Lara Briden's Forum

Hi dear ladies,
I am worried about taking cyclic progesterone (biosynthetical) due to weight gain. I've read a lot about it online, but it was usually connected to menopause or other HRT pills.
Can you gain weight from progesterone only? I am terrified, because it negatively impacts my mental health.
Or maybe could it only be water retention that comes and goes like your natural PMS?
Thanks for your experiences

Yes, it could just be water retention, as that can happen with cyclic progesterone.

The other potential issue is that cyclic progesterone can cause an increase in appetite in some people. Have you noticed an increase in appetite? Are you eating a lot more than previously?

If you aren't eating any more than normal, then there's probably nothing to worry about.

I discuss progesterone and weight in the podcast.

Here's the quote:
"According to a 2019 systematic review, natural progesterone given together with estrogen to healthy menopausal women caused either weight loss or no change. Interestingly, the paper lists all the mechanisms by which progesterone should cause weight loss, including:

progesterone is diuretic,
it increases core body temperature
it increases thyroid hormone, and
it supports sleep and, therefore, growth hormone.

I would point out that natural progesterone also has beneficial antiandrogen properties, which is why it’s used as part of cyclic progesterone therapy for PCOS."