I mean... 12 pounds is nice & all... but ONLY 12? Since OCTOBER??? Stupid hormones.

I use a Mirena too (I'm on my second one). My GP told me that having one is not a problem when checking your hormone levels (done with a blood test). I was thinking of getting tested last year, since I was starting to get some perimenopause signs, but decided to wait a year to see if losing a bit more weight might settle me down.

I am not 100% positive I have begun the change, but I'm pretty sure a blood test will show that my hormone levels are heading south. I'm getting hot flashes (OMG - I always thought that women were exaggerating when they complained about hot flashes! Nope. I wake up drenched in sweat - wetter than if I had just jumped out of the shower.) and I find that my weight can fluctuate quite randomly due to water retention. Acne too - ugh.

I haven't noticed that I'm having any trouble losing weight, but I am doing it very, very slowly, and have been losing it that way from the start of my journey.

BP

Well that is quite an experience -- I hope things get better for you soon!