Weight gain & HRT

[towhoknowswhere]

It’s looking likely that I may need hrt, so far I’ve managed my ever increasing symptoms with a mixture of vitamins, diet etc but I’ve started feeling really anxious and have started having hot flushes too.

So far I have avoided taking hrt and this is solely due to my lifelong fear of gaining weight 🙁 I’m 54 and this aspect of me is likely to change!

Google is offering a mixture of opinions and I have read (and heard!) stories of women battling with their weight once they are on it. This terrifies me (I’m being brutally honest so please be kind!)

I’m not sure if it’s relevant but I’ll only need oestrogen as I had a hysterectomy a few years ago.

You will get lots of responses saying both.
All you can do is try.

I've been on HRT for over 15 years and not put weight on.

You may be fine because it's sometimes the progesterone side of HRT that causes weight gain, (partly as it can increase appetite) as well as being menopausal.

HRT doesn't 'reverse' the menopause (and the redistribution of fat) completely, as the dose of estrogen it gives is still far lower than when we are fertile.

I've lost weight on oestrogen because I feel so much better - more energy, better sleep, less pain. So I find it much easier to stick to healthy eating plan and regular exercise.

All you can do is try it and see!

I will give it a go!
And maybe stay away from google? So many horror stories 😳
Thank-you

I’m about to start it too @towhoknowswhere and the potential weight gain is my one big worry. I worked hard to lose a lot over recent years so really hoping I don’t gain. As pp said though, all we can do is try! Hope it works well for you.

Thank-you! I know it’s ridiculous, I’m not remotely overweight but still feel so worried 🙁
I hope all goes well for you too! Fingers crossed it will help us both, menopause is harsh isn’t it?

menopause is harsh isn’t it? it certainly is! Hoping it helps.

No weight change for me; I've been on it for 6 years.

I am one of those who has put on weight with HRT. I know it is this because I’ve had to come off it several times over the years for cortisol based tests related to my Addisons disease (HRT falsely elevates cortisol levels so you are advised to stop it for 6 weeks for any tests) and I always lose exactly half a stone and then put it back on again when I restart it. For me personally that doesn’t really bother me because the benefits far outweigh the weight gain but I guess it depends how much it bothers you. I’d rather be a bit chubbier than have the dreadful hot flushes, night sweats, insomnia and joint pains I had.

I should also add for me it makes no difference what type of HRT it is - I’ve been under several different specialists and tried many different forms and doses and the weight gain is always exactly the same.

So 3 months in I thought I’d update and maybe reassure anyone else starting HRT?
I’ve put on absolutely no weight and if anything my body looks better as I seem to have a waist again!
Generally I feel good but it’s hard to say as starting HRT coincided with a fairly big life change but I’m guessing I wouldn’t have coped as well without it?

That’s fantastic news! I started on it this week. I mentioned to the drs how I couldn’t lose weight at all, went through how little I was eating and how much exercise I was doing, and it was suggested that it could help hormonal and that HRT might help me lose weight! Fingers crossed!

Well I put on weight in peri not being on HRT despite same diet and exercise so people experiencing weight gain on hrt might just have had it anyway.

Actually Been on it 6 weeks now and feel sooo much better. Fixed the night waking and hot flashes! Juries out on the weight but as I say for me weight gain happened anyway.