Natural Menopause

Hope I am not asking to many questions, just trying to learn.

If you keep your ovaries and go through natural menopause, do your ovaries continue to make the hormones albeit miniscule until you die.

Or do they stop completely making hormones at a certain point?

THEN

I hear something about estrogen and fat.....another question... does fat make estrogen or just store the estrogen the ovaries make?

To think...6 months ago, I had no idea just how important my ovaries were.

Thanks

Hello,

The way I understand it is that natural menopause is a decline in estrogen production not a cessation. After menopause, estrogen is still produced, although the form and amount change for th most part.

Then comes the weight issue and fat cells. As your estrogen levels fall your fat cells get signal to enlarge in order ot produce estrogen. A surge in estrogen doesn't cause more weight gain; a drop in estrogen does.

So to smooth the transition and help balance the body, your fat cells grow larger to start producing estrogen. The body makes an estrogen by converting a hormone called androstenedione into estrone that is supplied by the adrenal glands.

That is why it is important to find the right balance, if you are taking HRT and your body is producing it own estrogen than you are more apt to gain weight.

Geesh, seems llike the more I learn the more confusing it gets!
And it seems that as we age pass 35 we don't release fat as good as we were say at 25. But that's a whole other post!
Hope this sheds some
Gina