No. The research shows that menopausal HRT doesn't cause weight gain. That being said, it's common to gain a small amount of weight during this time of life. Stopping HRT won't make much difference for your weight.
Contrary to popular assumptions, most women experience no changes in weight as the result of undergoing HRT. A systematic review of 22 high-quality randomized clinical trials concluded that there was no significant difference in weight between menopausal women who were treated with HRT and those who were not.
Some people find that stopping HRT is unremarkable, with no symptoms at all. However, it is common for menopause symptoms (including flushes and night sweats) to come back in the months after stopping HRT. These are often temporary and tend to fade away after a few months.
Occasionally, patients gain weight at the beginning of HRT as their hormones get regulated. But this side effect generally subsides within weeks. And while some patients report losing weight with HRT, that's because the work they were already doing to eat a healthy diet and get exercise can finally pay off.
Lack of estrogen may also cause the body to use starches and blood sugar less effectively, which would increase fat storage and make it harder to lose weight.
The decrease in estrogen and progesterone, along with aging in general, triggers metabolic changes in the body. One change is a decrease in muscle mass, resulting in fewer calories being burned. If fewer calories are being burned, fat accumulates.
Another reason why some women may appear to gain weight occurs when background anxiety, with reduced appetite, keeps weight a little lower than it would be naturally. This anxiety is often reversed by the positive impact of HRT, which in turn can increase appetite and weight over time.
There is no easy answer, but rebalancing the hormones, exercise routine and diet can help to increase your metabolic rate, which will ensure fat is burned more efficiently. Reducing overall stress in your life can help too, because stress can cause increased amounts of cortisol to be released.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle through a balanced diet, regular physical activity, proper sleep, and stress modification can help with managing and reversing hormonal weight gain and decreasing the associated health risks that may result if it is not addressed.
If you wish to come off HRT, or your doctor tells you that you have to stop, then take a few months to strengthen the adrenals –as above – first, then come off as slowly as possible, preferably taking 6 months to a year – remember it takes about 2 years for your body to do it naturally!
One of the common treatment options for menopausal symptoms is hormone replacement therapy (HRT), supplementing your hormone levels to rebalance your system. However, you may prefer to move through menopause without using hormone treatments. And, women with previous hormone-dependent cancer shouldn't use HRT.
We advise everyone to allow 2–4 months for the weaning process overall, if possible (some require a little less, some more). If you do it with care, you can feel better than you ever have in your life.
A recent study of postmenopausal women, ages 50 to 80, found that those who took hormones had significantly lower levels of belly fat than women who did not take hormones.
Some women take HRT for a few years to help improve their worst symptoms of the menopause. Some women find that when they stop taking HRT after just a few years, they have no more symptoms. Other women have a return of their symptoms when they stop taking HRT.
It is often used in HRT for women since an imbalance of progesterone causes women to overeat. DHEA: A hormone that promotes weight loss by increasing the body's metabolism, preventing fat storage, and decreasing the appetite for dietary fats.
There also appears to be a redistribution of fat mass at the time of the menopause, with an increase in the waist-to-hip ratio. Although it is a common belief that HRT inevitably causes weight gain, available evidence suggests that this is not true.
“About two years after your last period, in general, the rate of fat gain doubles and lean mass, or muscle mass, starts to decline. On average, women gain 5-8% of their baseline body weight during this time,” she says.
Weight gain
You might have more fat around the waist and less fat around the hips and buttocks. You may have water retention when taking HRT. This is when too much water builds up in your body.
What are some of the withdrawal symptoms that women experience? The primary symptoms are the ones that we called menopausal symptoms. So hot flashes, night sweats and disturbed sleeping, probably because of the hot flashes and night sweats, and vaginal dryness.
Many women also notice an increase in belly fat as they get older — even if they aren't gaining weight. This is likely due to a decreasing level of estrogen, which appears to influence where fat is distributed in the body.
The high levels of estrogen in the body stresses the cells that produce insulin. This makes your body insulin-resistant and leads to high glucose levels, which in turn, causes weight gain.
Reduced levels of oestrogen after menopause can cause fat to be stored around your waist rather than on your hips and thighs. In postmenopausal women, belly fat accounts for 15 to 20% of their total body weight, compared with 5 to 8% in premenopausal women.
There's no limit on how long you can take HRT, but talk to a GP about how long they recommend you take the treatment. Most women stop taking it once their menopausal symptoms pass, which is usually after a few years.
A Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center study involving postmenopausal, overweight, and obese women who took 2,000 IUs of vitamin D daily for a year found that those whose vitamin D blood levels increased the most had the greatest reductions in blood estrogens, which are a known risk factor for breast cancer.