Weight gain on HRT

[LewisStewart]

I started on 2 pumps of oestrogel and continuous progesterone on April 1. I have put on over 1/2 stone in one month and my breasts have increased in size and are constantly sore. Has anyone experienced this. Nothing else has changed in the month to explain the weight gain as my weight has been relatively constant during menopause. Does the weight gain and breast size increase as I am currently feeling very uncomfortable and my clothes are very tight and my bras don’t fit with the extra growth.

Yes that's one of the reasons I came off HRT

Yep my weight goes up by 1/2-1 stone on HRT. I know it’s this as I sometimes have to come off of it for autoimmune related testing and when I come off it the weight comes off and then when I restart it it goes back on, nothing else changed etc. My boobs also go up by 1-2 cup sizes. Personally I just try and ignore it because the benefits of taking the HRT are worth it to me overall. But yes it definitely does make my weight go up.

Thank you both. Not sure if I will continue as the weight gain and breast soreness is definitely putting me off versus the benefits.

I haven't had the breast issues but I started one pump of oestrogel in Jan and I definitely feel as if my belly and waist has turned into a barrel. I don't weigh myself so don't have numbers but jeans etc feel so tight. I've had a poor month or so in terms of diet and exercise though so wasn't sure if it was that. But usually wouldn't feel it so pronounced in such a short time frame. Trying to sort my diet out a bit this month and see what happens

Hi op yes I havent found amazing pluses of taking the patches. Agree can see it in my clothes steady weight gain. Disappointed. Wont continue on it and more weight.. will talk to doctor

I’ve stopped HRT today as the 1/2 stone in a month is just too much for me. Just shows how different our bodies are and it just isn’t the best option for me.

I think if you’re not seeing any benefits of it I can see why maybe the weight gain feels so annoying. For me the benefits are less joint pain, I sleep through the night, less vaginal discomfort (I also use internal oestrogen which helps), better hair (my hair was falling out before) etc etc and there’s the longer term things like bone health, cardiovascular health benefits etc. I guess it’s a case of whether those thugs outweigh the weight gain, for me they do.

I've put on 3kg and I'm tiny. It's awful. But I don't want to stop HRT as it's made me feel human again

Same here. Reducing my dose at the moment.
I really need to lose weight anyway!
It's depressing.

I'm on patches and if anything I have lost some belly weight. No breast issues.

When I got my dose right I lost weight.

I'm going to try lowering my dose and working on my 'menopause diet'.

I gained 6kg in one month on HRT. I was literally eating rabbit food and exercising everyday too. I just don't understand these studies that show HRT is not connected to weight gain, when so so many women say that it is. The weight dropped off within a few weeks when I stopped it but the anxiety and insomnia is back with a vengeance 😭 I'm thinking now to experiment with a lower dosage. Menopause is just so unbelievably shit!

I agree hrt definitely caused me to gain weight. I stopped it for a couple of weeks, lost 2lb without trying but I also lost my temper really badly so I've gone back on it.

I also hated putting on weight at puberty - it's so miserable when the actual size of your body seems to be out of your own control. I've read in a research paper that oestrogen levels that are too low or too high can cause weight gain. Apparently high levels of estrogen in the body can irritate the cells that produce insulin in your body, making you insulin resistant and blood sugar levels rise, leading to weight gain.

(I'm not a medical doctor but I'm a 'sciencey doctor' and I'm having a good look at this stuff with one of my similarly-aged colleagues from another university. Only informally though.)

Apparently high levels of estrogen in the body can irritate the cells that produce insulin in your body, making you insulin resistant and blood sugar levels rise, leading to weight gain.

I thought it was the other way round!

Women on HRT have a lower risk/ level of diabetes and lower risk of visceral fat deposited around the tummy.

If it was down to high estrogen, then surely all young women would be fatter as they have the highest levels?

I dont think it's a case either that insulin resistance leads to weight gain. Isn't it the reverse? People who are overweight become insulin resistant, and one of the symptoms of diabetes is losing weight because the pancreas can't convert glucose to energy, so diabetics feel hungry all the time and they pee a lot as the body is trying to get rid of the excess glucose.

I think one reason for weight gain is starting on the wrong type and dose of HRT. A lot of women are put on a high dose, and continuous combined HRT- both hormones daily.

Progestogens are often the culprit as we all know that women retain more fluid in the 2nd half of a menstrual cycle (PMS) .

Some menopause specialists will suggest starting on estrogen-only for several weeks to get the dose right, then introduce progestogen after 3 months. (This is what I did.)

The problem is that many GPs don't know these variations and dish out a 'one-size fits no one' HRT.

Yes, been on the patches for 4 months now, put on over half a stone in first few weeks, I’m managing to put a halt on anymore gain by exercising more and really watching what I eat.

Hrt can definitely make you put on weight, it's so anecdotally clear

Hate the way this issue is dismissed- women must be eating more without realising, they are taking the wrong meds - there are two best quality meds - oestrogel and utrogestan- how complicated can it be??!

See, I am being told by EVERYONE that HRT should increase metabolism and that it’s menopause that leads to weight gain, and restoring the hormones fixes that.

I’m convinced that I can’t lose weight on her doing exactly the same as I did to lose lots of weight behore I started it.

I’m on 3 pumps oestrogel and 10 days utrogestan 100mg vaginally.

I’ve lowered the oestrogel to 2 pumps today see if it makes any difference.

@FatGirlSwim Just a little concerned about your Utrogestan dose. Why just 100mgs? Have you been advised to take only half the licensed dose? It should be 200mgs, whether orally or vaginally. I know that a private dr was advocating half doses, vaginally, but this has been changed after the BMS stepped in (a year ago) and corrected it.

@milger I don't think anyone is dismissing weight gain, more looking at why it happens and what can stop it. A lot of women are on the wrong type (Utrogestan doesn't suit everyone) and use too much, or too much estrogen. Many drs will agree that the weight gain is fluid retention and that's why it drops off so fast when stopping hrt. They suggest that weigh gain may stop and decrease after a few months as the body adjusts to HRT. (Don't shoot me, I'm just the messenger!)

I put on weight at the start when the oestrogen hit my system, was bloated with sore breasts for a couple of months, then it all settled, plus I went up from 50 to 100 patch and started using the utrogestan vaginally (still get v sore breasts though).

I was also depressed for three months so kept eating.

I've now lost half a stone in three weeks calorie counting. It's gone off at exactly the same rate as it always does when I diet.

And my figure is back to normal. And I have a zest for life that I didn't have in the depths of the utrogestan depression.

I was on 2 pumps of estrogel and 100 dose of progesterone when I put on 1/2 stone in a month. I stopped the HRT on May 1st and have gone back to my normal weight. It just shows how differently our bodies react.

*continuous regime for the progesterone. My breast are no longer swollen thankfully and back to my normal bras.

Yep