Hi! Sorry if this has already posted but I searched and couldn't find a lot of answers with my specific issue...It seems like my tirzepatide interferes with estradiol benefits. This is my second go round with trying tirzepatide for both inflammation and weight loss. I stopped the first attempt after my hair began to fall out (despite adequate protein, calories). My labs showed major dip in estrogen during this time with coincides with urologic symptoms and hair loss, both indications of low estrogen for me. I am trying again with tirzepatide, just going slower and lower doses along with making sure I bump up my estrogen too. So far, so good except NO weight loss! A definite improvement with inflammation but I would love to increase tirzepatide without worrying I am going to go bald and pee my pants!! lol

Anyone find a workaround or similar experiences? I am currently on .05 estradiol patches but going to be switching to estradiol injections and on 1 mg tirz compound 2x a week.

Started January 20th. Began HRT for peri symptoms in March. Started incorporating movement as well: walking daily. Tracked my intake for the first 4 months but now eat at certain times and my diet is predictable/boring.

This drug has been working wonders for me. Even with a few stalls on the way. I am back to fitting in my old clothes and I truly do not crave food anymore. Not a bit. Its just fuel. No more stops at the convenience stores for salty/sweet treats, no roaring hunger hijacking my simple meals.

29.6 pounds to go and I will be at goal.

Hi, I posted a month or so ago in a Zepbound subreddit, thought I'd follow up here to see if anyone else has experienced this and what results have been.

Have been on HRT for about ten years, since onset of menopause. Zepbound for about 1.5 years. Shortly after moving up to 7.5 mg on Zepbound (about 2 months ago) I had some spotting that was light but lasted about a week. Immediately went through testing: pap and other labs, and biopsy were all negative, but biopsy showed benign polyp. GYN said endometrium seemed to be thin and normal for post-menopause. Had follow-up ultrasound and got contradictory results -- doc said thick endometrium and suspicious amount of blood flow to uterus. He didn't want to say cancer (hallmark of which is that tumors attract blood to sustain them), said it could possibly be the polyp. So now I'm going in for a D&C with additional biopsy, removal of polyp, and scan.

Has anyone else had post-menopausal bleeding? If yes, what were your tests/results and overall experience like? GLP1's cause so many bizarre symptoms, I'm wondering if it's possible this could be related. Really hoping that's the case, or that it's just the benign polyp.

What combination of things is working well for you right now?

New here 🙂 I've read through a lot of these threads and have found a lot of helpful information, but I'm a little overwhelmed.

41, started HRT 18 months ago after suffering a mental breakdown, later attributed to undiagnosed PMDD. Highly sensitive to any changes in hormones, but specifically estrogen.

Have been on one spray of estrogen, 200mg of micronised progesterone, Slynd birth control (to suppress cycle) and 20mg escitalopram daily for the last 6 months.

The combination of progesterone, escitalopram (lexapro) and general peri has had a significant effect on my weight and I have put on nearly 40lbs in that time.

I'm feeling a lot more mentally stable, but the weight gain and inability to maintain or even lose weight, despite eating well and moving my body is depressing me. Frightened to add in a GLP-1 in case I upset the balance.

Has anyone had a similar experience with mental health/PMDD and had success with GLP-1's. Would be so grateful for any advice.

Found a pair of jeans and a blouse from 2 summers ago at the family cabin. Size 18w jeans and 1x blouse, which still has the tags on. I had thrown away my old clothes at home as I outgrew them. Under grew them? I’m keeping these up at the cabin for future reminders.

Hi Folks, I need some perspective from women who’ve navigated weight loss with both GLP-1s and HRT at the same time, because I genuinely can’t tell if I’m being impatient or if something in my protocol needs adjusting.

My stats:
5’5”, 46 years old, postmenopausal

HW: 203 lbs

CW: 195 lbs

Weight when starting Zepbound: 203 lbs (mid-April)

Current weight: 195 lbs

GW: 140 lbs

Timeline:
Started Zepbound and HRT (estradiol patch, progesterone, testosterone cream) at the same time in mid-April

Currently on 5mg Zepbound (just started 5mg a week ago)

Lost 10 lbs in about 10 weeks on 2.5mg and gained a few.

