Unintentional weight loss in peri

[Periweighloss]

Has anyone had found themselves unexpectedly losing weight in peri? I am not particularly doing anything different to normal but have lost c10% of my weight since Sep and 5% since new year. I am now right on the cusp of having an underweight bmi. I appreciate this sounds like a nice problem to have but obviously it can also indicate something sinister. I am waiting to see whether I can get a drs appointment but am worrying and wondered whether anyone else had had this and all was fine? On the positive side I feel completely fine otherwise and this was my standard weight from my teens to mid 30s but not in the past 10 or so years.

Wish I had your problem, alas no, other extreme here.

If I have just lucked out on the bizarre symptoms (and it doesn’t go lower) then I am fairly happy. But I can’t find much to suggest it might be that and I am worried about ovarian cancer etc

Are you eating the same amounts or has your appetite reduced? I think you’re right to see a Dr as it’s unusual

I wonder if your thyroid has gone out of whack? Hopefully you'll get to the GP soon.

Possibly a bit of an appetite reduction. I have never been massively fussed by food so stop when full and it’s possible that’s getting less. But I have been eating 3 meals a day and not changing diet (though get reaction to most wine now so have cut that down). Plus I have been quite busy at work and had less opportunity to work from home so possibly a bit more active (I usually cycle to work). Perhaps small changes like that but nothing massive.

Losing weight without trying is a reason to go to the GP. Hopefully it's nothing, but best to get reviewed

Thanks v much. I can’t get an appointment for another 3 weeks so I am worrying about possibilities! I was out for a fancy 3 course dinner last night but still dropped weight again this morning (appreciate one day doesn’t mean anything but it’s the trend).

Have you told them what the issue is? Unexplained weight loss should merit an expedited appointment. When I contacted my GP to say I was gaining weight despite feeling very full they pulled me in same day for blood tests as those can be signs of ovarian cancer.

Tbh the receptionist who took the call sounded a bit ‘yeah heart bleeds for you’. They then refer it to a dr to triage and send an appointment so I assume it went into the ‘whenever’ category.

Hmm. I might mention to them (in writing) that unexplained weight loss features in the NICE guidance for cancer referrals and are they happy for you to wait three weeks for an assessment?

Thank you for that, I've looked these up and have come across these patient pages https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng12/ifp/chapter/general-symptoms that's very helpful.

The tricky thing is that the amount I've lost and rate I've been losing it at probably wouldn't be remarkable if I was overweight and trying to lose weight, so it does feel as if I might be making a fuss about nothing. But for someone at a healthy/slim weight, not trying to lose it, not especially stressed etc, and at a life stage where it's usually hard to lose weight then it does seem odd.

Basically I've gone from around 55kg in late Oct, 53 at the start of January, 51.5 start of March, now a bit below 50 (49.8 this morning). So not massive loss but steady and puts me right on the edge of being under weight (am 164cm).

Not sure whether that sounds worrying.

Are you taking any HRT? I lost about 5 kilos without trying around the time I started HRT. It freaked me out because colorectal cancer runs in my family but I had an colonoscopy and it was clear, so...seems it was just another of those weird things bodies do in peri.
I get why you're worried as I was the same, but please try not to worry too much. It's very likely to be hormonal changes, whether you're taking HRT or not. You're doing the right thing by getting it checked though.

Thank you. Glad to hear someone else has had similar and been fine. No, no hrt as yet. Aside from periods being more erratic and infrequent I don’t really have any symptoms.

It’s most likely you are fine, or just have something a bit wonky that needs sorting out. But I would definitely ask the surgery to confirm in writing that they are happy not to see you for three weeks with unexplained weight loss.

On a side note, if the receptionist really did make light of your issue, I’d be writing to the practice manager to suggest that this was inappropriate.

I think only you can decide if your look too thin or normal.
And if you had a stone to lose in the first place.

Obviously the main risk is bowel cancer so your GP might do a stool test (FIT test) as a first assessment.

If you have any other symptoms, it 's worth thinking about bowel stuff like coeliac and IBD. But those usually come with pain and other symptoms.

I don’t think it’s relevant whether the weight ‘needed’ to be lost (and OP does say she’s now on the edge of underweight). It’s the fact that it’s gone with no obvious reason.

I’m peri menopausal and have lost some weight but I know that I’m eating less. I did see a GP about loss of appetite and had some bloods but all was normal. I was a healthy weight before and still am though.

In your case, it could just be less snacking due to not working at home, being busier and cutting down wine BUT I wouldn’t wait 3 weeks to see a doctor. Contact the surgery again and say you’re concerned and hopefully they will give you an appointment sooner.

Yeah I did. I think I lost muscle mass and therefore my appetite reduced. This was three years ago and I now strength train and am on HRT. I think the horrendous night sweats also made me weigh less in the mornings. Has your body shape changed?

Thanks everyone and it's good to hear that other people have had similar without it being anything worrying.

As ItisIbeserk says, it's the fact that I've lost it without meaning to that is the worry. I think I look OK at this weight (but no lower) but was also happy with how I looked 6 months ago too, so definitely not about appearance. I don't think I've changed shape, so much as proportionally reduced everywhere.

I'm going to email the surgery as suggested and ask about the delay. Looking back at my app I was 53.2 kg at the start of Jan and was 49.6kg today, which is just under half a kilo a week and puts my BMI at 18.4. I will tell them that and point to the NICE guidelines. The receptionist wasn't rude as such but her tone was quite dismissive so I don't know whether she put the numbers in or just something vague about weight loss.

where have you lost weight from?

I'm roughly your weight (bit less) and that's normal for me. If I put weight on it goes straight to my tummy so I'm always thrilled if it goes. BMI around 18.5, weighed as part of health check for my bones and not considered an issue.

You seem to have said that you've eaten less so that kind of loss over 6 months isn't unusual .

No I am certainly not conscious of eating less and definitely not deliberately doing so. It might be your norm but it hasn't been mine for the last decade. I don't know where I've lost it from because I don't keep track, but I've had to buy new clothes and it's most noticeable in trousers, though tops are probably more forgiving of variation anyway. I am not thrilled, I am worried.

But this kind of response is what makes me worry about bothering a doctor at all. On the one hand you are saying this is completely normal, and certainly most sites seem to say half a kilo a week is sensible if you are trying to lose weight. So I feel as if I will look ridiculous if I bother a doctor about it unnecessarily. On the other hand, this is not at all intentional and there seems to be a lot on the medical sites saying that 5-10% over 6-12 months should be investigated e.g. https://bestpractice.bmj.com/topics/en-gb/548 . I have lost more than 5% in less than 3 months.

I had a similar weight loss a couple of years ago which took me to 48kg at 163cm. I had lots of tests at the GP and they could not find anything wrong at all. I am now gaining for no apparent reason and back up to 51kg on exactly the same diet and exercise. I am taking HRT and no idea if it is down to hormonal changes.

Thank you, that's reasuring.

It could really easily be nothing at all but you’re right that it’s something to bother the doctor with. A blood test may be all that’s needed to find out if there’s an issue.

Hi OP, I could have written this myself. I am 165 and currently 47 kgs, was more like 50 before I had kids but then of course you gain during pregnancy and lose it after and now this is my norm. I am sure it’s down to having two kids under 2 and never stopping - and appetite is less. Interestingly it never came back for me post covid 2021 when I caught it badly. Maybe you had it this winter?