French survey highlights weight concerns in menopause

A survey conducted in August by Courmayeur and Opinéra among 1,000 women aged 40 to 65 found that concerns about weight and body shape are more significant than worries about sleep disturbances during menopause or perimenopause. The study revealed that nearly one in three women felt they lacked sufficient information about this life stage, despite common symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats affecting 69% of participants.

Perimenopause has greater impact than menopause

The survey indicated that perimenopause, the transitional period before menopause, had a more significant impact on women than menopause itself. Thirty percent of women considered their symptoms important, compared to 17% of those already in menopause. This suggests that the physical and emotional changes during the transition phase are more pronounced than after menopause has fully begun.

Weight and body shape concerns more common in women

Half of the women surveyed expressed concern about their weight or body shape, which outpaced worries about sleep disturbances (37%) and loss of energy (30%). These concerns are more pronounced in women than in men, with research showing that women tend to express greater dissatisfaction with their bodies at all adult life stages, including after the age of 50. Unlike men, whose body image concerns tend to decline with age, women's concerns remain consistent over time.

Menopausal changes may explain body shape concerns

A 2019 study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry found that women are more likely to invest time in achieving their ideal appearance compared to men. However, as women age, they tend to appreciate their bodies more than men. The physical changes associated with menopause, including shifts in body composition, may partially explain the weight and shape concerns highlighted in the Courmayeur survey.

Body composition changes during perimenopause

Research published in JCI Insight in 2019 by Gail Greendale of UCLA, using data from the American cohort SWAN, found that weight increases gradually during perimenopause, without a sudden surge after menopause. However, the body undergoes internal changes, with fat gain rates doubling and lean muscle mass beginning to decrease at the start of the transition. This trend continues for two years after the last menstrual period before stabilizing. Fat replaces muscle without a noticeable change in overall weight, which may explain why many women feel their body shape is changing even if their weight remains roughly the same.