Ep 11: Understanding Insulin Resistance During Menopause

📱 Send Us a Text Message! We’d love to hear from you! Please include your name and email address so we can reply. Don’t worry — this won’t sign you up for our email list. We’ll only use your info to respond to your question.Struggling with stubborn pounds around your midsection, despite sticking to a healthy diet and regular exercise, is a frustrating reality for many women as they enter perimenopause and menopause. Hormonal shifts—particularly a decline in estrogen—can trigger insulin resistance, making it harder to lose weight, control blood sugar levels, and maintain muscle mass.In this episode, the first of my Endocrine Series, we dive into what insulin resistance is, how decreasing estrogen during perimenopause worsens it, and the key steps you can take to monitor and manage it effectively. Tune in for practical tips to help you work with your healthcare providers and take charge of managing insulin resistance, weight changes, and overall metabolic health during perimenopause and beyond.Audio Stamps00:49 - Dr. Patil-Sisodia explains insulin resistance, detailing the pancreas's role and the two primary ways it can malfunction.02:26 - We learn about autoimmune attacks, where malfunctioning white blood cells target beta cells in the pancreas, reducing insulin production and causing type 1 diabetes.03:30 - We discover how changes in body composition and increased visceral fat can impair beta cell function, raising insulin demand and contributing to insulin resistance.06:48 - Dr. Patil-Sisodia highlights how decreasing estrogen during perimenopause worsens insulin resistance, making blood sugar control more difficult for women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.08:07 - We hear key steps to monitor insulin resistance, including tracking body changes, screening for diabetes risk, and discussing treatment options with healthcare providers.Thanks for listening. Find more info about Clearly Hormonal on the website or Instagram.