HRT & weight gain

[Hueandcry]

I'm post-menopausal at 48 & was prescribed HRT by my gp about 6 months ago. I also suffer from long-term depression & take Sertraline. Since starting the HRT I've gained a lot of weight. I'm 5ft3 & have gained about 1 1/2 stone. My eating habits haven't really changed & I exercise regularly. It's really getting me down. Nothing fits but I have no money for a new wardrobe. Despite my depression having previously been under control it's now much worse & feeling fat & frumpy is not helping. Does anyone have experience of hrt & weight gain. The only option seems to be to come off it but it has improved the hot flushes/night sweats so I don't want to do that either. Help!!

I’m 4ft 11, 43, and on HRT Conti patches and have definitely gained weight. Most of my clothes are tight which they never used to be. Can’t afford new clothes and don’t want to buy a larger size either. I’m very uncomfortable with how I look and feel and wish I could come off them. Most of the time I’m uncomfortably bloated. Was diagnosed with thyroid cancer last year Feb, then in March of last year had a major surgery to remove my thyroid and all the lymph nodes in my neck. Had radioactive iodine (which is radiation treatment) last June and went into full blown menopause with all the nasty symptoms, horrendous hot flashes all day, night sweats, moody, depressed, tired all the time, having a sense of not coping, feeling overwhelmed. This is the reason I was put on the patches. I eat quite healthy and have given up sugar, I go to the gym 3 to 4 days a week, do Pilates on one day a week and walk. I can’t lose the weight, no matter what diet I try, low fat, low carb, Paleo, just doesn’t seem to work for me. I feel awful and helpless and wish I could do something about the weight gain. ☹️😢

Hi Linda, I personally don’t find the site unsupportive or patronizing. I feel the opposite and I feel that we can express ourselves openly and sincerely. I don’t feel stupid...

No weight gain at all here. If anything my body responds better to my eating/exercise habits now that my hormones are more balanced. I’m probably a stone lighter now than I was when I went on it.

Almost all HRT guidelines say it may cause weight gain!!

I’ve been on HRT for 3 months nearly, just whipped my patch off as it’s definitely affecting my appetite!!! I wake up hungry 😋 that’s never happened, so I can confirm the do ( with some people cause weight gain) perhaps the hormones makes you hungrier??? Who knows.

Yes but you don't have to act on your appetite. You can still eat the same amount as before. It s ok to feel hungry :)

He he nooooo I don’t have that control ;)))) I’d rather go back pre hrt appetite:) x

yes but you don't have to act on your appetite. You can still eat the same amount as before. It s ok to feel hungry

I've had to watch my weight all my life, I'm one of those people who isn't careful will put it on in no time. I've had to that my controlling my appetite and that's been fine most of the time.

But I totally get what you are saying @Hrtmakesyoufat about the medically induced feeling of starvation. I experienced it whilst on hrt for 3 months, and also taking Amitriptyline. It's not a case of battling anger, it's a case of battling a sense of starvation. It's very odd.

i did manage to control it when on hrt and keep my calories intake the same, but I still put on 1/2 stone in 3 months which I lost within 2 months of stopping it.

The weight crept up after I started Amitriptyline, as my appetite was all consuming, I'd never experienced anything like it. I tried to control it as I'd done all my life, but it was horrible as I didn't feel hungry all the time, I felt I was starving all the time. I started to reduced it to 2 times a day and picked up exercise, but whatever I did, the weight didn't go. I've always been very active, so it was frustrating.

Until I read that especially after 50ish, it is better to introduce short but intense training rather than endurance, so I gave up long runs and cycle rides and introduced weight and HIIT training and sure enough, it's done the trick. After 2 months, I've lost 5 pounds, but most importantly lost 3% fat and gone down one size back to an 8. I can't believe the impact it's hard. It's hell whilst doing it, but it's over in 45 minutes, so worth the outcome! 3 months on, I've never been so fit in my life!

The appetite thing with HRT is possibly the effect of the progestogen which has the same effect on some women as PMS in the 2nd half of a natural cycle- you know, when we all crave sweet carby stuff. It's all about willpower.

On the other hand.....many women feel so much better on HRT that they find they exercise more and stay fitter and slimmer.

And....finally- metabolism slows right down in middle age (for men too) which is why everyone tends to get fatter as they get older unless they eat less and exercise / do weights etc more.

