HRT - Any effect on weight loss????

Hi Gals,

Began menopause a little early at age 46 and am completely through menopause by age 49.  I have had few symptoms and had a relatively easy time compared to some of the stories I have heard from others (big mood swings, terrible hot flashes, night sweats, etc.).  I recently visited my gyno who suggested I take HRT for bone loss, etc. 

Has HRT had any effect on your weight loss?  (faster, slower?)  Does HRT really have that much effect on bone loss?  I have already been diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiency and am worried that I could develop osteoporosis because of my extreme weight loss, malabsorption and vitamin D deficiency.

I have been very successful in my weight loss journey and don't want to mess this up, especially if the meds are not that necessary. 

Any advice?

Thanks.

Lisa

That's funny.  My PCP and I had almost the same discussion.  Last week I went to have an exam and total blood check.  Then he asked me about cycles and I told him I hadn't had to worry about those for some time now (hyst-1991) and he mentioned estrogen.  He said it used to be they recommended it for bone loss but no longer do, he told me to take caltrate or if I would like he could write a script for something after I have a bone density test.  Well I stopped the estrogen a long time ago.  Seems like there was some mention about ovarian and cervical cancer linked with the estrogen.  I don't really remember. 

Hi Peggy,

Nice to hear from a fellow Ohioan!  Hope all is well in my old stomping grounds of Columbus.  I graduated from OSU too many years ago!!!

Thanks for your reply.  I really feel like the old saying of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"!    What I really don't want to happen is to mess up the weight loss I have already had! 

I am still on the fence on this one.  I am also taking the caltrate and vitamin D by the truckload to get my levels back up.  I am definitely feeling a lot better now that I have been taking the Vitamin D. 

Keep in touch.

Thanks again!

Lisa

If the caltrate that you take contains carbonate, we don't absorb carbonate.  We need calcium citrate.

I have been on HRT for three years ... patches. My gyne recommended them after I had some bad symptoms. I didn't notice any effect on weight loss ... but then I lost rather slowly; it took me three years to reach my goal of 180. She didn't prescribe for bone loss.

We did do a bone density test last year at my suggestion and all was fine; but I was on calcium citrate plus magnesium at the time. Now I have a Vit D deficiency too and am taking that.

I don't believe you take HRT for anything but relieving the symptoms (or at least that's how my gyne looks at it) ... you take the lowest possible dose for the shortest time. There are a lot of conflicting studies ... it was funny because about the time I started on HRT, the study came out that said this could cause heart problems. My gyne pointed out that that study was done on older women who already had heart trouble. This year, another study confirmed exactly what my gyne told me three years ago. Wow, she's smart!