Page 3 | To think my HRT patches have led to weight gain?

Lollingabout · 2024-04-05T12:00:06+00:00

About 18 months ago I went on HRT patches; main symptoms that I was trying to address were anxiety, sudden mood swings and sleeplessness. Worked a treat on all the above. After about 6 months I felt the symptoms were returning so GP upped my dose so that I’m now on Estraderm MX 75 patches with progesterone pills every 2 weeks. My issue is that I’ve definitely put on what feels to me as substantial weight in that time - and usual measures to get it off are having zero impact. The weight is all boobs, tummy and hips - in fact my boobs are quite sore at times. The standard line when asking GP and googling is that studies show HRT does not make you gain weight and that’s just the menopause - however a few old threads on here from a couple of years ago show that there are women out there who also felt HRT made them gain weight. Just wanting to raise the subject here for traffic to see if there are others like me who felt they put on weight with HRT who then came off the patches and lost the weight. Am I being unreasonable to think the studies might be missing or omitting this side effect for some women? (I am 49 and still have periods)

Original poster

Lollingabout · 05/04/2024 23:57

PortiaWithNoBreaks · 05/04/2024 23:34

It might be worth considering a longer cycle HRT regime to minimise the effect of
progesterone if you think that’s an issue. It’s an option now included in the NICE guidelines.

How often are you weighing yourself? Do you think you gain more on the progesterone phase? It’s usually progesterone that’s suggested may increase appetite.

I’m on long cycle, so 8-10 weeks just oestrogen then 2 weeks progesterone. My appetite is much higher during progesterone, breasts increase one cup size too.

Just a thought.

Interesting- I’ve not heard of that option before. I’ll look into it thank you.

OP posts:

Garlicked · 05/04/2024 23:56

EauNeu · 05/04/2024 23:02

Thats fine but your body can't store energy you didn't put in, just like your car can't have petrol that you didn't pump into the tank. Some cars are more efficient than others but none can create energy from nowhere

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Are you saying that someone with uncontrolled hypothyroidism or diabetes should just stop eating, in hopes that the body will just decide to use the fat to fuel blood circulation, brain activity, etc? If it's not already performing these necessary tasks, what makes you believe starvation would make it better?

https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/myxedema-coma

Original poster

Lollingabout · 05/04/2024 23:52

DontBeAMeany · 05/04/2024 23:30

I guess it’s just because my usual methods of losing weight aren’t working at all - like at all - and if I ate less than I do it would verge on being unhealthy if long term. It’s also where the weight itself is going - I’ve become really busty which I’ve never been apart from when I was pregnant and I don’t feel comfortable.☹️

How are you trying to lose weight? If you decrease your calories a little bit at a time until you find a level where you are loosing weight slowly then surely that won't be unhealthy and it definitely won't be as unhealthy as being overweight. It's good to think really long term when trying to lose weight.
If you use something like MyFitnessPal then you can analyze exactly what you are eating and you can make sure you eat a healthy diet. I use it to make sure I eat enough protein.

Yeah that’s pretty much what I have been doing already and nothing has changed. I don’t eat unhealthily and I don’t eat a great quantity either - so that’s why I’m asking the questions about it being HRT 😏

OP posts:

Original poster

Lollingabout · 05/04/2024 23:37

ggggggooooo · 05/04/2024 23:08

I think it depends on how hormones affect you. Did you like in weight during other hormonal periods like pregnancy, puberty?
I lost weight on HRT. I was piling it on during peri before I started HRT. HRT enabled me to get back in control.

Good question. I put on weight with the pill - tried loads and hated them all so came off it in my mid twenties and felt better for it. I hardly put on weight in my two pregnancies and lost what I had put on quickly afterwards. I wasn’t overweight or putting on weight (that I noticed before taking HRT. I took HRT because of mood swings and bad sleep mainly - so it has only been since taking HRT - specifically since I went up a dose.

OP posts:

PortiaWithNoBreaks · 05/04/2024 23:34

It might be worth considering a longer cycle HRT regime to minimise the effect of
progesterone if you think that’s an issue. It’s an option now included in the NICE guidelines.

How often are you weighing yourself? Do you think you gain more on the progesterone phase? It’s usually progesterone that’s suggested may increase appetite.

I’m on long cycle, so 8-10 weeks just oestrogen then 2 weeks progesterone. My appetite is much higher during progesterone, breasts increase one cup size too.

Just a thought.

