Jump to: What is menopause? | What is Mounjaro? | Why take Mounjaro during menopause? | Take home message
You can take Mounjaro (tirzepatide) if you’re going through menopause and your BMI is over 27. Recent research suggests weight-loss injections may be particularly beneficial during this life stage.
One study showed that women using GLP-1 medications during menopause achieved significant weight loss of 16%, particularly when combined with hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
Additionally, analysis of the SURMOUNT trials shows that women generally lose more weight on Mounjaro than men – with women losing around 24% of their body weight compared to 18% in men.
The hormonal changes during menopause can make weight loss particularly challenging. Research suggests around 70% of women experience some weight gain during this transition.
However, Mounjaro works by mimicking two hormones – GLP-1 and GIP – that influence appetite and metabolism, which may help counter some of the metabolic changes that occur during menopause.
If you take Mounjaro during menopause, it’s recommended that you:
- Continue any prescribed HRT as directed by your healthcare team
- Monitor your symptoms and response to the medication
- Maintain healthy lifestyle habits to support long-term success
Medication-assisted weight loss with a future focus
Start with Wegovy or Mounjaro, transition to habit-based health with our support
What is menopause?
Menopause is a natural stage when a woman’s menstrual cycles end. It’s officially diagnosed after 12 months without a period and typically occurs between ages 45-55.
Studies show that the significant hormonal changes that occur during menopause have a significant impact on our appetite and metabolism.
For example, one study found that post-menopausal women had a resting metabolic rate that was 8% lower than pre-menopausal women.
The average weight gain during menopause is around 2-5kg, though this varies significantly between individuals. This weight gain seems to occur without changes in diet or exercise habits.
The primary reason for menopausal weight gain is hormonal changes, particularly the decrease in estrogen. This can lead to increased appetite, changes in fat distribution, reduced muscle mass, and a lower metabolic rate.
Research shows that appetite-regulating hormones like ghrelin (which increases hunger) often increase during menopause, making weight management more challenging.
What is Mounjaro?
Mounjaro is a dual-action weight-loss injection. It supports weight loss by mimicking two hormones, GLP-1 and GIP, that communicate with the brain’s appetite control centre, the hypothalamus, to lower hunger and food-seeking behaviour.
By lowering hunger and our desire to eat, Mounjaro helps us eat fewer calories to achieve a calorie deficit.
A calorie deficit occurs when we consume fewer calories than our body needs to fuel its essential functions, such as digestion, blood flow, and brain function.
By creating a calorie deficit, our bodies will ‘burn’ the excess fat stored for energy, and we’ll lose weight.
Mounjaro also slows down the rate at which we digest food so that our stomach and gut send signals to the brain to signal the feeling of fullness.
So, Mounjaro supports weight loss by making us feel less hungry through two mechanisms:
- Communicating with the brain’s appetite control centre
- Slowing the rate that food is digested
Randomised controlled trials have shown that Mounjaro leads to an average weight loss of around 26% after one year.
Why take Mounjaro during menopause?
Menopause leads to significant hormonal challenges that make it extremely challenging to lose weight.
These hormonal changes decrease women’s resting energy expenditure (which means it would take fewer calories to gain weight) and increase hunger levels, which increases the likelihood of overeating.
Mounjaro could help counteract some of the impacts of menopause by regulating hormones that control appetite and metabolism.
Research on weight-loss injections similar to Mounjaro suggests menopausal women can still achieve significant weight loss.
One study found that women using GLP-1 medications alongside HRT lost 16% of their body weight, compared to 12% in those not on HRT.
Even without HRT, the study showed that GLP-1 medications could help achieve significant weight loss during menopause, with participants losing over 10% of their body weight.
Recent clinical trials suggest Mounjaro may be particularly effective for women, with female participants losing approximately 24% of their starting weight, compared to an average of 18% for men.
This increased effectiveness in women might be due to how Mounjaro interacts with female hormones and metabolism, though more research is needed to understand this in more depth.
Take home message
Weight-loss injections like Mounjaro may be particularly beneficial during menopause when hormonal changes often make weight management challenging.
Research suggests combining Mounjaro with HRT might offer enhanced benefits, though significant weight loss is possible without HRT.
Success depends on working with your healthcare team to monitor both your menopausal symptoms and your response to the medication.
Second Nature’s medication programmes
Second Nature has two medication-supported programmes: a Wegovy weight-loss programme and a Mounjaro weight-loss programme.
Why should you choose Second Nature over other medication providers if you’ve decided to try Mounjaro or Wegovy (assuming you’re eligible)?
For peace of mind.
Second Nature has worked with the NHS for over 6 years, providing weight-loss programmes across the UK.
While our Wegovy and Mounjaro weight-loss programmes are private and not currently used by the NHS, we’ve built the programmes focusing on scientific evidence, patient safety, and data security.
We hope that our 6+ years of working with the NHS and building a track record of effective weight-loss results will give you peace of mind to give us a try.
