Many women will start to notice some symptom relief within the first couple of weeks after starting treatment. Hot flashes, night sweats, brain fog, and sleep issues are the most common symptoms that improve the fastest and normally continue to improve with time.

Menopausal weight gain can be one of the hardest symptoms to address for women, despite efforts to eat well and exercise regularly.

HRT is not a weight loss drug, but it can help stop the rapid hormonal weight gain by addressing the metabolic effects of declining hormone levels.

You will see a redistribution of weight to lower your BMI and increase your lean muscle mass. There may be a temporary gain of water weight over the first week or two, but that should subside quickly, and you should then start to see the desired weight loss begin.

It's still important to eat well and exercise. In addition to the direct metabolic effects, you should also sleep better with these medications. This in turn helps with weight loss by lowering cortisol levels and decreasing the food cravings that can result from being tired.

It's uncommon to see notable weight loss in the first month. Studies have shown that slow, steady progress is the most beneficial for losing the extra weight and managing it long-term.

After 10 weeks, we'll check in and see how you're doing. At that time, if you're not experiencing the benefits you desire, your Winona doctor may be able to adjust the medication dose or method of treatment.