Perimenopause GLP‑1 program

A menopause specialist named Cindi Stickle said on April 13 that she has launched a coaching program aimed at women in perimenopause who are using glucagon-like peptide-1 weight-loss drugs. (prnewswire.com) The release said the program is built for women over 40 and combines food guidance, stress regulation, and glucagon-like peptide-1-specific coaching with a stated goal of preserving muscle and supporting metabolism. It described the offer as the “first” program designed specifically for women using these drugs during perimenopause, a claim that was presented in the release and not independently verified. (prnewswire.com) Glucagon-like peptide-1 drugs are medicines that reduce appetite and food intake, and the Food and Drug Administration has approved products including Zepbound, or tirzepatide, for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or adults who are overweight with at least one related condition. The agency said Zepbound is meant to be used with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. (fda.gov) Perimenopause is the stretch before menopause when estrogen rises and falls and periods become irregular. Mayo Clinic says it often begins sometime in a woman’s 40s, though it can start in the 30s or 50s, and it ends after 12 straight months without a menstrual period. (mayoclinic.org) That timing overlaps with a period when muscle and metabolism can already be shifting. A review in the National Library of Medicine said the menopausal transition is a vulnerable period for muscle loss, and one cited study found appendicular lean mass index was 10 percent lower in late perimenopausal women than in early perimenopausal women. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) The muscle question also comes up with these drugs because weight loss does not come only from fat. A January 2026 study in JAMA Network Open of 3,066 patients found glucagon-like peptide-1 treatment was associated with substantial fat-mass loss and modest fat-free-mass loss over 24 months. (jamanetwork.com) Stickle’s release leaned on that concern, saying some clinical studies suggest up to 40 percent of weight lost on glucagon-like peptide-1 drugs can come from lean mass. The same release said her program is meant to address fatigue, stalled progress, blood-sugar swings, and muscle preservation in midlife women. (prnewswire.com) The backdrop is a fast-growing market for these medicines. A FAIR Health white paper said the share of commercially insured adult patients prescribed a glucagon-like peptide-1 drug rose from 0.9 percent in 2019 to 4.0 percent in 2024, while a KFF poll in May 2024 found 12 percent of adults said they had ever taken a glucagon-like peptide-1 drug and 6 percent said they were currently taking one. (fairhealth.org) (kff.org) What the announcement adds is not a new drug approval or new clinical trial result, but a new layer of coaching around drugs that are already widely used. The pitch is that women moving through perimenopause need weight-loss support built around midlife hormone changes and the risk of losing strength along with pounds. (prnewswire.com)