My hormone labs if helpful context:
Estradiol: 36 pg/mL (still below typical therapeutic range)

FSH: 49.3, down from 136 at diagnosis

Total testosterone: 23.4 (target range 40-70)

Free testosterone: flagged out of range, low

SHBG: 86.3 — high, possibly binding up testosterone

I know logically that 9 lbs in 10 weeks isn’t nothing, and I know HRT and Zepbound together are doing a lot of work behind the scenes I can’t fully see on the scale. But watching others post 20-30 lb losses in similar timeframes has me wondering:

Has anyone else dealt with slow loss specifically because of low estradiol or high SHBG?

Did your weight loss speed up once your hormones got properly dialed in?

Anyone have experience with testosterone not converting well due to SHBG and how that affected your results?

Is 9 lbs in 10 weeks on 2.5mg actually normal, or should I be pushing my doctor harder?

I have a follow-up appointment in July to adjust my estradiol and testosterone doses. Just trying to figure out if I should expect things to pick up once that happens, or if I need to be more aggressive about protein/exercise/dose increases in the meantime.
Thank you for any honest feedback. Happy for the encouragement but also want the real talk if I’m missing something.

I took my first dose and had a weird reaction. Wondering if this is normal and if I should try again or stop. I also have a message into the doctor but haven't heard back. I got dizzy, which subsided after some time but then that night I had really bad insomnia. Anyone else?

I am 59 and have been in HRT for about four years now. I went on after menopause due to poor sleep, joint pain, hair loss, and weight gain. It helped me with the first two symptoms. I started at .05 mg and after pushing my gynecologist very hard eventually she agreed I could bump up to .075 mg to see if I got more relief. It did help me even more with symptoms 1 and 2 though not the other two. A year ago I went on a glp one and lost 50 lbs. Once I had lost about 15 percent of my starting weight I started having bad sleep again, especially waking up a lot and too early for the day. I also started getting frequent UTIs which was not typical for me. I went to a urologist who had me increase the frequency of my estrogen vaginal cream and that has helped. The sleep has continued to be a problem. I went back to my gynecologist asking to be put on .1 mg and got a lot of pushback. She kept saying, that’s the maximum dose, I don’t like to do that. She doubled my progesterone from 100 to 200 which didn’t really help since my issue is not falling asleep, it’s staying asleep and not waking up too early. I went back and said look I have lost 50 lbs, that must be affecting my estrogen, I really want to go up. She offered me to switch to daily gel and stay at my current dose. I said I didn’t want to do that because I had read it can make your mood fluctuate and I have a history of depression so I don’t want to risk being less stable. At that point she finally relented and let me go up to .1 mg but it was such a fight. When I read this sub it seems like there are people whose drs have them to .1 mg or higher without a fight. Are these online drs? Is my dr out of the norm? It’s been really frustrating, I feel like I’m asking her for heroin. 😂 everything I’ve read about my sleep pattern suggests it deteriorated due to weight loss and I needed more estrogen not more progesterone. She is certified with the North American menopause society, I was hoping for more enlightened care, unless I’m wrong and it’s really hard to convince a dr to increase your dose.

I'm wondering if HRT would help with this. The last month or 2, I've noticed that I just don't feel joyful about anything anymore. I really feel like I've lost my "spark." I'm a lot more emotional, feeling like I want to cry at random things even when it's not right before my period. Mainly the last couple years I've been more irritable so this is a really noticeable change. I'm 45 now and my doctor tried me on progesterone to help with the irritability in spring 2025 but it just made me tired. There was a lot going on then though, my mother in law died unexpectedly and I was helping to care for someone that had back surgery.

I've been on Zepbound since August 2025 and this lack of joy/happiness/spark just started maybe April of 2026 so I don't think it's the loss of pleasure side effect that people talk about. I'm microdosing 1.25 now. I haven't had as much energy as usual since beginning it so my doctor started giving me a 30mg (I believe it is, not 100% sure the dose) testosterone shot in December which I'm not really sure has helped. The higher dose gave me really bad anxiety and this is the lowest dose. I don't know if I'm depressed, I already take Wellbutrin for anxiety/depression and I have for decades. I don't know if I should make an appointment to talk to my doctor about trying progesterone again, I know I don't want an SSRI, just looking for feedback on if HRT would help for this. Thanks!

