Menopause and Weight Gain

Many women find it hard to control their weight during menopause. Most put this down to poor diet or lack of exercise, and feel frustrated when their usual approaches to weight management stop working.

In fact, the hormonal changes that menopause brings are a significant factor in weight gain — and understanding why this happens is the first step towards managing it effectively.

Why menopause causes weight gain

As menopause approaches, production of the body’s two major hormones, oestrogen and progesterone, starts to fall. This in itself is entirely natural. However, the rate at which these hormones decline is not equal.

In Western societies, a combination of factors — including extended use of birth control, processed foods, and environmental toxins — cause progesterone levels to drop much faster than oestrogen. The result is a condition called oestrogen dominance.

Oestrogen dominance is an imbalance between oestrogen and progesterone levels whereby, instead of the two hormones being relatively equal to each other, the ratio of oestrogen is elevated. This can occur even with low oestrogen levels, and the symptoms are easily recognised: hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings, and — significantly — weight gain.

The thyroid connection

One of the less well-known effects of oestrogen dominance is its impact on thyroid function. When oestrogen is not adequately balanced by progesterone, it can reduce thyroid effectiveness.

The thyroid gland is the body’s metabolic engine — it controls how efficiently your body converts food into energy. When thyroid function is impaired, the consequences are significant:


This is why so many women find that the weight piles on more easily during menopause and that slimming down is much harder, despite eating no more than they used to. The problem is not a lack of willpower — it is a hormonal issue affecting how the body processes food.

For more on the relationship between hormones and thyroid function, see our article on hypothyroidism, oestrogen, and weight gain.

How oestrogen promotes fat storage

An overabundance of oestrogen can also decrease natural lipolysis in adipose tissue (fat tissue) through the oestrogen receptor ER-alpha. In other words, oestrogen dominance may prevent the natural breakdown of fat in the body.

This effect is especially pronounced for abdominal fat — the type of weight gain that so many menopausal women experience. Fat tends to accumulate around the abdomen, hips, and thighs, even in women who previously carried weight elsewhere.

The cruel irony of increased weight gain due to oestrogen dominance is that women continue to produce oestrogen in fatty tissue — particularly in the belly, abdomen, and thighs — making the whole situation worse. The more abdominal fat that accumulates, the more oestrogen is produced, and the harder it becomes to break the cycle.

As Dr John Lee wrote: “There are no doubt good evolutionary reasons for some of oestrogen’s seemingly negative actions on the body such as water retention and weight gain. If we think of oestrogen in terms of procreation and survival of the fetus, it would seem advantageous to the baby for the expectant mother, in times of famine, to store body fat.”

It is not just about calories

Understanding the hormonal component of menopause weight gain is crucial because it explains why calorie counting and exercise alone are often insufficient.

When your metabolism has been slowed by thyroid disruption, and your body is actively storing rather than burning fat due to oestrogen dominance, the standard advice of ‘eat less, move more’ does not fully address the problem. This is not to say that diet and exercise are unimportant — they are essential — but they work best when the underlying hormonal imbalance has been addressed.

Many women spend years battling menopause weight gain with diet and exercise alone, not realising that the hormonal imbalance is working against them. Addressing the root cause can make all the difference.

How natural progesterone can help

Supplementing with natural progesterone products like Wellsprings Serenity can help restore hormonal balance and in doing so make weight control throughout menopause much easier to manage.

By bringing progesterone levels back up in proportion to oestrogen, natural progesterone supplementation helps to:


Natural progesterone is not a weight-loss product in itself. Rather, it addresses one of the key barriers to weight management during menopause — the hormonal imbalance that makes the body store fat and resist losing it.

Practical tips for managing weight during menopause

While natural progesterone addresses the hormonal component, a holistic approach gives the best results. Here are practical steps that work with hormone supplementation:

Prioritise protein

Protein helps maintain muscle mass, which naturally declines during menopause. Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat, so preserving it helps maintain your metabolic rate. Include protein with every meal — fish, eggs, lean meats, legumes, and nuts are all good sources.

Eat more fibre

A high-fibre diet supports hormone balance in two ways: it helps the body eliminate excess oestrogen through the digestive tract, and it keeps you feeling full for longer. Vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and fruits are excellent sources.

Reduce processed foods and sugar

Processed foods and refined sugar can spike blood sugar levels, promote insulin resistance, and increase fat storage. During menopause, when the body is already predisposed to storing fat, reducing these is particularly important.

Include resistance training

While any exercise is beneficial, resistance training (weights, resistance bands, bodyweight exercises) is particularly valuable during menopause. It helps maintain and build muscle mass, supports bone density (important for osteoporosis prevention), and boosts metabolism.

Manage stress

Chronic stress raises cortisol levels, which can further disrupt hormonal balance and promote abdominal fat storage. Regular relaxation practices — meditation, yoga, walking, deep breathing — can make a meaningful difference.

Prioritise sleep

Poor sleep is linked to increased hunger hormones, reduced willpower around food, and higher cortisol. Night sweats and insomnia are common during menopause, but improving sleep hygiene and addressing the underlying hormonal imbalance can help. See our sleep capsules for additional support.

Be patient

Weight management during menopause requires patience. Hormonal balance does not restore overnight, and the body takes time to adjust. Focus on sustainable changes rather than crash diets, and celebrate improvements in how you feel — energy, mood, sleep — as well as what the scales say.

Additional support

Wellsprings has also formulated a natural weight control capsule, optimised for the menopause. It contains vitamin C, B-6, chromium, GLA, CLA, green tea extract, L-carnitine, turmeric, and CoQ10 — nutrients selected to support metabolism, energy, and healthy weight management during the hormonal transition.

For women experiencing weight gain alongside other menopause symptoms such as hot flushes, mood swings, or disrupted sleep, addressing the hormonal root cause with Wellsprings Serenity remains the recommended first step.

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