Thanks xx it’s all makes sense, yes exactly like the appetite just before my monthly cycle used to be thankyou @JinglingHellsBells and @swingofthings

Haha just re-read my post, terrible predictive text, but had to laugh at the lapsus typing anger rather than hunger :)

@swingofthings it’s the same thing 😂 hangry

Well said, i couldn't agree more.
I am exactly the same as you, i have tried 3 brands of Hrt including patches and only lasted a few months on each due to the continuing weight gain in such a short time.
Each time i went off them the weight also came of, without changing anything. Unfortunately the hot flashes have come back with vengeance, and i am now trying Kloviance which seems to be helping, no obvious bloating to report for a change, but already a gain of 1.5 kg in 3 weeks! (which the leaflet does state is a common side effect)
I do believe some women are more sensitive to oestrogen than others, and there are those lucky women who will also be thin no matter what they put in their mouths.

I began on hrt in June 2019..I was in menopause over night basically due to having surgery to remove a gigantic ovarian tumour..which turned out to be cancer..I also had everything taken away..womb tubes ovaries ect..within 6months of being on prognova 2mg tablet I gained 2stone..two weeks ago I stopped taking hrt..it was a big decision and I was so worried that I would hit a brick wall and be bk on it..but..things are going great for me..I seem to have control a bit now..I am no longer constipated..my body no longer swells up every single day..my moods seem better..I dont have constant breast pain which was constant every day and extremely painful to touch that I couldn't wear bras..my breasts and my size went from a 36b to a 38d in 2yrs near enough..doctor don't tell you what happens or how it could change your body..they just tell you it will help..they also say you dont gain weight..its a lie..I went from 9stone to 11stone 4 in six months..so am off the hrt for good I will never take it again..I had swellings all over my body..my arms were double the size my legs too..my chest was always in pain due to the swelling..my doctors wouldn't listen to me..I know my own body..I am much happier without the hrt..my sex drive seems to be showing an appearance again..so in many ways hrt isn't always the answer..I hated to look in the mirror and I used to be very confident..I would hate for my husband to see me without clothes..now am off the hrt am loosing weight and I am starting to feel how I used to feel..I know this thread is a couple of years old but if I can help just one person then that would mean the world to me..

I am in desperate need of help
I have recently been prescribed HRT
I’m the 2 months of taking it I have gained weight over night around 10-14 pounds. It’s awful. I have been on setraline since Jan 2019. But this weight gain has taken me by surprise. I am so low and upset as I don’t feel like me
I have stopped taking the hrt meds. In the hope my body will start to go back to what is was
Can anyone help me if they know what I can take to help this process of shifting this weight
I feel ashamed of myself and uncomfortable
Thanking you in advance

Hi I have just been reading up on Hrt and weight gain , I was placed on this two months ago by my gp and 10mg of citalopram as I was not coping well In life with my periods stopping. I since gained so much weight and I hadn’t altered weight for years. I literally felt the most bloated and horrid I had ever felt. I was mortified and it made me more depressed and anxious . So I went cold turkey and came off it all and two weeks on I’ve lost half a stone and I’m feeling great. The moral to this is we don’t all need these drugs to get us through the menopause. I am back in my old clothes and back to my old self. They say that Hrt doesn’t cause weight gain but I can assure you it did with me and maybe my body is different but I wanted to warn others that I didn’t do anything different in my eating habits or exercise( I’m a swimming instructor so I know what I am doing in terms of fitness) so it was the drugs I was on. I sampled with taking myself off citalopram first and carried on with the hrt as I knew that anti depressive drugs are prone to weight gain but that didn’t shift it so I then stopped the hrt and what a difference. A warning to anyone who is feeling the same. It can cause weight gain and bloating!

I was like to comment on HRT and weight gain. I feel this is different for everyone. I am 66 and weighed 8 stone, and fluctuated 1/2 lbs. At most. I am post meno 9 yrs, and have never had issues with weight. I am aware of all calories in food and exercise. Since starting HRT 6 months ago I have gained 4lbs, but this could have been more, but I have lowered calories and increased activity to counter balance but weight is slowly going up.
I felt I should comment on this as many feel there is no evidence to support weight gain.

Hi Im on patches a few months. I agree with the weight issue. I walk alot. No amount of toning up shifts it around my middle area. Disheartening.

I have put on 1/2 stone in one month and my bras aren’t fitting as my breasts are so swollen and I have always been a consistent weight. I think it must depend on the individual and unfortunately I’m in the group that has weight gain so I have decided to stop.