Does Estrogen Cause Weight Gain? Yes – Here’s What to Know

Does estrogen cause weight gain?

What is estrogen?

How does estrogen cause weight gain?

How to overcome weight gain from estrogen

How to test and track estrogen levels

When to see a doctor for hormonal weight gain

 

Gaining weight can be frustrating, especially when underlying forces in our bodies (like our hormones) work against us. 

One of those hormones is estrogen – and when our estrogen levels are out of balance, it can start to impact a number of factors that affect our weight. 

In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about what estrogen is, how it causes weight gain, and practical things you can do to manage your weight with a hormone imbalance. We’ll also cover estrogen testing methods and time frames for when you should speak with a doctor. 

Does estrogen cause weight gain?

Estrogen levels that are too low or too high may contribute to weight gain or weight fluctuations. This is because estrogen plays a role in cholesterol metabolism, glucose metabolism, and insulin sensitivity. All of these factors can influence things like appetite, hunger, satiety, and energy levels, which in turn can have an impact on body weight.  

What is estrogen?

Estrogen is a type of sex hormone produced in all bodies. In the female body, it is produced in the ovaries and is primarily responsible for driving sexual development and maintaining reproductive health. 

During puberty, baseline estrogen levels begin to rise. This rise in estrogen is what triggers the development of certain sexual characteristics like breast growth, weight gain around the hips, and hair growth under the arms and pubic area. 

During an individual’s reproductive years, baseline estrogen levels fluctuate throughout each menstrual cycle, with levels being at their lowest during menstruation before peaking during ovulation. The primary role of estrogen during this time is to help facilitate a healthy environment for conception by regulating the menstrual cycle, stimulating egg follicle growth, maintaining vaginal wall thickness, and maintaining the uterine lining. 

During pregnancy, estrogen is produced by the ovaries and the placenta, with levels increasing dramatically during the first trimester before reaching their peak in the third trimester. In addition to helping the body produce other key pregnancy hormones, estrogen also supports uterine growth, fetal development, and breast development for breastfeeding. 

During perimenopause and menopause, the body gradually starts to decrease the production of estrogen. This decrease in estrogen levels is what contributes to the tell-tale symptoms of menopause like hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and fatigue. 

It’s important to note that there are three different types of estrogen. This includes Estradiol (the dominant form of estrogen in individuals of reproductive age), Estriol (the dominant form produced during pregnancy), and Estrone (the dominant form produced after menopause). 

To learn more about the role of estrogen in the female body, check out our articles Exploring Estriol vs Estradiol & What They Mean to You and Estrogen and Progesterone: Understanding the Role of Each when TTC. 

How does estrogen cause weight gain?

In addition to being a driving force behind sexual development and reproductive health, estrogen also plays a role in other important bodily functions. This includes bone metabolism, cholesterol metabolism, glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and the way the body stores fat. Estrogen is also known to help regulate brain functioning and mood. 

Because estrogen plays such a key role in so many aspects of our health, it only makes sense that our bodies (and weight) can be sensitive to changes in our estrogen levels. 

For example, when estrogen levels are too high in comparison to progesterone (also known as estrogen dominance), this can trigger the body to produce more insulin. This in turn leads to insulin resistance, high blood sugar, and weight gain. On the other hand, when estrogen levels are too low in comparison to other hormones, this can cause the body to convert more energy into fat in order to keep estrogen levels in balance. 

Common symptoms of an estrogen imbalance include mood swings, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and even infertility – all of which can have an indirect impact on things like how hungry we feel, how much energy we have, and how effective we are at maintaining a healthy weight. 

How to overcome weight gain from estrogen

Are you ready for some good news? There are strategies out there that can help you to manage your weight while overcoming an estrogen imbalance. Here are a few examples of lifestyle and medical options. 

Lifestyle

Diet

Diet plays a massive role in keeping our hormones in balance. This is because factors like the type, texture, and quantity of food that we consume have a direct effect on the production and secretion of hormones. 

A diet that is good for hormone health is one that incorporates the following:

• Fiber-rich foods like vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and plant-based fats to keep you fuller for longer. 
• Gut-friendly foods (i.e. probiotics) like yogurts, kombucha, apple cider vinegar, tempeh, and kimchi to prevent constipation and the buildup of toxins in the body. 
• Magnesium-rich foods like leafy greens, avocados, legumes, and nuts to improve insulin sensitivity.

Other healthy habits that promote good hormone health include limiting sugar intake, drinking plenty of water, and limiting consumption of prepackaged/processed foods. 

Alcohol

Excess alcohol consumption is known to interfere with hormone functioning, which can have a negative effect on energy levels, blood pressure, and even menstrual cycle regularity. While one glass of wine or a cocktail every now and then won’t completely throw your hormones for a loop, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) does advise against consuming more than one alcoholic beverage per day to prevent harm to the body. If you are still struggling to balance your hormones within these guidelines, you may way to limit your alcohol intake even further. 

Those trying to conceive (TTC) should avoid alcohol altogether in order to maximize the chances of conception and to protect the health of a future pregnancy. 

Exercise

Exercising regularly is critical for keeping your hormones in balance and preventing weight gain over time. This is because exercise gives the body a boost of testosterone, which in turn helps it to burn fat, build muscle, and regulate blood pressure. 

If you’re not quite sure how much exercise you need, the CDC recommends that adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week along with two days of muscle training. 

Common examples of moderate-intensity exercises include:

• Brisk walking
• Water aerobics
• Cycling
• Hiking
• Jogging

Examples of muscle-strengthening exercises include:

• Weight lifting
• Heavy gardening
• Walking or cycling at an incline
• Resistance exercises (like push-ups and squats)
• Heavy gardening

Medications

BHRT (bio-identical hormone replacement therapy)

Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is a type of treatment that can help to balance common sex hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Even though the hormones are manmade in a laboratory, they are chemically identical to the hormones that are naturally found in the human body. 

BHRT treatments are often prescribed as a pill or cream, however, it is also possible to receive a BHRT treatment in the form of a patch, gel, or injection.

If you’d like to learn more about how BHRT could help you to balance your estrogen levels, we recommend speaking with your doctor to determine the appropriate treatment for your situation and medical history. 

How to test and track estrogen levels

To best way to understand how your estrogen levels are responding to any recent treatments or lifestyle changes is through hormone testing and tracking. 

Currently, there are three different ways that you can test your estrogen levels. This includes blood testing, urine testing, and saliva testing. Each method comes with its own pros and cons in terms of the medical support required and the type of information that you will receive in your results.

For example, a blood test at your doctor’s office or through an at-home testing service like Let’s Get Checked will only give you a one-time snapshot of your estrogen levels at the time that you take your test. If you want to know how your levels change over time, you will need to continue testing on a weekly or monthly basis. The downside of this approach is that it can become expensive and time-consuming. 

Urine testing with a system like Mira is another option that may be a bit less expensive depending on your situation and insurance. Testing with Mira is as easy as taking a pregnancy test, and the best part is that you will receive your results in real-time. While Mira cannot test for all types of estrogen, it can test for the urine metabolite of Estradiol (also known as E3G), which is the most dominant form of estrogen in individuals of reproductive age.   

When to see a doctor for hormonal weight gain

If you have committed to making necessary lifestyle changes to control hormonal weight gain but you are still not making any progress after 3-6 months, it is time to speak with a doctor. They will be able to determine whether or not you may be a fit for something like BHRT or other medical treatments.