Why is my body changing post-menopause?

More research needs to be done to understand what women’s bodily experiences and bodily apprehensions are at menopause, says Dillaway. Photo: 123rf.com

On top of the hot flushes that she was experiencing “almost all day, every day”, as well as low energy levels and bouts of fatigue now and then, Jolene Singam says that the “rolls of fat” that have suddenly appeared around her mid-section is one of things that has been causing her distress since menopause.

“My body changed. And I don’t mean that I was just piling on pounds – the shape of my body was changing. My waist got thicker and my arms too. I was a clearly defined pear-shaped woman all my life but now, I was becoming a thick straight line,” says Jolene. “And it’s something that seemed to have happened almost overnight. Or over a few weeks.”