Gained 7lbs (3kg) in 3 weeks on HRT 😳

[Flockameanie]

I’m 46. Peri. Haven’t had a period for 7 months. started HRT 3 weeks ago (2 pumps oestrogel + utrogestan for 12 days) and I’ve put on 7 lbs (over 3kg) in that time! I only just started the progesterone tablets 2 days ago. My diet hasn’t changed (I anyway already tracked what I ate) and I’ve actually upped my exercise in that time (but not to an extent that would affect my weight, I don’t think).

Is this normal?? Everything I read says HRT doesn’t cause weight gain. But surely my weight gain can’t be a coincidence? I worked really hard 2 years ago to lose about a stone and was the lightest and fittest I’ve ever been in my life. It’s massively depressing to see all that undone in a matter of weeks. I can’t even tell if the HRT is having any positive effect yet - my symptoms weren’t that bad (mostly mood/ rage related).

Has anyone had similar weight gain that then came off again once you adapted to the HRT? Is it worth sticking with it? The whole thing is making me fed up…

I am on patches and I have put about 6lbs on. I eat quite well, don't over indulge in cake, chocolate etc. If I ate any less I would be nearly on fresh air! It's all gone on my tummy and it looks huge to me.

It gets me down that I can't loose it so I know how you feel. No help to you an afraid, just wanted to let you know you are not On your own.

I’m sorry this has happened to you.

I put on a lot of weight (for me) after starting HRT. Not as quickly as you, but quite fast. I am sure it was HRT as I just don’t put on weight. I was told the issue isn’t HRT but I don’t believe it.

I toyed with the idea of coming off the HRT but I wouldn’t have kept my job or my family if I had done that. Two years on I’m doing Noom. I am loosing weight but very slowly. I am thinking of going back to the doctor and talking about what are the costs and benefits of staying on v coming off.

I wish the medical profession would just listen to women. If we put on weight on HRT then surely it’s a Thing.

Yep. Me too. A stone gained in the year since starting HRT. The insistence that HRT doesn't make you put on weight is really annoying.

Ah that is annoying

I think it’s on the pack isn’t it? As a not very frequent side effect

Still, it’s hard if it impacts you

Oh no! Not what I want to hear. I wanted you all to say it would melt off once my body got used to the HRT ☹️

I guess I’ll give it until my 3 month review with the GP as I feel I need to give it a proper shot. Although at this rate I’ll have put on about 2 stone by then 😬

Just to give the other side @Flockameanie I've used hrt for many years- over 12- and not put on any weight at all. Maybe try dropping the gel to 1 pump and seeing if that helps.

A lot of women go straight into 2 pumps but my dr who is a consultant and meno expert always advises starting low and working up.

So I was advised to start on half a pump and gradually increase to whatever was needed to help symptoms. I went as high as 2 and a half pumps in my 50s for a short amount of time, but now use less.

I had the same experience.
As a GP who prescribes HRT, I can tell you it's common.
Davina doesn't mention this does she, when she's banging on about it being the elixir of youth.

I'm convinced she's being paid by drug companies.

I know some medications increase appetite and therefore cause weight gain. But if that isn't the case, then the only other reasons I can think of are increased water weight or slower metabolism. Are either of these associated with HRT? Are there other ways medications can cause weight gain? (I'm genuinely interested because I think I'll be on HRT myself soon!).

Yes I have piled on the weight since starting hrt in Jan also. Very depressing as I worked really hard last year and was the thinnest and fittest I’ve ever been. Now I’m bursting out of clothes. But I was risking my marriage with my extreme emotional swings before. It’s a very difficult thing to decide whether to carry on or not.

(It has caused increased appetite for me…I get extremely hungry and it is proving impossible to diet)

I was on HRT for a year for IVF (progesterone pessaries and progynova oestrogen pills) and it made me gain over a stone. I had a PT and was using MFP religiously. Last cycle was November and all the weight came off without me trying

Pressed send too soon. Since then I’ve gone on to lose another 6 kg below my pre IVF weight.

It's weird because improved sleep, which HRT often achieves, should help a lot with weight control.

It would not surprise me, as that happens when you start the pill too

May be the estrogen?

I started HRT about two years ago and have put on a lot of weight , about 7kgs in all even though I am a very healthy eater .Never any sweet stuff , low carb with lots of veg.It the food I love so not difficult .My boobs have gone up about two cup sizes and I hate it .Losing the weight is practically impossible.

How depressing. I was the same weight for the previous 14 years then in the last year I have gained a stone. It's proving near impossible to shift. Everything I read said I'd be more likely to lose weight than gain it. What to do.

My DM put on a stone when she went on HRT, after being the same weight for years. When she finally went off HRT ten years later, she gradually lost a stone and has been stable at her previous weight since.

If it cheers anyone up, I've lost a stone-and-a-half in a year, and I've been on HRT for many years. Slow but steady.

I had to adapt my diet because of some other medical drama, and eat a lot fewer carbs than I used to and more protein and plants. I'm actually fairly immobile due to disability, so the weight loss has been quite heartening.

I also, as per the post by @JinglingHellsBells , try to obtain gel rather than patches so that I can take the lowest dose possible, and am aiming for 50 rather than 75 mcgs every day. (I've had ovaries removed hence dosage.) At the moment, though, I'm on 75 mcg again and I've still lost a pound or two this past fortnight.

I do wonder if HRT seeks out all the weaknesses in our diets, like a pharmaceutical frenemy.

I’m on three pumps of Oestrogel but started on one pump. I will try cutting back.

I am on a 1,350 c a day diet which is completely unsustainable in the long term. I am slowly loosing a llb every two weeks. I’m going to carry on until my review in a months time but I need to get back to normal healthy eating and exercise. It’s very difficult to eat healthy on that amount and I’m too tired to exercise. Well it’s too hot too!

The doctors tell me that HRT doesn’t cause weight gain which is so frustrating as it means I must be doing something wrong but I swear I’m not.

I’ve been on HRT 6 weeks and have put on half a stone I would say. I wouldn’t say it’s anything to do with increased appetite. I know my boobs have got bigger so that’s part of it. I attribute it to being very similar to what the contraceptive pill does to the body. But then menopause also makes you put on eight. So it’s a double edged sword to my mind.

*weight

I’ve been putting on weight just with the menopause so I dread to think what I’d be like with HRT…

I gained 10lb in the first three weeks! I’m on Oestrogel and Mirena coil. As context during the first lockdown I gained a couple of pounds over months, and now I run three times a week so am much more active, so this is not normal for me. I started on 5 July and last time I weighed myself had dropped 5lb so I am hoping it balances out once things settle.

I started hrt tablets last year and I've gained a stone . I'm fed up . I eat one meal a day . Hope when I come off it eventually I'll lose
It again . I'm 50 and while I have symptoms of menopause I'm still
Having regular monthly periods. I want it to end !

@Judystilldreamsofhorses I guess good news that it’s coming off again??