What does exercise do for menopause?

Exercise cannot prevent menopausal symptoms, but it can decrease the frequency and severity of some symptoms.

They include hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, headache, lethargy and fatigue, irritability, anxiety, and depression.

In general, we encourage all women from before menopause to postmenopause to begin and stick with an exercise program.

Why do women gain weight after menopause?

After menopause, women lose up to 66 percent of their estrogen and 50 to 60 percent of their testosterone.

The estrogen loss occurs more quickly than the testosterone loss. Therefore, testosterone-related traits start to surface at the time of menopause.

Women may have increased intra-abdominal fat, typically associated with male-pattern body fat storage.

That's where you might see more of an apple shape, which is highly linked to an increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

Women also may lose their hair and have more hair on their faces.