As a gynecologist, I feel I’m in a very special position. I get to accompany women through important turning points in their lives and play my part in creating encounters and moments where talking about even intimate matters feels possible and natural. Could weight management be one of those topics?
Life’s Turning Points
The first gynecologist visit is quite an exciting event, and many have questions about their own ‘normality’. It’s safe to ponder and discuss pressing questions with your own gynecologist, even when societal pressures regarding sexuality feel confusing.
Your gynecologist is also present when considering reliable contraception, or when struggling with excessive or painful menstruation. Pain during intercourse and relationship issues are common topics of discussion. People also come to the gynecologist’s office when a long-awaited pregnancy doesn’t happen, or when the test stick already shows two lines. The gynecologist follows along as the fetus grows, or even if the pregnancy is lost and grief fills life.
At some point, the phase when ovarian function declines also comes. It’s important to be able to discuss feelings related to menopause with a trusted professional, and from the gynecologist, a woman also gets help for symptoms that impair quality of life. It’s a privilege to accompany women through sensitive and important turning points throughout their lives.
However, it’s good to remember that at these turning points, weight management can also play a significant role in increasing well-being and having an impact.
Weight Management in Different Stages of a Woman’s Life
If a young woman receives support for weight management and succeeds in even a small weight loss, the risk of ovulation disorders decreases significantly. This regularizes the menstrual cycle and increases the possibility of becoming pregnant. The likelihood of heavy menstruation also decreases. Weight loss also likely expands the range of safe and effective contraceptive methods available, making it more likely to find the individually suitable solution.
Weight loss achieved before pregnancy brings significant benefits and well-being to both the mother and the future child. The risk of gestational diabetes and preeclampsia decreases, and often the mother has more energy to move during pregnancy, so musculoskeletal problems are not as burdensome. Childbirth is also more likely to proceed without problems or interventions. All this leads to a lower risk of diabetes and obesity for the child as well.
Towards the end of the fertile age, in perimenopause and during menopause, weight naturally starts to increase due to several factors. Hormone therapy for menopause can help with bothersome symptoms such as hot flashes and sleep difficulties, but weight management also plays a significant role. Good weight management has been associated with, among other things, fewer vasomotor symptoms such as sweating and hot flashes. It also significantly reduces the risk of breast cancer and uterine cancer.
Comprehensive Well-being
The goal is not dieting and rapid weight loss, or fitting into those mini-sized jeans lurking at the back of the closet. The goal is to achieve comprehensive well-being and all the positive effects that effective weight management can achieve in different stages of a woman’s life. These are not achieved by counting calories or restricting diet – “eat less and move more” is perhaps the worst and most ineffective advice one can give to someone struggling with weight management!
Support is needed, changing lifestyle habits in small steps, sometimes also additional help from medications, and above all, a compassionate and accepting relationship with oneself. Perhaps the most important thing, however, is to focus far enough ahead and on one’s own well-being, not on lost kilos or waist centimeters.
Emilia Huvinen
Gynecologist, Doctor of Medicine
