4 Signs Your Hormones May Be Behind Your Fatigue and Weight Gain

Don’t dismiss fatigue and weight gain as a normal part of getting older. While a lot of people slow down through the years, you’re not consigned to a fate of feeling heavier and more tired. 

Sometimes, these changes come from hormonal imbalances. Correcting those imbalances can offset those symptoms and improve your overall quality of life.  

Here at Discovery Medical Center, Pekka Soini, MD, FACOG, can help you determine what might be contributing to those symptoms. At our office in Midtown Logan Square in Chicago, he evaluates you for other symptoms like irregular bleeding. 

This way, Dr. Soini can help you figure out what’s behind your feeling heavier and more tired. For a lot of women, hormones are in play. Here are a few signs that’s true for you. 

#1: Nothing else has changed

The biggest indicator that your symptoms are coming from something systemic is the absence of external factors. 

If you’re gaining weight but you’re still eating and exercising like you always have, for example, something underlying is probably contributing. Or if your fatigue is new but your sleep habits haven’t changed, there’s a chance your hormones are at play.

Look at your lifestyle. If it hasn’t shifted but your symptoms have, it’s worth talking to Dr. Soini. 

#2: You have irregular menstrual bleeding

Your period can tell you a lot about your hormone levels. Are you dealing with irregular bleeding — a very heavy or long period or bleeding between periods — and fatigue and weight gain? You might have hypothyroidism, which can contribute to all of those symptoms. 

#3: You’re struggling to get pregnant

Another hormone-based issue can contribute to gaining weight and feeling tired all the time. Formerly called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), medical experts now call it by its more accurate name: polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS). 

The hormonal imbalances behind PMOS can also contribute to infertility. Fortunately, Dr. Soini can help you address this condition to improve your likelihood of getting pregnant. 

#4: You’re in your mid-40s

Menopause has direct links to both weight gain and fatigue. You might notice these changes as you approach menopause (somewhere between the mid-40s to mid-50s for most women). 

As your estrogen and progesterone levels drop, they can combine with age-related lifestyle changes like becoming less active. On top of this, perimenopause and menopause often affect your sleep, contributing to fatigue. That makes you less likely to work out and more likely to make less healthy food choices. And all of that compounds the problems of both weight gain and persistent tiredness. 

Do any of these signs sound familiar? If so, don’t wait to call our office or book your appointment online today.