Menopause weight gain and belly fat
Weight gain in perimenopause and menopause is common, often at the waist. Menopause and HRT have not been shown to be the main cause of the extra pounds.
Menopause, explained plainly
Practical guides to perimenopause, symptoms, HRT, sleep, hot flashes and weight, with every health claim linked to the guidance behind it.
Topics
Pick the question you came with
A cycle gone strange, a night of sweats, a decision about HRT: each topic opens with a plain overview, then lists every guide on it.
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Perimenopause
Perimenopause symptoms and the first signs, how long the stage lasts, and hormone replacement therapy while periods continue.
2 guides
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Symptoms
Brain fog, anxiety, aches and other changes, and what each symptom usually means.
1 guide
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Hormone therapy (HRT)
What HRT is, the forms it comes in, who it suits and how the risks really stack up.
5 guides
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Hot flashes
Why the heat comes on, and which treatments have trial evidence, with and without hormones.
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Sleep
Why sleep breaks down in perimenopause and menopause, from sweating at night to 3am waking, and what helps you stay asleep.
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Weight and diet
Why weight changes in midlife, and how to eat for energy, bone strength and heart health.
2 guides
Latest guides
Every guide, newest first
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy
Bioidentical means the hormone molecule matches one the body makes. NHS body-identical HRT is a regulated medicine. Compounded mixes are not shown to be safer.
Does HRT cause weight gain? What the trials show
HRT does not cause weight gain, according to a Cochrane review of 28 trials. Early bloating and fluid retention can feel like weight gain, and both usually settle.
HRT risks in plain numbers: extra cases per 1,000
Extra cases of breast cancer, blood clots and stroke per 1,000 women on hormone replacement therapy, by type, route and how long it is used.
Menopause symptom checklist for your GP
A printable list of perimenopause and menopause symptoms, with how often each occurs and how much it bothers you, for a GP visit about hormone therapy.
How we write
Every claim comes with its source
Guidance first
Each guide follows NHS, NICE and The Menopause Society guidance, and the trials those sources cite. The link sits next to the claim, so you can open the original.
No made-up stories
You will not find invented patients, testimonials or "it worked for me" here. Where the evidence is thin, the guide says so.
Your doctor decides with you
We explain options and the questions worth asking. We never tell you to start or stop a medicine. Read the full editorial policy.