His and Her Health

Years ago I heard something about gaining weight when taking estrogen? Is there any truth to that? I'm just starting to take the medication this week and I am concerned because my weight has always been a challenge. Thank you.

Thank you for logging onto our bulletin board. In response to your question, women gain weight at menopause because of sedentary lifestyles and overeating. Many women start to become less active as they get older resulting in less muscle mass . This causes the slowing down of basal metabolic rate and our bodies burn fewer calories. This may be the culprit of those added pounds, especially if we don't curb what we eat. According to the Postmenopausal Estrogen/Progestin Interventions (PEPI) trial, it showed that long-term hormone therapy (HT) users actually lost a small amount of weight, so long term HT does not appear to add pounds. Most women tolerate estrogen very well, but some do experience side effects - the most common being breast tenderness and fluid retention - changing the dosage usually controls these side effects. I hope this answers your question.