8 Reasons for Sudden Weight Gain in Women : BetterButter Blog: Indian Food Recipes, Health & Wellness Tips

8 Reasons for Sudden Weight Gain in Women

Kavita Uprety | June 20, 2018

All of us want to stay healthy and keep our weight under control, as it is essential for our overall physical and mental wellbeing. Women, particularly, put a lot of effort in remaining fit.

But, despite your regular fitness routine, if you are still experiencing weight gain, then it is a cause for concern and may need immediate medical attention. Let us tell you some common medical issues that can lead to an abnormal and an unexpected gain in weight-

Table of Contents

1) Hypothyroidism

Thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in the body that can add extra weight to your body if it stops functioning normally. Thyroid-related problems such as hypothyroidism causes the body’s metabolism to slow down. As a result of this, the body cannot burn enough calories, thereby inadvertently leading to a gain in weight.

2) Menopause and Hormonal Imbalance

Menopause is that stage in a women’s life when their menstrual cycles naturally stop due to age. This stage can be a tough phase for women. The permanent stopping of the menstrual cycle is considered to be directly related to the end of a woman’s reproductive capability. Many studies have found that most women gain 2-4 kgs during this phase (the weight gain can even be higher in some women). The main reason for this is the uncontrolled and unregulated secretion of a hormone called estrogen during menopause, which leads to fat deposits in the body.

Apart from estrogen, there are many other hormones that can cause weight gain due to hormonal imbalance. For example, the hormone leptin is responsible for telling our brain that we’re satiated or full and the hormone insulin, which is released by the pancreas, helps to regulate the blood sugar levels in the body.

3) Antidepressants

A common side effect of antidepressants is weight gain. The problem of depression in itself can lead to weight gain in some cases.

4) Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is also related to weight gain. It has been proven that women suffering from obesity are at an increased risk of cancer, including ovarian cancer. If your weight is increasing unnaturally, then you must discuss this with your doctor as soon as possible.

5) PCOD

Polycystic Ovarian Disease, commonly known as PCOD, is a condition in which the ovaries have small cysts on them. This causes problems in the menstrual cycle and the reproductive capability of women. In PCOD, controlling the weight becomes increasingly difficult and this makes PCOD a very serious problem in women.

6) Constipation

Many studies have found that various gastro and digestion-related problems have a definite impact on our body’s ability to digest what we eat. Fat-rich food that doesn’t have enough fiber and less consumption of water are some reasons that could lead to constipation and ultimately an increase in weight.

7) Water Retention in the Muscles

Water retention in the body can be caused by many reasons such as excessive consumption of salt and sugar, high blood pressure, thyroid and kidney ailments. Water retention also leads to an increase in weight.

8) Steroids and Cushing’s Syndrome

Steroids are the most commonly prescribed drugs for respiratory problems, asthma, arthritis etc. One of the main side effects of having steroids is that they can increase your appetite tremendously, thereby resulting in weight gain. Cushing’s syndrome is also somewhat related to stress and tension. Cortisol is a hormone in our body which during stress, regulates the body’s reaction. If the body cannot regulate and control the secreted cortisol, then it leads Cushing’s syndrome-a syndrome that leads to weight gain in women.