Cortisol and menopause are more connected than most women realize. As estrogen and progesterone shift during this transition, your adrenal glands respond differently to daily stress, and cortisol levels often spike as a result.

Weight loss after menopause feels different than it did in your 30s, and there's real science behind that experience. If you've noticed weight gain around your midsection, a slower metabolic rate, or muscle mass that seems to disappear no matter how much you exercise, you're not imagining it.