Will I Gain Weight if I Start to Take Bio-Identical Hormones? by: Phil Altman, R.Ph., Compounding Pharmacist

Hormones are chemical messages that cause the body to make changes affecting weight gain or weight loss.  When your hormones are out of balance, it can, in some cases, make it easier to gain weight and harder to lose weight.  When your hormones are in balance you get the most out of your nutrition therefore, making it easier to lose weight.  For instance, men as they get older get less active and have a decline in testosterone.  This particular hormone boosts  metabolism which helps lower body fat. Concluding, that when testosterone levels are balanced,  a man’s ideal weight is easier to achieve. The average weight gain is gradual for a woman, about 10 to 15 pounds starting in peri-menopause and averaging to about a pound a year.  However, studies have shown that women who experience early menopause as a result of surgical menopause (hysterectomy) tend to gain the weight at an even more accelerated pace. This proving that when the hormones, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone are out of balance your body works inefficiently to burn calories.

The hormone fluctuations in  peri-menopause and menopause directly impact your appetite, fat storage, and metabolism. Menopause weight gain is actually hormone weight gain.

Estrogen: It is common for estrogen levels to diminish during menopause causing cessation of ovulation. The decreased production of estrogen by the ovaries causes a woman’s body to search for other sources of estrogen. Another source of estrogen is fat cells, so your body learns to convert more calories into fat, in order to increase estrogen production. This means weight gain.

Progesterone: It is also common for progesterone levels to decrease during menopause.  Low  levels of  this hormone do not actually cause you to gain weight, but instead cause water retention or bloating.

Testosterone: Testosterone in a women works to build and maintain muscle mass among other things. These muscle cells work to burn calories in your body and cause a higher metabolism. Levels of this hormone decrease during menopause causing the loss of muscle mass.

Concluding: When your hormones are in balance your body works more efficiently to burn calories.

Phil Altman, R.Ph.,

Compounding Pharmacist