Help - gaining weight on hrt - oestrogel and utrogestan

[cheeseomelette]

Started in January and have gained 8 lbs I really don’t need. It’s amazing for my symptoms but I’m really hungry on it. Have been intermittent fasting for years and suddenly can’t do without breakfast so have reintroduced that. I am craving carbs.

my diet is vegetarian and generally healthy - I am low alcohol, eat a range of vegetables, salads, nuts etc. I know what to avoid and have minimal junk.

will this stop? I’ve started tracking calories to keep an eye on that and have upped protein. I already walk 10-15k steps a day, go to the gym 3 times a week and drink water and black coffee so I’m at a loss. Hrt is the key difference here.

ive been doing 2 pumps and a tablet each night but ChatGPT suggests moving the gel application to the morning so I’m going to try that.

i’m 50 and just about to hit 12 months without a period, for context.

Can I ask why you went on it. Not everyone needs it, what was your symptoms? Were they unmanageable? As weight gain is common yes.

Symptoms were anxiety, hot flushes. It sorted those out within 48 hours. I feel mentally very well on it - really balanced and calm.

If I tell you I’d developed a fear of the post coming each day prior to this, it illustrates how irrational it all was. It was getting debilitating

I put on 4 stone in 4 months. The GP was adamant it wasn't the HRT. I did think about coming off it, but I couldn't live with the hot flushes. Long term I ended up staying on HRT and going on WLIs to lose the weight.

Ok then you need It and it’s working. So you will just need to work on the cal management I’m afraid. It’s shit, but it is what it is,

I've found similar though it hasn't kept going luckily, and I have managed to lose a bit but it's been hard going! I came off it for a bit for this reason but after a while my mental state was such I decided I had to accept the extra few pounds.

Interested in the changing the gel to the morning - chatgpt says that might help for the weight gain?

I was alarmed at how I seemed to suddenly swell up when I started HRT - even the shape of my face seemed to change and my boobs were like when I was breastfeeding! I read that if you've been depleted with oestrogen then your fat cells react to it quickly before it settles down.

I'm now about four months into it and the weight gain has lessened and I am not so swollen - boobs are still magnificent, however! I am definitely heavier round my waist, bum and thighs, and some of my clothes are a bit uncomfortable. I was too thin before (some very stressful times and bereavement) so the weight gain isn't unwelcome but I don't want to gain anymore so I'm just being careful with the treats and doing more exercise.

It definitely stopped the hot flushes and insominia quite quickly, and I think some of the brain fog has lifted too (this was my worst symptom and I would rather be heavier than return to that)

I gained 8lbs in 3 months on HRT. I felt bloated and tummy looked like I was pregnant. I stopped it and weight fell off again quite quickly.
I hadn’t had many symptoms before starting HRT to be honest apart from low mood. It didn’t help with that so no regrets about stopping it.

Oh dear, am the other side of 45 & really hoping I don’t develop any unmanageable perimenopause symptoms!

It’s now SO hard to lose any weight at all desperately despite being careful, over the past few years my weight has crept up and now several kilos more compared with my early 40s

The potential weight gain with HRT would definitely put me off…unless my symptoms were impacting my everyday life. I didn’t realise weigh gain was an HRT side effect!

I didn’t put on weight with HRT other than about two pounds max of water weight, which caused constipation.

I haven’t put on any weight on HRT, but I haven’t increased my calories. It sounds like that’s the problem, OP. Also, you mention intermittent fasting, presumably for weight control? I’ve always been slim and have stayed that way on HRT, so maybe it’s also if you’re someone prone to gaining weight.

Finally, I’m on the lowest dose of HRT. Could you you see if reducing your dose helps?

@cheeseomelette I can't see changing when you apply gel with make any difference.

It's more likely to be the daily progesterone.
OR adding in an extra meal (breakfast.)

Have you considered changing to sequential?
It's not 'banned' even for women post menopausal.

I've been on HRT for years and not gained any weight but I use it on a cycle.(Not boasting, just saying!)

You could also try reducing the gel to one pump.
2 pumps is an average dose. Not everyone needs that. You only need enough to control your symptoms.

x-d post with @BreatheAndFocus

This.
OP you mention you are eating more carbs and hungry all the time, so assume you’re eating over your calories? But you’re wondering why you’re gaining weight. Hrt can increase appetite but not put weight on itself. So you just need to manage calories better.

Basically, you've gained just under a pound a week over the past 10 weeks, but you're also saying you're eating more.

Is it that and not HRT?

Shouldn’t everyone be on it, unless at risk of cancer etc? To prevent osteoporosis etc.

I put on over a stone on hrt. Came off it for unexplained bleeding, never lost a lb. Went back on it when allowed and put 3lb on in a week! Came off it again as at 5 '2" and 10st5 I daren't risk anymore weight gain.

I just can't loose the weight at all. Hardly ate for a week due to circumstances and spent one day being sick in the same week and lost a measly 1lb.

Yes it could well be the extra meal - it’s only yoghurt and berries but still, it’s more than previously. I’ll count calories for a month and see.

im craving the carbs but not necessarily eating them! All I mean is I could cheerfully pack away a bowl of pasta which is something I’d never usually even want.

the hunger pains are really horrible, I never usually get this.

if I had progesterone every other day and reduced to one pump, could that be a sensible idea?

Just researched and it needs to be 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off, doesn’t it? Scrap the every other day thing

Correct.

The patient leaflet actually says 12 days per cycle and the 2 weeks is just there to 'make it easier to remember'.

You do 12 (or 14) days from the same DATE each month.
eg 15 March, 15 April etc.

If you're eating one more meal a day even just yoghurt that could be 150 cals a day = 1050 a week.

I am always very carb-driven on the progesterone phase of HRT but I ignore it mostly.

This sounds like me, this sounds like a miracle to me.
I didnt know about weight gain

dont suffer @Merseymum1980it has really transformed the fear feeling. It turned the anxiety dial down from 9 to 1-2.
the fear of speeding fines was a big thing for me. I don’t even speed, it was all ridiculous.

Im a small business owner my ridiculous thing is imagining my business account will be closed (i dont know why thats the new thing) plus worrying about much much worse that i wouldnt admit to out loud.
Waking up.worrying about making enough money to pay national insurance etc etc. All kinds of things that never used to keep.me up.
The post thing is real, i dread driving home sometimes with the thought of the post.

Does the 8lbs actually put you at risk eg into obese category? If not I’d really work on accepting that it’s perfectly normal to be a bit bigger as you get older.

I don't know why some people are suggesting you just manage calories, it's well known that your metabolism changes in menopause and it's much harder to lose weight.

I've put on weight since going on hrt and I can't get it off no matter how little I eat. It's impossible.