Good news may be on the horizon for women navigating menopause while trying to lose weight. New research suggests that menopause hormone therapy could make popular weight-loss medications even more effective.
A recent study published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women’s Health found that women using menopausal hormone therapy lost significantly more weight while taking Zepbound (tirzepatide) compared with women who used the drug alone. In fact, the difference was striking—those on hormone therapy experienced about 35% greater weight loss.
A Potential Synergy Between Hormones and Weight-Loss Drugs
The study was led by Dr. Regina Castaneda, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. According to Castaneda, the size of the difference caught researchers’ attention and points to the need for more detailed studies.
She explained that earlier laboratory research hints at a possible biological connection: estrogen may strengthen the appetite-suppressing effects of GLP-1-based medications like tirzepatide. “This potential interaction is something we need to understand better,” she noted.
Why Menopause Makes Weight Management Harder
Menopause is well known for accelerating age-related weight gain, increasing the risk of overweight and obesity. At the same time, women may experience disruptive symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, and sleep problems. Hormone therapy remains the most effective first-line treatment for relieving these symptoms.
What hasn’t been clear until now is how menopause hormone therapy might interact with newer GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, which work by reducing appetite and improving metabolic control.
Inside the Study
Researchers reviewed data from 120 women who were overweight or obese and had been taking tirzepatide for weight management for at least one year. Among them, 40 women were using menopausal hormone therapy, while 80 were not. The two groups were carefully matched and compared.
The results showed that women on hormone therapy lost about 35% more weight than those using tirzepatide alone.
Senior author Dr. Maria Daniela Hurtado Andrade, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic, emphasized an important limitation: the study was observational, not a randomized clinical trial. That means researchers cannot say for certain that hormone therapy directly caused the extra weight loss.
She added that other factors could be at play. Women on hormone therapy may already practice healthier habits, or relief from menopause symptoms could improve sleep, energy, and overall quality of life—making it easier to stick with diet and exercise plans.
What Comes Next
Despite these uncertainties, the findings are promising enough to warrant further research. The team plans to test their observations in a randomized clinical trial to see whether the benefits hold up under more controlled conditions.
Researchers also want to explore whether hormone therapy enhances more than just weight loss. Future studies will look at cardiometabolic outcomes, such as heart health and blood sugar control.
If these results are confirmed, experts say the work could help shape new, evidence-based strategies to reduce obesity-related risks for millions of postmenopausal women.
The study’s findings were published on January 22, 2026.
Learn More
The Cleveland Clinic offers additional information on GLP-1 weight-loss medications and how they work.
Source: Mayo Clinic, news release, Jan. 22, 2026
