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…

Same. I’ve stopped taking it. My stomach bloated up hugely.

Same. Put on a stone. Very upset by it.

I’ve been on HRT for about 18mths but didn’t put on weight. I lost half a stone between March and May due to the stress of moving house, and I’ve kept that off.

@Flockameanie yes but I am too afraid to get back on the scales in case it’s back! I actually don’t “see” or feel the difference in my body so assumed it was fluid retention.

HRT, and the pill before that, has made no difference to my weight. I think it’s actually supposed to help with that menopause middle and it makes me feel more up for exercise.

Yikes this is not fair! Menopause is bad enough! I’ve just started the pessaries (Vagirux), if I start putting weight on I will be bloody miffed.

I wonder if some people are more sensitive to hormones and weight gain? I put weight on when on the pill and not everyone does.

You have to weigh up the benefits over the negatives.

for me some weight gain is a small price to pay for improved sleep, better skin and hair quality, banishing the aches and pains. Excess hair - gone. There are so many benefits and menopause was going to cause weight gain anyway!!!

Oestrogen is essentially a form of steroid. People will tell you it’s not but it is. I have Addison’s disease which is a very rare condition where I don’t make enough cortisol (the body’s own natural stress hormone) and when I take HRT I have to come off of it for 6 weeks prior to any cortisol tests as it falsely elevates the levels of cortisol in the blood - ie makes the steroid levels higher. It’s no coincidence that for a lot of women (like me) HRT does cause weight gain, as does any steroid medication. I still love my HRT though and I’ll still take it. I do know that I’d be a stone lighter without it though - that’s the exact amount I put on and lose coming on and off of it every time.

I put on weight before I started HRT, stabilised when I started it and am now slowly losing it. My sister, who has never had HRT is also putting on weight.

This. It wouldn't put me off as I want to be able to sleep again properly. I can't function on three hours sleep (some nights).

I lead a very active lifestyle and eat healthily so I hope it doesn't turn out to be too bad.

That does sound like a lot in a short space of time, OP!

This ^

HRT creates a healthier lipid profile- more HDL and less LDL - the latter being the cause of hardening arteries, and it can prevent diabetes. It is supposed to help retain a healthier 'shape' with less fat around the waist and abdomen.

My personal view is that a lot of the gain is due to a high dose of estrogen when it's maybe not necessary. I can manage now (and have done most of the time on HRT) with the equivalent of a 25mcg/ 37mcg patch (so roughly 1 mg oestrogen.)

If you find you are putting weight on, it's really worth swapping brands, types, doses, to try to get the best fit.

I put on weight for the first three months or so - well, it was more like bloating - and now it has come off again. I'm on Estradot 100 mcg, continuous oral progesterone, testosterone cream, and estrogen topical cream and pessaries.

This is so nice to read well not nice but I’m glad I’m not on my own. I’ve been putting more and more weight on since starting hrt. I really don’t know what to do? I need to lose weight big time now.

So glad I’ve found this thread today! I’ve put on so much weight since I’ve been on hrt. It’s getting me down. I have started considering if I should come off of it but like others have mentioned I don’t want to go back to sleepless nights, hot flushes and rages.

@JinglingHellsBells I feel my weight gain gained momentum when I upped my dose. I've also had to keep switching types due to oestrogel shortage. I'm going to try reducing.

I’m very sensitive to hormones in birth control donut doesn’t surprise me that I’m sensitive to HRT too. I hate the progesterone part of the cycle, I always put weight on that doesn’t come off after. I feel big and bloated.

I put on weight on HRT too

I’ve come off it now because uncontrollable weight gain is a mind fuck for me

I’m embracing the rollercoaster of nature!

Im also surprised Davina NEVER mentions it, ever. She’s very into ‘being fit’ and surely she would understand this being horrible for women who are also into being fit and slim

I’ve been pondering this and I wonder if the missing component is the testosterone? My GP mentioned I could add the T down the line if I wished. I have a phone consultation with her in September, I’m going to discuss the weight faun then. I just wonder how many of us who are gaining weight are only taking oestrogen and progesterone or perhaps just oestrogen alone?

*gain

I had T too

i was on tablets of O & P to start with and didn’t have weight gain, then switched to O and T gel/cream and P tablets and that’s when the weight gain kicked in big time

I haven’t put weight in with HRT. I put weight on because I was eating more and not moving enough.
Exercise,, especially weight bearing exercise, is incredibly important for women in peri/ meno. I do bloat when I am on the progesterone phase- but I always did pre HRT- it was water retention and would come off again.

Yes. I lost 3 stone last year and put one back. Its all on my tummy, too. The factor that changed between last year and this year is HRT.

Yup, me too. And I eat healthily and do five or six gym classes a week (mix of weights and cardio) which is way more than I've ever done. Peri brain fog meant I literally couldn't do my job before I started HRT, though, so it's something I'm going to have to learn to live with for a bit, I guess.

Reading the medical research online for this, it says there is no science to show weight gain. They attribute weight gain to some fluid retention in the first 3 months, which will settle. They also make the point that in menopause there is a tendency to put weight on anyway regardless of using HRT and it tends to settle after a few years. BUT there is also the point that women in their 50s onwards tend to be less active so they need to change their food intake to compensate.
I have not put weight on, but I do so easily, and can't eat the same amount I did in my 40s and younger. I do low carb and limit them to only wholegrains, around 50gms a day (which is not a lot!) Not saying this works like this for everyone, and anyone who feels HRT is causing weight gain has my sympathy :)