Does Hormone Replacement Therapy Help With Weight Loss?
During menopause, many women experience a hormonal imbalance, marked by hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, and other adverse effects. These biochemical changes can have a profound effect on cognitive function, sexual health, and weight management. However, hormone replacement therapy may help you realign your metabolism, restore energy levels, and balance fat distribution to support weight loss.
HRT isn’t necessarily a magic weight-loss pill, but many find that it’s the missing link when used in conjunction with a healthy diet and regular exercise.
What is hormone replacement therapy?
Hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, is a medical treatment that restores optimal levels of estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and thyroid hormones for better overall health.
How does it work?
HRT is a highly customizable solution that can be adjusted to meet your unique needs. You’ll start with bloodwork to get insights into your baseline hormone levels. Your treatment provider will prescribe bioidentical hormones in the form of pills, patches, or pellets, to boost levels of various hormones.
Who’s a candidate for hormone replacement therapy?
While hormone replacement therapy is often marketed toward menopausal clients, men and women alike can benefit from hormone replacement for weight loss. People with hypothyroidism, growth hormone deficiencies, and decreased metabolic rate can experience positive results.
What are the side effects of hormone replacement therapy?
Hormone replacement therapy may not be right for everyone. Long-term estrogen use can increase the risk of blood clots, stroke, and breast cancer. Some may experience thyroid imbalance and insulin resistance. Your healthcare provider will perform a comprehensive screening to determine whether you’re a good fit for HRT.
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How does hormone replacement therapy help with weight loss?
Hormone replacement therapy can support weight loss by addressing several factors that lead to weight gain:
Encourages fat loss
Your hormones play a major role in body composition, and diminished levels of estrogen and testosterone can cause an accumulation of abdominal fat, dysregulated blood sugar levels, and muscle loss, which can all impact weight management. Hormone replacement therapy balances fat distribution, improves insulin sensitivity, and supports the development of lean muscle mass to boost weight loss.
Boosts metabolism
As we age, our bodies produce smaller amounts of the hormones that regulate our metabolisms. This can disrupt thyroid and metabolic functions, leading to increased belly fat. HRT balances thyroid hormones and stimulates lipolysis (the breakdown of body fat) to restore a healthy metabolism and help you lose weight.
Increases energy levels
Hormonal imbalances often disrupt sleep patterns, which can increase cortisol, the stress hormone. Even with adequate sleep, reduced estrogen and testosterone can cause persistent fatigue, depression, and poor motivation, making it nearly impossible to maintain a healthy activity level. In turn, your body mass index (BMI) may creep up, and you may have a higher risk of heart disease and other long-term medical issues.
Hormone replacement therapy counteracts these effects to support more youthful energy, which can have a major impact on weight loss efforts.
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What hormones are used in HRT?
Ready to explore how hormones can be used for weight loss in hormone replacement therapy? Here are some of the heavy hitters:
Estrogen
Estrogen plays a critical role in many bodily systems. It helps regulate metabolic function, fat distribution, heart health, mood, and energy levels. When used in hormone replacement therapy, it can support weight loss by preventing the formation of belly fat, maintaining lean muscle mass, and improving insulin sensitivity.
Progestogen
Progestogen refers to various forms of progesterone, a hormone that helps balance estrogen levels, supports brain function, and regulates the menstrual cycle. It’s often used in HRT to reduce bloating and water retention, balance cortisol, and support better sleep. There are several different types of progestogens, including natural and synthetic formulations.
Combined HRT
Combined hormone replacement therapy uses a blend of estrogen and progestogen to support weight loss and minimize the other adverse effects of menopause. This approach to HRT can balance fat distribution, enhance metabolic function, and may even improve sleep quality and energy levels.
Combined HRT can be cyclic, where you take estrogen every day with progestogen added throughout part of the month, or continuous, in which both hormones are taken daily.
Estrogen-only HRT
Women who have had a hysterectomy may benefit from estrogen-only HRT. This method may support a healthy metabolism and minimize abdominal weight gain through the use of patches, pills, gels, or creams.
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Achieve your wellness goals with GLOW Aesthetics!
GLOW Aesthetics is here to help you gain control of your health and wellness! Our knowledgeable providers can help you craft the perfect hormone replacement therapy plan for weight loss, more energy, better sleep, and graceful aging.
Ready to learn more about how GLOW can help you achieve your goals? Book a consultation today to get started!