Does HRT Result Into Weight Gain?

HRT and Weight Gain

During the reproductive years of a woman, the body produces many hormones, including estrogen. Estrogen is vital for normal menstrual periods and fertility, and it also promotes bone strength. The fall in estrogen levels that occurs at the time of menopause can produce well-known symptoms such as hot flashes and may result in an increase in the risk of both osteoporosis and heart disease in a woman.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is used for estrogen or for estrogen plus progestin treatment after menopause. Progestins are drugs that act like female hormone progesterone and are added to the estrogen for preventing uterine cancer. Uterine cancer can occur if estrogen alone is given to women with a uterus. The treatment is an effective option for treating the symptoms of menopause and also helps to prevent osteoporosis. However it leads to an increased risk of diseases like breast cancer.

Does treatment result into Weight Gain?
Several studies have been undertaken in order to answer this very question asked frequently. The conclusion drawn from these studies is that the treatment doesn’t routinely contribute to weight gain. But, there are always exceptions and there have been women who have experienced weight gain while having treatment.

As one gets older the metabolism also slows down and one requires fewer numbers of calories for the routine tasks of everyday living. So it may be necessary to eat fewer calories and exercise more for maintaining a stable body weight. It has also been suggested by some doctors that the removal of the ovaries also reduces testosterone levels in a woman’s body, which reduces muscle mass.

It is important to realize that a woman also has small amounts of testosterone in their bodies even though we tend to think that it is exclusively a male hormone. If muscle mass is less the lost tissue is replaced by fat. It is also possible that a woman may not have greatly increased her weight due to HRT but that her shape may have changed.

Several studies have shown that women perceived that their weight has increased even though serial measurements demonstrated that they have changed shape rather then their bodyweight, which is that they have experienced a process of redistribution of their body fat. However, their overall body weight remained the same.

Also read our article about HRT Tibolone