Menopause is a term used to describe the time in a woman’s life when her menstrual periods stop permanently1.
After you go through menopause, your ovaries produce very little of the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone. The natural decline in hormone production that occurs during this time can cause a range of unpleasant symptoms including hot flashes, weight gain, high blood lipid levels, mood swings, vaginal dryness, sleep problems, and irritability.
Perimenopause, or the time leading up to menopause, generally begins in a woman’s late 40’s. Most women experience menopause around the age of 511.
Certain lifestyle and dietary changes, like intermittent fasting (IF) may be effective for women who are perimenopausal, menopausal, and postmenopausal. Unfortunately, although there’s plenty of research on the potential benefits of IF for premenopausal women, research investigating its effects in older women is limited2.
However, the little research we do have suggests that IF may have some health benefits for women over 50, like promoting weight loss3 and improving blood sugar regulation.
Overall, research findings4 suggest that IF affects older women in the same way it does younger women in terms of weight loss and metabolic benefits, but larger studies are needed to understand how IF impacts women during perimenopause and menopause, as well as postmenopause.
Also, IF may compromise the health of some older adults and may lead to changes in certain hormones, which we’ll cover later in the article.
Jillian Kubala, MS, RD
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