Does HRT cause weight gain? What the trials show
HRT does not cause weight gain, according to a Cochrane review of 28 trials. Here is why it can feel that way in the first weeks and what does drive midlife weight.
Practical guides to perimenopause, symptoms, HRT, sleep, hot flashes and weight, with every health claim linked to the guidance behind it.
Topics
A cycle gone strange, a night of sweats, a decision about HRT: each topic opens with a plain overview, then lists every guide on it.
Perimenopause
When cycles start to change: the first signs, how long this stage lasts and how it gets diagnosed.
Symptoms
Brain fog, anxiety, aches and the less-talked-about changes, with what each one usually means.
Hormone therapy (HRT)
What HRT is, the forms it comes in, who it suits and how the risks really stack up.
1 guide
Hot flashes
Why the heat comes on, and the treatments with real evidence, hormonal and not.
Sleep
Why sleep breaks down in perimenopause and menopause, from sweating at night to 3am waking, and what helps you stay asleep.
Weight and diet
What really changes with weight at midlife, and how to eat for energy, bones and heart.
1 guide
HRT does not cause weight gain, according to a Cochrane review of 28 trials. Here is why it can feel that way in the first weeks and what does drive midlife weight.
How we write
We build each guide from the NHS, NICE, The Menopause Society and the trials they cite, and link them where the fact is used so you can read the original.
You will not find invented patients, testimonials or "it worked for me" here. Where the evidence is thin, the guide says so.
We explain options and the questions worth asking. We never tell you to start or stop a medicine. Read the full editorial policy.