Menopausal obesity

This narrative review paper aims at highlighting the menopausal obesity-related health problems in women, their effects on physical and mental health, the mechanism of its development and its impact on the functionality of the female hormones. Furthermore, we also try to understand the lifestyle behaviour patterns that cause deleterious health consequences, thus disrupting the production of estrogen and increasing hyperandrogenaemia (high levels of androgens) in postmenopausal females. Also, we have addressed some healthier lifestyle alternatives and the use of hormonal substitution treatment, if applicable. Menopause is characterized by a change in the hormonal structure in women, wherein, there is a rapid decline in estrogen levels, which is a major contributor to the central abdominal fat accumulation, reduction in subcutaneous fat and increase in total adiposity. Women after menopause are thus thrice as likely as premenopausal women to develop obesity and metabolic syndrome. There is a stark difference in the way the eastern and western societies perceive menopause.