Building Muscles During Menopause With Extra Estrogen Power

Can you still build muscle after menopause? Using estrogen supplements increases muscle response to strength training in women who have entered menopause.

Highlights:

When menopause starts, women consider hormonal therapy containing estrogen
There is one specific advantage of hormonal therapy when it comes to strength training
Women who lifted weights while wearing an estrogen patch had greater muscle growth

Greater muscle growth and an improved cholesterol profile are seen in women who work out while wearing estrogen patches, according to new research published in Frontiers in Physiology.

Menopause brings in a whole lot of changes in the body of women and most of them lead to troublesome symptoms that influence the quality of life of these women adversely.

Are�Menopause Symptoms Troubling You?: Try these Options
Menopause symptoms ignited during the cessation of the menstrual cycle can affect the quality of life. Menopause symptoms can be treated with hormonal and non-hormonal remedies.

‘Women who receive estrogen through a patch on the skin after entering menopause showed greater muscle growth while lifting weights.’

Long-term sequelae, such as osteoporosis, sarcopenia, pathological neurological problems, and cardiovascular events also tend to increase. The lack of estrogen could be the main culprit behind menopause.

To accommodate these changes, many women consider initiating hormonal therapy containing the sex hormone estrogen. There are advantages and disadvantages to hormonal therapy.

A new study from Aarhus University is trying to document one specific advantage when it comes to strength training and the preservation of muscle mass in women who wear an estrogen patch while exercising.

Estrogen: The Friend in Need for Women Who Wish To Increase Their Muscle Mass

A total of 31 healthy, early menopausal women who had not previously participated in strength training participated in the 12-week trial. Throughout the period, the women wore either a placebo patch or an estrogen patch (transdermal estrogen therapy) on their abdomen and performed supervised strength training three times a week.

What is Menopause?
Menopause is defined as the state of permanent cessation of menstrual cycles (periods) for 12-months.

The group receiving extra estrogen had significantly greater muscle growth – the increase in muscle cross-sectional area was 7.9%, compared with 3.9% in the placebo group ().

The results add to the plus list when it comes to considering estrogen therapy in the early stages of menopause. The analysis of muscle stem cells reveals that the potential for muscle growth seems to be greater when the estrogen levels are elevated for long training periods.

Short Menstrual Cycle may Signal Early Menopause
Does short periods mean early menopause? Yes, women with shorter menstrual cycles (fewer than 25 days) during their reproductive years are more likely to have early menopause.

After 12 weeks, they saw that the increase in whole-body fat-free mass was 5.5% in the group receiving estrogen, compared to 2.9% in the placebo group. They assume that the larger increase is explained by an increase in muscle mass ().

Exercise is Good No Matter What Supplements Are Taken During Menopause

The women in the estrogen group experienced greater positive changes in key health indicators, such as cholesterol levels. Only the estrogen group had an improved cholesterol profile. Therefore, it is important to exercise during menopause, whether you choose to take hormone therapy or not.

The research results also underline the fact that all women can optimize their risk profile through regular physical activity and should aim for following the recommendations for physical activity.

Can Childhood Abuse Trigger Worse Menopause Symptoms?
Can childhood abuse affect menopause symptoms? Psychosocial stressors (sexual abuse or financial instability) can affect menopause symptoms and well-being among women in midlife.

Whether you take estrogen supplements or not, physical training has a positive effect on the majority of lifestyle-related diseases and gives you more energy to stay physically active well into old age.

References:

Transdermal Estrogen Therapy Improves Gains in Skeletal Muscle Mass After 12 Weeks of Resistance Training in Early Postmenopausal Women - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7853242/)
Estrogen modulates metabolic risk profile after resistance training in early postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled trial - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34726661/)

Source-Medindia