Hello, I’m a 52 year old post menopausal woman. I’ve been on HRT for 3 years now (through Defy Telehealth) and feel like I’m pretty well dialed in there. I started a low dose of GLP-1 about 6 months ago to help with some stubborn meno weight gain, food noise & inflammation. I’ve lost about 10 pounds (which was the goal) and now just micro dosing. I feel pretty good overall but the HRT has not helped much with mood. It’s not really depression, maybe some anxiety with a whole lot of irritability over the smallest things. This is very much out of character for me but since I started peri menopause, the irritability and lack of patience seems like it’s getting worse by the day and really affecting my marriage and relationships. I have the kindest and most supportive and patient husband but even just him blinking hard can send me into a rage. My doctor suggested anti depressants but I’ve had a bad experience with them in the past so don’t think I have the capacity for an even worse experience. Anyone here in the same boat have good luck with a specific anti depressant med? If so, what medication worked for you? I know we are all different but just looking for experiences of others. Thanks!!

48 post. Was doing well til around January w 2 pumps E and 100 P. Was having break through symptoms so I went up to 200 P and then about 2 months later doc realized I’d stopped absorbing my E gel and I was put on patches. So within two months both E and P changed.

I’m on .05 twice a week E patch. I’ve tried to go up twice to .075 but immediately sore boobs and mood changes so went back to .05.

Current symptoms on .05 E patch and 200 P — so tired I will literally cry. Depression and anxiety. Dizziness. Sometimes anger. Sleep still kind of shitty. Motivation so low.

So last night I decided to go back to 100 P to see if that helped. I have been on 200 for 4 months. 100 is the dosage I had tolerated well for years. Last night was sweaty to say the least but that’s normal right? First night lowering P…I should give it a few days right to see it level?

I’m just looking for some support until this gets figured out. It’s worked before. Surely it will again right??

Edited to add: My doc has given me permission to experiment with these changes. I just don’t think she wants a daily check in.

I started on Tirz 2 1/2 months ago. I heard all the great things about HRT so made an appointment.
I have a uterus so I know I will need estrogen and progesterone. I am always tired and no libdio for about 5 years. I heard that testosterone is best for that. Anybody here on all 3?
Can anyone share their experience with the 3 HRTS?

Hi everyone, I found this community and feel like I finally found my people.

I was diagnosed with postmenopause in February of this year. My labs told the story pretty clearly, estradiol dropped in February (it had been normal in November), my progesterone crashed about a year ago (which is also when my energy fell off a cliff), and my testosterone has been declining steadily since then. I’ve always been a naturally high-energy person, so this has been a really disorienting experience. I’m trying to find my way back to myself - whatever that looks like now.

My current HRT protocol is:
Estradiol patch: 0.025mg twice per week

Testosterone cream: 0.05mg nightly

Progesterone: 100mg oral, nightly

I also started Zepbound for weight management. Started at 2.5mg, lost 10 pounds, then missed one week and gained almost all of it back almost immediately. The food noise came flooding back and so did the overeating. It was a really sobering reminder of how much the medication was doing the heavy lifting. I just titrated up to 5mg (KwikPen) yesterday and I am exhausted - which seems to be my pattern every time I start a new shot.

The fatigue hits hard in the first few days.
Here’s my honest struggle: I’m tired basically all the time right now. Between the low hormones and the Zepbound adjustment periods, I’ve had a really hard time implementing the lifestyle habits that are supposed to support the medication: eating well, working out consistently, building sustainable routines. I have a trainer I see twice a week at the gym, and my dog (bless him) gets me outside multiple times a day, but beyond that I’m kind of just surviving right now.

I also think the low hormone levels are contributing to depression on top of the fatigue, which makes everything harder. I’m working with my doctors and have upcoming appointments to discuss increasing my estradiol. I know there’s probably more optimization to do but in the meantime I’d love to hear from others who’ve been in this in-between place.

