Obesity treatment for postmenopausal women: Established therapies and emerging approaches - a narrative review

Obesity has become one of the most prevalent chronic conditions of the twenty-first century, affecting women's health throughout their lifespan. It is associated with many chronic diseases and malignancies. It also worsens vasomotor symptoms. It is estimated that 50-80% of menopausal women have vasomotor symptoms and may need menopausal hormonal therapy. Although data indicate that it can reduce abdominal fat, obesity treatment strategies based solely on menopausal hormone therapy are not currently recommended by any gynecological or endocrinological society. Based predominantly on general population data, current obesity pharmacotherapies appear effective; however, dedicated trials in postmenopausal women are urgently needed, given documented metabolic and hormonal differences and evidence from bariatric surgery of age-dependent treatment responses.