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.
All guides
Every guide we have published, newest first. Each one opens with the short answer.
Newest first
HRT risks in plain numbers: extra cases per 1,000
The pros and cons of hormone replacement therapy as extra breast cancer, clot and stroke cases in a group of 1,000 women, by type, route and years.
Menopause symptom checklist for your GP
Tick perimenopause and menopause symptoms, how often each one hits and how much it bothers you, then print one sheet before a GP visit about hormone therapy.
Browse by topic
Each topic page has a plain overview, the questions readers ask most, and every guide on that subject.
- PerimenopauseWhen cycles start to change: the first signs, how long this stage lasts and how it gets diagnosed.
- SymptomsBrain 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.
- Hot flashesWhy the heat comes on, and the treatments with real evidence, hormonal and not.
- SleepWhy sleep breaks down in perimenopause and menopause, from sweating at night to 3am waking, and what helps you stay asleep.
- Weight and dietWhat really changes with weight at midlife, and how to eat for energy, bones and heart.
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