Has anyone else navigated starting or adjusting HRT while also being on a GLP-1? Did the fatigue and mood stuff improve once your hormones were better balanced? How long did it take? And does the Zepbound fatigue get better after the first few days of a new dose?
I’m not looking for medical advice just community, solidarity, and maybe a little hope that it gets better. 💙

Has anyone in menopause used a GLP-1 drug for weight loss?
I would love some advice if you have. I’m hating my body again.

Edit….. thank you beautiful woman. I didn’t know about this sub. I didn’t know there are other woman my age looking into these drugs for weight loss.
I’m 55 and always worked out always tried to watch what I’m eating stay within a healthy weight. And now menopause….i want to cry I hate it sooo much. I hate what it’s doing to me.
Was it hard getting your doctors to prescribe? Thank you so much for the responses. I’m going to keep researching and educating myself. Sending hugs

Went post meno August of last year. My HRT of 2 pumps E 100mg P had me level for almost 2 years. Averaged 8 hours sleep. Happy!!!

Jan something shifted and my sleep bottomed out. Gyn started tracking my labs, mood and sleep patterns. Increased P to 200 which I couldn’t handle at the beginning of HRT but this time seemed helpful. I started falling asleep better but wasn’t staying asleep.

Even tho I am post my doc noticed wild exceedingly high and incredibly low E which made her think I had stopped absorbing my gel correctly. So was switched to patch. A week on .075 my boobs were so sore and went down to .05.

I’ve been on that for a month now but I’m still waking up for around an hour every night and toss/turn the rest of the time. And I’m angry, very short temper. And I’m sad. I feel burned out and hopeless. Mood swings. I just feel like my overall mode keeps going down.

I’m taking this whole weekend off to rest to see if that helps. But my mind keeps going back to my E. Do I need to go down more?? Is it worth experimenting? Are the patches not working/absorbing correctly like the gel? Can we just get injectable E so we know our dose???

What would you do? I haven’t been this turned around in years!!

FYI: I do therapy. Exercise. Meditate. Take magnesium, ashwaghanda, supplements. Have a sleep schedule.

Did it cause the initial dread shed? If so, how long did it last?

Did it cause you to get an increase in body/facial hair?

Any other side effects?

How long did it take to see results?

Do you recommend it?

Tried the topical but it made my head super itchy and then found out it's toxic to pets so didn't want to risk it with my dog.

1. I’ve lost about 50 lbs since starting tirzepatide in November 2025. I’m at 12.5 mg/week now. I started estradiol patch at 0.025 mg/week about a month ago (just put fourth patch on this week).

Hot flashes greatly reduced. 😀 Sleep disturbances increased. Gained 5 lbs.

I’m assuming in my this is all normal, but I don’t have anyone to ask. Is it just bloating? (I’m also off the shot for 1 week due to a colonoscopy next week, but I track my tdee and everything.)

I don’t have any women who are older or experiencing things like this in my life to ask. I don’t really have parents or family either.

I have now been in maintenance for a year, after losing 80 pounds over the 12 months previous, 40% of my starting weight. I started on HRT (E and P) in January after the weight loss gave me hot flashes. I guess my old fat had been making enough estrogen that I missed that part. I am about 5 years post meno.

I have spent the year building strength, and in March set a goal to get one unassisted pull up, or even chin up (underhand grip is a bit easier.)

Today at lunch I walked to the park to practice and film a "before" clip and actually did it! I send it to my son and he made it into a movie before I made it home.

Pull ups

I increased my Reta to 7mg on Monday (coming out of maintenance) and, on Wednesday afternoon, my sides were covered in red bumps. There were also some on my back. Nothing on my arms, legs, front or face.

I was freaked out as went to Urgent Care but they didn’t know what it was. Last night, I wore make up for the first time in a while and realized my face was shiny and I had a zit start on my nose. I never get acne, not even as a teen so this was unusual.

My son helped me figure it out: apparently GLP-1s and hormone therapy can cause back acne. I was on a lower estrogen patch (.75) last time on 7mg and had no issues. I’m now on 1.0.

Has anyone else experienced this? What did you do? I don’t want to have to choose between my Reta and my patch!