Dr. Mary Claire Haver

But really where we're seeing the metabolic consequences and where we're seeing the hardest hits for women in perimenopause are going to be in fat cells, in the brain, in the liver, and in our muscle.

So it's not just fertility that changes.

It definitely changes, right?

But it is so much more than that.

It is your metabolism, is your energy stores, and it is your resilience.

So another common question we get this, I'm seeing this question right here.

I'm eating the same way.

as I always have, but I am suddenly gaining weight around my middle.

And my blood sugar is creeping up.

I feel more inflamed than ever.

What's happening?

Another similar question.

I've gained 15 pounds around my middle.

Despite eating well and exercising, my doctor says I need to eat less and move more.

But is something else going on?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Okay, let me break it down for you the best I can.

So the best way to explain this is

It's something I like to call, you know, we talked about earlier the musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause.

Well, I wrote a paper with a couple of medical students and Dr. Rocio Salas Whalen, where we coined the term the metabolic syndrome of menopause, specifically to look at a cluster of what's happening of increasing abdominal obesity or what you would call belly fat.