Help! Menopause - my middle is getting thicker!

[Zen]

Thank you, no.
I have enough demons without you, Sundial

[Laterider21958]

Hi. Last period was almost 2 months ago and if I really think about it the hot flushes began a few weeks after. It was hard to tell because we're in the middle of our hottest part of the year and our heat wave maximum was 47 deg C around that time. It was hot with out the flushes! I'm finding the flushes last about 4 or 5 minutes, but are beginning to occur more frequently. At times a couple of times in an hour. Won't take HRT as that's what my mother did and ended up with hormone related breast cancer. Looks like I'm going to have to get used it.

Regarding losing weight. When I turned 49 late 2007 I decided I needed to rid myself of a few kilograms so I began fast walking. Found that listening to fairly up-tempo music on my mp3 player helped to keep the pace going throughout the 5 km route. I began my walks when I had 5 weeks holiday, so walked most mornings, however when I returned to work could only walk weekends. In 4 months I lost 3.5 kgs and then a further 1 kg during 2008. Haven't managed to do much walking for a couple of months now, but have maintained my new weight. Eating habits haven't changed all that much other than eating a lot less bread (and butter I suppose). Like others have mentioned, my waistline gradually (and sneakily) got larger after I turned 40. The 4.5 kg loss in weight must have made a little difference to my waist as I feel much more comfortable in my clothes. Oh, and my "back roll" is less noticeable these days - perhaps the 4.5 kg came off my back!

[KathiCville]

I'm 50 and have had only two periods in the past year, so I'm definitely well on my way to being officially menopausal....YAYYY! I do NOT miss my period!

I have noticed that I'm a tad thicker than I used to be in the middle. I've always been slender and 'angular,' so it feels a little odd to have, mmm, 'curves.' Fortunately, doing yoga and/or Pilates regularly seems to help to maintain muscle definition. My BF has commented a couple of times recently that---to his eyes---I look like I've lost weight. I never weigh myself, but don't think I've actually dropped any pounds. I think he's just noticing the toning I get from mat-time.

Gone are the days when I could indulge my sweet tooth and count on working it off in a hurry! I definitely eat less starch (bread, pasta) and less sugar (candy, desserts) than I used to. S'OK because now my energy doesn't rocket up and down like the stock market.

My biggest challenges so far with menopause haven't been weight shift or hot flashes. Instead, the main annoyances are disrupted sleep and a ridiculously short attention span. Melatonin helps somewhat with the sleep. And my doc says that once I'm fully through the transition, the AWOL attention span should snap back into place. (Soon? Soon?)

[jobob]

My biggest challenges so far with menopause haven't been weight shift or hot flashes. Instead, the main annoyances are disrupted sleep and a ridiculously short attention span. Melatonin helps somewhat with the sleep. And my doc says that once I'm fully through the transition, the AWOL attention span should snap back into place. (Soon? Soon?)

OMG, I noticed the short attention span too. It doesn't even take shiny objects to distract me these days.

I was starting to worry that I might be in the early stages of Alzheimer's or some other dementia. Seriously! So it was very reassuring for me to read (here and elsewhere) that this is a common symptom of early menopause. Whew!

[OakLeaf]

Hmmmmmm. I was attributing the attention span to too much time on the computer.

Yippee!!! I can stay here without frying my brain!!!

[Dogmama]

Attention span....mmmm...yeah...what were we talking about? Oh yeah, the weather....

How about memory retention? I just returned to school this year..holy moly. I had a "check up from the neck up" this week and my shrink prescribed something called Cerefolin NAC. It is basically a drilled down form of folate acid (B vitamin), b-12 and an antioxidant. Just started taking it yesterday & have already noticed a surge in energy. He said it helps memory & actually is used in pre-dementia people. Anyway, I liked that it is natural - OK - as natural as a drilled down vitamin can be. I *seem* to be concentrating better but I'm thinking it may be a placebo effect. Or maybe not. What was I saying?

[sundial]

I used to have an excellent memory. Now it's shot. I forget words mid-sentence and it's really embarrassing. I feel like I've got a short in the brain.