DontBeAMeany · 05/04/2024 23:30

I guess it’s just because my usual methods of losing weight aren’t working at all - like at all - and if I ate less than I do it would verge on being unhealthy if long term. It’s also where the weight itself is going - I’ve become really busty which I’ve never been apart from when I was pregnant and I don’t feel comfortable.☹️

How are you trying to lose weight? If you decrease your calories a little bit at a time until you find a level where you are loosing weight slowly then surely that won't be unhealthy and it definitely won't be as unhealthy as being overweight. It's good to think really long term when trying to lose weight.
If you use something like MyFitnessPal then you can analyze exactly what you are eating and you can make sure you eat a healthy diet. I use it to make sure I eat enough protein.

rainbowtinsel · 05/04/2024 23:14

@Garlicked I’m on amphetamines for ADHD and that’s not correct they curb your appetite that’s why you can lose weight. It’s never really made much difference with me though and I’m on a high dose 😂….they told me to try ear little and often if I was struggling, not really been an issue so far 🤣

TheYearOfSmallThings · 05/04/2024 23:12

I do think HRT causes weight gain - I've seen enough women, including my mother, gain weight uncontrollably on HRT and then lose weight effortlessly when they stopped HRT. Whether it is metabolic or just causes increased appetite, I don't know.

What I will say though is that most of the women I know who have NEVER taken HRT have also gained some weight at menopause, mainly on the waist. Your shape just changes. In my case I've started HRT quite recently and I have gained weight but truthfully I was gaining it before. I am not eating any differently, but my body needs less calories.

ggggggooooo · 05/04/2024 23:08

I think it depends on how hormones affect you. Did you like in weight during other hormonal periods like pregnancy, puberty?
I lost weight on HRT. I was piling it on during peri before I started HRT. HRT enabled me to get back in control.

Original poster

Lollingabout · 05/04/2024 23:02

Garlicked · 05/04/2024 21:40

"Laws of thermodynamics" are cited so often on here that I usually let it pass. Now and again, though ... 😂 The law as cited applies to closed systems. The body is not a closed system. We're not machines, we're biochemical organisms - open systems.

First law of thermodynamics: In general, the conservation law states that the total energy of an isolated system is constant; energy can be transformed from one form to another, but can be neither created nor destroyed.

Some bodies under some circumstances want to increase fat. They can easily do this by diverting resources from other functions: the body may give off less heat, cut back on muscle or even bone maintenance, slow down digestion, reduce brain activity, limit available energy, and a multitude of other means to create matter (fat) by not creating other matter (flesh, bone, muscle, etc) while directing energy to fat creation instead of using it up.

Why do you think conditions such as hypothyroidism and diabetes make people put on weight without changing their diets? How do you explain medications like some antipsychotics causing sudden weight gain?

The converse is also true: some bodies, under some circumstances, want to put out a lot of energy as heat and activity, consuming matter (fat, muscle) to do so. This happens with conditions such as hyperthyroidism, and some drugs like amphetamines.

There are also conditions where the body wants to create loads of skin cells, for instance (psoriasis), diverting energy away from bone and muscle maintenance, and other abnormal growth situations (cancer) that can divert all the energy from everywhere to fuel cell multiplication, resulting in sudden weight loss.

Hormones are neurotansmitters - messengers. The sex hormones reach every part of the body, communicating with the brain to adjust processes going on within the body's system. It stands to reason that changes in the quantities and proportions of hormones will alter the messaging - that's why we take them, after all! We want changes. We can't yet direct them to make only some changes but not others; it isn't even clear that we should.

First-form science rant over, you might get unwanted results from medications. Try different formulations and/or different proportions. And ignore that thermodynamic crap.

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I’m rubbish at science but this absolutely fascinated me and was super informative. Thank you for your science rant! Made total sense!

OP posts:

EauNeu · 05/04/2024 23:02

Garlicked · 05/04/2024 22:33

Yes.

You could possibly think a little bit harder about open-system thermodynamics:
Matter can be converted into energy or excreted (released as matter).
Energy can be converted into matter or released as energy.

We don't get to dictate exactly what our body will do with the matter we put in them.

You're assuming that "taking in the exact amount of energy they need or less" means you get to say which "needs" their body must meet with that energy. You don't, your body relies on its own internal signalling to decide.

I knew I was hypothyroid when I piled on the weight, was freezing cold and everything tired me out. Reducing my calorie intake didn't slow the weight gain, just made me colder and more knackered.

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Thats fine but your body can't store energy you didn't put in, just like your car can't have petrol that you didn't pump into the tank. Some cars are more efficient than others but none can create energy from nowhere

pixiesaresmall · 05/04/2024 22:57

I've just ordered some dandelion tea. Pinning my hopes on that now that low calorie, more protein, less sugar, increased exercise and getting good sleep isn't working 😅

rainbowtinsel · 05/04/2024 22:54

I think it’s probably water retention from adding in progesterone, especially if gone on quickly, rather than fat which can like others have said only go on if you consumed more energy then you use.

Lots of people gain weight on the scales in the second half of their cycle especially on the tum and busts. It’s progesterone which does this - not oestrogen as this is low at this point.

