If insulin isn’t doing its job well, your energy, weight, heart health, and even your mood can be affected.

Let’s break it down.

What Is Insulin?

Insulin is a hormone made by your pancreas. Its main job is to help your body use and store glucose—better known as blood sugar—for energy.

Here’s how it works:

• When you eat, your blood sugar goes up.
• The pancreas releases insulin into your blood.
• Insulin acts like a key, unlocking doors in your cells so glucose can get in.
• Once inside, your body can use the glucose for energy right away or store it for later.

Without insulin, your cells would be “locked” and couldn’t get the fuel they need.

What Is Insulin Resistance?

Sometimes, the “locks” on your cells stop working well. Your body keeps making insulin, but your cells don’t respond like they should. This is called insulin resistance.

When this happens, your pancreas works overtime, pumping out more insulin to try to get the job done. Over time, this can lead to:

• Weight gain (especially around your belly)
• Higher blood pressure
• Higher cholesterol
• A greater risk for heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes

Why This Matters Even More During Menopause

Here’s the good news: estrogen actually helps protect you from insulin resistance.

Here’s the not-so-good news: when estrogen drops during menopause, that protection fades.

That’s why women after menopause tend to have more insulin resistance than women before menopause—even if they’re the same age. This can make it easier to gain weight around the middle and harder to keep blood sugar steady.

Signs You Might Have Insulin Resistance

Some signs are easy to miss, but watch for:

• Waking up in the middle of the night for no reason
• Going from “fine” to “starving” in minutes
• Feeling tired or foggy after meals
• Midday crashes in energy
• Unexplained weight gain, especially in your belly

How to Improve Insulin Sensitivity

Even if estrogen levels have dropped, there’s a lot you can do to help your body use insulin better:

• Consider hormone therapy: Estradiol (a form of estrogen) can improve insulin sensitivity and lower the risk of diabetes.
• Support your hormones naturally:
  • DHEA to help support estradiol
  • Vitamin D to help hormone and blood sugar balance
• Move your body: Weight training and resistance exercises are especially helpful.
• Change up your diet:
  • Limit foods high in sugar or simple carbs (cookies, pasta, crackers, bread, sweet drinks)
  • Eat protein at every meal to keep blood sugar stable
• Watch your alcohol intake: Alcohol can make blood sugar swings worse.
• Get enough sleep: Poor sleep can increase insulin resistance.

Bottom line:
We can’t stop menopause from changing our hormones, but we can take action. By protecting our insulin sensitivity, we can improve energy, keep weight in check, and lower our risk for serious health problems.

Your hormones are always talking to each other—and insulin deserves a seat at the table.