u/Boogie2233

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.

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. 💙