As I’ve gotten older I put on around 4/5lbs and my boobs go up a couple of cup sizes - it’s really uncomfortable around 7/9 days before my period.

Original poster

Lollingabout · 05/04/2024 22:51

Pigeonqueen · 05/04/2024 20:56

Something that may be of interest is that the reason women can’t be on HRT whilst I have they have their cortisol levels tested - for adrenal insufficiency / Addisons disease - is that HRT causes a falsely elevated cortisol level. This is really complex and there’s a lot more to it in terms of what this means on a molecular level but essentially the oestrogen causes changes in the way cortisol is stored in the blood. Someone who has their cortisol levels checked whilst on oestrogen will have significantly higher levels of cortisol- this is why I’ve had to come on and off of it several times. I personally believe this is part of the reason many women do put on weight with HRT - cortisol is basically a steroid. (In adrenal insufficiency/ Addisons we take a life long low daily dose of steroids to replace the cortisol we don’t produce but others produce naturally). Anyway I know that’s a lot to get into but thought I’d share.

That’s some interesting- thank you for sharing that.

OP posts:

TisTheDarnSeason · 05/04/2024 22:35

I've definitely gained weight since starting HRT. It went on quite shockingly fast, actually, and I'm now overweight for the first time in my life. Diet and exercise have not changed, but my usual methods of keeping my weight in check no longer seem to work.

It's a fine line. I felt so awful before the HRT that it's almost, almost worth the extra weight to feel 'normal' again. But not quite. Plus, having always been under-endowed I quite like the bigger boobs bonus...but goddamnit they're so sore at times.

So it seems to be a case of happier with bigger tits but two stone overweight...or crying every day with deflated boobs but slim. Put like that it's a no-brainer, but I wish I could shift a stone!

Garlicked · 05/04/2024 22:33

EauNeu · 05/04/2024 22:18

Please can you explain nhow does your body cannibalising its organs, bones or reducing heat output cause one to gain weight (specifically fat) in someone who's taking in the exact amount of energy they need or less. Because that's what is being implied here. You're saying the body takes energy from itself and stores it as fat?

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Yes.

You could possibly think a little bit harder about open-system thermodynamics:
Matter can be converted into energy or excreted (released as matter).
Energy can be converted into matter or released as energy.

We don't get to dictate exactly what our body will do with the matter we put in them.

You're assuming that "taking in the exact amount of energy they need or less" means you get to say which "needs" their body must meet with that energy. You don't, your body relies on its own internal signalling to decide.

I knew I was hypothyroid when I piled on the weight, was freezing cold and everything tired me out. Reducing my calorie intake didn't slow the weight gain, just made me colder and more knackered.

BottomsDown · 05/04/2024 22:28

On HRT, and biggest I have ever been. But I think that's because I have been eating loads.

Have recently upped my cardio to an HR a day, and am doing isometric exercises. I think this might be doing something to lose the weight.

I think we need to really focus on eating healthily, and exercising post menopause. Every day counts every good sleep counts.

I am staying on it as there is osteoporosis in my family, and it has really helped my anxiety. Plus my skin!

Original poster

Lollingabout · 05/04/2024 22:27

DontBeAMeany · 05/04/2024 20:37

I feel loads loads better on HRT and have lost weight. I was carrying about 10 extra pounds and they've nearly all gone. I put it down to not having sleepiness nights, not getting migraines and generally not feeling shite.

OP, does it make any difference what the reason is for you putting on weight? I used to be able to lose weight so much quicker when I was younger than I can now but I don't think having an explanation for it makes any difference. If I want to diet I have to eat less than my body needs.

I know there are some medical issues that can affect weight gain so I know there are some exceptions.

I don't think you can cut all patches in half. Maybe some but I don't think all of them. I'd check with your gp before trying.

I guess it’s just because my usual methods of losing weight aren’t working at all - like at all - and if I ate less than I do it would verge on being unhealthy if long term. It’s also where the weight itself is going - I’ve become really busty which I’ve never been apart from when I was pregnant and I don’t feel comfortable. ☹️

OP posts:

Kittycat333 · 05/04/2024 22:22

Calories in, calories out. The only thing that 'makes' you 'pile' weight on is eating too many calories!

EauNeu · 05/04/2024 22:22

EauNeu · 05/04/2024 22:18

Please can you explain nhow does your body cannibalising its organs, bones or reducing heat output cause one to gain weight (specifically fat) in someone who's taking in the exact amount of energy they need or less. Because that's what is being implied here. You're saying the body takes energy from itself and stores it as fat?

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Also in terms of energy intake surely the body is a closed system? We can't get energy that we didn't put in our mouths in the form of food or drink. What system is the energy coming from