Is Micro-Dosing GLP-1s Safe To Curb Menopausal Symptoms?

When Jana Stewart, 54, a hormone and midlife health coach and bodybuilder, first hit perimenopause she was doing everything “right.” Between regular exercise and healthy eating, “I’d never had a problem losing weight before,” she tells ESSENCE. But, she still gained about 15 pounds that just wouldn’t budge. “Suddenly, everything that used to work perfectly just stopped working,” she says. So, her hormone specialist suggested Wegovy. 

An injectable medication like Ozempic, Zepbound, and Mounjaro, Wegovy is a synthetic version of the GLP-1 hormone—a hormone that manages blood sugar, makes us feel full, and regulates appetite—our body naturally produces. After taking a full dose to lose the initial weight, dropping from 140 to 123 pounds in a year, Stewart switched to micro-dosing. Now, she takes just 10 units every Saturday to maintain her goal weight: 125 pounds. “The difference is that micro-dosing isn’t about weight loss for me anymore—it helps tremendously with cravings and inflammation, which are huge for managing perimenopause symptoms,” she says. And, she’s not alone. 

“Weight gain during menopause is incredibly common,” says Dr. Roxanne Pero, OBGYN MD, FACOG, FACLM, IFMCP, who is on O Positiv’s Medical Advisory Board. 60 to 70 percent of women in midlife report weight gain during the menopausal transition, with total gain reaching up to 22 to 25 pounds from the start of perimenopause, and even more after menopause. 

@janarosestewart

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According to Pero, Black women often start menopause with a higher body weight and more abdominal fat compared to White women. “They may not gain as much additional weight during the menopause transition itself—but tend to hold onto that existing body fat and then see more weight gain after menopause,” she says. 

While weight gain is completely normal as we age, Black menopausal women have been turning to GLP-1s to take control over stubborn pounds. Celebrities like Serena Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah, and most recently,

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