We often associate weight gain with a clearly identified moment in life. However, according to several specialists, things are less obvious than they seem: a specific age seems to concentrate most of the first imbalances, well before the one we imagine.
There are phases in life where the body changes without noise, without a clear shift, but with signals that accumulate. A feeling of swelling, a number that slowly climbs on the scale, more present fatigue or changing food cravings. Many women experience this moment without necessarily being able to place it precisely.
Some doctors, like nutritionist Pierre Dukan, believe that this critical period is not what we think. In her clinical experience, it is not confirmed menopause that causes the most marked weight changes, but premenopause. An observation shared by several endocrinologists and gynecologists. Dr. Christiane Northrup, an American specialist in women’s health, also emphasizes that the hormonal fluctuations of perimenopause, which are often poorly identified, are the cause of metabolic changes that are much more destabilizing than menopause itself.
During this period, everything comes down to hormonal balance. The female body rests on two pillars: estrogen and progesterone. As long as these two hormones work together, the system remains stable. But from a certain point, progesterone begins to gradually decrease. The rules become irregular, sometimes spaced out, sometimes unpredictable, and each shift is accompanied by small effects which, taken together, have a real impact. This is a phenomenon widely documented in endocrinology: the progressive drop in progesterone precedes that of estrogen by several years, creating a temporary imbalance that is often underestimated.
The effects are known to practitioners: water retention, edema, mood swings, increased attraction to sugar. They influence both the body and behavior, without always being conscious. The weight does not settle in suddenly. It progresses in stages, like a succession of levels. We do not gain several kilos at once, but a few hundred grams which are added over the months, until they become visible.
Pierre Dukan, for his part, puts a number on this pivotal moment. He indicates that he has followed, during his career, around 30,000 women, and noted that the most common age of their first consultation was 48 years old. This benchmark is consistent with data from the medical literature, which generally places the start of perimenopause between the ages of 45 and 50, with a peak in weight gain around the end of the forties.
Highlighting this benchmark allows us to better understand that these changes do not occur overnight, but take place gradually. Several specialists therefore recommend anticipating from the start of quarantine, by adjusting your diet and physical activity, to limit weight gain over time as much as possible.
