There are three hormones that affect metabolism: Estrogen, Progesterone and Testosterone. And yes, women also need testosterone. Estrogen and Progesterone drop significantly in what we all know as menopause which is a hallmark of change in metabolism. Testosterone, however, has a very gradual decline which begins as young as 30. The decline is so gradual that women often don’t notice and attribute the symptoms of low testosterone to getting older and having a busy life with raising kids, careers, etc.
There are four ways in which low testosterone in women contributes to increased belly fat.
Lower Energy
Testosterone gives us energy every day, if you don’t have energy you are less likely to be active and less likely to participate in various activities like exercise and meal prep.
Poor Body Composition
Low testosterone is directly linked to lower muscle mass and higher fat mass, including belly fat! A common sign of low testosterone is increased fat mass in specifically the abdominal area.
Slower Metabolism
As testosterone declines, so does your metabolism resulting in more difficulty in losing weight even when making significant lifestyle changes with diet and exercise. Women with low testosterone will often report applying the same diet and exercise plan they used in the past but without the same results.
Insomnia
Testosterone helps us stay asleep through the night. Low testosterone results in insufficient sleep which increases cortisol levels resulting in increased abdominal fat.
Solution: Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
Naturally increasing your hormone levels is an option for some people, however the overall result of this is very minimal. If you are lucky, you may see up to a 10% increase which is not significant enough for most people to see and feel a change. If the body doesn’t have the capacity to make the hormone, then all the supplements in the world can’t make that happen.
The best and most productive solution is to simply replace your hormones with Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). If you are interested in looking into this (highly recommend) you should book a Wellness Consult at Horizon with one of our qualified nurse practitioners.